Andrei Sakharov – the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb later became a dissident to the Soviet regime, and in 1975 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Oct 15, 2016 Goran Blazeski
Andrei Sakharov was born on the 12th of May, 1921, in Moskow, Russia, into a family of a cultured and liberal intelligentsia. His father was Dmitri Ivanovich Sakharov, a private school physics teacher, and an amateur pianist, and his grandfather was a prominent lawyer in the Russian Empire.
Andrei studied physics at Moscow University, and he was one of the most brilliant students there. He was exempted from military service during World War II, and completed his studies in 1942. When he finished his studies he worked in an armament factory as an engineer, where he patented several inventions. Later, when World War II ended, he was recruited into the top-secret nuclear weapons project. He is known as the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb.
Sakharov in 1943
He wrote a pioneering article on the effects of low-level radiation in 1957 because he was concerned with the radioactive hazards of nuclear testing. In 1961, he opposed to Nikita Khrushchev's plan for an atmospheric test of a 100-megaton thermonuclear bomb, fearing the hazards of widespread radioactive fallout. Despite his warnings, the bomb was tested on October the 3rd, 1961.
In 1968, Sakharov finished his essay "Reflection on Progress, Coexistence, and Intellectual Freedom" that was published in The New York Times. He emerged dramatically in the human-rights struggle and became the movement's inspiration. In his essay, he warned of grave perils threatening the human race, called for nuclear arms reductions, predicted and endorsed the eventual convergence of communist and capitalist systems in a form of democratic socialism and he also criticized the increasing repression of Soviet dissidents.
"Academician Sakharov". Academician Andrei Sakharov being interviewed at a conference of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences. Photo Credit
The Soviet Union banned him from pursuing further military work because of his social activism in the sphere of human rights and other causes. His social activism made him a Nobel Prize Winner, and in 1975 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. The Nobel Committee had many reasons for awarding him the prize, and as it is noted by the Nobel Prize Committee:
"Sakharov's fearless personal commitment in upholding the fundamental principles for peace between men is a powerful inspiration for all true work for peace. Uncompromisingly and with unflagging strength Sakharov has fought against the abuse of power and all forms of violation of human dignity, and he has fought no less courageously for the idea of government based on the rule of law. In a convincing manner, Sakharov has emphasized that Man's inviolable rights provide the only safe foundation for genuine and enduring international cooperation."
Andrei Sakharov on Soviet Nobel Peace Prize winners, the USSR stamp issued on 14 May 1991
Sakharov won international respect criticizing human rights violations and calling for the release of prisoners of conscience. But in the Soviet Union, he was considered as a state enemy and on January the 22nd, 1980, he was banished to Gorky, 250 miles east of Moscow, because he denounced the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan in December 1979.
His wife became his only link to the outside world, serving as his envoy to bring to Moscow and abroad Sakharov's statements on important political issues, among them "The Danger of Thermonuclear War" that was published in Foreign Affairs in 1983.
"Thank you, Andrei Sakharov" mural on the Berlin Wall. Photo Credit
Finally, in December 1986 the new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev released Sakharov and his wife Yelena G. Bonner and they returned to Moscow and to a new Russia.
In his last years he met with world leaders, he had press interviews, he traveled abroad and he renewed contacts with his scientific colleagues. In 1989, he was elected to the First Congress of People's Deputies, representing the Academy of Sciences. He witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of irreversible changes that swept Russia.
Andrei Sakharov died on December the 14th, 1989, at the age of 68.
The theme song of M*A*S*H was dubbed "the stupidest song ever written" by its writer
Oct 15, 2016 Ian Harvey
For many, the theme song for the movie and TV series M*A*S*H, about a mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean Conflict from 1950 to 1953, is unforgettable. Just the first few notes remind us of the iconic show. Very few, however, know the title – "Suicide is Painless".
The familiar tune was written by famous composer Johnny Mandel, but the lyrics were written by the son of the movie's producer, Robert Altman, when he was fifteen years of age.
The cast of M*A*S*H
Originally, the song was written for actor Tim Brown, who played Corporal Judson in the movie, to sing during the "Last Supper" scene in which the camp decides to hold a mock funeral for the camp dentist, Captain "Painless Pole" Waldowski, played by John Schuck, who has decided he wants to commit suicide. The "funeral", held to scare the dentist enough to make him reconsider his decision, was a success.
In an interview with Johnny Mandel by Marc Myers found on Jazzwax.com, Mandel states, ""We've got one guy in the shot who can sing and there's another guy who knows three chords on the guitar so we can't use an orchestra." Bob also said the song had to be called 'Suicide Is Painless'. 'Since [Capt.] Painless commits suicide with a [sleeping] pill, that would be a good title,' he said. Then he said, 'It's got to be the stupidest song ever written…' I said to myself, 'Well I can do stupid.' Bob was going to take a shot at the lyrics. But he came back two days later and said, 'I'm sorry but there's just too much stuff in this 45-year-old brain. I can't write anything nearly as stupid as what we need' Bob said, 'All is not lost. I've got a 15-year-old kid who's a total idiot.' So Michael Altman, at age 15, wrote the lyrics, and then I wrote the music to them."
M*A*S*H
Altman loved the song and decided to make it the theme song for the movie. When asked about what he thought about it Mandel declared, "You guys are crazy, it doesn't fit. You have these army medic helicopters flying in a war zone with this soft melody playing. It felt odd. But I wasn't about to get into a fight over it. So I left the screening room. Sure enough, when I saw the film, the song was used over the opening credits. Then it was used on the TV series in 1972."
Ironically, while Robert Altman received only $75,000 for directing the film, Michael Altman received about $2,000,000 due to royalties received because the song was used in the television series as well as for the movie.
Recorded in 1969, "Suicide Is Painless" was ranked #66 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs, and topped the charts in the UK in the 1990s. It has been covered by countless artists from Burt Bacharach to Marilyn Manson and has been translated into several different languages.
The movie, starring Elliot Gould, Robert Duvall, Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, René Auberjonois (known to Star Trek fans as "Odo" from Deep Space Nine) and Gary Burghoff won the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, later named Palme d'Or, at 1970 Cannes Film Festival and received five Academy Award nominations.
The subsequent television series starring Alan Alda, Loretta Swit, Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Larry Linville, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, William Christopher, David Ogden Steirs and the only actor to appear in both the movie and TV series, Gary Burghoff, as Radar O'Riley, ran from 1972 to 1983 lasting eight years longer than the Korean Conflict. The first season struggled to survive, but after a change in the timeslot it soon became one the top twenty television programs for the next ten years and has claimed its place as an American icon. The final episode was the most-watched television episode in history, and the series is still available for viewing in syndication in almost all American cities and on paid streaming sites.
The Peshtigo Fire: More devastating than the Great Chicago Fire, and it happened on the same day
Oct 15, 2016 Boban Docevski
Last week marked the 145th anniversary of a terrible fire that wiped out 1.2 million acres and killed more than 2,500 people around the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin. This was the deadliest recorded fire in United States history. Despite being massive and deadly, it was forgotten, and probably because it happened on the same day (October 8th) as another fire that became more famous; the Great Chicago Fire.
This drawing of the town of Peshtigo was completed in September 1871; one month before it burned down. Photo credit
Back in 1871, the easiest way to clear paths for railroads and clear forest land for farms was by setting small fires. These small fires were a potential disaster and often, under the right conditions, they went out of control. This is what happened on that dreadful day near the town of Peshtigo. A cold front from the west brought some high winds that fanned the fire and made it even bigger. Soon, a huge firestorm started to consume everything in its path. It is said that a forest firestorm can have the same destructive potential as a nuclear bomb; they are nature's equivalent of nuclear weapons.
A charred piece of lumber that survived the Peshtigo fire. Photo credit
With no one able to control the spreading of the monstrous fire, it jumped across the Peshtigo River. Soon, it surrounded the small town of Peshtigo on the banks of the river. Those who survived the fire claimed that a fire whirl, a tornado of flames, was throwing railcars and even houses up in the air. Peshtigo River was the only thing that stood between the people and the fire. Many people managed to save themselves by getting into the cold waters of the river.
Those who were unlucky drowned or suffered hypothermia instead of being burned alive. From our perspective, it is hard to imagine how is it possible that a fire could take so many lives, but back in 1871, towns didn't have the technology and resources to fight a fire that big. Another thing that posed a huge threat back then was the abundance of wooden buildings. Towns like Chicago or Peshtigo were almost completely built out of wood.
The Peshtigo Fire Museum, located in a Catholic church built after the fire to replace the original one. Photo source
The only thing that could stop the fire was the sea waters of Green Bay and the rain that started pouring. The epilog of the firestorm was devastating; over 1,875 square miles (1.2 million acres) of forest was completely burned down, an area roughly twice the size of Rhode Island. During the fire, twelve settlements were destroyed and no accurate death toll could be determined because all of the records were destroyed together with the settlements.
It is estimated that between 1,200 and 2,500 people lost their lives. Although many communities suffered during the fire, Peshtigo was the one that took the most damage, and that is why the fire was named after it. In 1870 Peshtigo had 1,749 residents; after the disaster, 350 bodies were buried in a mass grave, plus countless other bodies that were buried individually or not at all. This was done because whole families have died and no one was able to identify them. Almost half of the population of Peshtigo was gone.
The mass grave in which the victims of the fire were buried. Photo credit
Besides the obvious reason for the fire, a theory that appeared in 1883 suggested that falling fragments from the Comet Biela were to blame for the fires in Chicago and Peshtigo (as well as on few other places). This, of course, isn't possible because meteorites are cold in the moments when they reach Earth.
The eighth of October was one strange and terrible day, a day of fires. The fires in Chicago and Peshtigo weren't the only ones reported that day; there were four more happening at the same time across the United Sates: the Holland, Michigan fire, the Port Huron Fire of 1871, and The Great Michigan Fire in Manistee, Michigan.
The memorial for the victims of the Peshtigo Fire at the Peshtigo Fire Cemetery. Photo credit
The Peshtigo Fire Museum (west of U.S. Highway 41) holds a collection of artifacts from the fire and some first-person descriptions of the event. Behind the museum, there is a graveyard dedicated to victims of the fire.
Abraham Lincoln was the only President who was also a licensed bartender
Oct 15, 2016 Goran Blazeski
History has proven that there is no single career path to the White House. For example, Ronald Reagan was a Hollywood actor, Woodrow Wilson was a professor, Herbert Hoover was a mining engineer, George Washington established the nation's largest whiskey distillery, Thomas Jefferson brewed his own beer. One of America's presidents was a licensed bartender, and his name was Abraham Lincoln.
When Lincoln came home after serving in the Black Hawk War, he had an idea of becoming a blacksmith, but somehow his plans changed and the 23-year-old Lincoln entered a partnership with 21-year-old William Berry and they bought a general store on credit in New Salem, Illinois, where Lincoln lived from 1831 to 1837.
Lincoln depicted protecting a Native American from his own men in a scene often related to Lincoln's service during the Black Hawk War.
Since it was illegal to sell single drinks to consume at the store without a license, in 1833, the venture became a tavern as well. Berry managed to take out a license for Lincoln and himself. The license cost them $7. Now when they became licensed bartenders they were permitted to sell spirits, including liquor at 12 cents a pint.
They served French brandy, peach brandy, apple brandy, Holland gin, domestic gin, wine, rum, whiskey, and beer. They could also sell food as well, including takeout meals for stage passengers.
Lincoln in his late 30s as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The photo was taken by one of Lincoln's law students around 1846.
Berry was apparently an alcoholic, and when they got the license he started drinking heavily. Sometimes he was even too drunk to work so Lincoln ended up running the store alone. He even had to work other jobs to earn an extra income. Eventually, they began to spend more time closed than open and they fell in debt.
When Berry died, Lincoln assumed the debts from the business. He managed to pay off the debt once he entered Congress in 1847.
In 1834, Lincoln ran for the election for state legislature again and this time, he won. He then turned to self-education in law and he left the bartending business for good.
An iconic photograph of a bearded Abraham Lincoln showing his head and shoulders.
In 1837 Lincoln moved from New Salem to Springfield, where he thought he would have a better chance to get involved in politics, and have a better chance to get involved in politics he did. In 1860 Lincoln ran for president, but once he entered politics he denied selling alcohol by the drink.
At the first of the Lincoln – Douglas debates in Ottawa on August 21, 1858, his opponent Stephen Douglass publicly accused Lincoln of operating a 'grocery', the frontier euphemism for a tavern.
Despite everything, Lincoln managed to win the elections and become one of the top three Presidents of the United States.
Ancient Peruvian Burial Site Reveals Child Sacrifice
Oct 15, 2016 Ian Harvey
In the Andes Mountains in Peru, a major archeology site has recently discovered evidence of the practice of human sacrifice. Chotuna-Chornancap, found in the northern area of Lambayeque is one of the largest archaeology dig sites in Peru. The burial site, founded in the Middle Sican period (900-1100 A.D.) and uncovered in 2010 is characterized by pyramid-like mounds constructed of mortar and bricks made of adobe for the upper-class citizens, while common folk were buried in simple graves surrounding the mounds. The burials surround the ruins of an ancient temple that served the Chimu-Incas during the 11th and 12th centuries. It took more than fifty men an eight-month period to remove the sand covering the temple using small tools and wheelbarrows. The site must be constantly maintained because of the harsh winds that continually blow across the area.
Location of the Lambayeque Region in Peru Photo Credit
At least 50 of the common graves indicate human sacrifice was practiced for many generations, mostly to Naylamp, the semi-mythical creator of Sican society. The followers of Naylamp believed that he came to the shores of Peru on a balsa raft from the sea, and when he died he sprouted wings and flew away to another land. Archaeologist Izumi Shimada named this civilization Sican which means "temple of the moon".
The graves encircle a primary grave, believed to be that of a high-priestess, in which several clay vessels and a gold cup depicting the head of a cocoa leaf chewer (coquero) were found. Another sculpture of a standing male with a smile on his face was also unearthed. Of the common graves excavated, six revealed the remains of children buried together in pairs. Two of these skeletons show that the feet of the children had been removed in ceremonial sacrifice rituals, possibly to allow then to become guardians for those buried in nearby graves. The remaining graves were of adults who were mutilated by decapitation, throat slitting and the opening of the chest to enable heart removal. While the adults were healthy at the time of sacrifice, the skeletons exhibited signs of possible illness or trauma as children.
Haagen Klaus, a bio archaeologist at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and author of the paper: Human Sacrifice Victims at Chotuna-Chornancap: Multidimensional Reconstruction of Ritual Violence in the Late Pre-Hispanic Lambayeque Valley Chotuna-Chornancap remarked, "It's not unusual that sacrifices are made … sometimes during the funeral or even years or generations afterward. But we can see that a number of the individuals that were buried were children – and that does fit into the larger pattern of ritual sacrifice."
Archaeologist Carlos Wester La Torre of a Culture Ministry unit at the dig site said, "The archaeological excavations in this season have begun to yield results that allow an understanding of the function of places such as Chornancap, which since the discovery of the priestess' grave has continued to reveal the complex array of ceremonies and rites that occurred at the temple."
Carlos Wester La Torre, director of Brüning Museum in Lambayeque, Peru stated, "The existence of pedestals in the shape of chakanas (Andean Crosses) and painted murals in which we can appreciate sacred rituals, as well as the well-known anthropomorphic waves, are proof that this site was used by important people, perhaps the founder of the Lambayeque civilization, Naylamp and his eldest son Cium and other descendants".
Chakana Photo Credit
A museum is located near the site, but is rarely visited and is kept locked unless a visit has been scheduled. Artifacts such as sacrificial knives, remains of several victims, pottery and murals from the temple of Naylamp are on display. There is also a notable amount of written material available to the public. Unfortunately, the dig site and the 820 square foot temple are off limits to the public at this time.
There was a "Beard Tax" in Russia during Peter the Great's reign, paid by anyone who had a beard
Oct 15, 2016 Goran Blazeski
Peter the Great is usually credited with transforming the Russian Tsardom into the major European power that was the Russian Empire, circa early 18th century. He is known as a leader of the cultural revolution in Russia, which replaced the traditionalist political system with a new modern, scientific, and westernized political system. He expanded the Tsardom through a number of successful wars and he led Russia to become a major European power.
Pyotr Alekseyevich Romanov was born on June 9, 1672, in Moskow. He ruled the Tsardom and later the Empire. Having ruled jointly with his brother Ivan V from 1682, when Ivan died in 1696, Peter was officially declared Sovereign of all Russia.
Peter the Great 1838
In 1697 Peter the Great went to Western Europe on an educational tour of the continent's great cities. During this trek, Peter met Isaak Newton, he went to Oxford University, the British Royal Mint, and the Dutch naval yard. While he was in Nederland he learned a lot about the life in Western Europe. He met King William III when he went in England. He also traveled to the city of Manchester, where he learned techniques of city-building he would later use to great effect at Saint Petersburg.
On September 5th, 1698, Peter returned from his educational tour in the metropolises of Europe to Moscow. The next morning all the important officials gathered at the court to see the King and talk about the future of Russia. Instead of talking about politics and future, Peter the Great did something that no one expected.
Portrait of Peter I by Godfrey Kneller, 1698. This portrait was Peter's gift to the King of England.
The first thing he did is that he pulled a massive sharp razor from his bag and began to shave the commander in chief of the army. The people gathered didn't know how to react and none dared question this surprising turn of events. An important politician was next, and after him another Boyar, and another after him. Seems like no one was spared except for three people. He spared only the Patriarch, a very old man, and his own guardian.
His Boyars were very fond of their beards and were very upset, but they couldn't do anything about it. Peter now even ordered that all of his subjects except for the clergy and peasants must shave their beards.
Peter the Great Meditating the Idea of Building St Petersburg at the Shore of the Baltic Sea by Alexandre Benois, 1916
The Russian Orthodox Church was against this rule of shaving beards and some members criticized the King's decision. They thought of it as blasphemous. As Ivan the Terrible once said, "Shaving the beard is a sin the blood of all martyrs will not wash away. It would mean blemishing the image of man as God created him."
Peter was under pressure to do something. Some people were willing to pay so they could grow beard again, so Peter imposed an annual "beard tax" upon those who hoped to keep their facial hair. People would pay up to one hundred rubles and in return, they were given a copper token with the image of a beard and the Russian words "tax paid".
A Russian beard token from 1705, carried to indicate that the owner had paid the beard tax imposed by Peter the Great
Peter the Great also changed the date of the celebration of the new year in Russia from the 1st of September to the 1st of January and put an end to arranged marriages. His reforms made a lasting impact on Russia and transformed the country to a prosperous modern nation.
Shipwreck hunter Hugh Edwards believes that "Treasure Island" does exist
Oct 15, 2016 Ian Harvey
To many the idea of an island completely composed of timeless treasures, coins, and various other artifacts seems too good to be true, and more of a fantastic notion than any real truth. While this may be what many people happen to believe, veteran shipwreck hunter and author Hugh Edwards is thoroughly convinced a real treasure island exists. Edwards believes that a wrecked Dutch ship lies just a short distance from Half Moon Bay, and is waiting for a diver or researcher to discover its existence there. In addition, he also believes there is a treasure island somewhere near this alleged shipwreck, where he claims tons and tons of silver coins would have been brought to the shore by stranded sailors.
Hugh Edwards is so thoroughly convinced of the existence of both the ship and the treasure island that he has made five diving trips since 2009 to Half Moon Bay. He would love to be able to find it in time for the upcoming Dutch royalty visit, but claims that is looking less and less likely as time goes on and he has still not found he is looking for. The length of time and lack of results seen by Edwards so far has led to much frustration.
This is not the first diving and research expedition that Hugh Edwards has been a part of; he was one of the divers who discovered the notable Dutch shipwreck the Batavia, and was also the main diver to uncover a ship on a coral bed.
The lighthouse on South Manitou Island, built in 1871 Photo Credit
Hugh Edwards has been diving for decades and has a true passion for it, still partaking in expeditions at the age of eighty-three, and still searching for the mysterious treasure island he is certain exists somewhere.
Edwards and his team also found a fifth Dutch shipwreck in August last year. His team applied under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act of 1976 in order to garner recognition for the fact this shipwreck was their discovery, but Edwards and company are still awaiting confirmation. The Western Australian museum claims that it simply cannot support Edwards and his team's claim until the site of this alleged mystery ship is found. The back and forth between Edwards and the museum has created a definite tension, as the institution does seem to point out that Edwards may not have made an actual discovery. There are other potential reasons for the placement of the items Edwards believes signify a shipwreck. The museum director does respect Edwards and would love for him to be correct, but cannot support his petition without the proper evidence needed to claim it.
Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976
Edwards starts on a new expedition in November both he and the museum director are excited about; they are hoping to find this coveted shipwreck. Unfortunately for Edwards it seems the expedition will take place after the media excitement that will surround the impending royal visit.
As previously stated, Edwards is also an author, and wrote a book about the Batavia shipwreck entitled Islands of Angry Ghosts. This book has intrigued many people, and has even been optioned as a potential film by Russell Crowe and his company Fear of God Films. Edwards has been waiting for something to happen with the film for a while now, but it is only one item on a list of many along with the previously mentioned shipwreck.
Edwards is desperate to find this shipwreck, hoping it will lead him to find the treasure island he reveres. Many people have looked for similar treasure islands all over the world for a long time, and have not had the success that many divers, researchers and discoverers hope for. Hopefully Hugh Edwards' upcoming November expedition yields the success that he and the museum are anxiously awaiting.
During World War II Japan "bombed" China with fleas infected with Bubonic plague
Oct 15, 2016 Goran Blazeski
During WWII, the Japanese army had a secret biological warfare research unit in Manchuria called Unit 731. Unit 731 was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by Japan. General Shiro Ishii was the lead physician of Unit 731.
Biological Warfare was banned by the Geneva protocol of 1925, and General Shiro Ishii thought that since it was banned, it must be effective. Unit 731 conducted a series of cruel experiments in order to test how the human body reacts when subjected to harsh conditions, poisonous substances, and lethal diseases.
Shiro Ishii, the leader of Unit 731
Unit 731 was housed in a gigantic complex in Heilongjiang Province in northeast China, covering six square kilometers and consisted of more than 150 buildings, surrounded by a wall and high voltage wires, with living quarters and amenities for up to 3,000 Japanese staff members, 300-500 of whom were medical doctors and scientists.
The Japanese had 4,500 containers for raising fleas, six giant cauldrons to produce various chemicals, and around 1,800 containers to produce biological agents in the complex. Many bacterial diseases were studied to determine their warfare potential, including plague, anthrax, dysentery, typhoid, paratyphoid, cholera, in addition to many others. Insects, new drugs, chemical toxins, and frostbite were also studied.
Unit 731 Complex
Unit 731 had a bacterial production area that was designed to produce large quantities of bacteria for eventual use as biological weapons. To test the bacteria they deliberately infected and vivisected human subjects. They used live patients but no anesthesia, thinking that otherwise, they wouldn't be able to obtain accurate information on what was happening to the human body. They also researched how to protect themselves against the disease, which means that their biological weapons program was strong offensively and defensively.
General Ishii turned his attention to the plague bacterium as a candidate for a biological weapon since its casualties were higher than other diseases. So he constructed a clay bomb filled with oxygen and plague-infected fleas that could be dropped from aircraft at a height of 200-300 meters without leaving a trace. Each bomb contained 30,000 fleas.
Building on the site of the Harbin bioweapon facility of Unit 731. Photo Credit
On October 4, 1940, the Japanese dropped plague-infected fleas over Quzhou, a small town in western Zhejiang Province. In just one year more than 2,000 people in Quzhou died from this plague. The next year, a railway worker brought the plague from Quzhou to the city of Yiwu and more that 1,000 people in Yiwu died from this plague within a year.
In 1942 the Japanese also made a series of anthrax and glanders attacks on many villages in the Jinhua area of Zhejiang Province and around 6,000 inhabitants of Jinhua were infected by bacteria from biological weapons. More than 3,000 people died after they got infected.
The ruins of a boiler building on the site of the bioweapon facility of Unit 731. Photo Credit
For over 13 years, the Japanese performed experiments in the Unit 731 Complex. Their activities were ended in 1945 when Russia invaded Manchuria in August. Unit 731 was burned and all evidence were destroyed. General Shiro Ishii and the other workers were never punished for their war crimes.
Harry Volkman – the first weatherman to broadcast a tornado
Oct 15, 2016 Tijana Radeska
Harry Volkman
Harry Volkman was a beloved television meteorologist from Massachusetts. At four years old he was awe-struck by a thunderstorm, inspiring him to become a weatherman from that point onward. Obsessed with meteorology, he built a radio station with his brother when they lived near Boston. They had a very small transmitter but it worked, even though only their family in the nearby house could hear their broadcasts.
Volkman with WGN-TV
When the time came, he served his country in the US Army during WWII and was able to make use of his talents. He could calculate the effects wind had on American artillery. His interest in radio transmitting, broadcasting, and meteorology led him to study math and physics at Tufts University after his time serving, and not long after that he would study meteorology at the University of Tulsa.
After he graduated in 1950, Volkman got a job as a weatherman at the KOTV in Tulsa. Besides being a weatherman, he also served as a booth announcer, model, on-air salesman, sportscaster, variety show host and switchboard operator. Later he claimed that he also worked as a custodian for the station, and that he didn't receive any payment for his work for the first three months, which initially was only $25.
KOTV-DT news logo
Until 1954 there was a ban on tornado warnings by the U.S. Weather Bureau. Two years earlier, the Bureau had warned the public about a tornado, but a delayed release for the forecast caused them to pronounce the experiment as a failure. However, in 1954 Harry Volkman broadcasted the first televised tornado warning over WKY-TV in Oklahoma City. He did it because he was convinced that the warnings would save lives. He was right, and after this the Weather Bureau was forced to lift the ban, while Volkman became a popular figure among the public.
The mature stage of a tornado that occurred in Union City, Oklahoma on May 24, 1973
He was also a vocalist and a member of a church choir, and so always mixed a bit of music into his weather forecasts. Wherever he was working, people could recognize him because of his use of music. Volkman wrote a book that looked at his life and career as a weather reporter, titled Whatever The Weather: My Life & Times As A TV Weatherman.
Volkman had three sons and one daughter, and a happy personal and professional life. He died from respiratory failure in Des Plaines, Illinois, at the age of 89.
Look at these 20 Vintage Life Hacks from 100 Years Ago
Oct 15, 2016 Ian Harvey
During the 1900s, cigarette manufacturers used to put stiffening cards into their packs of cigarettes to give them strength and help make them last longer.
Someone during this time had an ingenious idea to put trivia, artwork and even famous people (Elvis Presley anyone?) and athletes onto the stiffening cards.
Gallagher's Cigarettes made a special series of 100 cards that included "How to do it", useful tips and tricks for everyday problems in the early 20th Century.
1. How to Extract a Splinter
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
2. How to Light a Match in the Wind
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
3. How to Tell the Points of the Compass with a Watch
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
The whole 100 card collection was recently digitized and made part of the New York Public Library's George Arents Collection. You will find 40 of the sifter's personal favorites below. You can visit the NYPL Digital Collections at digitalcollections.nypl.org/ to see all 100.
4. How To Treat Sprains
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
5. How To Make a Fire Extinguisher
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
6. How To Carry a Heavy Jug
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
7. A Hint When Boiling Potatoes
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
8. How To Kill a Tree Stump
George Arents Collection Photo credit
9. How To Make Corks Fit
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
10. How To Pull Out Long Nails
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
11. How To Measure With Coins
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
12. How To Detect Escaping Gas
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
13. How To Cool Wine without Ice
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
14. When Boiling Cracked Eggs
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
15. How To Preserve Valuable Vases
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
16. How To Remove Sea Stains from Brown Shoes
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
17. How To Make a Simple Gate Latch
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
18. How To Clean an Oil Painting
How To Clean an Oil Painting Photo Credit
19. How To Test Butter
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
20. How To Draw a Circle Without a Compass
George Arents Collection Photo Credit
The Cockspur Lighthouse is one of the five surviving historic lighthouses in Georgia
Oct 15, 2016 Marija Georgievska
The Cockspur Lighthouse is situated on an islet off the southeastern tip of Cockspur Island at the south channel of the Savannah River, near Lazaretto Creek, Georgia. It was built between 1837 and 1839, and it was used as a daymark without lights to indicate the entrance to the South Channel of the Savannah River. It ceased operation as an active beacon in 1909. It is a part of Fort Pulaski Monument and can be reached from that site.
The Cockspur Lighthouse has marked the south channel of the Savannah River for over 150 years. Photo Credit
The lighthouse was initially built as a daymarker. Photo Credit
The transportation to the lighthouse is most often by small boat because the island is subject to tidal flooding. This is approximately 4 to 5 feet deep at low tide and does have a current, so crossing on foot or by swimming is not advisable. The Cockspur Lighthouse is closed to the public while undergoing restorations.
The islet, often covered by high tide, is comprised of oyster shells, and marsh grass. Photo Credit
After an 1854 hurricane destroyed the keeper's dwelling and Cockspur Island Lighthouse, the tower was rebuilt in 1856 and outfitted with a fifth-order Fresnel Lens. The lighthouse is shaped like the prow of the ship to reduce the impact of the waves on the structure.
The light was extinguished for a time during the American Civil War. Photo Credit
During the American Civil War, the lighthouse was extinguished for a time during the battle that brought the defeat of Fort Pulaski. It was in direct line of fire but it suffered little or no damage and it was relit in 1866.
The National Park Service cut a trail to the lighthouse through the brush in 2005 to allow visitors a closer vantage point. Photo Credit
In 1958, the United states Coast Guard relinquished control of this lighthouse to the National Park Service. Along with the entire National Monument, the Cockspur lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation put the Cockspur Lighthouse on the list of ten Places in Peril.
In early 2013 additional rocks were added around the lighthouse to protect it from strong currents at high tide. Photo Credit
The Cockspur lighthouse is now a part of the Fort Pulaski National Monument. Photo Credit
In 2007, on March the 18th, it was relit in a ceremony hosted by the U. S. Coast Guard and the National Park Service.
Joseph Palmer – The man who was sent to jail for wearing a beard
Oct 15, 2016 Alex .A
With the advent of the "modern day hipster" we have been facing with a lot of weird and unconventional trends, but as cynism is the most common weapon of the modern society, these trends are unmercifully shamed on the global platform we call Social Media.
For instance, "the hipster beard" has truly and utterly overtaken the western world and, annoyed by this facial hair trend, the social media has done a fair share of shaming with the "Meme" revolution.
Well, people from the bygone era knew nothing about cynism and were downright furious when someone didn't respect the social norms and had the courage to do something "unique," like a sporting a beard in a time where nobody else did. Beards had gone out of fashion after 1720 in the United States, and men who had facial hair were deemed lunatics, heretics, and dirty eccentrics with a lack of personal hygiene.
Joseph Palmer, a veteran of the War of 1812 and farmer from NoTown, a village on the outskirts Fitchburg, Massachusetts was by no means a typical man.
Influenced by a bearded itinerant evangelist, he knew as a child; Palmer began sporting a long beard in 1820.
As beard at the time was very unconventional, let alone offensive, Palmer, dubbed "The Old Jew" by the locals, was considered frowzy and eccentric.
Despite being regularly harassed and questioned about his facial hair, Palmer was assertive and insisted on wearing a beard.
Joseph Palmer, published in 1915
When a prominent minister from Fitchburg once tried to persuade him "Palmer, why don't you shave and not go around looking like the devil?" the bearded farmer replied: "Mr. Trask, are you not mistaken in your comparison of personages? I have never seen a picture of the ruler of the sulfurous regions with much of a beard, but if I remember correctly, Jesus wore a beard, not unlike mine."
The locals were so annoyed by Palmer's beard that one day in May 1830, a group of four men armed with razors and scissors attacked Palmer in an attempt to shave him.
Being a husky man, Palmer, fortunately, fended off the attackers by using his jackknife and wounding two of the assailants in the legs.
Palmer was not a favorite among the local officials as well, so he was charged with "unprovoked assault" and had to pay ten dollars in fines and nearly forty dollars in court fees, as well as a seven hundred dollar bond that resulted from his sentence for the crime of defending himself. .
Disturbed by this obvious injustice, Palmer refused to pay the fines and was thrown into the Worcester County Jail for a little over one year.
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While in prison, Palmer kept a detailed journal of his fifteen moths behind the bars. According to his diary records, Prison time for Palmer and for his fellow prisoners was a 19th-century version of "Shawshank Redemption" except there wasn't a guy who can get things.
Palmer in the diary, describes the sadistic jailers and his own steadfastness in opposing the efforts of society to strip him of his unconventional habits and opinions.
During his first few weeks behind bars, Palmers was dangerously sick. Later on, he was beaten nearly to death by the jailers, starved for days, placed in solitary confinement for several months and bullied by his jail mates who also tried to shave his beard.
The tomb of Joseph Palmer. Photo Credit
As you might have guessed, Palmer was not the kind of a man who got easily scared and he made life nearly as difficult for the officials who threw him in jail as they made it for him.
Palmer sent a constant stream of letters to the Sheriff of Worcester Country, Calvin Willard, complaining of the poor conditions in the jail.
To prove the lack of food, Palmer sent a package containing every morsel of food the jailers had given him per day. Consequently, the jailers treated Palmer even worse, throwing him in solitary confinement, or "the hole" if you will, for three months.
Throughout his time in prison, Palmer was defending his right of speech and insisted that he was innocent, so if he paid the fine he would be admitting his own guilt.
Palmer's case began to bother the county authorities, who were aware that his jail term was far exceeding his "crime" and to avoid embarrassment sent several committees to the jail to convince him to pay the fine.
They even offered him to waive the seven hundred dollar bond, if he would pay the fine and court fees.
But that deal was far from acceptable to Palmer, who told the committee: "If I ain't [sic] a safe person to have my Liberty I ought not to go out. And I am willing to stay in confinement til [sic] I am."
Palmer was so assertive in his decision and unyielding that it came to the point where the judge who had originally fined him came to Worcester prison and practically begged him to relent.
The judge even brought a letter from Palmer's 80-years old mother, pleading with him to come home. ( seriously judge, not cool).
So, Palmer did what every normal man who gets a letter from his mom urging him to leave jail would do, he paid the fine and left prison.
Palmer's case became widely known as he sent letters to the Worchester Spy, who were more than happy to publish this odd story. Palmer was regularly mocked by the crowds. Prison time reinforced Palmer's interest in political and religious reform.
At the time of his death in 1873, beards became very fashionable in the United States. His grave marker bears a portrait of him bearded with the inscription "Persecuted for Wearing the Beard."
Notorious gangsters from the Great Depression and the Prohibition Era
Oct 14, 2016 Tijana Radeska
The Prohibition in the United States was only a formal ban on alcohol because, informally, according to some statistics people drank more alcohol between 1920 and 1933 than ever before.
Many people took advantage of the situation and began producing alcohol, selling it, transporting, importing and not to mention – drinking it. It was usually produced by countrymen and sold to the owners of pubs in the cities. The ones who benefited the most weren't certainly the ones who produced it but rather the ones who hold the networks of its sale.
When it comes to the "Goodfellas" in the States, their story began with the Prohibition. And it didn't take long for it to turn into a horror movie of murders. All, for the sake of keeping the hierarchy in the right shape and profits in the right direction. Things got worse when drugs took the place of alcohol in the same networks created during the Prohibition.
And all the mess culminated during the Great Depression when rebels tried to take their revenge on the government in the only ways they knew.
Very few people got filthy rich, many people got killed, and the rest were still poor. And drunk and drugged from time to time.
Al Capone
Al Capone in 1930
Al Capone was the child of poor Italian immigrants in Brooklyn, New York and lived the "American dream" in his own way – by becoming one of the most successful gangsters in American history.
The Prohibition period was certainly the "Golden Age" for Al Capone, who made a fortune in bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling.
Hence, it is not a miracle that he became a millionaire before he was 30.
However, he demonstrated his gangster spirit much earlier, by quitting school at 14 to join a street gang.
He got married at the age of 19 and had one son, Sonny.
During a fight in 1917, Capone got his face slashed by the brother of a girl he offended. His face was left with three indelible scars which earned him the nickname that he hated for the rest of hs life – "Scarface."
While in Brooklyn, Capone worked for the mobster Johnny Torrio, and after Torrio moved to Chicago, he recruited his old gang one by one to work for him in Chicago. So, Capone moved there and never left. Except for when he went to prison.
Torrio first became the head of the criminal network in Chicago, but after he was shot, he left the city, making 26-year-old Capone his successor.
The man loved publicity and liked to talk to reporters which made him a celebrity in his time. He never felt guilty for supplying "pleasure" to the Chicagoans. His defense was: "Ninety percent of the people of Cook County drink and gamble and my offense has been to furnish them with those amusements."
But it wasn't only amusement that he furnished. He was also responsible for many violent acts in the city. The most famous of all those acts was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929 when he ordered the assassination of seven rivals. He was never charged.
After years of avoiding prosecution by bribing police officers and public officials and threatening witnesses, he was finally was finally convicted and arrested in 1929. This was largely due to the actions of Federal Agent Eliot Ness, who became as famous as Capone for bringing him down.
He was released in 1930. Only a month later the Chicago Crime Commission released its first-ever list of the city's worst criminals; Capone was named Public Enemy No. 1.
He had been nailed again on the orders of President Herbert Hoover and in 1931 was indicted on charges of tax evasion.
He received the highest fine given for tax fraud up to that point, $50,000, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
After serving two years at the U.S. penitentiary in Atlanta, Capone was moved to the recently opened federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, which made him one of the first prisoners there.
He was released in 1939 to receive treatment for syphilis at a Baltimore hospital.
In 1940 he was one of the first people to receive penicillin for syphilis, but it was too late for him.
Living a low-profile life, Capone died in 1947.
John Dillinger
Mug shot of John Dillinger
John Dillinger was another Public Enemy No. 1. His bank robberies during the Great Depression earned him that title.
To avoid being arrested for boosting a car, Dillinger enlisted in the U.S. Navy. However, he couldn't endure discipline for very long and deserted for good in 1923.
He certainly couldn't live without trouble too. In 1924, at the age of 21, Dillinger was arrested for robbing a grocery store.
The prison was an educational center for Dillinger: he learned the skills required for being a criminal and was tutored by the Midwest's most hardened convicts.
When Dillinger was released after eight years, he put his theoretical knowledge into practice. He trained by holding up grocery stores and restaurants before pursuing a career in bank robbery.
He didn't forget about his prison-mates. He organized the escape of ten convicts, among whom were "Handsome" Harry Pierpont, Charles Makley, and John Hamilton. He had been imprisoned himself during their escape, but his freed friends returned the favor by liberating him, gunning down the county sheriff in the process.
Besides robbing banks, Dillinger and his gang-mates were amusing themselves by looting police stations. Once they emptied the gun cabinets in Auburn and Peru in Indiana, supplying themselves with Thompson submachine guns, shotguns, rifles, tear gas guns, bullet proof vests, and more than a dozen pistols.
After numerous bank robberies and victims, prison years were ahead for Dillinger. He was arrested in Tucson, Arizona in 1934 and confined to the jail in Crown Point in Indiana to await trial. But he escaped from prison again; this time, on his own and with a phony gun.
He got through the guards with the wooden gun before ensuring his escape with a Thompson submachine gun. Once he got it, he stole a car and fled to Chicago.
Only three days later he was back on track, joining the gangster Baby Face Nelson and others to knock over a bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
He was so popular not only among public officials but among the folks that he paid underworld plastic surgeons to change his appearance.
The procedure proved excruciating, and Dillinger was decidedly unsatisfied with the results. Upon looking in the mirror, he supposedly exclaimed, "Hell, I don't look any different than I did!"
The price on his head soared to $25,000 which was enough for Dillinger's friend Anna Sage to betray him. She asked only for part of the reward money and to help her legally stay in the country.
Dillinger, his girlfriend Polly Hamilton, and Sage went to see the Clark Gable crime film "Manhattan Melodrama" at Chicago's Biograph Theater. Agents were all over the entrance of the theater when Dillinger got out. Struggling to get his gun from his pocket, he was shot dead at the scene.
Although the total loot of Dillinger's robberies was around $500,000 (roughly $7 million in modern day currency), the government spent some $2 million trying to catch him.
Many people sympathized with Dillinger, and he became even more popular after his death. Even though state authorities tried to keep the date of his burial a secret, 5,000 people showed up at Dillinger's funeral.
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Pretty Boy Floyd
Pretty Boy Floyd
The Great Depression turned many desperate people to crime. It's hard to say if they were criminals or victims. One of them is the famous Pretty Boy Floyd.
He certainly tried to earn an honest living on his farm, but since drought brought him desperation and starvation, he turned his mind to illegal activities.
He was arrested for a first time at the age of 18 when he stole $3.50 in coins from a local post office. After three years, he was arrested again for robbing a payroll delivery in St. Louis.
In 1929 Floyd moved to Kansas City where he befriended the local criminals. Together with two friends from his prison years, he began robbing banks around Missouri and Ohio.
Meanwhile, a local prostitute gave him the nickname "Pretty Boy" which he hated as much as Al Capone hated "Scarface."
He was eventually arrested in Akron, Ohio in 1930 for the murder of a police officer. He was convicted to 12 to 15 years in Ohio State Penitentiary but jumped through the window of a speeding train and escaped.
He went to Toledo and became acquainted with Bill "The Killer" Miller. Together they went on a robbing adventure across several states and played the role of Robin Hood during the Great Depression.
He gained nationwide popularity for his crimes. After he killed a federal agent and a bounty of $6,000 was put on his head by the Oklahoma governor.
Even though it was never clear if he was involved in the "Kansas City Massacre" which ended up with the deaths of four law enforcement officers, J. Edgar Hoover used the incident to pressure and empower the investigation against Floyd.
After John Dillinger was killed, Floyd succeeded him as Public Enemy No. 1 and on October 22, 1934, was shot by local law enforcement officers and FBI agents.
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky in 1958
Meyer Lansky was born Maier Suchowljansky in Poland before his family emigrated to the States.
While at school as a child, Lansky was a mathematical prodigy, an ability which he later used in the gambling world.
Lansky and Bugsy Siegel were lifelong friends and partners in crimes. Siegel had saved Lansky's life a few times, for which Lansky was eternally grateful. The two established the Bugs and Meyer Mob and later befriended with Lucky Luciano, and together they created the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States.
Lucky Luciano in 1948
Known by the name "the Mob's Accountant," Lansky was one of the greatest crime organizers of his time. He was a member of the Jewish Mob and hold good relations with the Italian Mafia. His bootlegging and gambling businesses blossomed during the Prohibition period and allowed him to create an empire.
Lansky built a gambling empire which spread from Las Vegas to Cuba, from The Bahamas and London. However, he lost his holdings in Cuba after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959.
Lansky and his connections had the technical expertise to manage them effectively based upon Lansky's knowledge of the true mathematical odds of most popular wagering games.
When Al Capone got arrested for tax evasion, Lansky realized that he could easily become the next one, so he eventually bought an offshore bank in Switzerland to launder the money.
During World War II, Lansky was also instrumental in helping the Office of Naval Intelligence's Operation Underworld, in which the government recruited criminals to watch out for German infiltrators and submarine-borne saboteurs.
Fearing prosecution for various offenses, in 1970 Lansky attempted to retire and immigrate to Israel, aiming to use the country's Law of the Return, which grants citizenship to anyone of Jewish heritage. But after two years his attempt for permanent residency was rejected due to his criminal record and he was deported to the United States.
He got back to the States in 1972 and indeed was arrested on his arrival in Miami. However, due to his poor health and severe illness, he was sent home to die.
Even though Lansky was the conspirator of various murders and even though he might have laundered more money than Capone, Dillinger and Floyd together, all he was convicted of was illegal gambling.
He died in January 1983 in Miami Beach.
Bugsy Siegel
Mugshot of Jewish-American mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel in the 1920s.
Siegel was an Austro-Hungarian Jew who immigrated to the States with his family. He couldn't stand the impoverished state of his family, so he became a gangster at an early age. By 1931, he was rich enough to buy an apartment in Manhattan's Waldorf Astoria Towers.
He managed to do so with his friend – Meyer Lansky, with whom he shared all businesses and money launderings throughout his life.
He hated his nickname "Bugsy." He once said – "My friends call me Ben, strangers call me Mr. Siegel, and guys I don't like, call me Bugsy, but not to my face."
On his way to success and fame, he not only conspired but also took part in numerous high-profile killings.
He was part of the infamous "Murder Inc.", a syndicate which ensured that the work of the Italian and Jewish Mob would their businesses would run smoothly without any "obstacles."
In the mid-1930s, he moved to Los Angeles to spread his and Lansky's empire. He had a secret desire to become an actor, but the furthest he got with it was to become a friend with Holywood celebrities like Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, and Jean Harlow (who later became the unofficial godmother of his daughter). However, he was a big movie fan and once he organized a screen test for himself.
In 1938, Siegel's immature desire for wealth and amusement led him on an expedition to Costa Rica in a search for buried treasure. He traveled with nine aristocrats from Hollywood.
Before the start of WWII, Siegel went to Italy to sell explosives to Mussolini, but the deal went off because of the poor quality of the weapons.
In 1945 came with a brilliant idea of building a hotel and casino in the middle of Nevada's desert with $6,000,000, that came from the New York syndicate. The hotel was a great success since the moment it opened, but the thought of returning the money didn't make Siegel happy, so he delayed with his payoffs.
The bosses weren't happy with his behavior and had two meetings held in Havana, Cuba, where Lansky and Luciano convinced them to give Siegel more time. And they did, indeed. But after the third meeting Lansky wasn't powerful to change his decision and Siegel was killed on June 20, 1947.
However, since it was never proved what happened and who shot Siegel, his murder is unsolved till today.
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Frank Costello
Costello testifying before the Kefauver Committee
Frank Costello was an Italian-American gangster and crime boss, Boss of the Luciano crime family and was nicknamed "The Prime Minister of the Underworld."
When Costello was a boy, his older brother introduced him to gang activities and by the age of 13, he was already in a local gang.
In 1918, Costello served ten months in jail for carrying a concealed weapon. After he was released he swore that he would never carry a gun but use his brain instead. Perhaps, what he thought it was not worth going to jail for just carrying a gun around, but rather a real crime.
First, he met Charlie "Lucky" Luciano and they immediately became friends and partners. Then he met Meyer Lansky and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. Together they were kind of a "Dream Team" for robberies, theft, extortion, gambling and narcotics. The Luciano-Costello-Lansky-Siegel alliance prospered even further with the passage of Prohibition in 1920.
His business blossomed and that led to the Castellammarese War which was a war for dominating the Italian underworld in New York, fought between the members of the Joe "The Boss" Masseria where Costello belonged and the protectors of Salvatore Maranzano. Maranzano was the winner and he declared himself capo di tutti capi ("boss of all bosses"). But he didn't stick to that title for very long. He was murdered soon after his "victory."
While Costello worked for Luciano, he was consigliere of the Luciano family and the most prominent boss of all who worked for Luciano. Unlike Luciano and his underboss Vito Genovese, Costello didn't like drug trafficking and wasn't part of it.
In 1936, Luciano was convicted to 30-50 years in prison for running a prostitution ring and in 1937 Genovese was convicted of murder. They went to prison and later were deported to Italy. Luciano chose Costello for his successor as the boss of the Luciano family.
Vito Genovese
Costello was a respected boss who worked well with the other bosses. However, Genovese returned to the US and his only ambition was to kick Costello from the "throne" and to become the new boss of the Luciano family. Step by step he was close to succeeding in his intention. At the end, all he needed to do was to kill Costello.
And he tried, but Costello survived. Afterward, Costello and Genovese made peace before the Apalachin meeting in 1957. Genovese became the new boss and Costello retired.
Nevertheless, Costello was always respected as a boss until his death in 1973.
Albert Anastasia
Albert Anastasia
Anastasia began his career at an early age as a hitman. In 1919 he was working on a ship with two of his brothers and all of them together managed to escape from the ship when it landed in New York City.
By 1921 he was already convicted of a murder but due to a legal technicality, he was released the next year. However, not for long – in 1923 Anastasia was convicted for two years in prison because of illegal possession of firearms.
By the end of the 1920's Anastasia was already associated with Costello, Luciano, Genovese and other members of Cosa Nostra.
In 1928 he was once again convicted of a murder but the key witness disappeared before the trial.
In 1931, together with Vito Genovese, Joe Adonis, and Bugsy Siegel, he took part in the assassination of Joe Masseria.
He was known as the most feared hitman, being charged with a murder almost every year. And each time he somehow managed to escape.
As a gratitude to Anastasia's loyalty, Luciano appointed him as the head of the Syndicate's enforcement arm, Murder, Inc. It is estimated that Murder, Inc. committed between 400 and 1000 murders, many of which have never been solved. And according to some reports, 60 murders have been committed by the hand of Anastasia.
In 1942, Anastasia joined the U.S. Army but was honorably discharged in 1944.
During his whole criminal career, Anastasia worked for the Mangano brothers. At some point, he became their underboss. After they were both killed, Anastasia became the boss of the Mangano family.
It was widely assumed that Anastasia was responsible for the murders of Vincent and Philip Mangano, even though he never confessed.
The death of Anastasia was part of Genovese's ambition to gain the title of boss of the Luciano family. In order to do that, Genovese had to kill both Costello and Anastasia. It was a long process of planning and gaining trust among the other bosses and associates but at the end, Genovese finally managed to do what he wanted.
Even though Costello's assassination wasn't successful, the murder of Anastasia was.
In 1957 Anastasia was killed in a barber shop by two hit-men. Later it was claimed that he laughed during his murder.
Carlo Gambino
Mugshot of Carlo Gambino
Only one was The Godfather and that was Carlo Gambino.
Gambino became a made man at the age of 19 in Sicily. Afterward, he left for the US to live and work with hid brother-in-law Paul Castellano.
Gambino was one of the few Young Turks who decided to end the Castellammarese War and to form a national syndicate.
In 1931, when Anastasia was made the underboss of the Mangano brothers, he took Gambino as his capo.
Gambino married his first cousin and they had four children together – three sons and one daughter. While he was a crime boss, mafioso, mobster, rum runner, businessman, and a racketeer, he was also a family man and lived with his wife and children in a modest house in Brooklyn.
After the death of Vincent and Philip Mangano, Anastasia became the boss of the Mangano family with Gambino as his underboss.
As Genovese was working on his project to become "boss of the bosses" and was "buying" or killing people for his aim, in 1957 he convinced Gambino to turn against Anastasia, Costello, and Luciano. What Genovese didn't know was that Gambino was playing on both sides, siding with Luciano to prevent Genovese from gaining what he wanted.
Even though Genovese was formally crowned, in 1959 while waiting for a large shipment of heroin in Atlanta he was arrested by the FBI and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
After many deaths and imprisonments of opponents and allies, Gambino made his way to becoming "boss of all bosses". He had a prominent career as mafioso and died of heart attack in 1976 at the age of 74.
© The Vintage News 2014–2020
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