SIGN UP for an Insider's Guide to all my books!

Thriller Thursday: This Month in Criminal History

Today’s Thriller Thursday is about history-one of my favorite topics. March is a month full of interesting criminal history, and here are a few of the events that stand out to me.

On a side note, today is Einstein’s birthday. Happy 134th!

This Month in Criminal History

March 1, 1932: Charles Lindbergh’s son is kidnapped from his home in Hopewell, New Jersey. A $50,000 ransom is paid, but the boy’s body is found on May 12. Cause of death is believed to be an accidental fall as his kidnapper, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, carried him down a ladder at the Lindbergh’s private estate. It’s likely the child died instantly.

March 1, 1974: Watergate scandal is revealed. Nixon’s former chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, aide John Erlichman, and former attorney general John Mitchell are indicted with four other high ranking officials.

March 3, 1913: 5,000 women participating in a suffrage march in Washington D.C. were attacked by onlookers while police stood by. Many were spat on and struck, and soldiers were called in to restore order. Remember what our predecessors fought for, ladies.

March 5, 1770: The Boston Massacre. A group of Americans harassed the British soldiers who then opened fire. Five men were killed. British Captain Thomas Preston and eight of his men were charged with murder. The Captain and six of his men were acquitted, while two were found guilty of manslaughter, branded, and then released.

March 6, 1836: Remember the Alamo. Fort Alamo fell to General Santa Anna. Beginning on February 23th, Santa Anna and his soldiers attacked. The Texans and their reinforcements held the fort until March 6. Davy Crockett is believed to have been killed in the battle, with some stating he was surrounded by no less than 16 dead Mexican officers, but others say he surrendered.

March 13, 1943: A plot by German Army officers to kill Hitler failed.

March 15, 44 B.C.: Julius Caesar was assassinated by Brutus and other conspirators.

March 16, 1968: In what’s known as the My Lai Massacre, American soldiers of Charlie Company murdered 504 Vietnamese men, women, and children. They were charged but later pardoned by President Richard Nixon.

March 20, 1995: A Japanese religious cult unleashes a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system during rush hour. 12 were killed and 5,000 injured. Members of the cult were eventually arrested.

March 30, 1981: President Reagan is shot in the chest in Washington, D.C. After surgery to remove the .22 caliber bullet from his lung, Reagan joked, “I should have ducked.” Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, was shot in the forehead but survived. He is permanently disabled and a supporter of gun control.

SOURCE

Did you know some of these events occurred in March? What is your favorite time in history?

Read the first TWO chapters of TIN GOD (April 2013) for free!

A mystery set in the heart of the deep South, TIN GOD is getting amazing early reviews.

The book’s official release is April 8th, and I’m doing something special for mailing list subscribers: sign up to read the first two chapters for free. Subscribers will also be exclusively notified with the book’s early release and special 24 hour discounted price.

Sign up to read the first two chapters HERE!

If you’d like to know what the early reviewers are saying, check out TIN GOD on Goodreads (cover reveal is March 28th.)

 

14 comments on… “Thriller Thursday: This Month in Criminal History”

  1. Wow, what a fascinating list! I still remember the footage of Reagan’s shooting over and over on TV. For a while, we really didn’t know if he’d be okay.

    But HERESY to a Texan: Of course, Crockett died with his fellow soldiers at the Alamo. I don’t believe the revisionists. Remember the Alamo!!! 🙂

    • Thanks, Julie. LOL, I figured you and Catie would chime in on Crocket. I think he likely did, but there are always conspiracy theorists with any big tragedy.

      I have a vague memory of Reagan’s shooting – I would have been almost four.

      Thanks for stopping by!

  2. Great list! Who says Crocket didn’t die defending the Alamo, heresy.

    I remember the Reagan shooting. One would truly think with a hero being gunned down, well never mind.

    • LOL. That is what all the Texans are saying. It is likely just one of those theories made up to cause controversy.
      Thanks!

  3. Interesting, Stacy. Thank you for the education. Every election season when I get so disgusted with the self-serving political trash and the system that produces them that it sickens me to cast a vote, I remember those suffragettes and chide myself. The fact that we CAN vote is the essence of hope that some day, someone will actually be on the ballot again who puts America first. And what a blessing that we have a voice. Had no idea the suffrage march was in March.

    • You’re very welcome. And I know what you mean about the elections – at any level. It’s ridiculous, and here we are again, at another stalemate. But yes, the fact that we can vote is such an amazing thing, and it’s easy to forget all the women who suffered so we can. Thanks so much!

  4. Pingback: The End is Near (and we deserve it) . . . Sexcereal « Bayard & Holmes

  5. Pingback: The End is Near (and we deserve it) . . . Sexcereal « Bayard & Holmes

  6. Great list! True crime is always an inspiration to mystery writers like me. I find myself discovering odd bits and pieces in the newspapers that become the kernel the grows into a story. Just this morning, there was a small article on fraudulent sales in a major NYC art gallery. It read like the synopsis of a mini mystery — all it was missing was the murder!

    • Those are great ways to discover new stories. I have a bunch of bookmarks for just that reason. Ooh on the art sales – that could be really interesting. Thanks!

  7. I’m actually old enough to remember My Lai. I was in high school at the time. A sad, low point in our history. And I’m not Texan but I still think it’s sacrilege to say that Crockett surrendered. I think Catie is right. (Sorry I’m so late to the party, Stacy. It’s been that kind of a week.)

    • Do you really? It was definitely sad. I agree about Crockett. I highly doubt he surrendered. And no worries – thanks for commenting!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with an *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • NEWSLETTER

    Signup for news on new releases, sales and GIVEAWAYS!!!