Crimes of the Century: A Selective History of Infamy

Overview

Delve into 12 infamous crimes that shocked the world—from unsolved serial killings to political assassinations—in this 12-lecture true crime course.

Course No. 30130

Professor Richard Spence examines how these cases reveal dark truths about human nature, media frenzies, and historical contexts from 1895 to the 1970s.

Course Content

Early 20th Century Mysteries

1. Hollywood Director’s Murder (1922) (27 min)
   • Who killed William Desmond Taylor?

2. Irish “Fairy” Murder (1895) (26 min)
   • Was Bridget Cleary killed for being a changeling?

3. Archduke Ferdinand’s Assassination (1914) (29 min)
   • The shot that started WWI

Mid-Century Mayhem

4. Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping (1932) (27 min)
   • America’s trial of the century

5. Weimar Germany’s Serial Killers (28 min)
   • Peter Kürten to Hinterkaifeck farm massacre

6. Papin Sisters’ Savage Crime (1933) (27 min)
   • Why did French maids butcher their employers?

Cold War Crimes

7. Trotsky’s Ice Pick Murder (1940) (29 min)
   • Stalin’s revenge in Mexico

8. Zodiac Killer (1960s-70s) (27 min)
   • California’s cipher-writing phantom

9. Manson Family Murders (1969) (29 min)
   • Helter Skelter’s bloody summer

Modern Monsters

10. Son of Sam (1976-77) (28 min)
    • NYC’s demon-possessed sniper

• Monster of Florence (1968-85) (28 min)
  • Italy’s unsolved double homicides

12. Romanov Execution (1918) (27 min)
    • Bolsheviks erase Russia’s royal family