Van Gogh's Ear and it's Resurrection

Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is very famous especially for his painting Starry Night. The story of van Gogh's madness is of a dire nature to understanding him, more importantly (to this post) is the story of how he cut off his own ear.
It is said that van Gogh cut off his ear in one of his common fits of possibly bipolar madness, which came and went in storms of depression:
On December 23 1888, van Gogh was savagely angry at his friend Gauguin, regarding a Madame and he stood in front of a mirror. He cut part of his ear, taking off a part, he put it in an envelope and personally delivered to the said Madame who was at the local "house of ill repute." He told her to "Take it, it will be useful."  The prostitute fainted. She called the police the next day who found van Gogh at his home. He was admitted to the hospital, and soon recovered.

His Bandaged Ear and a Hat.

The Resurrection: 

A German museum grew living cells of van Gogh with a 3D printer and DNA from his descendants. It says on the website:

You can talk to the ear. The input sound is processed by a computer using software that converts it to simulate nerve impulses in real time. 

Quote from
May 30-July 4 2014: Diemut Strebe: Sugababe: http://on1.zkm.de/zkm/stories/storyReader%248887

Sources:
German artist 'regrows' severed Van Gogh ear: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/06/german-artist-regrows-severed-van-gogh-ear-20146316242869877.html
Van Gogh's own words after cutting his ear recorded in Paris newspaper: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Van-Goghs-own-words-after-cutting-his-ear-recorded-in-Paris-newspaper/30392
A tale of two ears by Ben Cohen from the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC539517/?report=classic

Check out

The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh 

by Vincent van Gogh and Arnold Pomerans

Click the link and see the madness of van Gogh.

How Dick Turpin was Found.

Yep, Dick is definitely a murderer.

Dick Turpin was the focal point of a legend. He was supposed to be handsome and the center of a story full of romance. But this was not how it happened. He acted as a fictional hero a popular William Ainsworth novel and other famous fictitious accounts, and soon fiction mingled with fact and 'eclipsed' his real life. He wasn't and isn't a murderer and robber anymore in the public eye, and this could act as the time of glory he never had. However, you have me to set you straight.
So here is the daunting account of his arrest and subsequent death.
Dick was a highwayman (a person who robbed people by force on roads) and a murderer of a man who threatened to turn him in. He was a wanted man by the police and disguised himself as John Palmer.  And there is where the fun part comes in.

The "letter being returned, unopened, to the Post-Office... because the brother would not pay the postage of it."(1) Then by sure coincidence Mr. Smith saw the letter, see Mr. Smith had taught Dick to write and knew in fact that John Palmer was actually Dick Turpin. He told the authorities and Palmer alias Turpin was hung.

Sources:
1. Richard Turpin: http://www.exclassics.com/newgate/ng193.htm
2.Dick Turpin: http://www.stand-and-deliver.org.uk/highwaymen/dick_turpin.htm

Anne Greene: An Alleged Murderess

Anne Greene may have killed her own child (in the eyes of the law) but despite this her own execution could not kill her.

She had just been a housemaid and now she had become a murderer. Her master's grandson had seduced her and she had had his child. But because of him and his grandfather pushing a conviction of her murdering this child (a stillborn), Anne was going to die.

Like all common women in 17th century England who were found guilty of infanticide, she was to die. She was took out to the 'Cattle yard' in Oxford in 1650. She said her last words, complaining of the obscenity of her former employer and she was hung. While she was hanging unconscious maybe her friends pulled and tugged her to try to give her a faster death as a good parting gift. When they thought that she was dead they put her in a coffin and sent her off to Surgeon William Petty for an autopsy.

Dr. Petty then opened the coffin and saw in wonder that she had taken a breath.
He tried to revive her and used some 17th medicine (want to learn more, see source 1 note). Anne recovered after Dr. Petty's treatment. She could remember everything except her execution and revival by the doctor and his assistant.

People claimed that God had saved her and her fame spread wide. She had been pardoned by the county justices.
People around the area went to see Anne when she was recovering and admission was charged.

Sources:
1. Miraculous deliverance of Anne Green by J. Hughes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov....pdf
note: for more medical information about Anne's revival look under 'the resuscitation' in this source

2. Oxford ODNB, Anne Greene (c.1628-1659): http://www.oxforddnb.com

Check out 

Murder in Shakespeare's England

by Vanessa McMahon
Click on the image. No regrets.

Aliens or Beings from an Underground World in 12th Century England?

In 12th century Suffolk, a girl and boy were found of green color. They spoke a weird language no one understood and had strange clothes. The villages who found them took them to a knight's house. They stayed there but refused to eat anything except raw beans. The boy grew depressed, and died, soon after they were both christened by the townspeople. But the girl, who was named Agnes, had lived, learning the language, and becoming popular with the people, though her green color had faded away. They asked her where she came from and how she came here. She told a interesting story. She said that she was from a place called St. Martin's Land. A land where it was always twilight with no sun and everything was green. She found Suffolk when her brother and she heard some bells which enchanted them. Following those sounds, they came through a cave and emerged to the present place where they were struck by the light of the sun and the strangest temperatures of the air, new sights to them. They sat in that place where they were found.

Many theories about the green children origins have emerged.  Some say that they were green fairies, aliens, they had came through a rip in dimensions, came from an underground world, or that everything was just a hoax in the beginning.

Agnes married Richard Barre.


Sources:
Martin and the Green Children by John Clark; Folklore 117 (August 2006) pp.207-214 http://his.library.nenu.edu.cn/upload/soft/MartinandtheGreenChildren.pdf
William of Newburgh's Account of the Children and Ralph Coggeshall's from http://anomalyinfo.com/

Check out

The Enigmas of History

by Alan Baker

Click on the image. Mysteries? Yes please.

The Masked Ball Incident of the French King

http://expositions.bnf.fr/flamands/grand/fla_228.htm

They called it the Bal des Ardents, not just because french sounds pretty, which it does, but because of what this phrase means.
"Now, don't look it up! Listen, be patient!"
You're burning with anticipation, aren't you?
The Queen's favored lady-in-waiting's wedding was passed through the night in joy. Everyone was so excited for the queen had personally prepared a party afterward. The king was excited too for the afterward party but for different reasons.  The king had arranged a prank. He put on a long linen flax coat and so did five of his servants, too* so that they appeared to look like "savages." They ordered for the lamps to be put one side of the room so they wouldn't catch fire. Later, the Duke of Orleans, the king's distracted brother forgot to move the lamps, and held one of them too close to one of the flax costumes and set it aflame.  Eventually the fire spread to all the people in costumes, and the screams were horrible, at least this is how it is reported. They tried to extinguish it, though their efforts hardly did anything. When the weak Queen saw that king was on fire, she fainted, as one man ablaze screamed "Save the King, save the king!"  The Duchess of Berry threw her dresses' train the king. One of the men in costume (Evan) had jumped into a barrels of water used to wash dishes, he saved but still a little soapy.  Only that man and the king survived of the men in costume.

See even people from all centuries can party at all hours of the night, just some don't end up well.






Sources:

Volume 2 of Chronicles of England, France, Spain, and the Adjoining Countries  by Jean Froissant, Sainte-Palaye, Thomas Johnes, William Smith, 1889, Oxford University, http://books.google.com/books?id=GC4OAAAAQAAJ&dq=jean+froissart+chronicles+william+smith+two&source=gbs_navlinks_s

*The servants were Count de Joingy, Charles or Aymand de Poitiers,  Evan de Foix, and Hugonin de Gensay