On a rural road in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, on 23 May 1934, Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were shot dead in a police ambush.
The couple were criminal celebrities during the ‘public enemy era’ in the USA, from between 1931 and 1934.
It’s believed that they killed nine police officers and several civilians during the course of their careers as armed robbers.
Included below are two, contemporary newspaper stories that report on the violent end of Bonnie and Clyde.
Western Morning News – Saturday 26 May 1934
Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000329/19340526/079/0009
Dundee Courier – Thursday 24 May 1934
Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000564/19340524/112/0007
On 22 May 1865 in Irwinville, Georgia, the fugitive president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, was captured by the Union cavalry officer Benjamin Dudley Pritchard.
Historical legend has it that Davis was disguised as a woman when he was arrested, hence the reference in this newspaper report (published in June 1865) to ‘the petticoat story’ perhaps being a falsehood.
Derby Mercury – Wednesday 28 June 1865
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000052/18650628/009/0003
On 19 May 1935, T.E. Lawrence (‘Lawrence of Arabia’) died at Bovington Military Camp in Dorset, five days after fracturing his skull in a motorcycle accident – he was 46 years old.
The Archive contains 100s of stories about Thomas Edward Lawrence, including many reports of his amazing exploits during World War One.
Here is a fascinating newspaper report about the life and death of Lawrence, published just one day after he died.
Nottingham Evening Post – Monday 20 May 1935
Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19350520/001/0001
Nottingham Evening Post – Monday 20 May 1935
Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19350520/025/0007
We were very interested in this quirky story about the removal of a controversial mural from the RCA Building in New York in 1933.
The Mexican artist, Diego Rivera had been commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller to paint a mural in the RCA Building, which was the centrepoint of the Rockefeller Center.
The painting, entitled ‘Man at the Crossroads’, contained a large portrait of Lenin, which, ahem, did not go down very well with a very surprised Nelson Rockefeller.
As the Rockefeller Center is a citadel of capitalism, the feeling was that it probably wasn’t the best place for a massive portrait of Lenin – admittedly, that perspective likely depends on your political viewpoint!
However, Rivera refused to remove Lenin from his mural, hence the fascinating kerfuffle that followed.
Nottingham Evening Post – Thursday 11 May 1933
Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19330511/050/0010
Erik Satie, the French composer and pianist, was born in Honfleur, Normandy, on 17 May 1866.
Satie was a member of the Parisian avant-garde of the late 19th and early 20th Century, and was famous for the eccentricity of his work.
While reading articles about Satie in the Archive, we found this terrific story about what the newspaper writer calls ‘ultra modern composers’.
In the last paragraph of the second section, the writer quotes the weird and wonderful instructions that Satie wrote for people who wished to play pieces of his music, for example:
‘Play this in exactly the same way as a crab walks’.
The whole newspaper article is a fascinating celebration of composers who thought about things a little differently.
We’ve also included a newspaper report on a lecture about Erik Satie that was given in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1915 – we like the description of Satie being ‘the Mark Twain of music’.
Hull Daily Mail – Saturday 31 October 1931
Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19311031/058/0004
Newcastle Journal – Monday 15 February 1915
Image © Trinity Mirror. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000242/19150215/037/0006
On 16–17 May 1943, an attack on the Mohne and Edersee Dams was carried out by 617 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson.
The attack famously used the ‘bouncing bombs’ that had been invented by Barnes Wallis.
Included below is a newspaper report of the attack and also some photographs, which were published just two days afer the attack on the dams.
Derby Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 18 May 1943
Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000521/19430518/001/0001
Aberdeen Journal – Wednesday 19 May 1943
Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000578/19430519/010/0001
The BNA Team had a grand day out in Galashiels on Saturday, attending the SAFHS Family History Fair/Conference.
We heard scores of fascinating family history stories, and we hope we helped lots of people with researching their family history via the BNA website.
A big thank you to everyone who visited the BNA stand!
And thanks, also, to the Borders Family History Society for all their hard work in organising such a popular and successful event.
The next SAFHS Fair/Conference takes place in Dunfermline on Saturday 26 April 2014.
Amy of the BNA Team at the SAFHS 2013 Fair in Galashiels
