1829: The Birth of Scotland Yard: London Gets Its First Modern Police Force
Before 1829, London had no unified police, just a patchwork of parish constables and private watchmen who could barely keep pace with a city rife with theft, riot and violence. Read more →
1866: Moondyne Joe Caught 322 Kilometres From Perth While Trying to Walk to Adelaide
By 1866 Joseph Bolitho Johns, known as Moondyne Joe, was already the most persistent escapee Fremantle Prison had ever held. Read more →
1882: Ned Kelly’s Executioner Jailed for Indecent Exposure in Melbourne
Elijah Upjohn had hanged Ned Kelly at Melbourne Gaol in 1880, earning five pounds for the job. Read more →
1982: Seven Dead, No One Ever Charged: the Chicago Tylenol Poisonings
On September 29, 1982, 12 year old Mary Kellerman took a Tylenol capsule for a cold and died within hours. Read more →
2011: Killed Behind Bars: Matthew Johnson Convicted of Murdering Gangland Assassin Carl Williams
Carl Williams had already been convicted of multiple murders during Melbourne’s gangland war when he was bashed to death with the stem of an exercise bike in a high-security unit at Victoria’s Barwon Prison in 2010, an inmate supposedly protected by round-the-clock surveillance. Matthew Charles Johnson, a fellow prisoner sharing the unit, was charged with the killing. Read more →
