MYSTERY TRIVIA: FIRST BRITISH MYSTERY

FIRST BRITISH MYSTERY

TRIVIA

  

   THE MOONSTONE  is the the first detective novel published in Great Britain in 1868.

AMERICA'S OLDEST UNSOLVED MYSTERY

AMERICA'S 

OLDEST UNSOLVED MYSTERY

 In 1587 news reached London that a new English settlement had disappeared, leaving barely a trace of its existence. 115 men, women and children vanished from the Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina. Over four hundred years have passed and what became of them is still unanswered, along with several other questions. Why were they on the island in the first place, as it was not their original destination? Where did they go? What happened to them? Did they relocate or were they all killed? There's been lots of speculation, but no one knows what happened to the first English settlers in America?

One of the reasons this mystery is so intriguing to me, is because one of those early Roanoke settlers was my relative. He and his younger brother came to America to start a new life. The younger brother (my direct ancestor) settled in what later became known as Jamestown. The older brother disappeared and was never heard from again. Perhaps one day, I'll write a fictional account of what I think might have happened to my great-great-great-great-great- great-great-great-great-uncle.

FUN FACTS ABOUT GRAPHOLOGY

FUN FACTS ABOUT GRAPHOLOGY

Graphology is the study of handwriting. It's been used to catch forgers and to make sure signatures are real. But there's another branch of this pseudoscience that is a little more controversial. Some graphologists claim to they can tell an individual's character, disposition, and attitudes by studying that person's handwriting. This form of graphology has been used by:

- lawyers to check out prospective jurors.

- matchmakers to find compatible people.

- profilers to understand the criminal mind.

- employers to consider promotions.

- college admissions to consider prospective students.

CLUELESS CAPERS & DUMB CROOKS #5

CLUELESS CAPERS & DUMB CROOKS #5

    A couple of weeks ago, the Bay City News reported that a 29-year-old man's attempt to rob a Wells Fargo Bank in Antioch, California failed because the bank teller couldn't read the hold-up note. The man entered the bank about 9:45 a.m. He handed a note to the teller, but she couldn't read it so she called her manager.  By the time the manager arrived, the man fled.

    Eventually the bank staff realized the man was trying to rob the bank and contacted the police. Later that day the man was arrested for parole violations and trying to unsuccessfully rob the bank.

NEXT: CLUELESS CAPER #1

KID DETECTIVES: Harriet the Spy

KID DETECTIVES: Harriet the Spy

 

   In 1964 Harriet the Spy appeared on bookshelves and made the New York times list of best juvenile books for that year. Harriet is an eleven-year-old aspiring writer who dreams of becoming a spy. She lives in New York and as part of her spy-training, she keeps careful notes on her family, friends and the people who live in her neighborhood. Of course these notes can and do get her into some awkward situations. Over the years she's gone through a few "cover-lifts."

AN EARLY ARAB MYSTERY

AN EARLY ARAB MYSTERY

      One of the Arabian Nights (ONE THOUSAND AND ONE
NIGHTS) stories told by Scheherazade to the King was called THE THREE APPLES.

This is probably one of the first detective stories ever written. A fisherman was out fishing on the Tigris river and found a locked chest. Unable to get it open without ruining it, he sold it to an important Caliph. When the Caliph opens the chest, he finds a body. It's a young woman who's been murdered. HE orders his vizier to find the murderer in three days or face death himself. 


NEXT: HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1841

5 TIPS ON HOW TO BE MYSTERIOUS

5 TIPS ON HOW TO BE MYSTERIOUS

Every now and the, it can be fun to be a little mysterious. Here's a few tips on how to do it.

 Don't talk too much. Let other's guess what you're thinking, where you've been and who you really are.

1. Avoid volunteering information.

2. Leave some things unsaid.

3. Make it clear that you're not afraid to look them in the eye, but then look elsewhere.

4. Don't answer direct questions, instead imply that you've been thinking about the issue.

5. Use smiles, laughter and humor to avoid  answering. 

FUN FINGERPRINT FACTS: ANCIENT DAYS

FUN FINGERPRINT FACTS: Ancient Days

1. Fingerprints have been found on:

• ·       ancient Babylonian clay tablets, seals, and pottery.
• ·      the walls of Egyptian tombs
• ·      Minoan, Greek, and Chinese pottery
• ·      bricks and tiles from ancient Babylon and Rome.

2. Fingerprints were used as signatures in ancient Babylon.

3. Chinese officials pressed their fingerprints into the clay seals used to seal documents.

TRIVIA: FAMOUS DETECTIVE TEAMS

FAMOUS DETECTIVE TEAMS

PAIR UP THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE INTO DETECTIVE TEAMS.

SHERLOCK HOLMES        ARCHIE             FRANK HARDY

DONALD LAM              NERO WOLFE         SAM CATCHEM

BERTHA COOL                 TUPPENCE             DICK TRACY

PAUL DRAKE                       TOMMY                  GEORGE

PERRY MASON                DR. WATSON                  JOE                NANCY DREW                   SNOWY              SCOOBY-DOO                                                                SHAGGY                             TINTIN  

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1947

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1947

   In 1947 Mickey Spillane wrote I, THE JURY with the first ultra-tough guy detective Mike Hammer. It was the best-selling mystery up until that time, selling over six million copies.

   Critics disapproved of Spillane's books with their heavy focus on blood and guts, but the public couldn't seem to get enough. Spillane wrote five Mike Hammer novels that were all popular.

CLUELESS CAPERS & DUMB CROOKS

CLUELESS CAPERS & DUMB CROOKS

London, Great Britain

     A nineteen-year-old thug, along with three other crooks, raided an off license liquor store in New Southgate, north London. He took out his wallet out to pay for a can of lager beer in order to get the shopkeeper to open the cash register. The other three other members of the gang ransacked the shop escaping with cash, phone cards and booze.

    In the confusion the nineteen-year-old made three big mistakes. One, he left his wallet with his ID on the counter. Two, he dropped his cell phone, with his number in the memory. And three, he left his fingerprints on the can of beer. He was arrested the next day.

Information from Reuters, April 12, 2002

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1935

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1935  

Penguin Paperbacks 

      A new paperback line was issued in 1935. It started with 10 titles and within a year, expanded to 70 titles. The were called Penguins and hugely successful because they were less expensive and sold in department stores where the majority of the people shopped. Paperbacks brought the mystery to the general public.

CLUELESS CAPERS & DUMB CROOKS

CLUELESS CAPERS & DUMB CROOKS

Janesville, Wisconsin

   Why would a thief steal a tracking device with a built-in GPS satellite receiver? Obviously he didn't know what he was stealing. Or, that the portable tracking device was a part of the home detention program of the Rock County Jail for off-site prisoners.

   By the time the prisoner called to report the theft, the device had already automatically notified the jail that it was on the run. The device and the thief was easily tracked through the Internet. A trail of electronic dots led authorities to an apartment building and the thief.

Information from the Associated Press, October 30, 2003

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1929

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1929  

THE ROMAN HAT MYSTERY - Mystery Reviews

American detective fiction reached its peak in the 1930s and 40s with the popularity of Ellery Queen, a pseudonym used by two American cousins, Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay. Their first novel, "The Roman Hat Mystery," was published in 1929. The main character was an amateur detective named Ellery, who solved mysteries with the help of his father, Richard Queen.

The characters were so popular that the two authors penned 33 novels over 40 years featuring the father and son team. They later created another popular character, Drury Lane, introduced in 1932.

CLUELESS CAPERS & DUMB CROOKS

CLUELESS CAPERS & DUMB CROOKS

Kitsap County, Washington

    A group of crooks in Kitsap, Washington must have dreamed of becoming movie stars when they were kids. But being a film star is not such a good idea when you choose a life of crime. That is if you don't want to get caught. 

    These criminals first mistake was to film their exploits and upload the video to YouTube. Second mistake, they titled their video with the location of the theft. Third mistake, they included their real names in the credits. Their film debut did not bring them to the attention of any Hollywood producers, but the police had no problem identifying and locating them. As a side note, the video has been removed from YouTube.

Information from the KITSAP SUN, July 23, 2011.

NEXT: DUMB CROOK #2

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1920s

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY - 1920s 

BLACK MASK - Mystery Reviews

    Hard-boiled fiction evolved in the 1920s in popular "pulp" magazines with tough talking detectives, who solved tough crimes. These detectives were hard-edged and lived by strict codes of honor.

    The most famous pulp magazine was the Black Mask. It started out publishing adventure stories, but eventually only published detective fiction. Its editor, Joseph Thompson Shaw, wanted stories that reflected the reality of life in America in the twenties. It came to symbolize the hard-boiled school of writing. Stories about Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade and Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe made frequent appearances.

ACTIVITY: DETECTIVE TALK 101 #6

ACTIVITY: DETECTIVE TALK 101 #6

You're in the hot seat for this little quiz. No hints. No multiple guesses. No true false. Let's see how well you'd do taking orders.

So, what does the boss want you to do?

HE SAID:

1. Get on the blower.

2. Give her the gate.

3. Glom on to the dough.

4. Pick up some lettuce.

5. Take a powder.

HE MEANT: 

1. Make a phone call.

2. Show her the door. Kick her out.

3. Steal the money.

4. Get some folding money.

5. Leave.

So? Did you do everything the boss wanted? Or did you blow your cover and get whacked?

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1887

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1887

The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes made his debut in "A Study in Scarlet" (1887). 

   Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes demonstrated a new and brilliant detective style never seen before. Using his keen powers of observation, combined with a genius mind, Sherlock repeatedly solved the seemingly unsolvable crimes.   

    Sherlock's exploits were all shared with and recorded by his fictional sidekick Dr. Watson. 

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1920

HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY 1920

By the 1920s British mysteries were popular. One emerged on top of that popularity. It was called the cozy. It was almost always set in a small town. The hero usually had aristocratic family connections. There were a ton of red herrings (false leads) for the hero to follow before they discovered the murderer. The murder weapons were straight out of the game CLUE. Candlesticks, sterling silver letter openers, lead pipes and the occasional poison. The plots of the stories followed a standard plot, but the clues were so complicated that only the very sharp reader could solve the crime before the hero. And again, like the game CLUE, the stories ended with the hero exposing the villain in front of the other players in the story.

YOUR INVESTIGATION: Who was the grand dame of the British cozy?