Way back in the 1950s, well-connected intellectual Charles Van Doren allowed himself to become involved as a contestant in a rigged television quiz show.
The show was Twenty One, a contest show where two competitors, each in an "isolation booth," tried to be the first to reach 21 points when asked a series of challenging questions. The show was enormously popular, so much so that it appears to have been the first program to top the sitcom I Love Lucy in the ratings for that time slot.
Van Doren's dad was a famous poet and his mother a novelist. In addition, an uncle was a Pulitzer Prize winning biographer. The young professor was, in sum, to the campus born.
The show's producers liked him and decided to feed him answers because of the 30-year-old's upper-crust polish, pleasant manner and general good looks. His biggest rival on the show was a man named Herb Stempel, defeated by Van Doren in 1956--with a little help.
Stempel overheard a conversation about the passing of answers to his rival and alerted the authorities. The viewing public was outraged, and Van Doren no longer was its darling.
In 1958, news about other rigged quiz shows came to light. Congress became involved, and in 1959 Van Doren finally fessed up to the cheating after initially having denied it. He lost his teaching job at Columbia University.
Later Van Doren worked as an editor for Encyclopedia Britannica and authored a number of books. At last report, he was on the faculty of the University of Connecticut at Torrington.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Mass/serial killers: David Berkowitz
Note: Many kinds of criminals and miscreants have had their 15 seconds or minutes of fame in the United States. It is hard to say which varieties of criminals are the worst, but surely among that number would be those who become serial killers or spree killers, visiting their hate or disappointments with the world on large numbers of their fellow humans.
The role model for such behavior is the still mysterious Jack the Ripper of London, England. Sad to say, the instance of serial or mass killings has been on an upward trajectory in America during the last few decades--for whatever reasons.
The individuals who follow provide not a census of these evil-doers, but a pretty good sample.
The serial or mass killer's temporary celebrity gains extra shelf life when the killer is given a nickname that resonates with the public. Such a person is David Berkowitz, who murdered six and harmed others in the New York City area. The nickname the press gave him was "Son of Sam." The name came from Berkowitz's assertion that his landlord, whose name was Sam, sent his Labrador retriever to instruct the demented Berkowitz to kill.
This serial killer was born David Falco, but he took the last name of his step-father. The number of his victims was modest compared to some of the killers who followed in his deranged footsteps, but just the same he managed to terrorize New York until he was captured. Part of the suspense of his case came from the letters he sent to the media prior to his capture.
Berkowitz, whose killings took place in the 1970s, was at the time a Satanist, but became an avowed Christian in prison.
He was convicted and sentenced to 365 years. Fearing that he would profit from his misdeeds by selling his story to morals-free media outlets, the State of New York passed the first "Son of Sam Law," which sought to prevent criminals from profiting from their crimes in this way. Some other states followed suit, but in 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court found these laws unconstitutional.
The role model for such behavior is the still mysterious Jack the Ripper of London, England. Sad to say, the instance of serial or mass killings has been on an upward trajectory in America during the last few decades--for whatever reasons.
The individuals who follow provide not a census of these evil-doers, but a pretty good sample.
The serial or mass killer's temporary celebrity gains extra shelf life when the killer is given a nickname that resonates with the public. Such a person is David Berkowitz, who murdered six and harmed others in the New York City area. The nickname the press gave him was "Son of Sam." The name came from Berkowitz's assertion that his landlord, whose name was Sam, sent his Labrador retriever to instruct the demented Berkowitz to kill.
This serial killer was born David Falco, but he took the last name of his step-father. The number of his victims was modest compared to some of the killers who followed in his deranged footsteps, but just the same he managed to terrorize New York until he was captured. Part of the suspense of his case came from the letters he sent to the media prior to his capture.
Berkowitz, whose killings took place in the 1970s, was at the time a Satanist, but became an avowed Christian in prison.
He was convicted and sentenced to 365 years. Fearing that he would profit from his misdeeds by selling his story to morals-free media outlets, the State of New York passed the first "Son of Sam Law," which sought to prevent criminals from profiting from their crimes in this way. Some other states followed suit, but in 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court found these laws unconstitutional.
Mass/serial killers: Ted Bundy
We have come to expect most killers, especially those who do it wholesale, to be shaggy, unattractive outcasts whose frustrations and disappointments lead them into mental instability, but this is not always the case.
Ted Bundy, who confessed to 28 to 30 killings, was quite the opposite: a handsome charmer whose manner and good looks greatly appealed to the women who became his victims.
From 1974 to 1979, Bundy murdered at least 30 women of various ages in several states: Florida, Colorado, Utah and Washington. In many instances, he also assaulted them sexually, sometimes after their deaths. Most of his victims were attractive young brunettes, and he usually either strangled or clubbed them to death.
Unlike most serial killers, Bundy appears to have had a reasonably happy childhood, but by age 15, his murderous tendencies had surfaced. Ironically, he worked for a time in a rape crisis center and even wrote a pamphlet on rape prevention.
Bundy was arrested for burglary in 1977 but escaped, was recaptured, and then escaped again. He was caught in Pensacola, Florida, when someone spotted the license plate of a stolen car he was driving.
In 1989, Bundy was executed by electrocution. He had blamed his murderous instincts on pornography.
Ted Bundy, who confessed to 28 to 30 killings, was quite the opposite: a handsome charmer whose manner and good looks greatly appealed to the women who became his victims.
From 1974 to 1979, Bundy murdered at least 30 women of various ages in several states: Florida, Colorado, Utah and Washington. In many instances, he also assaulted them sexually, sometimes after their deaths. Most of his victims were attractive young brunettes, and he usually either strangled or clubbed them to death.
Unlike most serial killers, Bundy appears to have had a reasonably happy childhood, but by age 15, his murderous tendencies had surfaced. Ironically, he worked for a time in a rape crisis center and even wrote a pamphlet on rape prevention.
Bundy was arrested for burglary in 1977 but escaped, was recaptured, and then escaped again. He was caught in Pensacola, Florida, when someone spotted the license plate of a stolen car he was driving.
In 1989, Bundy was executed by electrocution. He had blamed his murderous instincts on pornography.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Mass/serial killers: Seung-Hui Cho
The most deadly school shooting in America's history took place in April 2007 at this blogger's own university, Virginia Tech. Korean-born Seung-Hui Cho, who had lived in the United States since age 8, became completely deranged, fatally shooting 32 students and faculty and wounding 25 more.
Cho's deadly rampage began early in the morning in a campus dormitory, where he killed two fellow students. His movements after that time are still a mystery, but at about 9 a.m., he visited the downtown Blacksburg post office and mailed a packet of video footage and written ravings to NBC. Then the senior English major returned to campus, where he chained and locked the doors of a classroom/office building and began shooting.
Cho for years had suffered from anxiety and depression. He was extremely uncommunicative and kept to himself. Some of his writings show that he harbored extreme anger against society in general and especially against students he considered lazy and over-privileged.
By the time police were able to enter the classroom building, Cho had killed 30 more people. Rather than be captured, he killed himself with one shot to the head.
The handguns Cho chose for his spree killings were a Glock 19 and a Walther P22. The number of shots he got off was reported to be 170.
The Cho shootings were something no one could really have predicted or expected in a place that is normally so safe and peaceful.
Cho's deadly rampage began early in the morning in a campus dormitory, where he killed two fellow students. His movements after that time are still a mystery, but at about 9 a.m., he visited the downtown Blacksburg post office and mailed a packet of video footage and written ravings to NBC. Then the senior English major returned to campus, where he chained and locked the doors of a classroom/office building and began shooting.
Cho for years had suffered from anxiety and depression. He was extremely uncommunicative and kept to himself. Some of his writings show that he harbored extreme anger against society in general and especially against students he considered lazy and over-privileged.
By the time police were able to enter the classroom building, Cho had killed 30 more people. Rather than be captured, he killed himself with one shot to the head.
The handguns Cho chose for his spree killings were a Glock 19 and a Walther P22. The number of shots he got off was reported to be 170.
The Cho shootings were something no one could really have predicted or expected in a place that is normally so safe and peaceful.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Mass/serial killers: Charles Cullen
A prolific healthcare "angel of mercy" serial killer was male nurse Charles Cullen, who between 1988 and his arrest in 2003, used drug overdoses to kill 40-45 patients.
Cullen's reported motive was, in his mind, at least, humanitarian. He said he was putting the terminally ill out of their misery. He also said the killings gave him a sense of power.
Cullen's life was marked by depression, many suicide attempts, and general unhappiness. His "mercy killings" were done in 10-16 hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as he moved from one job to another.
Cullen pled guilty in order to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to 127 years.
At that, Cullen was a piker compared to a British doctor, Harold Shipman, who put 218 of his patients to death.
Cullen's reported motive was, in his mind, at least, humanitarian. He said he was putting the terminally ill out of their misery. He also said the killings gave him a sense of power.
Cullen's life was marked by depression, many suicide attempts, and general unhappiness. His "mercy killings" were done in 10-16 hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as he moved from one job to another.
Cullen pled guilty in order to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to 127 years.
At that, Cullen was a piker compared to a British doctor, Harold Shipman, who put 218 of his patients to death.
Mass/serial killers: Jeffrey Dahmer
Born to a fundamentalist father in Milwaukee, Jeffrey Dahmer grew up in difficult circumstances, which included being sexually molested by a neighbor.
Dahmer became an alcoholic loner and eventually began to perform "experiments" on dead animals. At age 18, he murdered his homosexual lover, who had wanted to split with him. In all, Dahmer murdered 17 boys and men, most of whom were young black homosexuals.
The most grisly aspect of these murders was that Dahmer engaged in cannibalism, kept some of his victims' severed heads in his refrigerator, and had vats of acid into which he placed various body parts of those he had killed.
In some cases, Dahmer drilled holes in his victims' heads, into which he poured strong liquids in an attempt to destroy the victims' conscious will and turn them into obedient "zombies."
When arrested in 1991 and charged, Dahmer pled not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury, however, found him guilty and gave him 15 consecutive life sentences. In 1994, he was slashed by a fellow inmate but escaped death. Almost half a year later, another inmate succeeded in killing Dahmer, by smashing his skull with an iron bar.
Dahmer became an alcoholic loner and eventually began to perform "experiments" on dead animals. At age 18, he murdered his homosexual lover, who had wanted to split with him. In all, Dahmer murdered 17 boys and men, most of whom were young black homosexuals.
The most grisly aspect of these murders was that Dahmer engaged in cannibalism, kept some of his victims' severed heads in his refrigerator, and had vats of acid into which he placed various body parts of those he had killed.
In some cases, Dahmer drilled holes in his victims' heads, into which he poured strong liquids in an attempt to destroy the victims' conscious will and turn them into obedient "zombies."
When arrested in 1991 and charged, Dahmer pled not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury, however, found him guilty and gave him 15 consecutive life sentences. In 1994, he was slashed by a fellow inmate but escaped death. Almost half a year later, another inmate succeeded in killing Dahmer, by smashing his skull with an iron bar.
Mass/serial killers: Albert DeSalvo
One of the earliest of America's serial killers to gain heavy publicity and hence at least temporary celebrity of the notorious kind, Albert DeSalvo is thought by many to have strangled between 11 and 13 women in and around Boston from 1962 to 1964. He was billed in the press as The Boston Strangler.
DeSalvo, who worked as a handyman, was arrested in connection with serial rapes in Connecticut, where he was dubbed the Green Man because of the green overalls worn by the rapist. DeSalvo was convicted of rape in 1967 and sentenced to life. He was never tried for the murders, which he reportedly confessed to his lawyer, F. Lee Bailey, although police cast doubt on his motives for confessing to murder. The number of rapes he committed remains a mystery. Police put the possible total at 300, but DeSalvo himself claimed 2000, give or take a few.
Whoever did the Boston area killings used some textile item to strangle the victims, who were left with that item tied around the person's neck tied in a bow.
DeSalvo's rape victims were mostly elderly or middle-aged women, an unusual target group. He and two fellow inmates escaped from prison in 1967 but were recaptured the next day. DeSalvo was stabbed to death in his cell in 1973; his killer was never identified.
DeSalvo, who worked as a handyman, was arrested in connection with serial rapes in Connecticut, where he was dubbed the Green Man because of the green overalls worn by the rapist. DeSalvo was convicted of rape in 1967 and sentenced to life. He was never tried for the murders, which he reportedly confessed to his lawyer, F. Lee Bailey, although police cast doubt on his motives for confessing to murder. The number of rapes he committed remains a mystery. Police put the possible total at 300, but DeSalvo himself claimed 2000, give or take a few.
Whoever did the Boston area killings used some textile item to strangle the victims, who were left with that item tied around the person's neck tied in a bow.
DeSalvo's rape victims were mostly elderly or middle-aged women, an unusual target group. He and two fellow inmates escaped from prison in 1967 but were recaptured the next day. DeSalvo was stabbed to death in his cell in 1973; his killer was never identified.
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