Singer-songwriter Beck has been sharing his musical genius with the world for the past 25 years, when he recorded a cassette called Banjo Story back in 1988, and releasing his first studio album, Golden Feelings, in 1993. Even if you've never heard his name, you have heard his music, especially Loser.
Beck Hanson was born 8 July 1970 in LA. His grandfather was artist Al Hanson, his parents are Canadian composer David Campbell and musician Bibbe Hanson, and his brother is artist Channing Hanson. As you can see, he comes from a very talented family, so it's no surprising that he is so full talent.
On 11 December 2012, Beck released his latest album, Song Reader, which he had been working on since 2004, Unlike a traditional album, where the artist writes then records the album, Song Reader is a book of sheet music. If you want to hear the songs, you have to perform them yourself. Or go on YouTube and see other people performing their takes on the songs.
Beck has set up a website for artists to upload their versions of the songs on the album.
Here is pianist Hanna Silver performing The Last Polka from the album. In the video, she discusses the album and even holds up her copy.
ffff
A blog about whatever
24 April 2013
13 April 2013
The Legend of Zelda
Zelda Sayre was born on 24 July 1900 in Montgomery, Alabama, and was the youngest of six children. Her mother, Minerva Machen named all her children after two children's stories; "Zelda: A Tale of the Massachusetts Colony" by Jane Howard (1866) and "Zelda's Fortune" Robert Edward Francillon (1874).She was very smart, but was uninterested in school, continuing to learn ballet. Zelda would often smoke and drink, and would deliberately do things to cause rumours about herself, such as dancing in a skin-tight flesh coloured bathing suit to make people believe she danced nude. Her father, Anthony Sayre, was a judge, so she was able to get away with just about anything.
In 1917, she began to take ballet lessons, and dreamed of being a performer. But the dances she performed were not the type a proper girl of her age would perform in those days. She would perform for soldiers at a local military base. She had so many admirers that pilots would fly over her house, to the point where it became a no fly zone.
Zelda loved the attention she received, but was never really in love until April 1918, when she met Francis Scott Fitzgerald at a dance at Camp Sheridan. He was so taken with her that he rewrote tone of the characters of his first book, This Side of Paradise, to be a reflection of her. Despite the fact that she flirted around, she was in love with Scott, and reassured him of this in a letter, where she wrote,
“Don’t you think I was made for you? I feel like you had me ordered—and I was delivered to you—to be worn—I want you to wear me like a watch-chain or button-hole bouquet—to the world."
On 3 April 1920, shortly after the release of This Side of Paradise, the who of them were married.
The novel was a hit, causing Zelda Fitzgerald and her new husband to become instant celebrities. But before long, she became to grow tired of being idolized for simply being the wife of a famous writer. In an effort to express herself and show the world she was her own person, she began writing herself. She'd always kept a diary, and her writing was so good that Scott even used some of her writing word for word in Paradise and The Beautiful and Damned.
The Fitzgeralds often collaborated together on short stories and articles, but Zelda soon started writing shirt stories of her own, such as Eulogy of the Flapper. Zelda often would use her husband's name when publishing a short story so that it would sell more. Scott approved of her writing and loved the way she expressed herself, in an age when women rarely were allowed to do so.
In 1925, Zelda took up dancing once more. Not only was it it her passion, but it was something that she and Scott were unable to compete with each other over. While her instructor felt she started taking lessons too late in life to be a world-class star, she believed that Zelda had potential to star in several important roles
Zelda soon became obsessed with her goal of being a performer. She felt it was what was driving her. Scott approved of her dream at first, but soon after became impatient and tried to crush her spirit by belittling her. He was sinking into drunkenness, and the couple fought constantly. In 1930, she had her first breakdown, and she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Due to her breakdown and and diagnosis, Zelda was forbidden from dancing. She returned to writing as a way to express herself. In 1932, she write her autobiography, Save Me The Waltz, which was primarily based on her marriage with Scott, her obsession with ballet, and the breakdown. Scott became furious with her about her book, because he was working on a novel based on the same things, titled Tender Is The Night.
Save Me The Waltz caused a rift between the couple. It was published in October 1932, but it was a rushed publication, and sold poorly. The book is her side of the story, and it's a haunting look into the lives of the Fitzgeralds. Over the years, she added bits and pieces to the story, finding news ways of expression that wouldn't be governed by Scott.
In 1934, she began painting, using dancers as inspiration.
The couple never fully recovered after Zelda's 1932 breakdown. Even though they were still in love with each other, and Scott provided care for Zelda, there was a distinct bitterness between the two that never went away. In 1940, F. Scott Fitzgerald died. Either years later, Zelda Fitzgerald followed him, perishing in a fire.
In 1986, a video game designer named Shigeru Miyamoto created an adventure game that would change video games forever. When hearing of Zelda Fitzgerald, he thought the name sounded "pleasant and significant", so named the princess you have to rescue Princess Zelda, and called the game The Legend of Zelda, which is one of the most beloved franchises in history.
As Zelda said to Scott in 1919, before the couple were married, “Why should graves make people feel in vain? Somehow I can’t find anything hopeless in having lived.”
In 1917, she began to take ballet lessons, and dreamed of being a performer. But the dances she performed were not the type a proper girl of her age would perform in those days. She would perform for soldiers at a local military base. She had so many admirers that pilots would fly over her house, to the point where it became a no fly zone.
Zelda loved the attention she received, but was never really in love until April 1918, when she met Francis Scott Fitzgerald at a dance at Camp Sheridan. He was so taken with her that he rewrote tone of the characters of his first book, This Side of Paradise, to be a reflection of her. Despite the fact that she flirted around, she was in love with Scott, and reassured him of this in a letter, where she wrote,
“Don’t you think I was made for you? I feel like you had me ordered—and I was delivered to you—to be worn—I want you to wear me like a watch-chain or button-hole bouquet—to the world."
On 3 April 1920, shortly after the release of This Side of Paradise, the who of them were married.
The novel was a hit, causing Zelda Fitzgerald and her new husband to become instant celebrities. But before long, she became to grow tired of being idolized for simply being the wife of a famous writer. In an effort to express herself and show the world she was her own person, she began writing herself. She'd always kept a diary, and her writing was so good that Scott even used some of her writing word for word in Paradise and The Beautiful and Damned.
The Fitzgeralds often collaborated together on short stories and articles, but Zelda soon started writing shirt stories of her own, such as Eulogy of the Flapper. Zelda often would use her husband's name when publishing a short story so that it would sell more. Scott approved of her writing and loved the way she expressed herself, in an age when women rarely were allowed to do so.
In 1925, Zelda took up dancing once more. Not only was it it her passion, but it was something that she and Scott were unable to compete with each other over. While her instructor felt she started taking lessons too late in life to be a world-class star, she believed that Zelda had potential to star in several important roles
Zelda soon became obsessed with her goal of being a performer. She felt it was what was driving her. Scott approved of her dream at first, but soon after became impatient and tried to crush her spirit by belittling her. He was sinking into drunkenness, and the couple fought constantly. In 1930, she had her first breakdown, and she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Due to her breakdown and and diagnosis, Zelda was forbidden from dancing. She returned to writing as a way to express herself. In 1932, she write her autobiography, Save Me The Waltz, which was primarily based on her marriage with Scott, her obsession with ballet, and the breakdown. Scott became furious with her about her book, because he was working on a novel based on the same things, titled Tender Is The Night.
Save Me The Waltz caused a rift between the couple. It was published in October 1932, but it was a rushed publication, and sold poorly. The book is her side of the story, and it's a haunting look into the lives of the Fitzgeralds. Over the years, she added bits and pieces to the story, finding news ways of expression that wouldn't be governed by Scott.
In 1934, she began painting, using dancers as inspiration.
The couple never fully recovered after Zelda's 1932 breakdown. Even though they were still in love with each other, and Scott provided care for Zelda, there was a distinct bitterness between the two that never went away. In 1940, F. Scott Fitzgerald died. Either years later, Zelda Fitzgerald followed him, perishing in a fire.
In 1986, a video game designer named Shigeru Miyamoto created an adventure game that would change video games forever. When hearing of Zelda Fitzgerald, he thought the name sounded "pleasant and significant", so named the princess you have to rescue Princess Zelda, and called the game The Legend of Zelda, which is one of the most beloved franchises in history.
As Zelda said to Scott in 1919, before the couple were married, “Why should graves make people feel in vain? Somehow I can’t find anything hopeless in having lived.”
Zelda Fitzgerald
The Fitzgeralds
31 January 2013
The Page
This isn't a regular post. I just thought I would take a moment to let anyone reading this blog know that there is a Facebook page and a G+ page.
I initially made "The Page" on Facebook as a joke, but then decided to use it to post random facts about stuff. I am constantly reading about all sorts of things online, and I decided to start sharing some of it. But my post so on there were, in my opinion, too long to be statuses. So I created this blog. At first I was trying to post every night, but that became too much, and the posts ended up not being very good because I would force topics. So now I just post when I can. I don't know if anyone reads this blog, but I do know that I have gotten several comments on some of these posts, while The Page has received zero activity since I created it. So this is me adverting the Facebook page of this blog. I sometimes do shorter posts on The Page of things that I don't think are long enough to go into a blog post. Feel free to Like the Facebook page. Also, feel free to leave suggestions for future blog posts on the Timeline. If anyone does read this, I just want to say thank you. I have alot of fun doing this, and if even one person enjoys reading these posts of mine, then that's just awesome.
I initially made "The Page" on Facebook as a joke, but then decided to use it to post random facts about stuff. I am constantly reading about all sorts of things online, and I decided to start sharing some of it. But my post so on there were, in my opinion, too long to be statuses. So I created this blog. At first I was trying to post every night, but that became too much, and the posts ended up not being very good because I would force topics. So now I just post when I can. I don't know if anyone reads this blog, but I do know that I have gotten several comments on some of these posts, while The Page has received zero activity since I created it. So this is me adverting the Facebook page of this blog. I sometimes do shorter posts on The Page of things that I don't think are long enough to go into a blog post. Feel free to Like the Facebook page. Also, feel free to leave suggestions for future blog posts on the Timeline. If anyone does read this, I just want to say thank you. I have alot of fun doing this, and if even one person enjoys reading these posts of mine, then that's just awesome.
30 January 2013
LZ 129 Hindenburg
On 5 October 1930, British rigid airship R101 crashed, killing 48 people. The German airship company, Zeppelin Company, purchased 5 tons of the wreckage, which they used to build their Hindenburg class airships, LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin and LZ 129 Hindenburg.
LZ 129 was initially supposed to use helium, as it's not flammable. However, it's more expensive as it's only available through the United States. So hydrogen, which is cheap and easy to produce, was used instead.
On 4 March 1936, LZ 129 made it's first test flight. Even though the name was already selected for the airship, only it's formal registration number (D-LZ129) and the five Olympic rings (in support of the 1936 Olympics being held that August) were painted on it's hull for the first six flights. When he heard that the name of the airship was Hindenburg (named after former German president Paul von Hindenburg), Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbelswas angry, and demanded that the airship be renamed Adolf Hitler, but was refused. Three weeks later, the name Hindenburg was painted onto the side of the airship in six foot high letters.
On 26-29 March 1936, Hindenburg made it's public debut with a propaganda flight over Germany. After this, it made it's first transatlantic flight on 31 March. In 1936, Hindenburg made ten round trip flights to North America. Although designed to be a passenger airship, Hindenburg was first used for Nazi propaganda by the Air Ministry.
The following year, in late March 1937, the airship made it's first round trip to South America of the season. After it's return, Hindenburg left Frankfurt for Lakehurst, New Jersey. On board were 36 passengers and 61 crew members. It was the first flight to North America of the season.
Because of strong headwinds, the trip was slowed down. The crew knew they had to be on time, as the return trip was already booked solid and the passengers were going to the coronation of King George VI, which was to take place on 12 May 1937.
On 6 May 1937, the airship reached Lakehurst, but was delayed due to a line of thunderstorms in the area. Around 7pm, they were given clearance to land. Landing an airship is a precise procedure, and the captain noticed that the rear of the airship was drooping. He had the crew drain water from the back to level out the ship. But the ship was still leaning slightly, so he had several crew members come from the back to the front to shift some of the weight around.
After a couple of sharp turns, the captain ordered the landing lines to be dropped. After t he handlers on the ground had grabbed the lines and was starting to lower the ship, the tail end burst into flames. In 37 seconds, the entire ship was engulfed in flames and came crashed down, most of the passengers and crew jumped out as the ship was coming down. 13 passengers and 32 crew, as well as one person on the ground, were killed.
Because of the publicity surrounding the arrival of the airship, the incident was well documented. The image of the ship exploding is perhaps one of the most famous images in history.
After the destruction of Hindenburg, airships lost their appeal, and they were discontinued. It's sister ship, Graf Zeppelin was dismantled in 1940, never to be used as a passenger airship.
Below is a news reel of the disaster.
LZ 129 was initially supposed to use helium, as it's not flammable. However, it's more expensive as it's only available through the United States. So hydrogen, which is cheap and easy to produce, was used instead.
On 4 March 1936, LZ 129 made it's first test flight. Even though the name was already selected for the airship, only it's formal registration number (D-LZ129) and the five Olympic rings (in support of the 1936 Olympics being held that August) were painted on it's hull for the first six flights. When he heard that the name of the airship was Hindenburg (named after former German president Paul von Hindenburg), Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbelswas angry, and demanded that the airship be renamed Adolf Hitler, but was refused. Three weeks later, the name Hindenburg was painted onto the side of the airship in six foot high letters.
On 26-29 March 1936, Hindenburg made it's public debut with a propaganda flight over Germany. After this, it made it's first transatlantic flight on 31 March. In 1936, Hindenburg made ten round trip flights to North America. Although designed to be a passenger airship, Hindenburg was first used for Nazi propaganda by the Air Ministry.
The following year, in late March 1937, the airship made it's first round trip to South America of the season. After it's return, Hindenburg left Frankfurt for Lakehurst, New Jersey. On board were 36 passengers and 61 crew members. It was the first flight to North America of the season.
Because of strong headwinds, the trip was slowed down. The crew knew they had to be on time, as the return trip was already booked solid and the passengers were going to the coronation of King George VI, which was to take place on 12 May 1937.
On 6 May 1937, the airship reached Lakehurst, but was delayed due to a line of thunderstorms in the area. Around 7pm, they were given clearance to land. Landing an airship is a precise procedure, and the captain noticed that the rear of the airship was drooping. He had the crew drain water from the back to level out the ship. But the ship was still leaning slightly, so he had several crew members come from the back to the front to shift some of the weight around.
After a couple of sharp turns, the captain ordered the landing lines to be dropped. After t he handlers on the ground had grabbed the lines and was starting to lower the ship, the tail end burst into flames. In 37 seconds, the entire ship was engulfed in flames and came crashed down, most of the passengers and crew jumped out as the ship was coming down. 13 passengers and 32 crew, as well as one person on the ground, were killed.
Because of the publicity surrounding the arrival of the airship, the incident was well documented. The image of the ship exploding is perhaps one of the most famous images in history.
After the destruction of Hindenburg, airships lost their appeal, and they were discontinued. It's sister ship, Graf Zeppelin was dismantled in 1940, never to be used as a passenger airship.
Below is a news reel of the disaster.
27 January 2013
Christine Chubbuck
Christine Chubbuck was born on 24 August 1944 in Hudson, Ohio. In 1965, she earned a degree in broadcasting at Boston University, and worked at WVIZ in Cleveland for a year in 1966 till 1967. She attended a workshop in the summer of 1967, and worked at various tv and radio stations until 1971 when she joined WXLT-TV.
Christine started at WXLT as a reporter, but was later asked to do a morning community affairs show called Suncoast Digest, which ran at 9:00 in the morning. It was described in the local paper as "It will feature local people and local activities. It will give attention, for instance, to the storefront organizations that are concerned with alcoholics, drug users, and other 'lost' segments of the community."
In 1970, Christine attempted to kill herself by overdosing on medications, but failed. She suffered from depression and suicidal tendencies, and often talked to a psychiatrist , but her mother chose not to inform the station, as she thought it would cause Christine to be fired.
Her brother, Greg, later said that he believed the driving force behind her depression was her lack of relationships. Her 30th birthday was fast approaching, yet she had only been on two dates in her life, neither of which she was able to connect with. It is believed that she had a crush on a co-worker, George Peter Ryan, and sought his affection. However, she was hurt when she learned that he was already involved with sports reporter Andrea Kirby.
In late June, 1974, Christine asked the station's news director if she could do a news piece on suicide, which she was permitted to do. She visited the local sheriff's department and asked an officer about different methods of committing suicide, and the officer answered all her questions, even telling her the best type of gun to do it with.
A couple weeks later, in early July, she brought a gun into the studio and joked about killing herself. A co-worker scolded her for the comment, but she wasn't taken seriously. On 12 July 1974, a few days after the incident, one of her stories was replaced with one about a shooting. The news director told the staff to put more of a focus on "blood and guts" stories
On the morning of 15 July 1974, Christine confused co-workers by claiming she had to read a newscast to open her program which she had never done before. She sat in the anchor's chair and read of a few stories about shootings. Then, looking directly into the on-air camera, on live tv, she said, "In keeping with Channel 40's policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first—attempted suicide."
She drew the revolver and shot herself behind her right ear. The on-set crew thought it was a sick joke, Then the camera operator notice the blood on the desk, and that Christine's body was twitching, and faded to black.
The station quickly ran a standard public service announcement and then a movie. Some viewers called the police, while others called the station, believing that the shooting had been staged.
Christine Chubbuck was pronounced dead 14 hours later at a local hospital. It was later found out that her last line, as well as her suicide, was in her script, given to her by the studio.
Her family brought an injunction against WXLT to prevent the release of the video of her suicide, and a copy of the video was released to her family. The whereabouts of the original remain unknown. For the first time since 1974, Greg Chubbuck spoke publicly about his sister in a 2007 E! Entertainment Television special titled "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".
Christine started at WXLT as a reporter, but was later asked to do a morning community affairs show called Suncoast Digest, which ran at 9:00 in the morning. It was described in the local paper as "It will feature local people and local activities. It will give attention, for instance, to the storefront organizations that are concerned with alcoholics, drug users, and other 'lost' segments of the community."
In 1970, Christine attempted to kill herself by overdosing on medications, but failed. She suffered from depression and suicidal tendencies, and often talked to a psychiatrist , but her mother chose not to inform the station, as she thought it would cause Christine to be fired.
Her brother, Greg, later said that he believed the driving force behind her depression was her lack of relationships. Her 30th birthday was fast approaching, yet she had only been on two dates in her life, neither of which she was able to connect with. It is believed that she had a crush on a co-worker, George Peter Ryan, and sought his affection. However, she was hurt when she learned that he was already involved with sports reporter Andrea Kirby.
In late June, 1974, Christine asked the station's news director if she could do a news piece on suicide, which she was permitted to do. She visited the local sheriff's department and asked an officer about different methods of committing suicide, and the officer answered all her questions, even telling her the best type of gun to do it with.
A couple weeks later, in early July, she brought a gun into the studio and joked about killing herself. A co-worker scolded her for the comment, but she wasn't taken seriously. On 12 July 1974, a few days after the incident, one of her stories was replaced with one about a shooting. The news director told the staff to put more of a focus on "blood and guts" stories
On the morning of 15 July 1974, Christine confused co-workers by claiming she had to read a newscast to open her program which she had never done before. She sat in the anchor's chair and read of a few stories about shootings. Then, looking directly into the on-air camera, on live tv, she said, "In keeping with Channel 40's policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first—attempted suicide."
She drew the revolver and shot herself behind her right ear. The on-set crew thought it was a sick joke, Then the camera operator notice the blood on the desk, and that Christine's body was twitching, and faded to black.
The station quickly ran a standard public service announcement and then a movie. Some viewers called the police, while others called the station, believing that the shooting had been staged.
Christine Chubbuck was pronounced dead 14 hours later at a local hospital. It was later found out that her last line, as well as her suicide, was in her script, given to her by the studio.
Her family brought an injunction against WXLT to prevent the release of the video of her suicide, and a copy of the video was released to her family. The whereabouts of the original remain unknown. For the first time since 1974, Greg Chubbuck spoke publicly about his sister in a 2007 E! Entertainment Television special titled "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".
Christine Chubbruck
13 January 2013
The Life and Near Death of Nosferatu
26 May 1897, a book was published by the name of Dracula by Irish author, Bram Stoker. Almost immediately, people started adapting the horror story into plays. Shortly after the novel was published, motion pictures started to catch on, and one of the first books to be adapted into film was Dracula.
In 1922, German silent film director F. W. Murnau made a film titled Nosferatu: eine Symphonie des Grauens ("Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror"). By then, Bram Stoker had been dead ten years, but his widow, Florence Stoker, was still alive, and hadn't given permission to make the film.
The screenwriter, Henrik Galeen, had changed the names and places of the story, and even some key plot points, but the story was unmistakeably based on Bram Stoker's novel. So Florence Stoker sued for copyright infringement, and won. The makers of Nosferatu were ordered to burn every negative and copy of the film, which they did.
However, piracy was a big thing back thing, just as it is now, and bootlegged copied of the film were hidden away. It's because of these bootleggers that the film remains to this day, and is perhaps one of the most terrifying films of all time. It is now in the public domain, so the entire film is on youTube. Enjoy.
In 1922, German silent film director F. W. Murnau made a film titled Nosferatu: eine Symphonie des Grauens ("Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror"). By then, Bram Stoker had been dead ten years, but his widow, Florence Stoker, was still alive, and hadn't given permission to make the film.
The screenwriter, Henrik Galeen, had changed the names and places of the story, and even some key plot points, but the story was unmistakeably based on Bram Stoker's novel. So Florence Stoker sued for copyright infringement, and won. The makers of Nosferatu were ordered to burn every negative and copy of the film, which they did.
However, piracy was a big thing back thing, just as it is now, and bootlegged copied of the film were hidden away. It's because of these bootleggers that the film remains to this day, and is perhaps one of the most terrifying films of all time. It is now in the public domain, so the entire film is on youTube. Enjoy.
02 November 2012
Lizzie Bordon
Lizzie Bordon was born on 19 July 1860. She had a relatively religious upbringing, attending Central Congregational Church;
after high school she taught Sunday school to immigrant children and
was the secretary-treasurer of the Christian Endeavor Society. She was also involved with social movements such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and was a member of the Ladies Fruit and Flower Mission.
Her father, Andrew Borden, was a successful property developer.and directed several textile mills including the Globe Yarn Mill Company, Troy Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing Company, and he owned considerable commercial property, as well as was both president of the Union Savings Bank and a director of the Durfee Safe Deposit and Trust Co
In 1865, her mother, Sarah Borden, died and her father remarried to Abby Gray, who had a daughter named Emma. Lizzie referred to her stepmother as "Mrs Borden" instead of "mother". The Bordens rarely ate meals together. Andrew upset Lizzie in May 1892 when he killed one of Lizzie's pigeons wih an axe because he believed it was attracting intruders. The following month, a family argument led to the two sisters taking extended vacations.
Tension had been growing in the family in late July 1892, especially over Andrew's gifts to various branches of the family. After Abby's relatives received a house, the sisters demanded and received a rental property, which they later sold back to their father for cash. For several days afterward, the entire household had been violently ill. The family doctor blamed food left on the stove for use in meals over several days, but Abby had feared poisoning, as Andrew Borden had not been popular.
On August 4, 1892, Andrew Borden breakfasted with his wife and made his usual rounds of the bank and post office, returning about 10:45 am. The Bordens' maid, Bridget Sullivan, testified that she was in her third-floor room, resting from cleaning windows, when just before 11:10 am she heard Lizzie call out, "Maggie, come quick! Father's dead. Somebody came in and killed him."
Andrew was slumped on a couch in the downstairs sitting room, struck ten or eleven times with a hatchet. One of his eyeballs had been split cleanly in two, suggesting he had been asleep when attacked. Soon after, as neighbors and doctors tended Lizzie, Sullivan discovered Abby Borden in the upstairs guest bedroom, her skull crushed by nineteen blows.Police found a hatchet in the basement which, though free of blood, was missing most of its handle. Lizzie was arrested on August 11.
The victims' heads were removed during autopsy and the skulls were shown as evidence during Borden's trial (Borden fainted upon seeing her father and stepmother's skulls)
On 20 June 1893,a jury acquitted Lizzie Borden of the murders. Despite the acquittal, Lizzie was ostracized by her community. Her name was again brought into the public eye when she was accused of shoplifting in 1897. Soon after, Lizzie began using the name Lizbeth A. Borden.
Lizzie Borden died of pneumonia on 1 June 1927.
The murders were turned into a popular nursery rhyme:
Her father, Andrew Borden, was a successful property developer.and directed several textile mills including the Globe Yarn Mill Company, Troy Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing Company, and he owned considerable commercial property, as well as was both president of the Union Savings Bank and a director of the Durfee Safe Deposit and Trust Co
In 1865, her mother, Sarah Borden, died and her father remarried to Abby Gray, who had a daughter named Emma. Lizzie referred to her stepmother as "Mrs Borden" instead of "mother". The Bordens rarely ate meals together. Andrew upset Lizzie in May 1892 when he killed one of Lizzie's pigeons wih an axe because he believed it was attracting intruders. The following month, a family argument led to the two sisters taking extended vacations.
Tension had been growing in the family in late July 1892, especially over Andrew's gifts to various branches of the family. After Abby's relatives received a house, the sisters demanded and received a rental property, which they later sold back to their father for cash. For several days afterward, the entire household had been violently ill. The family doctor blamed food left on the stove for use in meals over several days, but Abby had feared poisoning, as Andrew Borden had not been popular.
On August 4, 1892, Andrew Borden breakfasted with his wife and made his usual rounds of the bank and post office, returning about 10:45 am. The Bordens' maid, Bridget Sullivan, testified that she was in her third-floor room, resting from cleaning windows, when just before 11:10 am she heard Lizzie call out, "Maggie, come quick! Father's dead. Somebody came in and killed him."
Andrew was slumped on a couch in the downstairs sitting room, struck ten or eleven times with a hatchet. One of his eyeballs had been split cleanly in two, suggesting he had been asleep when attacked. Soon after, as neighbors and doctors tended Lizzie, Sullivan discovered Abby Borden in the upstairs guest bedroom, her skull crushed by nineteen blows.Police found a hatchet in the basement which, though free of blood, was missing most of its handle. Lizzie was arrested on August 11.
The victims' heads were removed during autopsy and the skulls were shown as evidence during Borden's trial (Borden fainted upon seeing her father and stepmother's skulls)
On 20 June 1893,a jury acquitted Lizzie Borden of the murders. Despite the acquittal, Lizzie was ostracized by her community. Her name was again brought into the public eye when she was accused of shoplifting in 1897. Soon after, Lizzie began using the name Lizbeth A. Borden.
Lizzie Borden died of pneumonia on 1 June 1927.
The murders were turned into a popular nursery rhyme:
-
- Lizzie Borden took an axe
- And gave her mother forty whacks.
- When she saw what she had done
- She gave her father forty-one.
Lizzie Borden
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