In history, there has been no group as polarizing as The Klu Klux Klan, the far right-wing group promoting white supremacy, anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant, antisemite, homophobic (among other) ideologies. Across nearly all forms of media, we can see examples of Klan behavior, we can hear their speeches, watch as they don those white hooded robes they […]
Ohio and The Knights of the Flaming Circle Read More »
History
In a previous post, I raised the question if there had ever been, as many police officers have suggested, that a missing person was in reality someone with amnesia who walked away and came back some time later. I was not able to find a single case where that happened – the closest I got
Ohioans You Should Know – Lawrence “Larry” Bader Read More »
Ohioans You Should Know, People
In case you are unfamiliar with the concept, Amnesia is a defect in memory which can be caused by any number of things from trauma to brain diseases, even certain medications or drugs. There are two main forms of amnesia: Retrograde Amnesia, in which all memories before a particular point cannot be remembered; and Anterograde
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True Crime
What was the Best-Selling novel of the Nineteenth Century? Gosh, I hear you say – there are so many wonderful books to choose from. You’ve got a number of Jane Austin novels to choose from, or perhaps something from the Brontë sisters. There was Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, and works by Edgar Allan
The Mystery of “Eliza” Read More »
Fictional Ohio, History, Ohio Book Club
Ruth Baumgardner was, according to the vast majority of newspaper and magazine articles written about her, a very pretty young woman. In 1937, Ruthie was a senior at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio (otherwise, her home was in the Lakewood suburb of Cleveland). Most people found Ruthie to be personable, friendly even, and there
Whatever Happened to Ruthie Baumgardner? Read More »
History, True Crime, Unsolved Unresolved
When you think of truly great American writers, what names come to mind? Mark Twain? Edgar Allen Poe? What about Harper Lee or F. Scott Fitzgerald? Steinbeck? Bradbury? Capote? Hemingway? What about Stephen King or Toni Morrison or Alice Walker or Tennassee WIlliams or Arthur Miller or Raymond Chandler? Okay, I can hear you say,
Ohioans You Should Know – Ambrose Bierce Read More »
Ohioans You Should Know, People
Today’s Ohioan You Should Know didn’t start her life in Ohio. In fact Agnes Robertson Moorehead was born on December 6, 1900 in Clinton, Massachusetts. Her mother, Mary, had once performed as a singer. Her father, John, was a Presbyterian minister. So, you can probably guess that she was raised in a fairly strict, religious
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Ohioans You Should Know, People
On September 24, 1990, the world’s attention shifted to Cincinnati, Ohio for what was surely going to be among the most controversial trials the city had ever seen. On the surface, it’s simply a trial about obscenity. But, for both sides of the issue – it’s about a lot more than that. On one side
Landmark Cases In Ohio – The Mapplethorpe Obscenity Trial Read More »
History, Landmark Cases
When we think about unsolved mysteries, especially ones connected to Ohio, the last thing we’re going to think about is the assanation of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. On April 14, 1865, while attending a theatrical production of Our American Friend, Booth entered Lincoln’s box, shot him, then leapt to the stage for
John Wilkes Booth? An Ohio Mystery? Read More »
History, People, Unsolved Unresolved
Rogue’s Hollow is, depending upon who you ask, one of the more haunted places in the state. There is no shortage of tales that include words like “murder” or “ghost” or “curse” or “moonshine” or, I kid you not, “headless horse” (not headless horseman, sorry Ichabod Crane fans). Even though the town no longer exists
What’s The Story With The Ghost Town Rogue’s Hollow Read More »
Ghost Towns and Lost Places, Myths and Legends, Places