This Week In History News, Sept. 1 – 7

Published September 6, 2019

Remains of history's largest child sacrifice uncovered, tale of accused witch who killed herself resurfaced, first space crime in history investigated.

Peruvian Archaeologists Unearth The Single Largest Mass Child Sacrifice Site In The World

Skeleton Of Sacrificed Child

AFPResearchers believe the mass sacrifice was a ritualistic offering to the Chimú’s moon god, in order to ward off El Niño-related weather.

Archaeologists in Peru have just discovered what is likely to be the largest mass child sacrifice site in recorded history. The 227 victims were found north of Lima, near the coastal town of Huanchaco. Every single one of them was aged between five and 14.

It’s currently believed that the children were killed more than 500 years ago. The archaeologists said that some of the corpses still had hair and skin, with clear signs indicating that the children were killed during wet weather.

Read on here.

Scotland’s Quest For The Missing Remains Of Lilias Adie, An Accused Witch Who Killed Herself

Lilias Adie's Facial Reconstruction

University of DundeeLilias Adie was in her late 50s or early 60s when she committed suicide. In the late 19th century, parts of her coffin were turned into walking sticks, one of which was gifted to Andrew Carnegie.

According to records from the Fife Council, approximately 3,500 women were executed as witches in Scotland between 1560 and 1727 — with some estimates reaching as high as 6,000. Lilias Adie died from suicide in prison in 1704 before she could be strangled and burned at the stake.

It’s believed that her confessions of being a witch and having had sex with the devil were coerced. Though she killed herself before the government could, her corpse was nonetheless burned at the stake before being buried on a beach in Torryburn, Fife in Scotland.

The locals were so terrified that she might “reanimate” from the dead that they buried her under a hefty slab of stone. Resourceful curio hunters still managed to rob the remains in 1852, however, with her skull finding its way to St. Andrew’s University Museum in 1904.

After the university photographed her skull that same year, all known remains of Lilias Adie went missing.

Dig deeper here.

NASA Investigates The First Potential Space Crime In Human History

Anne McClain

Wikimedia CommonsDecorated astronaut Anne McClain (pictured), who’s accused of identity theft and improper access to Summer Worden’s private financial records.

In a stark reminder that our earthly laws do still apply in outer space, decorated American NASA astronaut Anne McClain has become the first person in history to be investigated for an alleged crime she committed while aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

When Anne McClain’s ex-wife and former Air Force intelligence officer Summer Worden noticed some strange activity on her bank account, she couldn’t help but investigate.

When she asked her bank about the locations of any and all devices that were used to log in, the list of potential suspects shrank astronomically — as one of the computer networks was registered to NASA. With her ex-wife on a six-month mission aboard the ISS, it was clear that McClain was the culprit.

The astronaut has since admitted to logging in, but only because the two women had been married until recently and were still financially entangled. Nonetheless, despite McClain explaining she merely wanted to make sure the former family unit was in healthy economic shape, Worden took immediate action.

The former intelligence officer filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, while her family lodged a complaint with NASA’s Office of Inspector General. Anne McClain is now officially accused of identity theft as well as improper access to Worden’s private financial records.

The so-called space crime is an unprecedented incident and historical first in the record of human space travel.

See more here.

author
All That's Interesting
author
Established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together a dedicated staff of digital publishing veterans and subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science. From the lesser-known byways of human history to the uncharted corners of the world, we seek out stories that bring our past, present, and future to life. Privately-owned since its founding, All That's Interesting maintains a commitment to unbiased reporting while taking great care in fact-checking and research to ensure that we meet the highest standards of accuracy.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.