A hostage crisis in which the media were more involved than the police. But was what they were doing criminal? “The Gladbeck hostage crisis (known in Germany as the Gladbeck hostage drama) was a hostage-taking crisis that happened in August 1988 after an armed bank raid in Gladbeck, North Rhine-Westphalia, […]
Most of us probably have some gripes with the taxman. Though, you probably wouldn’t give your life over it… would you? “The 2010 Austin suicide attack occurred on Thursday, February 18, 2010, when Andrew Joseph Stack III deliberately crashed his single-engine Piper Dakota light aircraft into Building I of the […]
What does high-impact claustrophobia look like? “The Moorgate tube crash occurred on 28 February 1975 at 8:46 am on the London Underground’s Northern City Line; 43 people died and 74 were injured after a train failed to stop at the line’s southern terminus, Moorgate station, and crashed into its end […]
Sure boxing’s cool – but a race is never going to break out in the middle of a boxing match. “The 1979 Daytona 500, the 21st annual event, was the second race of the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. It was held on February 18, 1979. Sports pundits consider […]
If you tried to kill a political figure, you could probably expect to only be known for that, right? “Peter Raymond Kocan (born Peter Raymond Douglas, 4 May 1947) is an Australian author and poet, best known for his attempted assassination of Opposition Leader Arthur Calwell on 21 June 1966. […]
We all hate a cheat – but what this boxer did in the ring was criminal. “On June 16, 1983 Resto unexpectedly beat undefeated prospect Billy Collins Jr. at Madison Square Garden in New York City in a 10-round unanimous decision. The fight was the undercard for a bout between […]
What are the chances of two 747’s colliding? Extremely low, as this video will explain, but it still happened. “On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747 passenger jets, operating KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport (now Tenerife North Airport) on […]
Can one man scam a government out of millions? Yes – but at what cost? “The ADE 651 is a fake bomb detector produced by the British company Advanced Tactical Security & Communications Ltd (ATSC). Its manufacturer claimed it could detect bombs, guns, ammunition, and more from kilometers away. However, […]
A beautiful mind seemingly bent on destroying itself. These are Shane MacGowan’s best and worst moments; sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between the two. “Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an English-born Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead […]
For many in Aberfan, mining was their life, and unfortunately, it would also be their death. “The Aberfan disaster was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on 21 October 1966. The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the Welsh village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, […]
