The youngest person executed, George Stinney Jr was proven innocent
George Stinney Jr., an African-American 14-year-old, was the youngest person in the United States to be executed in the electric chair. In the midst of the Jim Crow era, he was executed in the Deep South in 1944.
George Stinney Jr. grew up in the segregated mill town of Alcolu, South Carolina, where railroad tracks separated white and black residents. Stinney’s family resided in a run-down business house until the young kid was suspected of murdering two white girls and was forced to flee.
It took a jury of white men 10 minutes to find Stinney guilty — and it would take 70 years before Stinney was exonerated.
The Murder Of Betty June Binnicker And Mary Emma Thames
Betty June Binnicker, 11, and Mary Emma Thames, 7, were exploring for flowers on their bicycles in Alcolu in March 1944. During their quest, they came across Stinney and his younger sister Aime and inquired if they knew where they might obtain maypops, the yellow delicious fruit of passionflowers.
According to reports, that was the last time the girls were seen alive.
Binnicker and Thames, both white, did not return home that day. Hundreds of Alcolu villagers, including Stinney’s father, banded together to hunt for the missing girls after they vanished. Their bodies were not discovered in a muddy ditch until the following day.
There was no evident trace of a struggle when Dr. Asbury Cecil Bozard inspected their bodies, but both girls had died terrible deaths including multiple skull trauma.
Thames had a two-inch-long cut above her right eyebrow, as well as a hole boring straight through her forehead into her skull. Binnicker, meantime, had taken at least seven hits to the head. The rear of her head was later described as “nothing but a mess of smashed bones.”
Binnicker and Thames had wounds made by a “round device roughly the size of the head of a hammer,” according to Bozard.
A rumor circulated in town that the girls had stopped at the home of a prominent white family on the day they were murdered, but this was never proven. And the cops didn’t appear to be on the lookout for a white killer.
Officers from Clarendon County responded to Stinney’s residence after receiving information from a witness that Binnicker and Thames had been spotted chatting to him. George Stinney Jr. was immediately handcuffed and interrogated in a small room for hours without the presence of his parents, a counsel, or any witnesses.
A Two-Hour Trial
H.S., a police officer, “I arrested a boy by the name of George Stinney,” Newman stated in a handwritten statement. He then made a confession and told me where to find a 15-inch-long piece of iron. He said he dumped it around six feet away from the bicycle in a ditch.”
As reports of a lynching grew across the village, Newman refused to identify where Stinney was being held. As his trial drew nearer, not even his parents knew where he was. At the time, 14 was thought to be the age of responsibility, and Stinney was suspected of murder.
George Stinney Jr.’s trial began about a month after the girls’ deaths in a Clarendon County courthouse. Charles Plowden, a court-appointed attorney, did “little to nothing” to defend his client.
During the two-hour trial, Plowden failed to summon witnesses to the stand or provide any evidence that might cast doubt on the prosecution’s case. Stinney’s supposed confession was the most important piece of evidence brought against him, however there was no written record of the kid admitting to the murders.
Stinney hadn’t seen his parents in weeks by the time of his trial, and they were frightened of being attacked by a white crowd if they came to the courthouse. As a result, the 14-year-old was surrounded by strangers – possibly as many as 1,500.
The all-white jury found Stinney guilty of murder after less than 10 minutes of deliberation, with no recommendation for compassion.
The teen was condemned to death by execution on April 24, 1944.
The true story of Annie Oakley, legendary sharpshooter
Anne Oakley was such a good shooter that she could split a playing card help edge-on, hit dimes thrown into the air, shoot cigarette from her husband's lips, and pierce a playing card thrown into the air before it hit the ground.
Underground Railroad to Mexico freed thousands of slaves in 1829
Slavery was abolished in Mexico in 1829. Slaves were escaping to Mexico, and slaveholders in the US were aware of this. The US attempted to get Mexico to sign a fugitive slave treaty, which would have required Mexico to send back escaped slaves to the US. But, Mexico refused, arguing that slaves were free as soon as they set foot on Mexican soil.
June and Jennifer Gibbons The silent twin who Only Spoke to Each Other
Identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons were born on 11 April 1963 at a military hospital in Aden, Yemen where their father worked as part of the Royal Air Force.
Nearest Green, America's first known Black master distiller
Nathan "Nearest" Green was an African-American head stiller who is now more frequently referred to as a master distiller. He was renowned for imparting his distilling knowledge to Jack Daniel, the creator of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distiller, after Jack Daniel was freed from slavery following the American Civil War.
The story of Bill Haast, who lived to be 100 despite his extensive snake venom injections
Bill Haast immunized himself by injecting snake venom into his blood for several years. He holds the Guinness World Record for surviving the most lethal snake bites, having been bitten over 172 times. Bill became known as "Snake Man" around the world and lived for over 100 years.
Why This Belgian Bar Makes You Trade Your Shoe for a Beer
To prevent tourists from stealing their beer glasses, some bars in Belgium require people to hand over one of their shoes as a deposit which is then put in a basket and hung from the ceiling. These shoe baskets have also become an attraction.
The story of a man who spent 72 hours with 72 venomous snakes to prove they only bite when provoked
In the 1980s, an Indian man spent 72 hours in a glass cabin with 72 snakes, some of which were extremely venomous. His aim was to prove that snakes only attack when provoked. Remarkably, he was not bitten once in those 72 hours and even set a Guinness World Record in the process.
Keith Sapsford: The Story of 14-Year-Old Stowaway
The final image of 14-year-old Australian Keith Sapsford, who aspired to travel the world. In February 1970, he sneaked into the wheel-well of a plane flying from Sydney to Tokyo. It opened mid-air & fell out. When a photographer was testing a new lens, he captured this moment on film and was surprised when it developed.
What exactly was the US's 'Ghost Army' during WWII?
During WW2, there was a special unit of men dubbed the ‘Ghost Army’. The unit was made of artists, creative and engineers and their job was to create deception about the enemy. From inflatable tanks to phony convoys to scripted conversations in bars intended to spread disinformation, they used all possible tricks to fool the enemy.
15 interesting facts about Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled Britain for 70 years, has away at the age of 96. She was the country's longest-reigning monarch. Here are some little-known facts about her.
Susanna Salter: The Trailblazing Story of America’s First Female Mayor
In 1887, Susanna Salter became the first female mayor in the United States, elected in Argonia, Kansas. Her nomination was initially a prank by men opposing women in politics. However, she won by a landslide and served effectively, inspiring the women’s suffrage movement and breaking barriers for women in leadership.
The mysterious secret of Dr James Barry
Before women were allowed to enroll in medical school, Margaret Ann Bulkley studied medicine and assumed the identity of Dr. James Barry for 56 years while dressing as a man. After 46 years of service as an army doctor officer, her secret was not made public until after her death in 1865.
Remembering the 1945 Empire State Building Disaster: When a Plane Met Skyscraper
An airplane crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945. Among other damage, plane parts severed the cables of an elevator and the woman inside fell over 70 stories. She lived and holds the world record for the longest survived elevator fall.
Man's Blood Helped Save Millions of Babies
Australian blood donor James Harrison has been one of our most impressive and valued donors, having donated for 60 years. Know his story, how he was a pioneer of our Anti-D program, and why this matters.
Max Headroom Incident: America’s Creepiest TV Hack
In 1987 a man hijacked a television station during an episode of Dr. Who and wore a Max Headroom mask and uttered nonsense, and he still hasn’t been caught
Why Comedians Failed to Make Sober Sue Laugh in the Early 1900s
In the bustling vaudeville scene of early 20th century New York, a mysterious performer known as "Sober Sue" captured public imagination not for jokes or songs, but for her unshakable stoicism—she never smiled or laughed. A local theater even offered a tempting reward of $1,000 to anyone who could make her laugh, drawing crowds and famous comedians eager to claim the prize. Despite countless hilarious attempts, Sue remained expressionless, a mystery that baffled performers and audiences until it was revealed that she suffered from facial paralysis, explaining her unchanging demeanor.
Nuclear bomb accidentally dropped on North Carolina in 196
4 January 1961: The 4241st Strategic Wing's Boeing B-52G-95-BW Stratofortress, serial number 58-0187, was on a 24-hour airborne alert mission off the United States' Atlantic Coast.
The worst blizzard in recorded history: the 1972 Iran blizzard
The deadliest snowstorm ever recorded occurred in Iran in 1972. It lasted for a week, burying areas in 26 feet of snow and killing over 4,000 people, including the entire populations of three villages.
During the 1996 Olympic bombing, Richard Jewell falsely accused of committing the crime after saving dozens of people
Richard Jewell, an American security guard, discovered a bomb during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and assisted in the evacuation, but was later wrongfully accused and faced public scrutiny. He was cleared, but it had a lasting impact on him until his death in 2007 at the age of 44.
How European Rabbits Took over Australia
In 1859, wealthy settler Thomas Austin released 13 wild rabbits on his Australian estate. By 1920, their population grew to 10 billion.
Moondyne Joe: The story of Australia's most notorious prison escapee
A man named Joseph Bolitho Johns (A.K.A Moondyne Joe) broke out of Australian prisons so many times that the police were compelled to build a special cell just for him. He escaped from that as well.
What Was the Beast of Gévaudan?
Between 1764 and 1767, a mysterious animal called the Beast of Gévaudan terrorized the French village called Gévaudan. It attacked and killed about 100 adults and children. While most believe it was a wolf, some say it may have been a wolf-dog hybrid, hyena or even a lion, but without any genetic evidence, the beast will remain a mystery forever.
Vince Coleman, a railway dispatcher, sacrificed his own life
Vince Coleman, a railway dispatcher, sacrificed his life in order to warn an incoming train of an imminent explosion. His telegraph said “Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye, boys.” He saved 300 lives.
Graves holding hands over wall, A Catholic woman and her Protestant husband grave
A protestant man and a Catholic woman who weren't allowed from being buried together in a graveyard in 19th-century Holland turned their graves into a monument showing them holding hands across the wall separating them.
Mario Segale, Developer Who Inspired Nintendo to Name Super Mario
Super Mario is named after real-life businessman Mario Segale, who was renting out a warehouse to Nintendo. After Nintendo fell far behind on rent, Segale did not evict them but gave them a second chance to come up with the money. Nintendo succeeded and named their main character after him.
