James Edward Smith was born October 19, 1962 in Jefferson County, Kentucky. James attended, but didn't finish college. In his late 20s, he worked as a tarot card salesman and taxi driver. He also claimed to be a voodoo priest. On March 7, 1983, James attempted to rob the Union Life Insurance Company in the … Continue reading Weird Last Meals Series: James Edward Smith
Edmund Zagorski was born December 27, 1954 in Michigan. His family was poor. His father wasn't around and his mother suffered from a brain injury. Edmund had an intellectual disability and dropped out of school. When he met John Dotson in 1983, Edmund was going by the name Jesse Lee Hardin. He scheduled a meeting … Continue reading Weird Last Meals Series: Edmund Zagorski
Built in 1857, the original Eldridge Hotel was built in Lawrence, Kansas on the land formerly occupied by the Free State Hotel after it was burned down by pro-slavery activists. The Free State Hotel was built by the New England Emigrant Aid Company to house anti-slavery immigrants that came into Kansas. After it was burned … Continue reading The Eldridge Hotel
Built in 1930, the Zaca is a wooden yacht commissioned by Templeton Crocker. Templeton spent much of the next 10 years traveling the world on his boat. He was a scientist and left much of his research to the California Academy of Sciences. During World War II, the Zaca was acquired by the United States … Continue reading USS Zaca
Kelly Anne Bates was born on May 18, 1978 in Hattersley, Manchester to Tommy and Margaret Bates. One evening, while babysitting, 14 year old Kelly met James Patterson Smith, a friend of the children's parents. He offered to walk her home. James was 30 years older than Kelly. James had been married, but his wife … Continue reading Kelly Anne Bates
The Silver Bridge was a suspension bridge that connected Point Pleasant, West Virginia to Gallipoli, Ohio. The bridge was built in 1928. Just after 5pm on December 15, 1967, Charlene Wood pulled onto the bridge. She was pregnant. She heard a noise and the ground began to shake. Ahead of her, she saw the bridge … Continue reading Silver Bridge Collapse
On July 1, 2002, Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 took off from Moscow, Russia with 60 passengers and 9 crew members on board. The plane was headed to Barcelona, Spain. Amongst the passengers were 45 school-aged children on a field trip. Other passengers included Svetlana, Konstantin and Diana Kaloyev. Svetlana's husband, Vitaly, was eagerly awaiting their … Continue reading Vitaly Kaloyev
Howard Unruh was the kind of man that thought people were out to get him. He thought that every bad thing that happened to him was someone else's fault. Howard lived in Camden, New Jersey in an apartment with his mother. He had been fighting with his neighbors. He had even installed a gate to … Continue reading Howard Unruh
In 2008, 23 year old Hannah Upp was a Spanish teacher at Thurgood Marshall Academy in Harlem, New York. Shortly before school started, she disappeared after leaving her apartment to go for a run. Police were concerned that Hannah had been murdered until they received a call saying she had been spotted at an Apple … Continue reading Hannah Upp
In 2008, the Stockdale family appeared on the reality TV show, Wife Swap. The premise of the show is that two wives/mothers with different family values, beliefs, income levels and/or situations trade homes for 2 weeks. The first week, the new mother lives the lifestyle of the family she has joined. The second week, she … Continue reading Jacob Stockdale
