Unbelievable Escapes and Bloody Executions: True Tales

Summary

Imagine a thief so skilled he made guards question if they'd been given the keys, or an executioner whose blunders led to prolonged suffering. This compilation dives into bizarre historical true tales, starting with Jack Shepherd, an 18th-century burglar who became famous not for his crimes, but for his astounding escapes from various prisons, often with the help of his friend Edgeworth Bess, using razors, files, and ropes. Then, we journey to 1587 for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, a famously botched affair involving three axe blows and a reveal of her white hair beneath a wig, followed by a riot. We also meet Jack Ketch, a notorious 17th-century hangman and axeman infamous for his clumsy and brutal methods, even resorting to a saw to finish off executions, and whose name became synonymous with public executioners. Finally, the summary touches on how D-Day code words appearing in a newspaper crossword puzzle, initially suspected as a security breach, turned out to be a remarkable coincidence, and the incredible survival of Phineas Gage, who lived after a tamping iron pierced his brain, fundamentally changing neuroscience.