22 October

'Pretty Boy' Floyd was killed today in 1934 in a gunfight with FBI agents. They were actually trying to find 'Gorgeous Features' Mulwinnie after a tip-off from 'Impossibly Handsome' Bomperini.

In other news ...

Dr Crippen was found guilty of murdering his wife, Belle Elmore, today in 1910. I have blogged this once before because his execution was a gross miscarriage of justice. The body in the cellar was that of a man, we now know, not a woman so even if HH killed that individual, the corpse was not that of his wife so the case should have been dismissed. Why the error? A basic mistake by the pathologist Bernard Spilsbury who, even that early in his career, was revered by all and sundry as a God. And Belle Elmore? She later changed her name to Ann Widdecombe and the rest is History.

26th July

'It is uncertain,' wrote Eugene Radin today in 1990, 'whether the development and spread of electronic and computer technology will increase the spread of literacy or diminish the need for it ...'

I told you then, Everyone, and I'm telling you again - the latter. Except that there is never a situation in which literacy is unnecessary. Computers spread literacy like the Nazis spread goodwill and tolerance.

Charles Babbage, may you rot in Hell!
(PS - I hope you're not reading this on a computer ...)

In other news ...
Today in 1908 the FBI was set up by Attorney General Charles J Bonaparte (short bloke, conquered a lot of places) to investigate land grabbers and bent big business. Their later boss, J Edgar Hoover, had a natty line in frocks and subsequent agents like Sealey Booth seem to spend all their time on our television screens. And don't even get me started on weirdos like Scully, Mulder, K and J.

I can remember a time when G Men told you the time and helped old ladies across the street.