April 13, 1560

On April 13, 1560, Giovanni Battista, favorite son of famed Italian mathematician Girolamo Cardano, was beheaded for murdering his wife. Why did he kill her? Because he discovered that their three children weren’t his. When did he let her know that he knew the truth of her infidelity? Just after he fed her some of her favorite focaccia heavily laced with arsenic. As she was eating it, she mentioned how strange it tasted, like how it seemed right, but wasn’t. He replied, “Like YOUR three children?” Because Giovanni Battista and his now dead wife were of Italian noble families, Girolamo Cardano couldn’t pay or convince the law to excuse his son. So he was executed on April 13, 1560. It’s a shame divorces weren’t easier to get back then, because TWO people might have survived.

About Joel Byers

Born in North Georgia and educated at some very fine public institutions. Real education started after graduating from college and then getting married and raising two boys. Has the ability to see the funny and absurd in most things and will always remark on it, even if it means getting the stink-eye from his victims.
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One Response to April 13, 1560

  1. The PUNisher says:

    Killing her was definitely a bad idea, but I guess he just…

    … lost his head.

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