gloomhistory

[gloomhistory]

Vlad the 'Impaler'

The man, the myth, the legend- Dracula! You've heard the rumors, seen the films, and perhaps think you know the story. But who is really behind one of the most classic ghouls of all time?

Born in 1431 to a royal bloodline in Sighișoara, Transylvania, Vlad III Dracula was a price of Walachia. Now, you may be wondering 'What could he have done so bad to be a world wide scary story and Halloween costume?' Well, it wasn't actually him! He was only popularized in media after the release of Bram Stokers 'Dracula', based off of Vlad's war crimes.

Vlad was the second of four brothers born into this lineage. Dracula (meaning “son of Dracul”) was derived from the Latin draco (“dragon”) after his father’s induction into the Order of the Dragon, created by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund for the defense of Christian Europe against the Ottoman Empire. Vlad was known as an opponent to his fathers throne, bumping heads with him and any of his supporters. For a bit in 1448 he gained the power, bur was deposed a short two months later. For eight years after this loss he fought for the throne, finally to regain it, and begin is reign of terror.

Behind 'Impaler' comes the story of many blood shed fights. During times of war Vlad was known for driving a long wooden steak into his victim- pinning them to the ground alive, leaving them to die. At a battle in 1464 he left over 1,000+ victims with this steak driven into their bodies, left to lose life on the field. That same year he escaped Ottoman capture just to be taken by Hungarian forces and imprisoned by Matthias I of Hungary.

We cannot end this without saying that all of Dracula is not based from Vlad- some of it is based from the 'Countess' trope you may see, whereas a woman (mainly royal) may bathe in the blood of younger women to appear lively. This was both based on a Queen in Europe and a practice used for those who suffered epilepsy.

#vampires #vampirism #bram stoker's dracula #dracula 1992 #world history #history

[gloomhistory]

George Hodel - The S&M Doctor/Suspect

WARNING: Descriptions of murder, rape, and gore. 16+ content

One of California's most famed and unsolved murders, the Black Dahlia, brought to media light when her body was found on Jan. 15th, 1947. By the end of LAPD's search, there were nearly 30 confessions to the murder, but very few real leads. The Black Dahlia, real name Elizabeth Short, was found in a gruesome state along a road. Her body had been sliced in half, her mouth harshly cut into a smile. Elizabeth's flesh had been chipped away with a knife, yet there was no blood at the dump sight. When media caught wind of the young ladies killing, they went on to create a frenzy, leading us to our prime suspect and topic: George Hodel.

An Image of Dr. Hodel

Dr. Hodel, a 1922 graduate, excelled in high school so much that he went onto college at just 15. At only 16 he was expelled from University for impregnating a professor's wife. In the 1930's he would go on to have a daughter, and return to his studies at Berkley. Hodel became a successful doctor, moving into an upscale home in the LA area. Hodel harbored a somewhat 'dark side', referring to his love for parties and being on the S&M scene. He dabbled into polygamy, assuming relationships with many others through the years. He even went as far as marrying another woman, moving her into another house, and starting a new family with casual flings being the norm.

Things would soon take a dark turn in Hodel's personal life, as his own daughter came forward with sexual assault accusations. Tamar Hodel would account for her father forcing her to read eroctica. As of 1949, two witness accounts had been on record saying they saw Hodel take advantage of his daughter during one of his 'sex parties.' The charges were dismissed when Hodel's team of lawyers laughed a smear campaign against Tamar. It is noted he tried a failed attempt at giving Tamar an at home abortion.

The doctor would be put on a list of heavily affiliated suspects when tried for the murder of Elizabeth Short. He was noted to have a background of sexual assault and medical knowlege. Unfortunately, during the height of the case, Hodel fled. His son, Steve Hodel, would go on the be unconvinced of his fathers crimes. He wrote a book about it, and had the soil behind their family home tested for human remains. The soil would test positive, but led to no real case without being able to identify the remains. Some may say they saw Elizabeth and George together as she was one of his many 'flings.'

An image of Elizabeth Short, just 22 when her life was taken. She was known for her beautiful smile, drive to be famous, and for always wearing a flower in her black hair.

#black dahlia murder #us history #dark history #history #george hodel

[gloomhistory]

Rotten Mind - The Dark History Behind Psychoanalysis

The man, the myth, the creator of psychoanalysis - Sigmund Freud. Famous, or infamous, in the psychology community, Freud was an Austrian Theorist and one of the first people to look at the behavior behind the conscious. The push and full of the human mind and what we truly want.

We can start off with ECT, or electroconvulsive therapy. Used in mental health institutions, ECT was first used in the 1930s. But, the first recorded use of this was at McLean Hospital, 1941. This was put onto patients who struggled with suicide, eating disorders, depression, and much more. They would be shocked with electricity, then evaluated. This was only some of the first abuse in the case of psychoanalyzing.

Back to Freud, we see the first bringings of his theories applied to basic, modern life. Things like ones ID, ones internal self, were good. But, that wouldn't last into the thought of 'Penis Envy', where he believed women were simply men without penises, and every woman secretly envied men. Biologically, this would be inaccurate minus the incorrect political value. When a fetus is developing it starts with a vagina, and is only later formed to a penis.

When we look into the personality analysis of things, we see a lot of misconceptions, though. Many people have been misdiagnosed, treated horribly, and even subjected to intense experimental therapy for things they are diagnosed with via psychoanalysis. Truly one of the most interesting methods of looking into someones mind.

#dark history #history #mentalheathawareness #freud #world history #psycology

[gloomhistory]

US - War On Hemp, Pot, Mary Jane, or Marijuana?

What is the plant hemp good for? Where did it come from? Why is this plant so scrutinized in the US? Dating as far back as 8000BCE, hemp was commonly found/used in China, Taiwan, and many other countries. In both seed and oil form, hemp was commonly used in clay pottery, food, and more. But, in 500BCE hemp was used in places like Russia and Germany. Around 850, Vikings would bring hemp is Iceland! But Arabians had beaten them by the lot, even making paper out of hemp!

Eventually the plant would makes its way to the US! At first, it was a hit. People were using it in oil, skin care, making paper, and so much more. Pot became a popular substance to smoke recreationally, making it a hard substance to tax and control. In 1916, the USDA posted a study about the validity of hemp in the US. In this, they posed that hemp was more sustainable than trees. A little later in 1937, the Marijuana Tac Act was published, being a restriction on the sativa strain of pot. This was the first restriction of the plant being used.

In the 1970s hemp was outlawed and labeled as a Schedule 1 narcotic. Seen as an evil drug, banned by the government for reasons of religion. Many of the older generation would boycott the drug, as the younger generation fled near the substance as a freeing party drug; rather than using hemp for practical purposes. Although the actual purpose of banning the drug would lay within the difficultly to control growth, therefore not being able to tax the production.

As we see today hemp has been legalized! Not as a recreational drug in most states, but as a product. While it is no longer a popular alternate to tree made paper, it is used more in self care products. As of 2014 a Farm Bill was passed making the selling of hemp products legal once more! Now, some states are pushing for the recreational use of THC instead of CBD.

Enjoy your MJ 🍃

#cbd hemp #hempproducts #us history #dark history #adult conversation

[gloomhistory]

History of BDSM- sexy or scary?

(18+ Content)

BDSM- what does it mean? An acronym that stands for Bondage/Discipline, Dominance/Submission, and Sadism/Masochism. This is all apart of the kinky community, or even fetish community. The history behind this practice is long, full of pain and pleasure; a kinky ride, you could say.

In the days of Mesopotamia, a goddess referred to as Inanna was known for whipping/spanking her subjects of worship, for the purpose of arousal. She would group people up into a sort of party, rile them beyond belief, and whip them until they began to have sexual intercourse. Lashing with whips is a common trait through history, yet some cultures looked at it not as a punishment- but reward. Even the Kama Sutra has sections on 'Passionate Slapping', or striking.

Soaking whips in vinegar was a common practice in the 1500's. Flagellation, or self whipping in practice of religious beating and shame, was seen as normal. However in turn of this being used as a self discipline method, many people (particularly men) would begin enjoying this act outside of self punishment, bringing it into the bedroom.

Sadism was a term coined by a Frenchman, Marquis De Sade. He was an author who depicted explicit sexual acts of sadism in his novels. However it would be an Austrian writer, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, who would coin the depictions for the opposing term, masochism, or the pleasure of being made to feel pain.

It would take some time, sexual repression all over the world into hidden joys that kindle affairs and broken spirits, to find BDSM. Brothels in the 1800s would offer spankings to men, but now we see this in subtle ways. In Asia, a common practice is role reversal or 'femdom', opposed the American over sexualization of women being submissive house wives. In the 1950s, gay, biker, and leather fetish culture seemed to take a large turn across all platforms.

Finally, the greatest thing to happen to the BDSM culture - porn! The internet popularized content centered around any fetish you could think of. From choking to handcuffs, to more. Now you can find nearly anything you have in mind by the click of a button. You can decide if that is a good or bad thing!

#bdsmlife #history #bdsmlove #dark history #world history #cultures

[gloomhistory]

The Dark History of US Refrigerators! Could they survive a nuclear fallout?

Have you ever heard the term 'Refrigerator Death'? No? Well this refers to the act of one being stuck inside of a refrigerator, locked in, and suffocated. This might sound foreign to you, but in the US circa 1950's, this wasn't an impractical fear. Coined by Oliver Evans, the 'Refrigeration Machine' was never meant to be a fear for families. But, in 1956 - there were near 200 reports of the refrigerator death in children!

In June of 1954, a junkman discovered the bodies of three year old Larry Murphy, and his four year old cousin, Paul. Some time later in July of 1967, a boy by the name of Roger Brown was found suffocated inside of a non use fridge in his backyard. Parents of Roger say he was told not to go playing around the contraption, for safety reasons.

By design, the machine is an air tight device. Supposed to keep all of your produce fresh, when you shut the heavy door with a led coated material, there was no escaping from the inside. These scenarios became so common; a child getting inside of your fridge - for whatever reason - then being tapped in by the heavy door doomed to refrigerator death. In August of 1956, the US congress mandated the Refrigerator Safety Act. They posed that these contraptions have the ability to open from the inside, in addition to a standard inspection by shippers of fridges that did NOT meet these requirements.

As you've seen in media, some say the led lining of these death traps were a blessing and a curse. While they were extremely thick and heavy with no magnet, this was also around the time of America's arms race with the Soviet Union. Some US citizens believed you could survive nuclear fallout via atomic bomb by hiding in your fridge! Unfortunately this wasn't true, and if the Cold War had ever come to a head- there would have been a lot of fridge-baked Americans.

I hope you have enjoyed my first post of this blog! Thank you all for reading, and stay curious ☠️

#dark history #history #1950s vintage #horror #cold war #vintage #us history