Tag Archives: the law

May 14, 1878

On May 14, 1878, the last witchcraft trial was held in the United States in Salem, Massachusetts. It was called both, the ‘Salem Witchcraft Trial of 1878’ and the ‘Ipswich Witchcraft Trial’. It was a civil suit and not a criminal case. Lucretia Brown, a 50 year old spinster and adherent of Christian Science, accused … Continue reading

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September 22, 1598

On September 22, 1598, English playwright and director Ben Jonson was arrested and indicted for manslaughter for killing one of his actors, Gabriel Spencer, in a duel. Apparently even in 1598, actors and writers couldn’t get along very well. Gabriel Spencer was no saint, as he was known to drink heavily and become very violent … Continue reading

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August 8, 1991

On This Date in TWISTED-HISTORY.com in 1991 Carlos Santana pleaded no contest to a marijuana possession charge in Texas. He was at first adamant that he wanted to have a trial by his peers, but when he was informed by his attorney that pot smoking would not be allowed in the courtroom and that the … Continue reading

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October 16, 1916

On This Date in TWISTED-HISTORY! in 1916, Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in New York City. Ms. Sanger, a birth control activist, sex educator, and nurse was subsequently arrested for providing birth control information to the women of New York so that they could decide if and when they wanted to become … Continue reading

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October 2, 2010

On This Date in TWISTED-HISTORY! in 2010 France experienced over 200 protests as the older members of the work-force strike against the government’s plans to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62. Police and jails found themselves overburdened as they arrested the protesters, who are older men and women hopped up on Viagra … Continue reading

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September 28, 1904/2005

On This Date in TWISTED-HISTORY! in 1904, Mary Elizabeth O’Connell was arrested for smoking a cigarette in a car on 5th Avenue, New York City. Police told her if she had just gone to a restaurant and lit up, she’d been legal. On this same date in 2005, Elizabeth O’Connell Marison was arrested for smoking … Continue reading

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September 21, 1981

On THIS DATE IN TWISTED-HISTORY! in 1981 – Sandra Day O’Conner became the 1st female Supreme Court Justice. The rest of the judges said, sure, why not, we’ve already allowed a black man on the team, how much more damage can a woman do? But they quickly tried to rethink their opinion when a very … Continue reading

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September 12, 1910

On THIS DATE IN TWISTED-HISTORY! in 1910 the World’s 1st female cop, Alice Stebbins Wells, was appointed to the LAPD. Her phone answering and coffee making skills attained god-like attributes among the men of the department and her late night barista skills were openly acknowledged in helping the men break many of the murder and … Continue reading

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July 28, 1996

On THIS DAY IN HISTORY in 1996 – Kennewick Man, the remains of a prehistoric man, was discovered near Kennewick, Washington. He was found in the remains of a prehistoric car that appeared to be foot-pedaled and that had ancient stone beer-cans strewn along the floorboard. Washington state patrolman, Sgt. Ian Walkerstein, after studying the … Continue reading

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