Typhoid Mary

27th March 1915

This day in history...Typhoid Mary, the first ever healthy carrier of typhoid identified in the US, is put in quarantine for the rest of her life

The case of Mary Mallon was highly unusual and controversial in its day. We can now look back at poor old Typhoid Mary as a medical phenomenon of her time. But we also need to look back at the way she was treated by officials and the cruelty and sadness she experienced in her life. 

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Mary Mallon, aged 39

The beginning: Mary Mallon was born in 1869 in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland (Northern Ireland now). She emigrated to the United States in 1884 when she was just 15, seeking for a better life across the pond. She first worked in housekeeping and was a big boned, tall and hard-working girl. Mary found that she excelled as a cook and from 1990-1907 she worked as a cook in the New York area. In 1900, she worked in Mamaroneck, NY, and within 2 weeks of her employment, the residents developed typhoid fever. She then moved in 1901 to Manhatten, where the members of the family whom she worked for also developed fevers and diarrhoea, and the laundress even died. Mallon again moved on and worked fro a lawyer, until 7-8 household members developed typhoid. In 1906, Mary took a position in Oyster Bay, Long Island, and within 2 weeks, 10-11 family members were hospitalised with typhoid. Coincidence? If a pattern hasn't already emerged; Mary chanced jobs again and similar occurrences happened in 3 more households. A particular family, that of wealthy NY banker Charles Henry Warren, experienced 6 people coming down with typhoid fever. It was an unusual disease in Oyster Bay at the time according to doctors. Basically, wherever Mary went, the typhoid outbreaks followed her. 

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Mary Mallon cooking

Investigations: In 1906 a family, The Thompson's, hired an investigator to find the cause of the spread of typhoid in their area. George Soper, the investigator, had experience with typhoid outbreaks and found that the family had changed cooks 3 weeks before the epidemic broke out. He wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association that the new cook had:

 'remained in the family only a short time, leaving soon after the outbreak occurred.The cook was described as an Irish woman about 40 years of age, tall, heavy, single. She seemed to be in perfect health.'

Mary had left no forwarding address with any of her previous employers, so it took some time fro Soper to locate her. It wasn't until an active typhoid outbreak in a Park Avenue penthouse that Soper was able to find Mary. This particular case involved 2 servants being hospitalised and the daughter of the family dying. When Soper approached Mary about her possible role in spreading the disease, she obviously rejected his request for urine and stool samples and it is believed that she 'grabbed a carving fork and advanced towards Soper until he fled.' He decided to look into her 5 year history of employment and found 8 families who had hired Mary and had experienced typhoid. Soper then returned to visit Mary with another doctor, but was again refused by Mary. He offered to write a book about her and give her all the royalties. Mary angrily rejected the proposal and is believed to have locked herself in a bathroom until he left. 

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Dr. George Soper

Quarantine:  The New York City Health Department eventually sent Dr. Sara Josephine Baker to talk to Mary. Dr. Baker stated that she thought the law was persecuting Mary for no reason. However, a few days later, Baker returned to Mary's workplace with several police officers and took her into custody. The case attracted lots of media attention and the 1908 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association nicknamed her 'Typhoid Mary.' Mary was questioned by the police and medical experts and admitted she rarely washed her hand when cooking and felt there was no need to do so. The results from her urine samples - taken forcibly - revealed that her gallbladder was teeming with typhoid salmonella. She refused to have her gallbladder extracted and did not want to give up her cooking occupation. She was adamant that she did not carry any disease. She was later determined as a healthy carrier and under section of the Greater New York Charter, Mary was held in isolation for 3 years at a clinic and cottage in North Brother Island. Eventually it was decided that carriers should no longer be kept in isolation and that Mary would be freed as long as she agreed to stop working as a cook and to take reasonable steps to prevent her spread of typhoid. In 1910, Mary agreed to these conditions and was released. 

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Anti-Mary poster from the 1900s

What happened next: Mary aquired a job as a laundress after her release. The job was menial and paid much less than a cook. She soon changed her name from Mary Mallon to Mary Brown and returned to cooking. For the next 5 years she worked in many kitchens, and just like before, typhoid outbreaks followed her everywhere. Soper was unable to find her as she changed jobs so frequently, kept below the radar, and went under a pseudonym. In 1915, however, a serious epidemic of typhoid erupted in NY's Sloane Hospital for Women, with 25 cases and 2 deaths. City Health investigated and found that an Irish-American woman matching Mary's description had suddenly disappeared from the kitchens. Police tracked her to Long Island. Public health then arrested Mary and returned her to the quarantine in North Brother Island on the 27th March 1915, where she stayed for the rest of her life. Mary became a minor celebrity and was interviewed by a whole range of journalists - they were forbidden to accept even a glass of water from her. She was eventually allowed to work as a technician in the Island's lab, washing bottles. 

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Bacteriologist Emma Sherman and
 Mary Mallon (right) at
North Borther Island Clinic

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Mary Mallon in the forefront at North Brother Island

The end: The next 23 years of her life, Mary was confined to her isolation. In 1932 she was paralysed by a stroke and was moved to a bed in a children's ward, where she spent the last 6 years of her life, and in 1938, Mary died of pneumonia, aged 69. Autopsy evidence showed live typhoid bacteria in her gallbladder. Her body was cremated and her ashes buried at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx.

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Mary Mallon's tombstone

Her Legacy: No one knows for sure how many people were infected or killed at 'the hands' of Mary Mallon. Most people at the time considered her a horrible, stubborn and selfish woman as she refused to cooperate with health authorities, withheld information about her past, and used different pseudonyms when changing cities. 3 deaths have been directly linked to Mary, but estimates are now running as high as 50. Some believe she was consciously aware of her situation but was scared and didn't want to believe it. She was the first healthy typhoid carrier to be identified by medical science and there was no policy for guidelines handling this situation. This sort of explains the difficulties of her case and why she was treated as a prisoner. There were other healthy typhoid carriers in the 20th Century including Tony Labella, an Italian immigrant and a man nicknamed Typhoid John. Today, Typhoid Mary is a colloquial term for anyone who, knowingly or not, spreads something undesirable. 

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An illustration of Typhoid Mary that appeared in
1909 in The New York American

Some Medical Science: (I'm no doctor so don't kill me if I'm wrong) In August 2013, researched at Stanford University School of Medicine announced they had made breakthroughs in understanding the science behind asymptomatic carriers like Mary. The bacteria that causes typhoid may hide in macrophages, a type of immune cell. Individuals can develop typhoid fever after ingesting food or water contaminated by a human carrier who had handled it. The human carrier may be healthy, but they most probably have survived a previous episode of the disease and continue to shed the bacteria. Washing hands with soap before touching or preparing food, washing dishes and utensils with soap and water, and only eating cooked foods are ways to reduce the risk of typhoid infection. 

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Typhoid Poster 1923

Current Media:There have been many books published on Mary's case and her life. She was even immortalised in Marvel comic books as 'Typhoid Mary', 'Walker', 'Mutant Zero' who was a supervillian, fictional character and enemy of Daredevil and Deadpool. Some films and documentaries have also been made; some academic, intellectual and interesting; others just...awful. For example; Paranormal Asylum: The Revenge of Typhoid Mary (2013). If you click on the title here it will take you to the trailer...trust me...its not scary...its ridiculous. But that's for film critics to decide!

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DVD cover 

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Marvel Comic: Typhoid Mary 1988 ish

What are you thoughts on Mary Mallon? Do you agree with the way she was treated or how she reacted? Keep in mind that when you look back in hindsight at this, you are looking back with knowledge of the 21st Century, so can you really judge fairly on legislation at that time?

Please leave your comments below
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Dr. Death

26th March 1999

This day in history...Jury finds Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder for giving a lethal injection to a terminally ill man

The story and life of Dr. Jack Kevorkian is very controversial. The majority of his life was spent highlighting the issues encompassing euthanasia and campaigning for its legality in America, and essentially the rest of the world. There are many different debates surrounding Dr. Jack's beliefs, intentions and actions. Some describe him as 'Dr. Death' and 'Jack the Dripper', too obsessed with his interest in death; while others consider him as the poster boy for legislative reform and as a man who moved the medical debate forward. You can make up your own mind about Dr. Jack, but lets first look at his story.

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Time Magazine nickname him Dr. Death

Early Life: Kevorkian was born in Pontiac, Michigan to Armenian immigrants in 1928. He had 2 sisters, Maragret (eldest), and Flora (youngest). Kevorkian was born as Jacob but soon obtained the nickname Jack. When he was 17, Kevorkian graduated from Pontiac Central High School in 1945 with honours. He excelled in school and had even taught himself German and Japanese. (His aptitude for languages grew and by the time he was 20 he had learned seven languages). In 1952, Kevorkian graduated from University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, and he completed his residency training in anatomical and clinical pathology with brief research on blood transfusion. Kevorkian failed to function effectively as a hospital pathologist, left the active practice of medicine and for a time was even homeless - he never married.

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Jack Kevorkian on the far right, pictured in his Yearbook, 1952

Career: Over the decades Kevorkian developed several controversial medical ideas and in 1958 submitted a paper to a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His paper proposed that murders on death row should be given the option to execution with anaesthesia so that they could donate their organs to research. This was unsuccessful. When working as a pathologist at Pontiac General Hospital, Kevorkian experimented with transfusing blood from the recently deceased in to live patients. He drew blood from corpses recently brought into the hospital and transferred it successfully into the bodies of hospital staff members. He believed that the US military might be interested in using this technique to help wounded soldiers during battle - the Pentagon was not interested. 

In the 1980s, Kevorkian wrote a series of articles for the German Journal Medicine and Law laying out his thinking on the ethics of euthanasia. Following this, in 1987, he started advertising in Detroit newspapers as a physician consultant for 'death counselling'. His first public assisted suicide in 1990 was of Janet Adkins, a 54 year old woman diagnosed in 1989 with Alzheimer's disease. His Thanatron (Death machine) was used to assist Adkins in the back of his van, with him in attendance. The Thanatron involved the patient pushing a button that delivered the euthanizing drugs. Kevorkian reported the body to the police but charges were dropped as there was no law in Michigan at the time, regarding assisted suicide. In 1991, however, the State of Michigan revoked Kevorkian's medical license made it clear that he was no longer to practice medicine or do work with patients. 

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Dr. Kevorkian with his Thanatron Machine

According to his lawyer Geoffrey Fieger, Kevorkian assisted in the deaths of 130 terminally ill people between 1990 and 1998. In every case, the individuals themselves allegedly took the final action of pushing the button, resulting in their own deaths. Kevorkian's only role in the deaths was allegedly just attaching the individual to a euthanasia device. Now onto today's particular event in Kevorkian's life. In 1998, Kevorkian allowed the airing of a videotape he made on CBS News' 60 Minutes. The videotape depicted the voluntary euthanasia of Thomas Youk, 52, who was in the final stages of Lou Gehrig's Disease. After Youk provided  his fully informed consent, Kevorkian himself administered the lethal injection. This was highly significant as all of the earlier clients had reportedly completed the process themselves. Kevorkian dares the authorities to try and convict him or stop him from carrying out mercy killings in the videotape. Youk's family described the lethal injection as humane - not murder. On March 26th 1999, however, Kevorkian was charged with second-degree murder and the delivery of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 10-25 years in a prison in Coldwater, Michigan. Kevorkian was denied parole several times and it wasn't until 2007 when he was reportedly terminally ill with Hepatitis C, that he was paroled for good behaviour. He spent 8 years and 2 and half months in prison.

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Kevorkian being taken to prison, 1999

After Prison: Kevorkian was not allowed to help anyone else die, or provide care for anyone older than 62 or disabled. He agreed he would abstain from assisting any more terminal patients with death and that his role would strictly be to persuade states to change their laws on assisted suicide. Kevorkian spent the next few years travelling the country doing lectures at Universities and interviews for TV programmes like CNN and Fox News. The film "You don't know Jack" was also released in 2010 on HBO about Kevorkian's life, with Al Pacino portraying him in the film. Kevorkian also ran for Congress in Michigan but only received 2.6% of the vote. As Kevorkian had been suffering from Kidney problems for years, he was diagnosed with liver cancer, which may have been cause by his Hepatitis C. He was hospitalised in 2011 with kidney problems and pneumonia and on June 3rd 2011, 8 days after his 83rd birthday, Kevorkian died from thrombosis. 

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Al Pacino's poster from the film
"You don't know Jack"

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Kevorkian in his own home made stocks to make a point about common law

Legacy: According to reports by the Detroit Free Press, 60% of the patients who committed suicide with Kevorkian's assistance, were not terminally ill and at least 13 had not complained of pain. The report also continues on to say that Kevorkian's counselling was too brief as most people died within 24 hours of their first meeting with Kevorkian. The report also explains that most of the time, Kevorkian didn't refer people to seek professional medical help before their decision making process. However it is believed that Kevorkian declined 4 out of every 5 assisted suicide requests, on the grounds that the patient needed more treatment or that medical records had to be checked. It is believed that the work Kevorkian did, inspired and prompted the legal assisted suicides in Switzerland, and many viewed him as a 'major historical figure in modern medicine.' Although he left behind a 'deadly legacy that denied scores of people their right to humane deaths', he moved the debate forward in ways that the rest of us can only imagine. He got people starting to think and talk about the issues. 

The epitaph on Kevorkian's tombstone reads: "He sacrificed himself for everyone's rights."

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Dr. Jack Kevorkian

Other Little Facts: In his lifetime, Dr. Jack was an avid enthusiast of Jazz and art. He was a jazz musician and composer and even released a limited CD with only 5,000 copies in 1997. It featured Kevorkian on the flute and organ playing his own works. It was reviewed as 'weird' but 'good natured'. He was also an oil painter. His work was often toward the grotesque and macabre; he sometimes painted with his own blood, and created pictures such as one "of a child eating the flesh off a decomposing corpse." The sludge metal band Acid Bath used one of his paintings for the cover art of their 1996 album Paegan Terrorism Tactics. 

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Various art work of Dr. Jack

So what are your thoughts about 'Dr. Death' AKA Dr. Jack Kevorkian? Do you think assisted suicides should be legal everywhere? And do you think he went about it in the right way?

Please leave your comments below

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Capitol Hill Massacre

25th March 2006

This day in history...A gunman kills six people before taking his own life at a party in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighbourhood

Today's event is another tragic gun crime story that reiterates the concerns and challenges that I mentioned in The Dunblane Massacre blog  a few days ago. Recorded massacres in America go as far back as 1770 with the Boston Massacre, and have multiplied over the past 300 odd years into the present day. The Capitol Hill Massacre was an example of a 'Single Perpetrator event and shooting spree' and is number 91 out of 106 that have occurred in America from 1863 - 2013. So lets take a look at today's event and the history leading up to the devastating incident.

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The house- crime scene

The perpetrator: 28 year old Kyle Aaron Huff (Sep 22nd, 1997 - March 25th 2006). Huff claimed he attended The Art Institute of Seattle and North Seattle Community College, although there are no records to confirm this. Huff had been previously arrested for shooting a public arts project and for being involved in a brawl at the Lobo Saloon in 2004. His firearms were seized by police but returned after his restitution and fine had been paid. Huff moved to Seattle from his hometown of Whitefish, Montana, with his twin identical brother Kane, 5 years before the shooting. Residents described him as a well-liked person. 

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Kyle Aaron Huff

The Massacre: March 24th 2006, a "Better off Undead" event was held at the Capitol Hill Arts Center, CHAC. Huff attended the rave, despite never attending one before. He was not known in Seattle's rave scene and very few people knew him or interacted with him at CHAC. He did however receive a last minute invite to an after party of the rave. So between 4am and 6am on March 25th, Huff left to attend the party. He didn't know anyone there and was described as quiet, but spoke pleasantly with everyone. Nobody recalled him leaving and there was no unusual or belligerent behaviour by Huff. 

He left the house, went to his truck parked nearby and took out a 12 gauge pistol-grip Winchester 1300 Defender Shotgun and a 40-caliber semiautomatic Ruger p944 handgun and several  bandoilers worth of ammunition. When returning to the party, Huff spray-painted the word "NOW" on the pavement and on the steps of a neighbouring home. When he approached the house he shot 5 victims who were outside; 2 on the steps, 3 in the porch. He then forced his way through the front door and shot 2 more people on the first floor. He apparently shouted "There's plenty for everyone" as he made his way around the house. On the second floor he fired through the locked door of a bathroom where a couple had taken refuge in the bath; neither person was hit. At least 1 other victim was injured during the shooting, and at least one died at the hospital.

 The shooting lasted  5 minutes inside the house. A patrol officer, Steve Leonard, heard the shots nearby and headed to the scene calling for 911 backup. When he arrived, he found the injured victims outside the house. As Huff was coming down the steps, the officer started to demand that Huff drop his weapon, however before Leonard could finish his command, Huff placed the gun in his mouth and shot himself through the head.

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Removing Huff's body 

Aftermath: Following the shooting, Police raided Huff's truck to find a rifle, another handgun, several more boxes of ammunition, a baseball bat and a machete. The police also received a search warrant for Huff's North Seattle apartment, where they found more weapons. They took Huff's identical twin, Kane, into custody, questioned him and then later released him. Huff's motives are still not completely known but police have a pretty good idea as to why Huff did what he did. A month after the shootings, a possible bomb was found in a rubbish bin about a mile away from Huff's apartment. This turned out to just be modelling clay and wires, however a handwritten note was found in the same bin apparently written by Huff. The letter was on stationary found in Huff's apartment and matched his writing. The letter was dated two days before the shootings and was very specific in expressing his anger about young ravers and their provocative lifestyles. Huff explained how he hated their sexual freedom and that the things young ravers did and said were too disturbing for him to live with. The letter ended with the quote "Now, kids, Now", which ties in with the "Now" that Huff had spray-painted. It is suggested that the Nirvana song "I Want to Know Now" with the chorus of "now, now, now, now" influenced Huff's message. 

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"NOW" spray painted on the steps 

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The Letter

Legacy: Many who had attended the CHAC event learned of the shooting the day after it happened via a local rave website. People that were posting on the website were first hand accounts from survivors. On March 28th, the Church Council of Greater Seattle, led by Rev. Sanford Brown, held an interfaith prayer service at the site of the mass murder. 500 people turned up to show their respects. 

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The victims

The victims:

• Melissa Moore, 14
• Suzanne Thorne, 15
• Justin "Sushi" Schwartz, 22
• Christopher "Deacon" Williamson, 21
• Jeremy Marin, 26
• Jason Travers, 32

Immediately after the killings, the Seattle Times called for tighter regulation of late-night activities of the under-aged. This view, however, was deeply opposed by the alternative weekly paper The Stranger. Whilst the Seattle Times thought that more monitoring was needed and security to be re-examined and re-tooled, The Stranger believed that it wasn't about the raves it was about a man who decided he was going to kill people and had the fire-power to do it. The mother of victim Christopher Williamson said that she would do everything in her power to make sure the raves continued, as it was what Chris loved most. The arguments following the shootings were heavily focused on under-age late-night activities and curfews etc. There was hardly any argument or thoughts into the fact that it was a gun crime and that Huff was able to kill all those people due to the amount of guns that he had in his possession.

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The Weapons found in Huff's truck

A memorial has been built to commemorate the victims and even Kyle Huff. The memorial has 7 sides; 6 representing the victims; and 1 side with a cracked mirror to represent Huff. The house where the shootings took place has been cleaned and renovated and the tenants who live there know what has happened. They don't mind at all and say that the house has no bad vibes and that they are happy there. Of course, many people still drive past today to have a look at the crime scene. 

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Memorial Service

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The memorial

What are your thoughts on the Capitol Hill Massacre? Leave your comments below
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Jesse James robs a bank

20th March 1868

This day in history...Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang rob a bank in Russellville, Kentucky, taking $14,000 

Today's blog looks at Jesse Woodson James (Sep 5 1847-1882): the notorious American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer. He is basically the ultimate gangster, especially for the 19th Century. He is the most famous member of the James-Younger gang and his celebrity status that he had when he was alive, has transformed him into a legendary figure, immortalising him. In order to give today's event of robbing the Southern Deposit Bank some context, we must look at the life of Jesse James.

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Jesse James - young and old

Jesse James - A brief history:Jesse and his older brother Frank James were raised in an educated and prestigious family of farmers. The brothers father died when Jesse was just 3 years old, which meant that their mother Zerelda remarried several times, giving birth to several half siblings for Jesse and Frank. In the summer of 1863, the James farm was brutally attacked by Union Soldiers as the Civil War was currently taking place. Jesse was just 16 when he and Frank became Confederate guerilla soldiers. They were in favour of the southern attitudes and of slaveholding, whilst the north were strongly against it, amongst other differences. During the civil war, atrocities were committed on both sides; Unionists enforced martial law, raided homes, arrested civilians, executions and banishment; Guerrillas, like Jesse and Frank, murdered civilian Unionists, executed prisoners and scalped the dead. Not a pretty sight.

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Jesse and Frank James

Following the civil war the brothers married, but continued to live the guerilla lifestyle as outlaws. The harsh postwar civil legislation caused them to rebel and they took the law into their own hands. They began robbing trains, stagecoaches and banks that were owned or operated by Northern institutions. They have been compared to Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. The likely hood is, however, that they kept the money for themselves. They did however protect their gang members and family, who had grown and changed over the years. From 1860 to 1882 the James Gang was the most feared of all outlaws in American History, responsible for more than 20 bank and train robberies and the murders of countless people who had stood in their way. It is estimated that they stole a total of $200,000, which is a substantial amount even now, let alone in the 19th Century. 

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Jesse and Frank James robbing a train, 1860s

Today's event: March 20th 1868, 8 members of the James-Younger Gang (Younger being two other brothers), rode into Russellville, Kentucky and went to the town's bank. Four of the men dismounted (Jesse and Frank James, Cole Younger, John Jarrette), whilst two stayed mounted in front of the bank (George and Oliver Shepard), and two others on the outskirts of the town (Arthur McCoy and Jim White). The James' brothers and Cole Younger entered the building, whilst Jarrette went round the back.There were three people inside the bank and on entering Cole pulled out his pistol and shot the cashier, who managed to get away. The gang ordered the other two men to fill wheat sacks with as money as possible, whilst holding them at gunpoint. When the sacks were full, the outlaws began riding out of town, firing their guns in the air. 

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Downfall and Death: Following this event, some of the gang members were caught and arrested, which only started the downfall of the gang. By 1876, nearly all gang members had either been caught or killed, really only leaving the James brothers.  Frank settled down, whilst Jesse remained restless starting other gangs here and there. By this time the brothers had such a large bounty on their head, dead or alive, that things started to get complicated. Jesse grew paranoid about his gang members and was believed to have scared them away and even kill one of them. The only people Jesse could trust were Charley and Robert Ford. For protection, Jesse asked the brothers to move in with him. This was a mistake. Robert Ford had conducted secret negotiations with Thomas T. Crittenden, the Missouri governor, to bring in the famous outlaw and receive his $5,000 - $25,000 bounty money for each James brother. On April 3rd 1882, just after finishing their breakfast, Jesse noticed a dusty crocked picture on the wall, he stood on a chair to clean and adjust it, which was the perfect opportunity for Robert Ford. He shot Jesse in the back of the head, killing the 34 year old instantly. 

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Robert Ford shooting and killing Jesse

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Wanted Poster for Jesse and Frank

The death was a national sensation. The Ford brothers were also met with a charge of first degree murder instead of a bounty reward. So any Jesse James fans out there, you'll be happy to know his killer was caught...but then shortly let go with a small portion of the reward. The Ford brothers didn't have much luck though and in 1884 Charley Ford committed suicide after suffering tuberculosis, and Robert Ford was shot in the throat, dying instantly. 

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Jesse James in his coffin, 1882

There has been some speculation about there being a living line of descendants all named Jesse James. The current 'Jesse James' alive today is an American television personality. His claim to the legacy of the original Jesse James is that his great great grandfather was cousins with the original. There is however, no evidence to support this claim and is most likely just an American TV star trying to get an even bigger claim to fame. The legacy of Jesse James has lived on through films, books, music, radio shows, TV programmes, comics, museums, festivals and even heritage celebrations. You want to know more about Jesse James? I'm pretty sure you'll find something to suit your taste.

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Today's Jesse James, US TV personality

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Mass suicide in China

19th March 1644

This day in history...Over 200 members of the Peking imperial family and court commit suicide in loyalty to the Emperor 

As extreme as that sounds in this day and age, the mass suicides in China were out of respect and loyalty and was pretty much expected at the time. To be exact, the figure of those who committed suicide on this day is closer to 900 people, and that's excluding the thousands of Eunuch's who died fighting and defending the Palace from rebels. Eunuchs, by the way, are men who have been castrated, typically before puberty, in beliefs that they might perform specific social functions. Eunuchs were seen as asexual and trustworthy as the inability to have children prevented them from having children, thus would not be tempted to seize power. Anyway, on to the history behind this event.

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Emperor Chongzhen

A History Lesson: During the 17th Century a little Ice Age caused widespread drought, famine and farmer uprisings throughout China, and accelerated the fall of the Ming Dynasty during Chongzhen's reign. In early 1644, the situation of uprisings had become very dire and unfavourable to Chongzhen. Li Zingcheng, a popular and important uprising, prepared to take the Ming capital of Beijing. Rather than facing capture, humiliation and probable execution, Chongzhen arranged a feast and gathered all the members of the imperial household, except his sons. He cried out "Why must you be born into my family?!" ( 汝何故生我家！) and killed them with his sword. The only person who survived was his second daughter, 126 year old Princess Chang Ping, who severed her arm whilst trying to block the blow of the sword. Chongzhen then fled to Jingshan Park, behind the Palace, and committed suicide by hanging himself from the Guilty Chinese Scholar-tree, leaving behind a death note on his robe:


 "I am insufficient in virtues and weak in conducts, hence the heavenly punishment, and the ministers also failed me. Having no dignity to face my ancestors, I would undress my crown and cover my face with hair. Mutilate my body as you wish, but do not harm a single civilian."(朕涼德藐躬，上干天咎，然皆諸臣誤朕。朕死無面目見祖宗，自去冠冕，以髮覆面。任賊分裂，勿傷百姓一人)

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Chongzhen commits suicide.

Following the Emperor's death, dozens of loyal high-level government official and over 700 imperial household scholars committed suicide. This shows their loyalty to Chongzhen. In addition to these deaths, more than a 1000 palace eunuchs died fighting desperately to defend the Palace against rebels, and over 300 imperial maids committed suicide when they heard of the Emperor's death. This has remained as one of the biggest acts of loyalty in the history of the world. This doesn't go to say it is necessary and expected, especially in this day and age, but shows the impact that the Emperor had during his reign. 

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The tree where Chongzhen committed suicide. His gravestone can still be visited today

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Largest Art Robbery

18th March 1990

This day in history...The largest ever art robbery at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston. 13 pieces of artwork were stolen, at the value of $500 million

There have been many art heists and large scale robberies in the history of the world, but the robbery at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was - and still is - the largest art robbery ever. Considering it only happened in 1990, the stolen paintings are yet to be found and an ongoing FBI investigation is still following up on leads. There is even a $5 million reward for any information on the location and whereabouts of any of the paintings. Whilst today's blog is a historical account of what happened during the robbery, it is still a chance to raise awareness of the stolen paintings. Therefore, if you believe you have seen, heard or know anything about the paintings, or the thieves involved, you can contact the FBI's hotline at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips on the FBI website. Everything is confidential.

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Facial composites of the two thieves - with and without moustaches

So lets get to the story. In the early hours of the 18th March 1990, as the city was preoccupied with St. Patrick's Day celebrations, two men disguised as Boston policemen entered the ISG Museum. At 1:24am they went to the side entrance of the building, pressed the buzzer and shouted "Police! Let us in. We heard about a disturbance in the courtyard." The two men were let in without being challenged or questioned. When they approached the security desk, there was one security man sitting there and another elsewhere. The men told the security guard that he looked familiar and that they had a warrant out for his arrest. This tricked the guard, and he stepped away form the security desk - where the only panic alert button was. They handcuffed the guard and stood him against the wall. When the other guard arrived they also handcuffed him. He proclaimed "Why are you arresting me?", the men replied "You're not being arrested. This is a robbery. Don't give us any problems and you won't get hurt." The thieves took the guards to the museum's basement, handcuffed them to pipes and wrapped duct tape around their heads, hands and feet.

The two men then went about stealing the 13 paintings from the museum. The way in which they removed certain paintings suggests they knew exactly which ones they wanted to take and how. The robbery has also puzzled experts as there were far more expensive pieces of artwork in the museum. The stolen paintings were:

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The 13 stolen artworks

• The Concert by Vermeer
• A Lady and Gentleman in Black by Rembrandt
• The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt
• Self-Portrait by Rembrandt
• Landscape with Obelisk by Govaert Flinck
• Chez Tortoni by Manet
• La Sortie de Pesage by Degas
• Cortege aux Environs de Florence by Degas
• Program for an artistic soiree 1 and 2 by Degas
• Three Mounted Jockeys by Degas
• An ancient Chinese Ku from the Shang Dynasty
• A finial in the shape of an eagle from a Napoleonic flag

The men had to do 2 trips to their car with all the artwork and the theft lasted around 81 minutes. The guards had remained tied up in the basement until 8:15 am later that morning, when two day shift guards came to relieve them of their night shift. The police were called immediately, who in turn contacted the FBI. It wasn't until March 2013 that the FBI believed to know the identity of the thieves and that the criminal-organisation that stole the paintings was based in mid-Atlantic and New England. The FBI also believes that some of the paintings were sold in Philadelphia in the 2000s.

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Billboards around Philadelphia

Media attention: Several TV programmes have featured stolen paintings in their episodes to bring attention to the robbery, highlight its importance and, in some cases add satire to the situation. Examples include; The Simpsons episode 'American History X-cellent, featuring Mr. Burns owning the The Concert painting; The Venture Bros. also features a villain stealing one of the paintings. Novels have also focused on the heist like; Irreplaceable by Charles Pinning; The Art Forger by Barbara A. Shapiro; and Dutch Reckoning by Michael G. West. The recent 2013 film Trance also makes early reference to The Storm of the Sea of Galilee painting, and later on in the film shows the Rembrandt painting, The Concert and Chez Tortoni.

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Vincent Cassel playing Franck in Trance - the stolen painting

As I've said before, this is an ongoing investigation so any information regarding these paintings is vital. The Museum still has the empty frames up for the return of the paintings and the Museum's chief of security, Anthony Amore, has said "23 years since the robbery. That's far too long. It's time for these paintings to come home."

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The empty frames at the Museum

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