Colorized by me: this is a mugshot of Margaretha Zelle. You may not recognize her, but I'm pretty sure you know who she is. Margaretha was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I.
She was best known as Mata Hari.
On 13 February 1917, Mata Hari was arrested in her room at the Hotel Elysée Palace on the Champs Elysées in Paris. She was put on trial on 24 July, accused of spying for Germany.
Although the French and British intelligence suspected her of spying for Germany, neither could produce definite evidence against her. Supposedly, secret ink was found in her room, which was incriminating evidence in that period.
She contended that it was part of her makeup.
Zelle was executed by a firing squad of 12 French soldiers just before dawn on 15 October 1917.
She was 41.
According to an eyewitness account by British reporter Henry Wales, she was not bound and refused a blindfold. She defiantly blew a kiss to the firing squad.
Despite her having admitted under interrogation to taking money to work as a German spy, many people still believe she was innocent because the French Army needed a scapegoat. bit.ly/3fCsjCE
Her execution merited a scant four paragraphs inside The New York Times, which called her "a woman of great attractiveness and with a romantic history." bit.ly/2RYs6k8
A harlot? Yes, but a traitoress, never!
— Phrase attributed to Mata Hari during the trial.
"I have encountered in this world riff-raff and good people. I lose. I win. I defend myself when I am attacked. I take when someone has taken from me. But I beg you to believe me; I have never done an act of espionage against France. Never. Never."
The women guards of Nazi concentration camps: the faces of evil.
📷 Helene Kopper (left), sentenced to 15 years imprisonment; Juana Bormann (right), sentenced to death.
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Herta Ehlert, a former bakery saleswoman, began her criminal career in November 1939, when she became a Nazi guard at Ravensbrück. She went on to work in other camps too, including Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen.
She was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, and died aged 92.
Ilse Forster received a 10-year prison sentence for her role as a guard at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
Did you know that students with conditions like autism, ADHD, or dyslexia have unique learning needs?
It's #AutismAcceptanceWeek, and I would like to share some tips on how educators can support neurodivergent students in the classroom.
🧵 Follow the thread.
1) A safe and inclusive learning environment is crucial for neurodivergent students. This can mean providing clear expectations, minimizing distractions, and offering accommodations such as extra time or preferential seating.
2) It's important to remember that all students learn differently, not just the neurodivergent. So, it's essential for educators to use a variety of teaching strategies and materials. Making this a normal part of education can benefit all students, regardless of neurodiversity.
Did you know that in 1962, a mysterious epidemic of uncontrollable laughter broke out in Tanganyika (now Tanzania)?
It became known as the "Laughter Epidemic of Tanganyika" and it's one of the strangest events in medical history.
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The laughter epidemic started in a girls' school and spread rapidly, affecting over 1,000 people in the area. The symptoms included laughing fits, crying, and even fainting. The epidemic lasted for several months and disrupted daily life in the affected areas.
The cause is still unknown, but there are a few theories. Some believe it was caused by 'mass hysteria' or a psychological disorder, while others think it may have been caused by a viral or bacterial infection.
However, no definitive explanation has been found.
March 25 marks the anniversary of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which killed 146 garment workers, mostly young immigrant women, in 1911.
This disaster remains one of the deadliest workplace accidents in U.S. history.
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The fire broke out on the eighth floor of the factory and quickly spread due to the flammable materials and locked exit doors. Many workers were unable to escape and were trapped inside the burning building.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire brought to light the unsafe and inhumane working conditions of many garment factories in New York City. It sparked a movement for workers' rights and led to significant changes in workplace safety regulations.
On this day in history, March 13, 1925, the Tennessee General Assembly approved a bill prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools.
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This bill, also known as the Butler Act, made it illegal for public school teachers in Tennessee to teach any theory that denied the biblical account of man's creation.
This law would eventually lead to the famous Scopes Monkey Trial, where a high school teacher named John Scopes was charged with violating the Butler Act by teaching evolution.
In the late 19th century, cocaine was a popular treatment for a variety of medical conditions. It was believed to be a powerful painkiller and was even used as an anesthetic during surgeries.
The famous Sigmund Freud was a proponent of cocaine and used it himself.
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Patients who received cocaine as a treatment often became addicted to the drug, which could cause a wide range of physical and psychological problems.
In addition to cocaine, doctors in the past also used some other bizarre substances in their medical treatments. For example, leeches were a common treatment for various ailments, as they were believed to draw out "bad blood" from the body.