Today in True Crime
There’s never an ordinary day in true crime history. Flip back the calendar and see how one fateful day can ripple through time. Today in True Crime is a Spotify Original from Parcast.
101
July 24, 1997: Amy Wroe Bechtel Goes Missing
On this day in 1997, 24-year-old Amy Wroe Bechtel went missing while running in Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest.
14 min
102
July 23, 1969: Karen Beineman Disappears
On this day in 1969, 18-year-old Karen Beineman disappeared in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
10 min
103
July 22, 1934: John Dillinger Shot
On this day in 1934, legendary bank robber John Dillinger was shot and killed by FBI agents outside Chicago’s Biograph theater.
15 min
104
July 21, 1877: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
On this day in 1877, Pennsylvania state militia attacked railroad workers participating in one of the largest strikes of the 19th century.
11 min
105
July 20, 2015: Eddie Tipton Found Guilty
On this day in 2015, Eddie Tipton was found guilty of rigging the lottery in Iowa. He’d used his position inside the industry to cheat the system and get rich quick…
14 min
106
July 19, 1979: Oil Tankers Collide
On this day in 1979, the Very Large Crude Carrier Atlantic Empress collided with another VLCC, the Aegean Captain. The wreckage spewed roughly 280,000 tons of oil into the Caribbean Sea.
11 min
107
July 18, 1290: Edict of Expulsion Issued
On this day in the year 1290, King Edward I of England issued an edict expelling the Jewish people from his kingdom. As many as 16,000 Jews were turned into refugees overnight.
11 min
108
July 17, 1771: Bloody Falls Massacre
On this day in 1771, it’s possible that one of the most infamous events in indigenous Canadian history took place. According to the posthumously released journal of surveyor Samuel Hearne, a group of Dene tribe members killed 20 Inuit nomads.
14 min
109
July 16, 1951: Catcher in the Rye Published
On this day in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye was published.
11 min
110
July 15, 1987: Taiwan Ends Martial Law
On this day in 1987, Taiwan ended thirty-eight years of martial law—but that didn’t necessarily mean peaceful, democratic governing would follow.
9 min
111
July 14, 1789: The Storming of the Bastille
On this day in 1789, angry French citizens and soldiers stormed a garrison-turned-political prison: The Bastille.
12 min
112
July 13, 2003: Betancourt Rescue Aborted
On this day in 2003, French intelligence operatives aborted a mission to rescue French-Colombian politician Íngrid Betancourt from FARC rebels in Colombia—resulting in an international political scandal.
11 min
113
July 12, 1562: Sacred Mayan Texts Burned
On this day in 1562, a Spanish friar named Diego de Landa ordered the destruction of dozens of sacred texts in an attempt to convert the Maya people to Christianity.
11 min
114
July 11, 472: Roman Emperor Anthemius Captured
On this day in 472, enemies of Emperor Anthemius, ruler of the Western Roman Empire, captured and beheaded him in Old St. Peter’s Basilica.
11 min
115
July 10, 1086: King Canute IV Assassinated
On this day in 1086, King Canute IV of Denmark was killed during a peasant uprising. He was eventually canonized as the patron saint of the country.
9 min
116
July 9, 1821: Greek Cypriots Executed
On this day in 1821, 486 Greek Cypriots were executed by the Ottoman Empire.
9 min
117
July 8, 1898: The Shootout on Juneau Wharf
On this day in 1898, the Wild West’s most notorious con man, Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith, was killed in a shootout in Skagway, Alaska.
11 min
118
July 7, 1984: The Murders of Virginia and Rache...
On this day in 1984, Virginia Temple and her ten-year-old daughter were found dead in Toledo, Ohio.
11 min
119
July 6, 1415: The Martyrdom of Jan Hus
On this day in 1415, Czech religious reformer Jan Hus was burned at the stake for heresy. His martyrdom fueled a nearly 20-year war between the Pope and Hus’s followers.
10 min
120
July 5, 1934: Bloody Thursday
On this day in 1934, police opened fire on the longshoreman striking at the Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. The men were protesting for better wages and working conditions, but the violent assault left over a hundred wounded and two dead.
13 min
121
July 4, 2002: Dannarriah Finley Disappears
On this day in 2002, four-year-old Dannarriah Finley disappeared from her home in Orange, Texas. Residents of Orange rallied together in the search for Dannarriah… but after four days, they discovered that she was the victim of a horrific murder.
13 min
122
July 3, 1844: Last Great Auks Killed
On this day in 1844, the last pair of great auks was killed. Due to overhunting from eager collectors, these penguin-like birds were wiped off the earth.
10 min
123
July 2, 1881: James Garfield Shot
On this day in 1881, President James Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau. Garfield would survive another 79 days before succumbing to his bullet wounds.
12 min
124
July 1, 1981: The Wonderland Murders
On this day in 1981, members of the drug-peddling Wonderland Gang were viciously beaten to death in their home on Wonderland Avenue in Los Angeles. Guest hosted by Molly Brandenburg from the Parcast series, Medical Mysteries.
11 min
125
June 30, 2007: The Glasgow Airport Bombing
On this day in 2007, Kafeel Ahmed and Bilal Abdulla drove a Jeep Cherokee filled with propane canisters and barrels of gasoline into the entrance of Glasgow Airport in a failed terrorist attack.
12 min