Brace yourselves. Witness the pages of True Crime History unfold on 2nd November — get acquainted with the notorious Death Row Granny, learn about Bathurst’s Ribbon Gang Uprising, alongside the choice of Manly Council to permit daylight swimming in the ocean, and more!

1788: 🌿 A Settlement Birthed by Ten Offenders at Rose Hill (Parramatta)

In the pages of history dated 1788, an important event took place when ten miscreants, escorted by marines, initiated a journey that led to the creation of a farming settlement at Rose Hill, which would later be renamed Parramatta.

These ten people, despite their criminal pasts, were instrumental in establishing a self-sustaining farming society during the initial phase of Australian colonization. 🏞️🌾

1789: 🏛️ Church Properties Seized by the French State

In the year 1789, the French state took a radical action — seizing the church’s properties. This move marked a set of occurrences during the French Revolution that aimed at redefining the connections between the state and the Catholic Church.

This act of usurpation was a key turning point in the French Revolution’s effort to reduce the church’s control and rearrange its wealth.

This watershed event saw the mass seizure of church assets such as lands, buildings, religious artifacts, art pieces, and valuable properties, which were later sold to support the revolutionary endeavors. ⛪💰🏛️

1830: 🌲 Bathurst’s Ribbon Gang — From Skinny Dipping to Execution

On this day in 1830, the infamous Ribbon Gang, helmed by Ralph Entwistle, met their end at Bathurst’s gallows. They faced their dire fate due to their participation in a plethora of crimes including homicide, bushranging, and horse theft.

This somber episode marked the end of the Bathurst uprising of 1830, a spate of lawlessness near Bathurst in the British penal colony (now the Australian state) of New South Wales. This revolt stemmed from numerous injustices faced by the convicts and former convicts, including severe penal servitude conditions, economic struggle, and social discrimination.

Interestingly, the revolt had an unconventional start when, in November 1829, Entwistle and another servant were accused of “causing an affront to the Governor” following a skinny-dipping incident in the Macquarie River. Although this episode seemed minor, it was part of the broader framework of discontentment.

Entwistle’s rebellion was henceforth named the Ribbon Gang, with Entwistle himself famously adorned with “a profusion of white streamers about his head”. 🌲⚖️

1903: 🌊 Manly Council Abolishes the “Crime” of Daylight Sea Bathing

On this day in 1903, the Manly Council in Sydney, Australia, repealed its law that termed sea bathing during daylight hours a criminal offense.

In those times, women’s swimming attire, covering the body from the neck to the knee, was perceived as improper, especially in the presence of the opposite sex. At the same time, men were known to swim naked in particular areas. Therefore, restrictions were enforced by the Council on when people could enjoy the popular activity of sea bathing. 🌊🏊‍♀️🏄‍♂️

1959: 📺 Liked Contestant Reveals Quiz Show Scam

In 1959, a shocking revelation by a much-admired participant, Charles Van Doren, sent a shock wave through the television industry as he confessed that the quiz show had been rigged, with respondents given answers beforehand, leading to severe legal ramifications for the culprits.

“21” was a quiz show that hooked viewers with its thrilling competition and charming participants. Some people involved in manipulating the answers faced legal action, with a few ending up serving prison sentences. 📺🧠🕒

1960: 📚 Momentous Judgment: “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” Isn’t Indecent

In the course of history, on this day in 1960, a jury in Britain came to a groundbreaking decision, asserting that D.H. Lawrence’s novel “Lady Chatterly’s Lover”(published initially in 1928) was not indecent.

The book had been prohibited in numerous nations for obscenity owing to its explicit descriptions of sex, use of unrefined language, and its illustration of an illicit relationship between a woman of high status and a working-class man.

1963: 🔫 Killing of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem

On this day in 1963, Ngo Dinh Diem, the Catholic President of South Vietnam, was assassinated in a coup orchestrated by high-ranking military officials. Non-communist military leaders had increasingly grown dissatisfied with Diem’s rule, fueled by a myriad of reasons, including his autocratic administration, corruption in his government, lack of popular support, and religious bias against the Buddhist majority, which incited instances of self-immolation protests.

The Vietnam War continued to intensify, and the assassination of the president did not lead to a definitive end to the war. The conflict in Vietnam carried on until 1975, when Saigon fell into the hands of North Vietnamese forces, resulting in the merging of North and South Vietnam under communist control. 🔫📅

1984: ⚖️ The Hanging of Velma Barfield — The Death Row Granny

On 2nd November 1984, Velma Barfield went down in history as the first woman to be hanged in the United States since 1962.

Often referred to as the “Death Row Granny”, Velma Barfield was a serial killer convicted of murdering several people, including her husband and mother, by poisoning them with arsenic.

Often, her motives had financial underpinnings as she sought life insurance payoffs from her victims. She ultimately admitted to committing six murders in total and to seven instances of cheque fraud. ⚖️🔒

That concludes the events on the 2nd November in history. Which acts of moral indignation will you stumble upon on this peculiar day in the annals of crime history?

For dates and timings of the True Crime History Tour, don’t forget to visit Dark Stories True Crime Tour soon!