This week we continue our series chronicling the turbulent 1920s.
Who knows, maybe it ll help put some of our current woes in perspective.
Life in that decade was a hazardous and random affair. Technology was improving
every day. But each new discovery unlocked hidden dangers and people paid with their lives.
Politics was also a more deadly profession during this decade.
Assassinations were all too common. For those who lived through this time,
it must have seemed as if death was lurking behind every corner.
Today we will look at some of the worst and least remembered events of 1922.
Knickerbocker Storm
The Knickerbocker Theater was built in 1917 in Washington D.C. In 1922 it was owned by
Harry M. Crandall. He also owned several other large theaters throughout the United States.
On January 28th, several people were inside the theater. They began watching a movie
of which most would never see the end. For several days the area had been in the
grip of a severe winter storm and Washington D.C. received twenty-eight inches of snow that day.
Unfortunately, the roof of the Knickerbocker Theater was flat. The snow collected on top of
the roof and a little after 9pm it collapsed. As the roof fell on top of the crowd the
balconies also collapsed. A wall then fell on top of the injured spectators.
Ninety-eight people were killed and one hundred thirty-three were injured.
Harry M. Crandall and the theater s architect were emotionally destroyed by the disaster.
They eventually killed themselves.
Rand Rebellion
In 1921 coal miners in the United States rebelled against the government
and their employers. By 1922 labor unrest was an issue in other parts of the world too.
Gold miners in South Africa saw their quality of life start to decline a couple of years earlier.
Gold prices dropped suddenly and sharply. The owners of the mines
tried several strategies to make up the shortfall in earnings.
First, they cut wages. But that wasn t enough and labor costs had to be reduced further.
So black miners were promoted instead of white miners. Since South Africa was an
extremely racist country black people were paid much less than their white counterparts. So,
using black labor was more cost effective. The white miners were angry about their working
conditions. And they were furious about black miners being employed.
A strike began in late December 1921. But by 1922 it had evolved into a full-scale rebellion.
The Communist Party of South Africa did not like the racist policies advocated by the miners. But
they decided to join the cause and participated in rebellion against the government.
Initially the white workers and their communist allies were successful. They occupied two cities
and made it as far as the suburbs of Johannesburg. Their progress was suddenly stopped.
Prime Minister Jan Smuts sent twenty thousand troops to confront the rebels.
He also used artillery to bombard the men, and planes to drop more bombs upon them.
By the time March ended the rebellion was over and the South African government was in control.
The white workers had their revenge against Jan Smuts in the next election.
The representatives they helped take office eventually passed legislation
that ensured black workers couldn t be promoted into jobs that white people wanted.
Picardie Mid-Air Collision Airplanes were still a relatively new technology
in the 1920s. During World War 1 they were manufactured in large numbers all over Europe.
And once the war ended people were trying to find other uses for airplanes.
Britain and France decided to establish a civilian air industry.
One way they did this was by converting military airplanes to civilian aircraft
that could then carry passengers. Additionally, planes were used to carry mail.
April 7th was rainy, and fog had moved in. But the weather didn t stop aircraft from delivering
their cargo. That day a pilot was flying from England to Paris to deliver mail. At the same time
another airplane had departed from Le Bourget, France. It was carrying three passengers.
Both aircraft were flying at an altitude of 492 feet. Near Picardie, France,
they saw each other but didn t have time to take evasive action. The planes collided and shortly
thereafter both aircraft struck the ground. Observers ran to the location of both crashes.
All pilots and passengers were dead except for one young boy. He died later from his injuries.
It was the first time two aircraft ever collided in mid-air. It would not be the last.
Sir Henry Wilson Assassination Henry Wilson was born in Ireland on May 5th,
1864. He would eventually become a highly decorated officer in the British military.
He served through World War 1 and stayed with the military until December 1921.
In 1922 he was elected to Parliament. Because of his extensive military service,
and since he was from Ireland, Henry was also asked to advise the Northern Ireland government.
They needed help with security because a civil war was coming.
Although England and Ireland had been in conflict a treaty was finally proposed and accepted.
The new provisional government of Ireland, known as the Irish Free State, accepted the treaty and
tried to govern their country. However, the Irish Republican Army did not want to stop
fighting and considered the treaty supporters to be traitors.
Two members of the IRA decided one way to champion the cause was to kill Henry Wilson.
On June 22 Henry was returning home from the dedication of a new War Memorial.
He was in full uniform as he walked down the sidewalk towards his home.
Reginald Dunne and Joseph O Sullivan were waiting for him. They were members of the
IRA. And when they saw Henry, the men opened fire. Sir Henry Wilson was hit six times.
Two of the wounds to his chest were fatal. The men didn t want to be captured so they
kept shooting. In the process they hit two police officers and a chauffeur.
Eventually a crowd surrounded the assailants and helped police capture them.
The two men were hanged on August 10th. The same day the IRA members were executed,
Henry s favorite home in Ireland was burned to the ground.
Michael Collins Dies
When Ireland was in conflict with England Michael Collins was the leader of the IRA. But he
supported the treaty and ultimately provided his assistance to the Irish Free State.
His position was a dangerous one. The IRA soldiers that Michael Collins had led just a year earlier
now considered him to be their enemy. On August 20th Michael wanted to travel
to the city of Cork where he was born. His trusted associates warned him not to do it.
They were very concerned for his safety. Michael told his advisors They won t shoot
me in my own country. . So, he took a car and a few
men and began his journey. Along the way Michael stopped at a pub. One of the men
saw Michael Collins and recognized him. Michael continued to Cork. Meanwhile the man
who recognized Michael told other locals who were against the Irish Free State.
They decided to create an ambush in case Michael passed their way again.
By 7:00pm most of the would-be ambushers had already gone home. Only six men
remained, and they were beginning to dismantle the obstacles in the road. As they were working,
Michael Collins vehicle suddenly appeared. The ambushers opened fire. Michael s companions
wanted to escape but Michael told them to stop and fight. They exchanged fire for some time.
Michael ran from behind the vehicle he was using as cover. He fired two shots with his
rifle. As he tried to chamber another round a former British sniper shot him in the head.
Michael Collins was the only fatality that resulted from the ambush.
Edith Thompson And Frederick Bywaters England was a violent place in 1922. In
addition to political violence there were also deadly love triangles.
Edith Thompson was an academically talented young woman. As a child she enjoyed dancing
and acting. But she grew up fast. At the age of fifteen she met Percy Thompson. After a
six-year engagement they were finally married. In 1920 Edith was in her mid-twenties. She and
Percy became friendly with an eighteen-year-old gentleman named Frederick Bywaters.
Frederick was in the merchant navy and traveled all over the world. Edith was smitten. She
loved to hear tales of his adventures and found him to be attractive and exciting.
Frederick was far more interesting than Percy who was boring and predictable.
Percy had no idea how Edith felt. He considered Frederick to be a family friend and invited him
to stay at their home on several occasions. In 1921 Edith, Percy, and Frederick were on
vacation. Edith and Frederick began having an affair. Frederick finally realized what was
going on and began arguing with Edith. He hit Edith and Frederick tried to stop him.
Percy ordered Frederick to leave. Frederick returned to sea and remained
there until 1922. Edith and Percy s marriage endured in the meantime.
On October 3, 1922, Edith and Percy were returning home from a night at the theater.
As they walked down the road a man jumped out of some bushes and
knocked Edith down. He then attacked Percy and stabbed him to death.
The police lied to Edith and told her that Frederick had confessed. She said that she knew it
was him and admitted to their relationship. Police then found Edith s love letters to Frederick.
Frederick Bywaters insisted that Edith had nothing to do with the attack and he acted alone.
But the trial against both proceeded as planned. On December 11th the Jury declared they were both
guilty. They were both sentenced to death. Upon hearing the verdict Edith began screaming
at the court. Frederick yelled: "I say the verdict of the jury is
wrong. Edith Thompson is not guilty." Both were hanged at the same time in 1923.
Edith was unable to walk to her execution and collapsed in fear.
She was sedated and carried to the gallows where she joined her lover in death.
Hinterkaifeck Murders
Germany was also a place where murderous people ran free.
In 1922 six people were living on a farmstead. It was located seventy miles south of Munich.
Strange things had been happening for months. The family maid suddenly quit claiming that
the farm was haunted. A newspaper was left on the front porch, but nobody there had a
subscription. And one day fresh tracks from an unknown person were found in the snow.
Adreas Gruber was the head of the household. He lived with his wife,
their widowed daughter, and her two sons.
On March 31st their new maid arrived at the farm. She was a welcome addition to the
household. But her timing was unfortunate. That evening there was probably a disturbance
in the stable. One by one members of the family left the house to go check on what was happening.
This included Adreas, his wife, his daughter, and his granddaughter.
Somebody was waiting in the stable. Using a tool that is similar to a pickaxe he
struck each person in the head. They were all killed then the bodies were stacked
in the barn. Next, he moved into the house and murdered the maid then the remaining child.
People began to wonder why they hadn t seen the Grubers lately. After four days a small
group started looking for them. The bodies in the barn and the house were finally discovered.
Whoever killed the family didn t leave immediately. He stayed
for several days eating the food. The assailant even fed the animals.
Police investigated for years and made several arrests.
All the suspects were eventually released. In the end they never did find who committed the murders.
The case was finally closed in 1955. -------------------------
If there is a lesson to be learned from 1922 it is probably that you
don t need social media to destroy lives. Determination and ignorance can accomplish
horrible things at any time in history. Which of these events did you find most
surprising? Did you know about any of them before seeing this episode?
Tell us more in the comments below if you aren t afraid to share.
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