Who was Anton LaVey - Founder of Church of Satan
Hi!
Here is your weekly dose of “Everything Strange,” literally a list of everything strange happening around us. So let’s start with
Today's Strange History (June 17, 2020)
Taj Mahal: Exactly 389 years ago, today in 1631 Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spend more than 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal
Statue of Liberty: In 1885, Statue of Liberty arrived in NYC aboard French ship `Isere' as a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States
Epidemic: Today in 1894, 1st US poliomyelitis epidemic broke out in Rutland, Vermont
Guillotine: In 1939, last public guillotining held in France. Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, was guillotined in Versailles outside the prison Saint-Pierre
Oh! Calcutta: Exactly 51 years ago today in 1969 "Oh! Calcutta!" opened in NYC. Nothing at all to do with the Indian city of Calcutta, the show was actually a series of unrelated, but sex-dominated sketches featuring a totally nude cast, both male and female.
Watergate: In 1972, 5 men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office, hotel, and apartment complex in Washington, D.C. When they were arrested they have burglary tools, cameras and film. They were later identified as part of US President Nixon's re-election team. This event started the infamous Watergate scandal
Exorcism: Today in 1983, Ed and Lorraine Warren exorcised a "werewolf demon" from Bill Ramsey, although the lack of photo or video evidence has called this claim into question
Simpson Murders: In 1994, O.J. Simpson didn't turn himself in on murder charges. LA police chased his Ford Bronco for 1.5 hours before he eventually gave up. Whole thing was telecasted live on national TV.
Foot Mystery: Exactly 12 years ago, today in 2008 5th severed foot was found on Vancouver beaches by police. The first 2 feet washed up on the beach in August of 2007, with the 3rd and 4th arriving in February and May of 2008. Most of the feet that were found had running shoes on, and since then at least 20 feet were found between Vancouver in Canada and Washington State in the United States. There were no obvious explanations found for the feet, but many different theories prevailed, including that the feet belonged to mafia victims, 2004 Asian tsunami victims, or people missing from a 2005 plane crash. The case remains unsolved to this day.
Bill Cosby: In 2017, Bill Cosby's trial for aggravated indecent assault was declared a mistrial after jurors couldn't reach a verdict.
What is today?
Today i.e. 17th June is
🍒 Cherry Tart Day
😃 Tessellation Day
🤤 Apple Strudel Day
🗑️ Garbage Man Day
🥕 Eat Your Vegetable Day
Strange Case of the day: Who was Anton Szandor LaVey
Who he was
He was an author, occultist and founder of the Church of Satan & the religion of LaVeyan Satanism. In addition, he released 3 music albums and played a minor on-screen role & served as technical advisor for the 1975 film The Devil's Rain.
School
He attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California, until the age of 16. LaVey claimed that he left high school to join a circus as a cage boy in an act with the big cats. But many journalists investigated these claims and found no evidence.
Marilyn Monroe
He allegedly had a brief affair with then-unknown Marilyn Monroe, when she was a dancer at the Mayan Theater. This was also challenged by those who then knew Monroe, as well as the manager of the theater - Paul Valentine. He said Monroe had never been one of his dancers.
Shaved Head
He ritualistically shaved his head, as "in the tradition of ancient executioners". Though it was later demonstrated that LaVey in fact shaved his head because he lost a bet and made up the "ancient executioners".
FBI
In 1980 the FBI interviewed LaVey in connection with an alleged plot to murder US Senator Ted Kennedy. LaVey told the agents that most of the church’s followers were “fanatics, cultists, and weirdos.” The agents reported that LaVey’s “interest in the Church of Satan is strictly from a monetary point of view,” and that he “spends most of his time furnishing interviews, writing material, and lately has become interested in photography.”
Politics
LaVey was a friend of James Madole, leader of the Fascist National Renaissance Party. Due to Madole's opposition to Christianity, he sought new religious ideas and was attracted to an infusion of Fascism and Satanism.
After Death
3 months after LaVey's death, his estranged daughter and her husband published a 9-page "fact sheet", in which they claimed that many more of LaVey's stories about his life had been false.
So will end today’s strangeness here. And I am in no way glorifying or even dis-respecting Satanism. As always, please give me feedback on email. What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Let me know! Just email me at StrangeButTrue@substack.com
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