Today we rewind the clock to the 12th of October on This Day in True Crime History.
1609: 🎵 Hidden Horrors in Harmony: The Dark Tale Behind Three Blind Mice 🐁
On this day in 1609, London witnessed the publication of what seemed to be a simple nursery rhyme, “Three Blind Mice.” While it enchanted children with its catchy tune, some historians theorize that the “three blind mice” are believed to represent three Protestant bishops who conspired against Queen Mary I of England, infamously known as “Bloody Mary”. Their failed plot led to their conviction for treason and subsequent execution by being burned at the stake. The “farmer’s wife” cutting off their tails with a carving knife? None other than Queen Mary herself. 🎶🔥👑
1933: 🔒 From Island to Infamy: Alcatraz’s Transformation into America’s Most Dreaded Prison 🌊
On this day in 1933 Alcatraz Island, formerly a military fortification, underwent its most notorious transformation: it became a federal maximum-security prison designed to hold the nation’s most dangerous criminals. Alcatraz was the ultimate punishment – a remote, inescapable fortress where inmates faced a life of strict discipline amidst the chilling winds and unforgiving waves. Names like Al “Scarface” Capone and Robert “Birdman” Stroud would soon echo through its cells, cementing Alcatraz’s reputation in true crime lore. 🏢🦜🚔
1949: 🌍 Birth of a Mercenary – The Early Days of Carlos the Jackal 🔫
On this day in 1949, Ilich Ramírez Sánchez was born in Venezuela. He would later become infamously known to the world as Carlos the Jackal, responsible for a series of terrorist attacks and hostage takings across Europe during the 1970s and early 1980s. Raised by a devoutly Catholic mother and a Marxist father, his early introduction to communism set the stage for his future activities. 🌎✈️🕵️♂️🧨
1960: 📺 A Live Broadcast Turned Tragedy: The Assassination of Inejiro Asanuma 🗡️
On this day in 1960, televisions across Japan showed what would become one of the most shocking moments in the nation’s modern history. Inejiro Asanuma, leader of the Japan Socialist Party, was addressing a political gathering when a young nationalist named Otoya Yamaguchi rushed onto the stage and assassinated Asanuma with a samurai sword. The horrifying act was witnessed in real time by countless viewers. 🇯🇵🎥🚫
1984: 💥 Brighton’s Dark Day: The IRA’s Attempt on Thatcher 🏨
On this day in 1984, the serene coastal town of Brighton, England, became the epicentre of a chilling political assassination attempt aiming to eliminate British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet, who were staying there for the Conservative Party Conference. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) orchestrated a bomb attack at the Grand Hotel; nevertheless, the Prime Minister narrowly escaped, but the blast claimed the lives of five individuals and injured 31 others. 🇬🇧🔍🚑
1988: 🔍 Melbourne’s Unsolved Mystery: The Walsh Street Shootings 🚓
On this day in 1988, a tragic incident unfolded in South Yarra, Melbourne. Constables Steven Tynan, aged 22, and Damian Eyre, aged 20, members of the Victoria Police force, were ambushed and tragically killed during the early hours 🕰️. The Walsh Street police shootings sent shockwaves 🌊 through Melbourne, leading to an intense and prolonged investigation which to this day remains unsolved. 🔍
2002: 💥 Bali’s Night of Horror 💥🌴
On this day in 2002, Indonesia faced its deadliest act of terrorism. The Bali bombings resulted in the tragic loss of 202 lives, and among the casualties, 88 were Australians 🇦🇺. The bustling nightlife of Bali’s Kuta district was shattered when blasts from two bombs ripped through popular nightclubs. 🌌
