40th year - N° 136 Friday, 16 May 2025

BIRTH(+)FACT(᙮)DEATH(-)
40th year - N° 136 Friday, 16 May 2025

16 May / Today's 35 Events:

---

(+) 414 years ago Monday 16th of May 1611 Innocentius XI, originally Benedetto Odescalchi aka The Blessed is born in Como, Lombardia, Italy.

---

(+) 240 years ago Monday 16th of May 1785 Child killer Caleb Adams is born in Leyden, Massachusetts, United States.

---

(x) 189 years ago Monday 16th of May 1836 Writer of mystery and the macabre Edgar Allan Poe is born in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Clemm was Poe's cousin. They were married by a Presbyterian minister named Rev. Amasa Converse.

---

(+) 164 years ago Thursday 16th of May 1861 Serial killer Henry Howard Holmes, originally Herman Webster Mudgett aka The Torture Doctor is born in Gilmantown, New Hampshire, United States.

---

(+) 148 years ago Wednesday 16th of May 1877 Pathologist Bernard Henry Spilsbury is born in 35 Bath Street, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, United Kingdom.

---

(-) 147 years ago Thursday 16th of May 1878 Serial poisoner Lydia Sherman aka The Derby Poisoner dies of cancer at the age of 54 in Wethersfield State Prison, Wethersfield, Connecticut, United States. Sherman poisoned eight children in her care (6 of which were her own) and her three husbands

---

(+) 120 years ago Tuesday 16th of May 1905 Actor Henry Jaynes Fonda is born in Grand Island, Nebraska, United States.

---

(+) 110 years ago Sunday 16th of May 1915 Film director Mario Monicelli is born in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

---

(+) 106 years ago Friday 16th of May 1919 Pianist and entertainer Liberace, originally Władziu Valentino Liberace aka The Glitter Man aka The King of Bling is born in West Allis, Wisconsin, United States.

---

(+) 105 years ago Sunday 16th of May 1920 Actress Martine Carol, originally Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer is born in Saint Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France.

---

(x) 105 years ago Sunday 16th of May 1920 508-year-old Heroine Jeanne d'Arc aka La Pucelle d'Orléans is canonised Saint by Pope Benedict XV in Basilica di San Pietro, Rome, Lazio, Italy.

---

(+) 100 years ago Saturday 16th of May 1925 Entertainer, entrepreneur, singer-songwriter and professional whistler Bobbejaan Schoepen, originally Modest Schoepen is born in Boom, Antwerpen, Belgium.

---

(+) 95 years ago Friday 16th of May 1930 Physicist and research manager Karl Heinz Beckurtz is born in Rheydt, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.

---

(x) 95 years ago Friday 16th of May 1930 Gertrud Bell is attacked by serial killer Peter Kürten aka The Vampire of Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Kürten reasoned that she had not attempted to fight him, and because she could not remember where he lived, he took her to the train station and walked away. The woman wrote a letter to a friend to tell her of the horrible incident, but since it was undeliverable, the letter was opened by a postal worker. The police were notified immediately. They questioned the young woman and then she led them to Kurten's home, and then he was arrested on 24 May 1930.

---

(-) 87 years ago Monday 16th of May 1938 Actor Jack Virgil Dougherty commits suicide carbon monoxide poisoning at the age of 43 in Hollywood, California, United States.

---

(-) 81 years ago it Was the Cain and Abel Aspect of the Case Tuesday 16th of May 1944 Henry Gein is presumably beaten to death and thrown into a fire by his brother 38-year-old Murderer and body snatcher Ed Edward Theodore Gein aka America's Most Bizarre Murderer in Plainfield, Wisconsin, United States. Henry and Ed were burning away marsh vegetation on the property. The fire got out of control and Henry was found afterwards. It appeared that the cause of death was heart failure, but later it was reported that Henry had bruises on his head.

---

(+) 74 years ago Wednesday 16th of May 1951 Singer-songwriter Jonathan Michael Richman known from The Modern Lovers is born in Natick, Massachusetts, United States.

---

(-) 68 years ago Thursday 16th of May 1957 American Prohibition agent Eliot Ness known for his legendary team of law enforcement agents nicknamed The Untouchables dies of a heart attack at the age of 54 in Coudersport, Pennsylvania, United States. In one popular yet false anecdote Ness died just as he was about to have the first alcoholic drink of his life.

---

(x) 61 years ago Saturday 16th of May 1964 39-year-old Wiener Aktionist Otto Muehl performs 'Materialaktion nr. 8 / Stillleben' in Perinetkeller, Perinetgasse 1, Wien, Wien, Austria.

---

(+) 59 years ago Monday 16th of May 1966 Singer-songwriter Janet Damita Jo Jackson is born in 2300 Jackson Street, Gary, Indiana, United States.

---

(-) 52 years ago Wednesday 16th of May 1973 Artist Jacques Lipchitz, originally Chaim Jacob Lipschitz dies of unknown causes at the age of 82 in Capri, Campania, Italy.

---

(+) 50 years ago Friday 16th of May 1975 9/11 terrorist Khalid Muhammad Abdallah al-Mihdhar is born in Mecca, Makkah l-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia.

---

(-) 50 years ago Friday 16th of May 1975 Revolutionary black activist Michael X, originally Michael de Freitas aka Abdul Malik is executed by hanging at the age of 42 in Royal Jail, 103A Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain, Metropolitan Area, Trinidad.

---

(x) 50 years ago Friday 16th of May 1975 36-year-old Mountaineer Junko Tabei known for becoming the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest becomes the first woman to reach the summit in Mount Everest, Sagarmatha, Nepal.

---

(-) 47 years ago Tuesday 16th of May 1978 Vera Evelyn Millward aka Anne Brown aka Mary Barton is hammered and stabbed to death by serial killer Peter Sutcliffe aka The Yorkshire Ripper in Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom.

---

(-) 41 years ago Wednesday 16th of May 1984 Writer and playwright Irwin Shaw, originally Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff dies of prostate cancer at the age of 71 in Davos, Graubünden, Switzerland.

---

(-) 35 years ago He Had no Smoker's Delight Wednesday 16th of May 1990 Actor, singer and entertainer Sammy Samuel George Davis Jr. dies of throat cancer at the age of 65 in Beverly Hills, California, United States. Davis often smoked four packs of cigarettes a day as an adult. When told that laryngectomy offered him the best chance of survival Davis replied he would rather keep his voice than have a part of his throat removed; he subsequently was treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. His entire larynx however was ultimately removed during surgery in March 1990.

---

(-) 35 years ago Wednesday 16th of May 1990 Dag Drollet is shot dead by 32-year-old Only child of actor Marlon Brando and Anna Kashfi Christian Devi Brando at the age of 26 in 12900 Mulholland Drive, Hollywood Hills, California, United States. Drollet was engaged to Brando's pregnant half-sister Cheyenne.

---

(-) 35 years ago Wednesday 16th of May 1990 Puppeteer, cartoonist, screenwriter and film director Jim James Maury Henson known for creating The Muppets dies of organ dysfunction resulting from streptococcal toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes at the age of 54 in New York Hospital, New York City, New York, United States.

---

(-) 33 years ago Saturday 16th of May 1992 Astrologer Howard Sasportas dies of AIDS at the age of 44 in London, Greater London, United Kingdom.

---

(-) 28 years ago Friday 16th of May 1997 Double murderer Harry Charles Moore is executed by lethal injection at the age of 56 in Oregon State Penitentiary, Salem, Oregon, United States. Moore's last meal request was for two green apples, two red apples, a tray of fresh fruit, and two 2-liter bottles of Coke.

---

(-) 28 years ago Friday 16th of May 1997 Murderer Clifton Eugene Belyeu is executed by lethal injection at the age of 39 in Huntsville Prison, 815 12th Street, Huntsville, Texas, United States. Belyeu's last meal request was for a cheeseburger, French fries, Coke and a pack of cigarettes, which were prohibited by policy.

---

(-) 23 years ago Thursday 16th of May 2002 Child killer Ronford Lee Styron is executed by lethal injection at the age of 33 in Huntsville Prison, 815 12th Street, Huntsville, Texas, United States. Styron's 11-month-old son Lee Hollace died as a result of subdural hemorrhaging due to trauma to the head. The fatal injuries were the culmination of a long pattern of abusive behavior, including punching him in the face, dunking him in ice water, squeezing him hard enough to break his ribs, and shaking him hard enough to cause retinal hemorrhages. The victim's older injuries included at least 10 broken bones. Styron also stuffed tape into the child's mouth to quiet him and palmed the child's head like a basketball, thus dangling the child like a puppet. Sty ron's last meal request was for a Mexican platter with all the works, two classic Cokes, pickles, olives, and Cookies and Cream ice cream.

---

(-) 18 years ago Wednesday 16th of May 2007 Cop killer Charles Edward Smith is executed by lethal injection at the age of 41 in Huntsville Prison, 815 12th Street, Huntsville, Texas, United States.

---

18 years ago The Eyes had it Wednesday 16th of May 2007 Preparing for a performance in Finland by filling a wooden box with earth from my Hole in Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium.

---

40th year - N° 135 Thursday, 15 May 2025

BIRTH(+)FACT(᙮)DEATH(-)
40th year - N° 135 Thursday, 15 May 2025

15 May / Today's 38 Events:

---

(+) 458 years ago Monday 15th of May 1567 Composer Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi is born in Cremona, Lombardia, Italy.

---

(x) 363 years ago She Was Disguised as a Hare Monday 15th of May 1662 Isobel Gowdie makes a third confession about an encounter with the Devil in Auldearn, Scotland, United Kingdom. Gowdie gave an account of the Devil sending her on an errand to Auldearn disguised as a hare.

---

(-) 198 years ago Tuesday 15th of May 1827 Beta Schmidt is poisoned with arsenic by serial poisoner Gesche Gottfried aka Der Engel von Bremen in Bremen, Freie Hansestadt Bremen, Germany.

---

(+) 166 years ago Il Était Magnétisé Sunday 15th of May 1859 Magnetism, piezoelectricity and radioactivity pioneer Pierre Curie is born in Paris, Île-de-France, France.

---

(+) 120 years ago Monday 15th of May 1905 Actor Joseph Cheshire Cotten is born in Petersburg, Virginia, United States.

---

(+) 120 years ago Monday 15th of May 1905 Amateur filmmaker Abraham Zapruder known for his JFK Assassination Movie is born in Kovel, Volyn Oblast, Russia.

---

(+) 116 years ago Saturday 15th of May 1909 Actor James Neville Mason is born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

---

(+) 114 years ago Monday 15th of May 1911 Physician at the Ravensbrück concentration camp Herta Oberheuser is born in Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.

---

(+) 102 years ago Tuesday 15th of May 1923 Photographer Richard Avedon is born in New York City, New York, United States.

---

(x) 96 years ago Wednesday 15th of May 1929 123 die in hospital fire in Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States.

---

(+) 95 years ago He Started to Drip Thursday 15th of May 1930 Drip artist Jasper Johns is born in Augusta, Georgia, United States.

---

(-) 90 years ago Wednesday 15th of May 1935 Abstract art pioneer Kazimir Severinovich Malevich dies of cancer at the age of 56 in Leningrad, Northwestern Federal District, Russia. On his deathbed Malevich was exhibited with the black square above him, and mourners at his funeral rally were permitted to wave a banner bearing a black square.

---

(-) 89 years ago Friday 15th of May 1936 Murderer Jack Sullivan is executed by the gas chamber at the age of 23 in Arizona State Prison Complex, 1305 E Butte Avenue, Florence, Arizona, United States. Asked if he had a last request before he was executed Sullivan replied "You might get me a gas mask."

---

(+) 88 years ago Saturday 15th of May 1937 Singer and actor Trini Lopez, originally Trinidad López III is born in Dallas, Texas, United States.

---

(+) 77 years ago Came the Warm Jet Saturday 15th of May 1948 Musician Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno is born in Woodbridge, Suffolk, United Kingdom.

---

(+) 74 years ago Tuesday 15th of May 1951 Victim of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley aka The Moors Murderers John Kilbride is born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, United Kingdom.

---

(+) 71 years ago Saturday 15th of May 1954 Murderess Suzanne Margaret 'Sue' Basso, originally Suzanne Burns is born in Schenectady, New York, United States.

---

(-) 69 years ago Tuesday 15th of May 1956 Artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare dies of anaemia, bronchitis, high blood pressure and gall stones at the age of 70 in South Western Hospital, Lambeth, London, Greater London, United Kingdom.

---

(+) 64 years ago Monday 15th of May 1961 Victim of Joachim Kroll aka The Ruhr Hunter Ilona Harke is born in Wuppertal, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.

---

(-) 58 years ago Monday 15th of May 1967 Artist Edward Hopper dies of unknown causes at the age of 85 in Edward Hopper Studio, 3 Washington Square North, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States.

---

(x) 53 years ago Monday 15th of May 1972 Gerta Buddenberg, wife of 60-year-old federal judge Wolfgang Buddenberg is injured in a car bomb explosion by die Rote Armee Fraktion aka Baader-Meinhof Gruppe in Klosestraße, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Manfred Grashof Commando claims responsability for the attack.

---

(x) 53 years ago Monday 15th of May 1972 George Corley Wallace aka the most influential loser in 20th-century U.S. politics is shot five times by would-be assassin Arthur Bremer in Laurel Shopping Center, Laurel, Maryland, United States. The assassination attempt left Wallace paralyzed from the waist down. Bremer's actions inspired the screenplay for the 1976 movie Taxi Driver, with which John Hinckley became obsessed before he attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981.

---

(-) 53 years ago Monday 15th of May 1972 Student and hero of the Lithuanian resistance Romas Kalanta aka The Young Man with the Mesmerizing Eyes commits suicide by self-immolation at the age of 19 in Laisvės Alėja, Kaunas, Trakai Voivodeship, Lithuania. Kalanta's suicide was a protest against the occupation of Lithuania by the USSR.

---

(x) 49 years ago Saturday 15th of May 1976 42-year-old Journalist and leader of the Rote Armee Fraktion Ulrike Marie Meinhof is buried in Dreifaltigkeitskirchhof III, Eisenacher Straße 61, Mariendorf, Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Der Kampf geht weiter! Meinhof's brain, removed during the autopsy, was buried with her on 22 December 2002.

---

(-) 45 years ago Thursday 15th of May 1980 Jean Reyner is strangled and mutilated by serial killer Richard Cottingham aka The Torso Killer in Hotel Seville Room #1139, 22 East 29th Street, New York, New York, United States. Reyner's breasts were severed and her body set afire.

---

(x) 44 years ago Friday 15th of May 1981 41-year-old Serial killer Clifford Robert Olson aka The Vancouver Butcher marries Joan Hale, his long-time girlfriend and mother of his one-month-old son Stephen in People's Full Gospel Chapel, 14455 104 Ave, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

---

(x) 44 years ago Friday 15th of May 1981 Ulrike Hellmann is attacked by serial killer Bernd Bopp aka Der Hammermörder in Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Hellmann survived and remembered the licence plate number of her attacker's car. Later that day with the car registration number in their hands, Mainz police searched the area for the red Renault car driven by Bernd Bopp. Finding the car parked twenty miles away in Alzey, Bopp was lying in the sunshine near the car reading a book as police approached and arrested him.

---

(x) 44 years ago Friday 15th of May 1981 22-year-old Performance artist Danny Devos aka DDV performs 'Death-Threat' in 'Echelle 1/1981' in Brussel, Brabant, Belgium. In a room closed for the audience I made an installation with vacuum cleaners and noise music.

---

(-) 40 years ago Wednesday 15th of May 1985 Murderer Jesse De La Rosa is executed by lethal injection at the age of 25 in Huntsville Prison, 815 12th Street, Huntsville, Texas, United States. De La Rosa's last meal request was for Spanish rice, refried beans, flour tortillas, T-bone steak, tea, chocolate cake, and jalapeno peppers.

---

(x) 40 years ago Wednesday 15th of May 1985 43-year-old Mathematician and serial bomber Theodore John 'Ted' Kaczynski aka The Unabomber places Bomb #8, a spiral binder booby trap in Cory Hall Room #264, Berkeley, California, United States. Air Force captain John Hauser is severely injured.

---

(-) 39 years ago Thursday 15th of May 1986 Double murderer Jay Kelly Pinkerton is executed by lethal injection at the age of 24 in Huntsville Prison, 815 12th Street, Huntsville, Texas, United States.

---

(-) 37 years ago Sunday 15th of May 1988 Aleksey Voronko is stabbed to death by serial killer Andrei Chikatilo aka The Rostov Ripper in Ilovaisk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Chikatilo encountered Voronko while on a business trip to Artyomovsk.

---

(-) 32 years ago Saturday 15th of May 1993 Mass murderer Érick Schmitt aka Human Bomb is shot dead by a special 'Recherche, Assistance, Intervention, Dissuasion' police commando at the age of 42 in . Schmitt had been keeping a class of young children hostage for 46 hours, dynamite wired around his body.

---

(-) 30 years ago Monday 15th of May 1995 Renee Blackwell is asphyxiated by serial killer Hubert Geralds aka The Englewood Rapist in 6336 S. Ashland Avenue, Englewood, Chicago, Illinois, United States. Geralds tossed Blackwell's body in a dumpster behind a McDonald's.

---

(-) 22 years ago Thursday 15th of May 2003 Murderer Bruce Charles Jacobs is executed by lethal injection at the age of 57 in Huntsville Prison, 815 12th Street, Huntsville, Texas, United States. His last meal request was for a whole fried chicken, 12 buttered bread slices, fried onion rings, fried okra, a six-pack of RC Cola, two tomatoes and a large bag of Fritos corn chips. For his last words Jacobs recited the 23rd Psalm. He spent the last six months memorizing it.

---

22 years ago The Eyes had it Thursday 15th of May 2003 Visuals during a concert by Dez Mona in Borgerhout, Antwerpen, Belgium.

---

(-) 8 years ago He Became Physically Unwell Monday 15th of May 2017 Serial killer Ian Brady, originally Ian Duncan Stewart aka The Moors Murderers (with Myra Hindley) dies of lung cancer at the age of 79 in Ashworth Hospital, Parkbourn, Maghull, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom. Brady was receiving 'end of life treatment' at Ashworth after 30 years in their care. In a statement Ashworth Hospital said: "We can confirm a 79 year old patient in long term care has died after becoming physically unwell."

---

3 years ago The Eyes had it Sunday 15th of May 2022 There's a moon in the sky in Oudstrijdersstraat 35, Borgerhout, Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium.

---