History

Remembering History: Berlin Wall Goes Up Dividing Berlin For Decades(15 August 1961)

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Allied Occupation sectors in Berlin (1945-1990).
Image: Paasikivi via Wikimedia Commons

After World War II, Berlin was divided into four Allied occupation zones: American, British, French and Soviet. Differences emerged as to the future of Germany resulting in the creation of two Germanys and Berlin being split in two. The Americans, British, and French united their sectors to create the Federal Republic of Germany and half of Berlin in 1948. The Soviet backed German Democratic Republic was the other and Berlin, except for that half that was part of West Germany, was inside East Germany.

The Soviet Union decided to blockade West Berlin to force the Allied powers to leave. U.S. President Harry Truman, along with Britain, organized a massive airlift to help West Berlin be stocked with food and fuel. Ultimately the Soviets backed down in May 1949 and life resumed with West Berlin nestled within a country hostile to it. Crossing between the two parts was relatively easy and families were often split into both sectors. West Berlin became a gateway for people desiring to leave the Communist dominated central and eastern Europe. However, those running East Germany started losing significant portions of society from intellectuals to skilled laborers. With approval from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (who had suggested the wall), the East German government decided to close off access to West Berlin.

Berlin: Sicherung der Staatsgrenze am 13.8.1961 – Zum Schutz der Grenze eingesetzte Genossen der Kampfgruppen auf der Westseite des Brandenburger Tores. (Translation “Berlin: Securing the state border on 13.8.1961 – Comrades of the combat groups deployed to protect the border on the west side of the Brandenburg Gate.”)
Photo: Peter Heinz Junge
Source: German Federal Archives via Wikimedia Commons

Beginning on the evening of 12 August 1961, East German soldiers started placing 30 miles of barbed wire through Berlin reducing checkpoints to cross into East Berlin. Western governments protested but did nothing to stop it. On 15 April 1961 concrete replaced barbed wire effectively creating a permanent wall between the two sectors. As the wall was being erected, many moved frantically to get out before it was completed. Buildings that faced into West Berlin were used as escape routes with people waiting to help them escape. Whole neighborhoods that were once easily accessed were now blocked. The effect was startling with roads blocked, mass transit on both sides no longer able to move back and forth, and those who worked in West Berlin but lived in East Berlin were cut off from their jobs. Families that lived in both sectors were now cut off. Early on they could wave to their family at certain points, but the East Germans put a stop to it.

The walls would go up to 15 feet high in some places. It followed the border between the two sectors but at some points there was some distance between the legal boundaries. East German guards were given kill orders on anyone trying to flee into West Berlin. In early days it was easier to escape but that would change over time. Buildings that faced into West Berlin were sealed to prevent anyone from escaping from windows, fire escapes, or by lowering themselves down to the ground. Observation towers were erected with constant patrols. In some areas they created a no-man’s land which contained numerous obstacles, mines, gravel to quickly see footprints, and offered a clear field of fire from guards in towers. These death strips, created by tearing down buildings on their side, were a grim feature of the wall. Between the manned guard towers, foot patrols, assorted obstacles such as mines and other deadly tools, it made escape nearly impossible.

The move was not unexpected by many in Washington D.C. or other capitals. It had been assumed for a while something like this might happen. West Berlin mayor Willy Brandt was furious at the lack of a strong response from the United States. The prevailing view in some circles was that this meant neither the East Germans nor the Soviet Union was going to invade Berlin. While no one was happy about it being there, trying to compel East Germany to take it down meant a showdown they did not want to escalate to a major international crisis. The decision was made not to risk an international crisis but use it as a symbol against Communism and what Moscow stood for. It fit neatly into what Winston Churchill called in his famous Sinews of Freedom (‘Iron Curtain’) speech in 1946:

From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow. Athens alone-Greece with its immortal glories-is free to decide its future at an election under British, American and French observation. The Russian-dominated Polish Government has been encouraged to make enormous and wrongful inroads upon Germany, and mass expulsions of millions of Germans on a scale grievous and undreamed-of are now taking place. The Communist parties, which were very small in all these Eastern States of Europe, have been raised to pre-eminence and power far beyond their numbers and are seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control. Police governments are prevailing in nearly every case, and so far, except in Czechoslovakia, there is no true democracy.[1]

 President Kennedy denounced the wall and appointed retired general Lucious Clay as special advisor with ambassadorial rank to West Berlin. He was well known and liked in West Germany as he had been the Military Governor of the US Zone of Occupation during the Berlin Blockade. He took the initial steps in the famous Berlin Airlift, so West Berliners were very happy with this choice. And in this appointment Kennedy sent a clear message that he would not back down in supporting West Berlin. Both Clay and Vice President Lyndon Johnson went to West Berlin on Saturday 19 August 1961 and were greeted with great enthusiasm at Tempelhof Airport. On Sunday American troops in West Germany marched through East Germany to arrive in West Berlin. This was allowed by treaty, so neither the East Germans nor the Soviets could stop it. The column of 1,500 soldiers (broken down into five march units) with 491 vehicles marched in full battle gear and stopped at the East German checkpoint at Marienborn where the guards head counted them. The column was 99 miles long and covered 110 miles to reach West Berlin. It was noticed that East German military and police watched the march from the trees on the autobahn. They arrived around noon in West Berlin with Clay and Johnson in front. Over the years troops would continue to be rotated in and out of West Berlin to show East Germany and the Soviets their support.

The German Democratic Republic which had erected the wall claimed it was meant to protect itself from fascist aggression (antifaschistischer Schutzwall). They also claimed that West Germans were buying items that were state subsidized for its citizens. It was noted, however, that the barrier was to keep East Germans and others from going into West Berlin. West Berliners and others could enter and leave East Berlin through either the famous Checkpoint Charlie or a few others open for such purposes. While some claim that the wall was a success in stemming the migration out (and possibly improved their economy), it became a symbol of Communist oppression. Khrushchev thought the U.S. would not oppose it since Kennedy himself had said early in 1961 he would do nothing to stop it. Kennedy regretted those words, said at the Vienna Summit, to a reporter with the New York Times.

Checkpoint Charlie was on Friedrichstrasse, near Kochstrasse. It was the only crossing between West Berlin and East Berlin that could be used by Americans and other foreigners, and by members of the Allied Forces. The other six checkpoints were for residents of West Berlin or West Germany.
Photo: Roger Wollstadt via Wikimedia Commons

For the people of West Berlin, it was a daily fact of life their city was divided. And they could never forget it either. As East Germany solidified the wall, over 5,000 would escape to safety. Most though were either killed or captured. Those captured were often tortured and executed while others rotted in jails. The ruthless East German Ministry for State Security (Stasi), modeled on the Soviet KGB, hunted down suspected collaborators and those assisting people attempting to flee East Germany using a large army of civilian informants. With its own paramilitary force, named for the founder of the forerunner of the KGB, it had a well-earned reputation for tracking down and eliminating those who opposed East Germany.

East Berlin Death Strip as seen from Axel Springer Building, 1984
Photo by George Garrigues
Image credit: GeorgeLouis via Wikimedia Commons

By the late 1980’s, the Soviet Union was beginning to collapse and many of its client states were feeling the pressure of those they oppressed. On 12 June 1987 a call would be made to bring down the wall. This would start a movement that would galvanize people all over Germany and the West. The words were simple and done by President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin on the 75th anniversary of the city. He gave the speech 100 yards away from that wall and not far from the Brandenburg Gate.

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

 The crowd was electrified and it was unexpected. Most presidents said nothing about taking it down being advised it was unwise by the State Department. Reagan though saw this as the most visible sign of Communist oppression, and it should come down. Of course, the Soviets dismissed it as did some European leaders thinking it was too provocative. It lit a fire to challenge Communist leaders in East Germany and elsewhere. Soon demonstrations were taking place with large masses of people making it hard for the Communist leaders to so easily put it down as a few agitators. And it worked to bring down this hated wall. On 9 November 1989 East Germany announced that people in East and West Berlin could cross freely. As word spread, East Germans flocked to the gates but the guards, not yet having received word, did not know what to do. There was confusion and miscommunications, and no one wanted to order any lethal force be done. Finally, the commander of the Bornholmer Strasse border crossing opened the border with little or no identity checking. Many in West Berlin raced to the border hoping to see friends and family cross. It became known as the Night the Berlin Wall Fell. The next day Germans on both sides would begin to dismantle it. And this event would compel other Communist nations that had closed borders with the West to open their gates too. Communism was waning and would soon collapse in East Germany and elsewhere. Ultimately East Germany would dissolve and merge with the Federal Republic of Germany.

Today only historic signs, photos, and tour guides will point out where the infamous wall once stood. You can see the differences in some areas that have the old Soviet style buildings right next to the modern areas that were once part of West Berlin. Rick Steves in his travel show about Berlin shows how much it has changed since those terrible days. The wall put up to keep people from moving from East Germany to the freedom of the west itself is now a memory, with people selling parts of the wall now to collectors.

[1] Churchill, Winston. “The Sinews of Peace (Iron Curtain Speech).” International Churchill Society, Missouri, Fulton, United States of America, November 14, 2021. https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1946-1963-elder-statesman/the-sinews-of-peace/.

Sources

“Berlin Wall.” visitBerlin. Accessed August 11, 2026. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-wall.

Blakemore, Erin. “Why The Berlin Wall Rose—and How It Fell.” History, November 8, 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/why-berlin-wall-built-fell.

“Berlin Wall.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified August 10, 2026. Accessed August 11, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Berlin-Wall.

Pruitt, Sarah. “How Reagan’s ‘Tear Down This Wall’ Speech Marked a Cold War Turning Point.” HISTORY. Last modified May 28, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2026. https://www.history.com/articles/ronald-reagan-tear-down-this-wall-speech-berlin-gorbachev.

Roos, Dave. “How Germany Was Divided After World War II.” HISTORY. Last modified May 8, 2026. Accessed August 11, 2026. https://www.history.com/articles/germany-divided-world-war-ii.

YouTube

Frontline by ITN. “1961: Building of the Berlin Wall.” Video. YouTube, August 15, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnvumUVuu3w.

DW News. “Walled in: The Inner German Border | DW English.” Video. YouTube, June 30, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwQsTzGkbiY.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. “‘Tear Down This Wall’ Berlin Wall Speech – President Reagan’s Address at the Brandenburg Gate.” Video. YouTube, April 15, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MDFX-dNtsM.

Titanic

Wednesday Titanic News

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Enormous gantry cranes in the yards of Harland & Wolff, Belfast 2018.
Image Credit: August Schwerdfeger via Wikimedia Commons

For the first time in more than 20 years, the two yel­low gantry cranes are being pressed back into regular service as Harland & Wolff – the historic firm that built the ill-fated Titanic – gets back into the warship business. “We haven’t used Goliath for years,” says Peter Rusk, programme manager, as he explains how the yard is being modernised, from dry dock repairs to massive pieces of new equipment. “It needs this investment, needs this overhaul,” Rusk adds. “And Samson and Goliath, they’re iconic for Belfast.”

“The Titanic’s Shipyard to Once More Build Warships.” Press Reader (From UK Sunday Telegaph). Last modified August 9, 2026. Accessed August 11, 2026. https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-sunday-telegraph/20260809/282149298129707.

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Image Credit: Henry Aldridge Auctioneers

A letter written by a second-class passenger aboard the RMS Titanic just days before the ship sank has sold for a record £60,000 ($81,000) at a UK auction. The handwritten letter was written by Henry Price Hodges on April 10, 1912, the day the Titanic left Southampton on its maiden voyage. It was sold on Sunday by auction house Henry Aldridge and Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, well above its estimated price of up to £35,000 ($47,000).

Marine Insight. “Titanic Passenger’s Letter Sells for Record £60,000 After Revealing Life on Board Before Disaster.” Marine Insight. Last modified July 29, 2026. Accessed August 11, 2026. https://www.marineinsight.com/titanic-passengers-letter-sells-for-record-60000-after-revealing-life-on-board-before-disaster/.

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In 2025, UCL’s Professor Jeom-Kee Paik led a supercomputer-based finite element/CFD reconstruction of Titanic’s sinking, commissioned for the BBC/National Geographic film Titanic: The Digital Resurrection. Using blueprints, wreck evidence, and 1912 inquiry testimony, the team modelled the collision, flooding, and hull-girder failure that split the ship apart at ~158 minutes, still afloat. A counterfactual test found Titanic likely would have survived a bow-first head-on hit, matching Edward Wilding’s testimony. Since parameters were tuned to the known timeline, results are a plausible scenario, not proof.

Paik, Jeom-Kee, Hyeong Jin Kim, and Brian Thomas. “The Digital Reconstruction and Resurrection of RMS Titanic.” Encyclopedia Titanica. Last modified December 31, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2026. https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/digital-reconstruction-resurrection-rms-titanics-sinking.html. This is a summation of a study submitted to the Taylor & Francis Group in late 2025. The authors Paik & Kim are with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, UK. Brian Thomas is with Thomas Naval Architecture, New York, NY, USA. The full article can be read online at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17445302.2025.2603417#abstract.

Video

UCL Mechanical Engineering. “The Digital Reconstruction and Resurrection of the RMS Titanic Sinking.” Video. YouTube, January 12, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkv2z6swbRo.

Suggested Titanic Reading
[Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.]

Archbold, Rick, and Dana McCauley. Last Dinner on the Titanic Menus and Recipes From the Great Liner. Hachette Books, 1997.

Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997

Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.

Behe, George. Voices From the Carpathia: Rescuing RMS Titanic, 2015.

Behe, George. The Triumvirate: Captain Edward J. Smith, Bruce Ismay, Thomas Andrews and the Sinking of Titanic.History Press, 2024.

Behe, George. Fate Deals a Hand: The Slippery Fortunes of Titanic’s Professional Gamblers. History Press, 2023.

Ballard, Robert D. Exploring the Titanic. Reprint. Madison Press Books, 2014.

Ballard, Robert D., and Rick Archbold. The Discovery of the Titanic. New York, N.Y.?: Warner Books, 1987.

Ballard, Robert D., Lost Liners: From the Titanic to the Andrea Doria the Ocean Floor Reveals Its Greatest Lost Ships(Hyperion, 1998).

Brewster, H. (2013). Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World. National Geographic Books.

Cameron, Stephen. Titanic: Belfast’s Own. Colourpoint, 2011.

Eaton John P. & Haas Charles, TITANIC TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY, SECOND EDITION, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, New York, 1995 First American Edition

Fitch, Tad, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic. Reprint. Amberley Publishing, 2015.

Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)

Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)

Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992

Marshall, L. (2019). Sinking of the Titanic: The Greatest Disaster At Sea – Special Edition with Additional Photographs. Independently Published.

Rossignol, K. (2012). Titanic 1912: The Original News Reporting of the Sinking of the Titanic. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

Wade, Wyn Craig. The Titanic, End of a Dream, 1979.

Wilson, A. (2012). Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived. Simon and Schuster.

History

Remembering the Victims of the Manson Cult (8-9 Aug 1969)

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Beginning near midnight on August 8 and in the early morning of August 9 1969, Sharon Tate, the wife of movie director Roman Polanski, was killed along with four others in their Beverly Hills home. The murders made national headlines and two days later a second series of murders would occur. The savage murders were done by followers of Charles Manson, and the murders would make him a criminal icon.

Charles Manson was born in 1934 to an unwed 16-year-old mother; he would never know his father. After his mother was imprisoned for armed robbery, he went to live with an aunt and uncle in West Virginia. He would spend much of his youth getting into trouble and being put into prison in his early adult years. He moved to California in 1967 after being released from jail. In San Francisco he used his charm and other things to attract a small group of followers from the youth rebelling the standards of the day. By 1968, he had become the head of a group who called themselves his “Family.”

Manson’s beliefs were an odd mix of religion, fringe psychology, and even science fiction. He believed in a coming apocalyptic race war that would devastate the country. Blacks would rise to kill whites but would still need a leader after it was done. Manson would become that leader and his Family would be the nucleus of a new order. He would adopt the term “Helter Skelter,” taken from the Beatles’ record White Album, to refer to this order.

While he was not present when the murders occurred, he certainly planned and directed it. Roman Polanski was not the target on 8 August, and he was out of town during that period. His intended target was Terry Melcher, a music producer that had been introduced to him through a chance encounter with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Manson was a singer-songwriter and one of his songs had been performed by them (though uncredited for it). Melcher considered and then decided to not produce a record by him. Melcher had leased the home that Polanski and his pregnant wife Sharon Tate now occupied.

Sharon Tate, 1967
Author Unknown
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Sharon Tate was a fledging actress who had come to fame in Valley of the Dolls (1967) and in the British horror-comedy The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967). While her husband Roman was off in Europe shooting a movie, Tate, now eight months pregnant, was living in the home with his friend Wojciech Frykowski and his girlfriend Abilgail Folger (coffee heiress). On 8 August Manson ordered Charles “Tex” Watson and several other members of the family to go there and kill everyone as gruesome as possible. They would arrive near midnight or just a little after and encounter Steve Parent, an 18-year-old boy visiting the caretaker, in his car and kill him. Then Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian entered the main house. There were four people in the home-Tate, Frykowski, Folger and celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring. They were assembled in the living room.

Sebring was both shot and stabbed to death. Frykowski and Folger managed to escape but were tracked down and killed by Krenwinkel and Watson. Sharon Tate was stabbed to death after being hung from a ceiling beam. The rope was found wrapped around her neck and there were no post-mortem injuries found. Her blood was used to write the word “PIG” on the front door. The following night Manson ordered that grocery store executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary be murdered. Manson was involved in this action as he and Watson tied up and robbed. He then left with three others of his Family leaving Watson, Leslie van Houten, and Patricia Krenwinkel in the home. They stabbed the couple to death and left words written in blood on the walls.

The murders shocked Los Angeles considering that Frykowski had been stabbed fifty times as well as shot. The police were baffled as to the motives and who the assailants were. The two crimes were not connected at first. There was a belief that a drug transaction gone bad may have led to the gruesome deaths at the Polanski home. What broke the case and connected both murders were the arrests of Manson’s family at the Spahn Ranch in Death Valley for vehicle theft and burning equipment. One of those arrested would implicate Susan Atkins in a murder.

Charles Manson, April 1968 mugshot
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Atkins apparently boasted of the Tate murders to cellmates. All the killers would be arrested including Charles Manson. Although he did not personally commit the murders, he ordered his Family to do them. All were brought to trial in June 1970. Linda Kasabian was given full immunity and was the main prosecution witness. All were convicted of murder and given the death penalty. However, those sentences were changed to life imprisonment when capital punishment was abolished in 1972. Although eligible for parole at various times, none of their requests were granted. Charles Manson would die in prison in 2017 at age 83.

Update 10 Aug 2026

Patricia Krenwinkel was denied parole in 2025 and remains incarcerated.

Update 10 Aug 2025

Leslie Van Houten, convicted of first-degree murder and whose sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after the death penalty was declared unconstitutional by the California Supreme Court, was paroled in 2023 after serving 50 years in jail. The Parole Board determined that there had been sufficient rehabilitation. Several victim’s families opposed the parole.

Bill Chappell, “A Former Manson Family Member Is Free, After Her Parole Was Reversed 5 Times,” Lakeshore Public Media| Public Broadcasting for Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland, July 12, 2023, https://www.lakeshorepublicmedia.org/npr-news/2023-07-12/a-former-manson-family-member-is-free-after-her-parole-was-reversed-5-times.

 Patricia Krenwinkel, who like Van Houten was sentenced to die for first degree murder but commuted to life in prison, was recommended for parole in 2022. Governor Newsom rejected the finding. She was once again recommended for parole in May 2025. However, the process requires a 150-day review period where the full California Board of Parole along with the governor concur for it to be effective. She has been denied parole 14 times.

“Manson Family Killer Patricia Krenwinkel Recommended for Parole 56 Years After Infamous Murders,” New York Post, June 2, 2025, https://nypost.com/2025/06/02/us-news/manson-family-killer-patricia-krenwinkel-recommended-for-parole/.

Sources

Crime Scene Photos

Egan, Leigh. “Manson Family Cielo Drive Murders: Graphic Crime Scene Photos [GRAPHIC].” Crime Online. Last modified January 28, 2019. Accessed August 10, 2026. https://www.crimeonline.com/2018/01/11/manson-family-cielo-drive-murders-graphic-crime-scene-photos-graphic/.

WARNING. This site contains the actual crime scene photos including photos of the victims taken at the scene as well as in the morgue. Viewer Discretion Advised.

Suggested Reading

[Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.]

Bugliosi, V., & Gentry, C. (2001). Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. W. W. Norton & Company. I highly recommend this book as it covers all the details of the case. And a lot of background investigation as well. The author was the actual prosecutor on the case.

Guinn, J. (2014). Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson. Simon and Schuster.

Statman, A., & Tate, B. (2013). Restless souls: The Sharon Tate Family’s Account of Stardom, the Manson Murders, and a Crusade for Justice. It Books.

Titanic

Monday Titanic News

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Titanic Lunch Menu 14 April 1912
Photo: AP

More than a century after the RMS Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, one of the most fascinating glimpses into life aboard the world’s most famous ocean liner comes not from its grand staircase or luxurious cabins, but from its surviving menus. Original menu cards preserved by passengers and crew, along with records maintained by maritime historians and museums, reveal that meals aboard Titanic ranged from lavish multi-course banquets in first class to hearty, nourishing dishes in third class.

ETimes.In. “What Did Titanic Passengers Eat?a Look at the Ship’s Famous Menus.” The Times of India, August 6, 2026. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/what-did-titanic-passengers-eat-inside-the-ships-famous-menus/photostory/132819367.cms.

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RMS Titanic pictured in Queenstown, Ireland 11 April 1912
Source:Cobh Heritage Centre, Cobh Ireland/Wikimedia Commons

And now you can immerse yourself in the disaster in a whole new way: “Titanic: The Immersive Voyage” opened in Old Town Scottsdale last month. It features full-scale reproductions of parts of the ship, plus 3D views and a virtual reality tour of the wreck site more than two miles under the ocean. So what is it that still captivates us about the Titanic? ASU film professor Kevin Sandler has some ideas. He co-edited a book about it back in 1999 called “Titanic: Anatomy of a Blockbuster.” And he came into our studios recently to talk to me more about it.

Gilger, Lauren. “As Scottsdale Gets a New Titanic Exhibit, This ASU Professor Explains Why We’ll Never Let Go.” KJZZ, August 4, 2026. https://www.kjzz.org/the-show/2026-08-04/as-scottsdale-gets-a-new-titanic-exhibit-this-asu-professor-explains-why-well-never-let-go.

For tickets, dates and time of operation, click here.

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An Antiques Roadshow guest has admitted they have no plans on selling an extraordinary piece of history. During a previous episode of the BBC programme that first aired in 2022, Antiques Roadshow expert Hilary Kay met a guest who was the daughter of someone who worked on the Titanic. Remarking on the “extraordinary” document, Hilary said: “It’s an extraordinary momento and anything related to Titanic has this extraordinary affect on people. It is an extraordinary moment to behold something which is so linked into an extraordinary moment in history.” She revealed that the item could have been worth £10,000, but the guests, Sidney’s children, weren’t willing to sell it, and wanted to donate it to the museum. They said: “It’s very nice but it’s not going out the family, it’s going to a museum.”

Amin, Meghna, and Helen Kelly. “Antiques Roadshow Guest Rejects Selling Titanic Survivor’s ‘extraordinary’ Letter.” Express.Co.Uk, August 2, 2026. https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/2235138/antiques-roadshow-guest-titanic-letter.

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MS Hans Hedtoft
Circa 1959
Unknown author.
Wikimedia Commons advises this image is subject to copyright.

Greenland had its own version of the Titanic. It was not as large a ship, but the disaster, to the people of Greenland and Denmark, was as important as that of the Titanic. The Hans Hedtoft was built in the Frederikshavn shipyard for the Royal Greenland Trade Department and launched on Aug. 13, 1958. Named for a former prime minister of Denmark, the ship was small but sturdy with a double steel bottom. Its bow and stern were extra strengthened. It was diesel-powered, had seven watertight compartments, and was supposed to be able to stay afloat even if one was filled with water. The vessel carried up-to-date instruments, including radio-equipped life rafts. Her 58-year-old captain, P. L. Rasmussen, said, “This ship means a revolution in Arctic navigation.”

Harper, Kenn. “Greenland’s Titanic: The Loss of the Hans Hedtoft.” Nunatsiaq News. Last modified August 1, 2026. Accessed August 6, 2026. https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/greenlands-titanic-the-loss-of-the-hans-hedtoft/.

Suggested Titanic Reading
[Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.]

Archbold, Rick, and Dana McCauley. Last Dinner on the Titanic Menus and Recipes From the Great Liner. Hachette Books, 1997.

Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997

Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.

Behe, George. Voices From the Carpathia: Rescuing RMS Titanic, 2015.

Behe, George. The Triumvirate: Captain Edward J. Smith, Bruce Ismay, Thomas Andrews and the Sinking of Titanic.History Press, 2024.

Behe, George. Fate Deals a Hand: The Slippery Fortunes of Titanic’s Professional Gamblers. History Press, 2023.

Ballard, Robert D. Exploring the Titanic. Reprint. Madison Press Books, 2014.

Ballard, Robert D., and Rick Archbold. The Discovery of the Titanic. New York, N.Y.?: Warner Books, 1987.

Ballard, Robert D., Lost Liners: From the Titanic to the Andrea Doria the Ocean Floor Reveals Its Greatest Lost Ships(Hyperion, 1998).

Brewster, H. (2013). Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World. National Geographic Books.

Cameron, Stephen. Titanic: Belfast’s Own. Colourpoint, 2011.

Eaton John P. & Haas Charles, TITANIC TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY, SECOND EDITION, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, New York, 1995 First American Edition

Fitch, Tad, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic. Reprint. Amberley Publishing, 2015.

Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)

Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)

Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992

Marshall, L. (2019). Sinking of the Titanic: The Greatest Disaster At Sea – Special Edition with Additional Photographs. Independently Published.

Rossignol, K. (2012). Titanic 1912: The Original News Reporting of the Sinking of the Titanic. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

Wade, Wyn Craig. The Titanic, End of a Dream, 1979.

Wilson, A. (2012). Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived. Simon and Schuster.

History

Remembering History: Spanish Armada Defeated Ending Spain’s Invasion of Britain (8 August 1588)

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Defeat of the Spanish Armada (Philip James de Loutherbourg, 1796)
Public Domain

[Important Note :England was still under the old Julian calendar in 1588, so the original date is shown in parentheses. England adopted it in 1752 and had to skip ahead 11 days accounting for the difference. Wherever possible, the original and new date are shown.]

On 8 Aug 1588 (29 July 1588) naval forces of England and Spain engaged in an 8-hour furious battle off the coast of France that determined the fate of both countries control of the seas. Spain had created the armada to not only gain control of the English Channel but also to land an invasion force in England. England since the early 1580s had been conducting raids against Spanish commerce and had supported Dutch rebels in the Spanish Netherlands. The other reason was to restore Catholicism that had been outlawed since the reign of King Henry VIII.

The invasion fleet was authorized by King Philip II and was completed in 1587 but delayed by a raid by Sir Francis Drake on the Armada’s supplies. It did not depart until 29 May 1588 (May 19, 1588) The fleet consisted of 130 ships under the command of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia. It had 2,500 guns, 8,000 seamen, and 20,000 soldiers. The Spanish ships though were slower than their English counterparts and lighter armed as well despite their guns. Their tactic was to force boarding when their ships were close enough. They believed with the superior numbers of Spanish infantry they could overwhelm the English ships.

The English were commanded by Charles Howard, 2nd Baron Howard of Effingham. Like his counterpart, he was an admiral with not much sea experience but proved to be the better leader. His second in command was Sir Francis Drake. The English fleet was at its height 200 ships but in actual combat was at most 100. Only 40 were warships and the rest smaller, but they were armed with heavy artillery that were able to fire at longer ranges without having to get close to the enemy to be effective. The English strategy was to bombard their enemy from a distance and not give them the opportunity to get close and possibly board their ships (which had a smaller number of soldiers aboard than the Spanish had).

As the Spanish Armada made its way, it would be harassed by English ships that bombarded them at a distance, negating Spanish attempts to board. The Armada anchored near Calais, France on 27 July (16 July). The Spanish forces on land were in Flanders and would take time to get to Calais. However, since there was no safe port and enemy Dutch and English ships patrolled the coastal shallows, it meant those troops had no safe way to get to the Armada.

Around midnight on 7- 8 Aug 1588 (28-29 July), the English sent 8 fire ships into the anchored Spanish fleet. The Spanish were forced to quickly scatter to avoid the fire ships. This meant the Armada formation was now broken making them easier targets for the English to attack. They closed to effective range and attacked. Surprising to the English, the return fire was mostly small arms. It turns out most of the heavy cannons had not been mounted. And those that were did not have properly trained crews on how to reload. Three Spanish ships were sunk or driven ashore. Other ships were battered and moved away. The English also were low on ammunition, so they had to drop back and follow the Spanish fleet.

The Spanish fleet had to flee north and around Scotland and from there head back to Spain. The English fleet turned back for resupply. It was a long road back to Spain for the Armada. Autumn had arrived and gales in the North Atlantic made passage tough. Ships were lost to bad weather, navigational errors, foundered near Ireland, and possibly battle damage as well. Only 60 of the 130 survived with an estimated loss of 15,000 men. The English losses were much smaller with fewer men wounded or killed in battle. It appears most of the deaths that came later were due to disease (possibly scurvy). Damages to the English ships were negligible.

Destrucción de la Armada Invencible by José Gartner (1866–1918)
1892
Original located at Museo de Málaga, Spain
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Significance

With the defeat of the Spanish Armada, England was made safe from invasion. The Dutch rebels the English backed in the Spanish Netherlands were saved as well. Spain up to that point had been the greatest European power, so it was a major blow to their prestige that would have ramifications down the road for them. Also, it heralded a major change for naval battles. This was the first major naval gun battle where the combatants fought at a distance rather than closing and boarding. Warships that could move quickly and had artillery that fire at long range would become the norm on the seas from that point on. England would now become a major world power. Spain still was in the game for several decades (the English were not successful either in trying their own invasion) and was still a major colonial power. England and Spain formally ended their conflict in 1604. Spain, however, would eventually go into decline as England and other European powers would successfully expand into Asia and establish their own colonies and trade routes.

Sources

Cartwright, Mark, and Cornelis Claesz Van Wieringen. “Spanish Armada.” World History Encyclopedia (September 21, 2023). https://www.worldhistory.org/Spanish_Armada/.

“Spanish Armada.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified July 9, 2026. Accessed July 29, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Armada-Spanish-naval-fleet#ref284702.

“The Spanish Armada, 1588.” Historic UK. Last modified February 6, 2025. Accessed July 29, 2026. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Spanish-Armada/.

“Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada.” Royal Museums Greenwich. Accessed July 29, 2026. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/royal-history/elizabeth-i-spanish-armada.

“Spanish Armada Defeated | August 8, 1588 | HISTORY.” HISTORY. Last modified May 28, 2025. Accessed July 29, 2026. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-8/spanish-armada-defeated.

Suggested Reading
[As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.]

Fernández-Armesto, F. (1989). The Spanish Armada: The Experience of War in 1588. Oxford University Press, USA. This is written from the Spanish point of view. Some have criticized it as glorifying the Spanish Armada, which failed all its strategic and tactical aims. Worth reading though to see it viewed outside of the normal British view on the event.

History, C. (2020). History of Spain: A Captivating Guide to Spanish History, Starting from Roman Hispania Through the Visigoths, the Spanish Empire, the Bourbons, and the War of Spanish Independence to the Present.

Martin, C., & Parker, G. (1999). The Spanish Armada: Revised Edition. Manchester University Press. This is an update to an earlier book by the same authors. The prior book was well researched and considered the standard for this subject. This revised edition has updated information both from Spanish Armada shipwrecks that have been found and more archival data found. If you really want to know the full details as to what led up to the battle, the battle itself, and its aftermath, this would be the book to read.

Sheane, M. (2023). Ireland, 1588: Wreck of the Spanish Armada. A H Stockwell Limited.

Historic Ships

Remembering the Eastland Disaster (24 July 1915)

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On 24 Jul 1915 the steamer Eastland rolled over while docked in the Chicago River. 844 passengers and crew died making it the worst loss of life in the Great Lakes.

SS Eastland, Cleveland, Ohio circa 1911.
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company photograph collection, U.S. Library of Congress
Public Domain

The SS Eastland was a passenger ship constructed by Jenks Ship Building Company for the Michigan Transportation Company that was launched in 1903.  It would go through different owners throughout the years and the owner in August 1915 was St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company of St. Joseph, Michigan. It was noticed early on the ship had stability issues when loading cargo and passengers. On 17 July 1904 it nearly capsized after leaving South Haven passenger capacity was reduced and some cabins removed along with repairs to the hull and adding lifeboats. On 5 August 1906, another listing occurred resulting in serious complaints filed against the owner. In 1909 the remaining cabins were removed and before 1912, the top sections of the smokestack were removed. The ship listed again on 1 July 1912 while loading passengers in Cleveland.

In response to the Titanic tragedy, the Seamen’s Act was passed by Congress in 1915 requiring that passenger vessels refit to have a full set of lifeboats. During debate over the bill, concerns were raised that this could cause problems as the additional weight would make some ships top-heavy. However, the law was passed, and the Eastland owners had to choose between a lower passenger capacity or add lifeboats. With the added lifeboats, the Eastland could carry up to 2,570 passengers. In 1914 the old hardwood flooring of the forward dining room was removed and replaced with concrete. A layer of concrete near the aft gangway was added adding an additional 15-20 tons of weight.

Western Electric chartered the Eastland and two other steamers to take employees to a picnic in Michigan City on 24 Jul 1915. For employees, especially those who did not take off holidays, this was a major event. Boarding began at 6:30 am and by 7:10 am the Eastland was at capacity. Passengers filled every possible place on the upper decks. The Eastland began listing to port and the crew tried to stabilize using the ballast tanks; it failed. On the upper decks, many passengers went over to the port side making the situation worse. Then at 7:28 am, the ship lurched sharply to port and rolled over. Those below decks were trapped by the sudden rollover. Making it worse all the heavy furniture–pianos, bookcases, tables–fell on passengers often crushing them to death.

The nearby Kenosha rendered assistance quickly by pulling alongside the hull and picking up passengers stranded on the hull. Two notable heroes were Peter Boyle, a deckhand from a nearby ship, who drowned saving passengers, and Helen Rapa. Rapa was a nurse for the company and commanded the rescue operation. Most of the passengers who died were immigrants from Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Sweden. The recovered bodies were taken to makeshift morgues for identification. The Western Electric Company gave $100,000 for relief and recovery for those who lost family members on Eastland.

View of Eastland taken from Fire Tug in river, showing the hull resting on its side on the river bottom.
This is photograph that was part of a postcard set produced after the tragedy published by Max Rigot Selling Company, Chicago.
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

The disaster was extensively covered in the local media. Some journalists who were there when it turned over wrote of it. It was a shocking event that so many died right there while docked. Images of people trapped and crushed to death horrified many. Those who escaped by getting out of portholes counted their blessings. Demands that the ship captain and owners be held accountable were loud and fierce and a grand jury was empaneled. It indicted the company president and three officers of the company for manslaughter. The Eastland’s captain, Harry Pederson, and the engineer were charged with criminal carelessness.

In hearings to extradite witnesses to testify, it was uncovered that the company that built the Eastland built the ship to transport fruit quickly (up to 20 knots) and carry 500 passengers. There were no stability problems, and it was clear they had no idea it would be used to carry 2,500 passengers. However, the court decided the four company officers, since they were not aboard the ship, had nothing to do with the disaster. And neither were the captain or engineer since the work they did was the ordinary course of business. The court reasoned they had no reason to believe the ship was not seaworthy. In the end no one faced any criminal prosecutions nor was the company that owned the ship fined.

Civil litigation where families sued the owners for wrongful death claims dragged on for years. However, due to limited liability maritime laws, the value of the Eastland was set at $46,000. The salvage company filed a claim for its services as did the coal supplier. In the end families received little or nothing for their claims. Experts who have studied the ship, its specifications, and other things have generally concluded the ship, refitted from its original design to accommodate more passengers, was top heavy. And that the additional weight required under the Seamen’s Act, ironically to make ships safer for passengers, were also to blame.

As for the Eastland, she was put up for auction and purchased by the Illinois Naval Reserve and renamed the USS Wilmette. The ship was refitted as a gunboat and was used primarily for training. It never saw combat in World War I but did sink a captured German U-boat after the war. The last twenty-five years saw her used as a training vessel for naval reservists. Its most illustrious moment came in August 1943. The Wilmette transported President Roosevelt, Secretary of Commerce Harry Hopkins, Chief of Staff Admiral William Leahy, and John F. Byrnes, Director of the Office of War Mobilization on a 10-day fishing vacation in McGregor and Whitefish Bay. It was a high-level conference to discuss important issues about World War II.

After the war, she was decommissioned and delisted from the Navy list. She was sold in 1946 and scrapped in 1947. A memorial marker was put up on 4 June 1989 near where it occurred. It was stolen at one point and has since been replaced. On 12 July 2015, a memorial in the shape of a ship wheel was dedicated at the Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago. Many have commented that despite the large loss of life, the disaster is little remembered. Between the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915, it seems to have fallen into those areas of historical forgetfulness.

Sources

“Eastland Disaster.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified July 17, 2026. Accessed August 5, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/event/Eastland-disaster.

Klein, Christopher. “SS Eastland Capsizing: Chicago’s Deadliest Day | HISTORY.” HISTORY. Last modified May 27, 2025. Accessed August 5, 2026. https://www.history.com/articles/chicagos-deadliest-day-100-years-ago.

Stranahan, Susan Q. “The Eastland Disaster Killed More Passengers Than the Titanic and the Lusitania. Why Has It Been Forgotten?” Smithsonian, October 27, 2014. Accessed August 5, 2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/eastland-disaster-killed-more-passengers-titanic-and-lusitania-why-has-it-been-forgotten-180953146/.

“Eastland Disaster – Preserving the Memories and Stories of the Eastland Disaster.” Accessed August 5, 2026. https://eastlanddisaster.org/.

Videos

Fascinating Horror. “The Eastland Disaster | a Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror.” Video. YouTube, September 21, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4vcKX0l2VA.

Oceanliner Designs. “The HORRENDOUS Disaster of SS Eastland.” Video. YouTube, May 25, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw0agyJb9yk.

History

Murder History: The Case of Lizzie Borden

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The sensational murder trial of Lizzie Borden would galvanize the nation but ended up in her acquittal in 1893.

 

Lizzie Borden
Circa 1889, photographer unknown
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks;
And when she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one.
(Nursery Rhyme)

Lizzie Borden and her older sister Emma were the daughters of a well-to-do businessman Andrew Borden of Fall River, Massachusetts. Their mother died when they were young, and he married Abby Gray who ended up raising them to adulthood. Their father, though wealthy, was not liked by a lot of people in the community. He was seen as both parsimonious (a fancy word meaning excessively frugal) and dour. Both daughters grew to dislike their stepmother believing she was trying to enrich herself over their father’s money. Lizzie was well liked in the community and involved in charitable works. Both daughters helped manage their father’s properties.

The home of Lizzie Borden, 92 Second St, Fall River, MA 1892
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

On Thursday 4 August 1892, Andrew Borden left home to conduct business. In the home was the maid Bridget Sullivan, his wife Abby, and his daughter Lizzie. Emma was out of the home on business of her own. Andrew would return later than morning and lie down on the couch to take a nap. Andrew would die on the couch around 11:15 am. His head had been repeatedly hit by a sharp object and there was a considerable amount of blood. Police were summoned and it was during this time it was discovered the stepmother was found dead face down in the guest room. Her head had been horribly mutilated. Police interviewed Lizzie but she gave conflicting statements. A search of the basement found two hatchets, two axes, and a hatchet-head with a broken handle with the latter the suspected murder weapon. It appeared to have been coated with ash and other things to make it look like it had not been used for a while.

The police failed to make a full search of the house at the time. Lizzie went to stay with a friend of her sister. Later she was seen by a police officer detailed to guard the house entering the cellar with this friend and seemed to be hunched over a sink. The police learned that Lizzie had tried to get hydrocyanic acid in a diluted form from a drugstore. There had been a recent mysterious illness in the home that raised the possibility of poisoning. Both bodies were tested and found no poison in them. The illness may have been food poisoning from contaminated meet rather than a deliberate poisoning. However, since Andrew Borden was not well liked, his wife had suspected that perhaps someone in Fall River had poisoned them.

The police focused on Lizzie Borden as the likely suspect due to her contradictory statements, the attempt to purchase a poison, the burning of a dress, and the hatchet-head that was found during a more thorough search later. She would be arrested and formally indicted in December 1892. However, her trial would not begin until June 1893. Just before her trial started, another sensational murder done with an axe occurred. It bore striking similarities to the Borden case, but a suspect was caught and arrested. It was on the minds of many in the courtroom when the trial started.

Lizzie Borden during her trial. The man on her right is her attorney, George Robinson, former governor and well known political figure of the day.
llustration in Frank Leslie’s illustrated newspaper, v. 76 (1893 June 29), p. 411.
Source: B.W. Clinedinst via Wikimedia Commons

Unfortunately for the prosecution, all the evidence they had was circumstantial. There was no direct proof she had handled the axe that killed the Borden parents. Nor was the burning of a dress she said had been covered in paint as well proof she did the murder. While everyone knew she and her sister did not like her stepmother much, proving she had done the murders was hard to do. The police had failed to gather any fingerprints. This had become more common especially in Europe, but the local police didn’t believe in its use. So, they lacked any fingerprint evidence that might have helped in prosecuting Lizzie Borden. And the jury as a result acquitted her on 20 June 1893 since the evidence was not strong enough to convict on.

Aftermath
Lizzie Borden would continue to live in Fall River for the rest of her life, though in a different home with her sister Emma. Both sisters, after all the probate was concluded, received their inheritance from their father’s estate. Lizzie changed her name to Lizbeth A. Borden. The new home they moved into was more modern and they also have lived -in servants and a coachman. Fall River mostly ostracized her and apparently had little involvement in the community afterwards. Her sister Emma would move out in 1905 after they argued over a party Lizbeth held for an actress. Emma would never see her sister again. Both sisters remained reclusive until they both died. Lizbeth died of pneumonia on 1 June 1927. Emma died 9 days later at her home in New Hampshire from chronic nephritis because of a fall she suffered ironically on the day her sister died. Both are buried in the family plot at the Oak River Cemetery in Fall River.

Speculation over the murders continues to this day with Lizzie the prime suspect. Motivations for the murders, aside from disliking the stepmother are many. Highly speculative theories exist without much or any proof offered. There is an unproven allegation that the maid on her deathbed many years later that she had changed her testimony to help Borden. John Morse, Lizzie’s maternal uncle, was sleeping in the house the night before, was also considered a suspect by the police but had an alibi that disproved in their eyes he was the murderer. The maid Bridget Sullivan is considered a suspect as well. It is thought she may have gotten angry with them over tasks they asked her to do and killed them. One author has suggested it was William Borden, Andrew Borden’s illegitimate son who had tried to extort money from his father Emma too is considered a possibility as she secretly snuck into the house, killed her parents, and then quickly returned to Fairhaven to receive the telegram of her parents’ murders.

The Borden House still stands as both a museum and a bed and breakfast. The Fall River Historical Society has pieces of evidence used in the trial at the Fall River Historical Society.

Sources

Crime Museum, LLC. “Lizzie Borden – Crime Museum.” Crime Museum. Last modified September 15, 2025. Accessed August 4, 2026. https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/famous-murders/lizzie-borden/.

“Lizzie Borden.” Biography, November 30, 2021. https://www.biography.com/crime/lizzie-borden.

“Lizzie Borden’s Parents Found Dead | August 4, 1892 |.” HISTORY. Last modified July 31, 2025. Accessed August 4, 2026. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-4/borden-parents-found-dead.

Linder, Douglas O. “The Trial of Lizzie Borden: An Account.” Famous Trials. Accessed August 4, 2026. https://famous-trials.com/lizzieborden/1437-home.

Lizzie Borden. “Official Lizzie Borden House | America’s Most Haunted House.” Lizzie Borden. Last modified July 28, 2026. Accessed August 4, 2026. https://lizzie-borden.com/.

Videos

48 Hours. “‘Lizzie Borden Took an Axe’ | Full Episode.” Video. YouTube, December 6, 2022. Accessed August 4, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYDiEcyDUBU.

Suggested Reading
[Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.]

Miller, Sarah. The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century. Yearling, 2019.

Robertson, Cara. The Trial of Lizzie Borden. Simon & Schuster, 2020.

Spencer, William D. Lizzie Borden Uncut: A Casebook of Theories, 2022.

 

History

Remembering History: Warsaw Uprising Begins (1 Aug 1944)

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Rare Agfacolor photo (invention from 1936) dated August 1944 taken in Warsaw, Poland in the Old Town Market Place during Warsaw Uprising in August 1944
Ewa Faryaszewska (1920-1944)
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

 

On 1 Aug 1944 Poles in Warsaw launched a major uprising against the Nazi occupation. The Soviet Army had advanced to the Vistula River on the eastern suburb of Warsaw prompting the revolt. Polish General Tadeusz Bor-Komorowski, commander of the Home Army (an underground resistance group of around 40,000), had ties to the government-in-exile in London, which was anti-communist. The hope was to gain at least partial control of Warsaw before the Soviets arrived.

By this time, the German Army had been pushed back considerably from its gains in Russia. And their taking Warsaw seemed likely. Despite this, Adolf Hitler ordered that the uprising be suppressed at all costs. The Nazi SS directed the defense force and engaged in brutal street fighting. The Polish Home Army fought back hard despite having limited supplies and no support from the Soviet Army (which caused friction between Poland and the Soviet Union for years).

The Red Army did capture several bridgeheads across the Vistula River in preparation to take Warsaw but held back doing anything more. Only under intense pressure from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin Roosevelt did Stalin relent and allow Allies to drop supplies to the rebels. But it was too late as by that time, both the rebels and the citizens ran out of food, supplies, and medical supplies. The uprising came to an end on 2 October when the remaining forces surrendered. The revolt had lasted 63 days but the cost for both sides was high. An estimated three-fourths of the Home Army died along with 200,000 civilians. The Germans suffered 10,000 dead, 9,000 wounded, and 7,000 missing. In keeping with their dislike of the Polish people (they were seen as just a notch above the Jews but were slated for either slavery or death by the Nazis) the survivors were deported.

Deploying demolition squads, most of the remaining intact buildings in Warsaw would be destroyed over the next several months. All of Warsaw’s treasures were looted, burned, or destroyed. Meanwhile the Red Army sitting outside Warsaw did nothing to stop the Germans. They would not move until January 1945 when their final offensive was launched. On 17 January 1945, the ruins of Warsaw were liberated by the Soviets who faced little or no opposition. Thus, making it easy for them to establish a Communist state in Poland. After suffering from Nazi occupation, the Polish people would suffer a longer one under the Communists.

 

Sources

Suggested Reading
[Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.]

Bialoszewski, Miron. A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising. New York Review of Books, 2015.

Bruce, George. The Warsaw Uprising: 1 August – 2 October 1944, 2021.

Davies, Norman. Rising ’44: The Battle for Warsaw. Penguin Books, 2005.

Richie, Alexandra. Warsaw 1944: Hitler, Himmler, and the Warsaw Uprising. Picador, 2019.

History, Miscellaneous

Welcome to August!

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Medieval illustration of men harvesting wheat with reaping-hooks
Circa 1310
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

 

Welcome to August!

August is named for the first Roman emperor Augustus. It used to be called Sextillis meaning sixth as on the old Roman calendar the year started in March. It is the last full month of summer in the Northern Hemisphere but in the southern winter. August is known as a major month for vacations and with so many people off traveling, one of the busiest months for the tourist season.

The old August adage is a “Dry August and warmth harvest no harm” reflects how the month signals the start of the harvest season. Cantaloupe, cucumber, corn, eggplant, tomatoes, bell and jalapeno peppers are often harvested during this time. The Celts used celebrate Lammas Day (also called Lugnasad) on August 1. It was a festival marking the wheat and corn harvest. The early Catholic church in England kept it as a harvest festival as well. Loaves of bread made from the new grain would be consecrated in a loaf-mass.

For those looking to the skies, the Perseid Meteor Shower that began in July continues to 24 August. The best viewing days (and you need to be away from the cities to see it best) are 9-13.

The August moon is known as both the Sturgeon and Grain Moon. Other names include Fruit and Barley as well. Up in Norway August is particularly noteworthy as the town of Ny-Ålesund is the most northernmost town in the world and for them summer has been one very long day. Since April the sun has stated above the horizon but Polar Day usually occurs near or on 24 August. On that day, the sun remains visible for the entire day (24 hours) without ever setting. This is due to the tilt of the Earth axis. A lot of tourists come to visit the town where the sun stays up late into the night and of course Polar Day itself. The flip side is that from late October till mid-February, the sun does not rise making it one very long night.

For More Information

Boeckmann, Catherine. “Month of August 2026: Fun Facts and Holidays!” Almanac.Com. Last modified July 30, 2026. https://www.almanac.com/content/month-august-holidays-fun-facts.

Rehberger, Georg. “August: Eighth Month of the Year.” TimeandDate. Accessed August 3, 2026. https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/months/august.html.

History

Remembering Saint Titus Brandsma (26 Jul 1942)

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Saint Titus Brandsma was a Dutch Carmelite priest who was executed by the Nazis on 26 July 1942 at Dachau concentration camp in 1942.

Carmelite priest Titus Brandsma (1881-1942)
Circa 1920’s (author unknown)
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Born Anno Sjoerd Brandsma on 23 February 1881 to Titus and Tjitsje Postma in Oegeklooster, Friesland, Netherlands. His parents ran a dairy farm and were Catholic in an area that was predominantly Protestant (Calvinist).  He grew up in a family of three sisters and one brother. Of the six children, five would join religious life. Only one daughter would not do so. At age 11, he attended a preparatory school for boys in Megen for those considering a priestly or religious vocation. The minor seminary was run by the Franciscans.

After graduation, he entered the Carmelite order in 1898 and took the name Titus (his father’s name) as his religious name. Unlike most Carmelites who focus on living a contemplative life of prayer, he felt called to do more. He was drawn to journalism and writing that would become his second vocation. He was ordained in 1905 and later received a doctorate in philosophy after studying in Rome. He would return home and help found the Catholic University of Nijmegen in 1923. He would teach and later become its head. As the 1930’s drew closer, he became increasingly concerned with the rise of Nazism and antisemitism in Germany. He penned articles calling it a black lie and repeated his criticisms in public lectures.

His superiors in Rome decided in 1935 to conduct a lecture tour of Carmelite foundations in the United States. To better learn how to speak English, he stayed with Carmelite communities in Dublin and in Kinsale (a seaside town). While in Ireland, he met Éamon de Valera, the President of the Executive Council (later called Taoiseach). Accounts of his stay indicate that was known for drinking considerable amounts of whiskey without ill-effect! Just before he crossed the Atlantic to the U.S., he received word he had been appointed spiritual advisor to 30 Catholic newspapers in the Netherlands. His travels in the United States took him through the East and Midwest. His journals reveal a man deeply impressed by the many things he saw. And saw the work of God in Niagara Falls.

Germany invaded the neutral Netherlands on 10 May 1940. There was no declaration of war, just the day opening with the sound of roaring aircraft. The Dutch put up a lot of resistance to the attack but in the end could not sustain it. Germans had bombed Rotterdam and not wanting to suffer the fate of Warsaw (which had been bombed into submission), the Dutch surrendered (apart from Zealand which fought until 18 May) on 14 May 1940. With Germans now in control, they began implementing German laws. Catholic schools were told to expel Jewish students, barred priests and religious orders as school principals, limited charitable contributions, and censored the Catholic press. Brandsma plead the Germans not to impose these rules on behalf of the Dutch bishops; they declined.

Arthur Seyss-Inquart, the Reich commissioner of the German-occupied Netherlands, was unhappy with the Dutch bishops opposing him. He ordered all newspapers, including Catholic ones, to accept advertisements and press releases from the Nazi regime. The Dutch Bishops opposed this action. Brandsma was tasked with assisting in contacting Catholic newspaper editors to oppose the order. He was told by Archbishop de Jong that doing this was dangerous and he was not obliged to accept it.

“Father Titus knew exactly what I said, and he freely and willingly accepted the duty,” de Jong recalled.”  (de Jong recounting his conversation to Father Titus to Father Boniface Hanley, O.F.M whose book “No Strangers to Violence, No Strangers to Love” relates accounts of Father Titus)

 Father Titus traveled the Netherlands delivering letters from the bishops asking the newspaper editors to not comply with the German edict. He was able to visit 14 editors before the Gestapo arrested him at the Boxmeer monastery on 19 January 1942. Kneeling before his superior to receive the blessing before being taken away, he commented on the fact they were taking a 60-year-old man to jail. During his interrogation, was asked repeatedly why he broke German orders. He made it clear that as a Catholic, he could not have done anything differently. He was asked to write out his reasons for his refusal. And he did. He made clear that the Dutch people would give their lives, if necessary, for their religion. He further said: “The Nazi movement is regarded by the Dutch people not only as an insult to God in relation to his creatures, but a violation of the glorious traditions of the Dutch nation.” He concluded by asking for God’s blessing for both the Netherlands and Germany.

At the Amersfoort transit camp, he and others did forced manual labor clearing trees and other things. Despite meager rations, he shared his food with the hungry and especially with Jewish prisoners. He continued his priestly duties by offering clandestine prayers, hearing confessions, attending to the sick and dying, and even managed Stations of the Cross. The Gestapo was not done with him yet and continued interrogating him hoping the forced labor and meager food might have softened him up. It didn’t. He was sent to Dachau and arrived there on 19 June 1942. He arrived, according to accounts, in a calm and gentle state. He continued being cheerful and the Germans continued their beatings in Dachau.

Other religious and Carmelite brothers were in the camp as well. Father Titus was able to conceal a Holy Eucharist on his body. Though they tried to comfort him, Titus said that he had Jesus with him in the Eucharist. He retained, according to one recollection of him, a cheerful courage. He advised others to be patient and avoid hatred. “We are here in a dark tunnel, but we have to go on. At the end, the eternal light is shining for us,” he told them. He suffered painful sores on his feet but his fellow prisoners carried him back at the end of the day.

Dachau was known for its sadistic medical experiments so most prisoners avoided going to the infirmary. Father Titus though, due his declining health, was forced to go. He would receive a lethal injection on 26 July 1942 from a nurse. This same nurse, who Father Titus gave her his rosary, recalled his look of compassion for her. She did not want the rosary or pray, but Father Titus asked her to say the second part of the Hail Mary which says “pray for us sinners.” He told her if she prayed, she would not be lost. That same nurse would later become Catholic.

In the years since his death, he would become honored as a martyr. In Nijmegen he is considered one of its greatest citizens and in 2005 erected a memorial church in his name. Outside of Dachau, a street now bears his name. Nor were his scholarly pursuits forgotten. In 1968 the Titus Brandsma Institute in Nijmegen was created to further studies on spirituality. His strong words criticizing the Nazi regime and its antisemitism have not been forgotten either. In a time when many might not say much to defend Jews, he was out there making it very clear that what the Nazi’s were promoting was wrong. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1985. After investigation and confirmation of a miracle, he was canonized by Pope Francis in 2022. At his canonization mass, Pope Francis noted:

“Holiness does not consist of a few heroic gestures, but of many small acts of daily love.”

Sources

“Who Was Titus Brandsma?” EWTN News. Last modified September 26, 2025. Accessed July 28, 2026. https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/europe/who-was-titus-brandsma-the-wwii-catholic-martyr-who-will-be-canonized-in-may?redirectedfrom=cna.

O.Carm. “St. Titus Brandsma, Priest and Martyr.” Last modified July 27, 2026. https://ocarm.org/en/item/6929-st-titus-brandsma-priest-and-martyr.

Franciscan Media. “Saint Titus Brandsma | Franciscan Media.” Franciscan Media, May 15, 2026. Accessed July 28, 2026. https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-titus-brandsma/.

Verkerk-Wheatley, Susan, and Anne-Marie Bos, trans. “Why Do the Dutch People… – Writings of Titus Brandsma.” Last modified February 1, 2019. Accessed July 28, 2026. https://www.titusbrandsmateksten.nl/why-do-the-dutch-people/.

Videos

Carmelites, “Who Is Saint Titus Brandsma?,” Video, YouTube, July 21, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op0k1Fn9owQ.

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