Crimes of the Century: A Selective History of Infamy

Unsolved murders are as compelling as anything you might see in the movies. It is fitting then that our first “crime of the century” is the mysterious murder of a Hollywood director in 1922. William Desmond Taylor was not who he seemed to be, and his death continues to fascinate a century later.

The ghastly murder of Bridget Cleary in turn-of-the-century Ireland takes us into the mystery of human psychology. On the surface, it seems her husband, Michael, murdered her because he believed she was a “changeling” fairy in disguise. Could he really have believed that? Was he mad? Why else could have driven this murder?

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip was one of the most world-shaking events in the 20th century. Although the events are clear and well-known, the motivation behind the murder is rife with conspiracy. Dive into a cycle of mystery and violence in early 20th-century Sarajevo.

Shift your attention to another political conspiracy—the murder of the Russian Tsar Nicholas and other Romanovs at the hands of the Bolsheviks. For more than a century, the facts of this murder have been dissected and debated. As you will learn, time has added few facts but plenty of speculation and myth.

Weimar Republic Germany is a wrenching period to read about: a failed state, a political and economic roller coaster, and a psychologically traumatized era suffering a plague of madmen, sex fiends, and serial killers. Here, you will survey three Weimar-era murder cases: the sadistic Peter Kürten, the “butcher” Fritz Haarmann, and the unsolved Hinterkaifeck Murders.

Delve into one of the best-known and most debated murder cases in American history. Richard Hauptmann—dubbed “the most hated man in the world”—was executed for kidnapping and killing aviator Charles Lindbergh’s baby, but did he act alone? Who received the ransom money? What exactly happened in 1932?

When it comes to murder, “why-dunnit” often can be more captivating than “who-dunnit.” Case in point is the murder of a well-to-do French woman and her daughter at the hands of two maids who were discovered cowering in the attic and covered in blood. What drove the Papin sisters to kill, and to kill so savagely?

As we have seen, political assassinations are rife with conspiracy, and often leave a flashing question mark in the history books. Here, you examine the murder of Leon Trotsky, a Soviet leader exiled in Mexico. What appears on the surface to be a seamless plot to kill a political rival owes much to chance, as well as Trotsky’s own stubborn nature.

More than 50 years later, the Zodiac case remains as cold as the chilly night this infamous serial killer slayed the first victims. Like an American Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac killer maintains a grip on our imagination because the killer might still be out there—somewhere. Review what we know about this captivating crime spree.

Despite countless books, films, and documentaries, the Manson murders still have unanswered questions and unsolved mysteries. Like so many crimes of the century, the question isn’t who, but why? Explore the information, and misinformation, about the Helter Skelter murders that ended the 1960s.

Step into the sweltering world of New York City in the 1970s, where social misfit David Berkowitz committed a series of murders, and then claimed he was possessed by an evil spirit and was part of a Satanic cult. Like the Manson murders and the Zodiac killer, the “Son of Sam” spree poses difficult questions about psychology and the nature of evil.

Round out your course with one final murder spree in the rolling hills of Tuscany. Over 18 years, Il Mostro di Firenze committed eight double homicides that remain unsolved today despite 100,000 men investigating and a dozen arrests over the years. Was this spree the product of one killer or many? What could have been the motivations?