The Death of Author Stieg Larsson.

Twenty years ago today, on November 9th, 2004, Swedish crime novelist, journalist, and political activist Stieg Larsson died.

Best known for the trilogy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, he died from heart failure at the age of 50.

He died from climbing the stairs to his office in Stockholm and was rushed to hospital but could not be revived.

Although his Millenium Trilogy would later become internationally acclaimed, he did not live to see them published or their success. The manuscripts were submitted to his publisher a short while before his death and the first book was published posthumously in 2005.

Larsson’s sudden, unexpected passing led to a complicated legal battle between his long-term partner and his family as his will was unwitnessed, hence invalid.

The Disappearance of Lord Lucan

Lord and Lady Lucan pictured in 1963

50 years ago on 8th November 1974, British aristocrat Lord Lucan disappeared from his London home after his children’s nanny was found bludgeoned to death and his wife was attacked.

Throughout the following years, hundreds of claims of his sightings worldwide were made, but none were ever substantiated. 

Richard George Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, known as “Lucky” was a prominent member of London high society, known for his love of gambling.

On the previous evening Sandra Rivett, the family’s nanny was found bludgeoned to death in the basement of Lucan’s estranged wife’s London home. Soon after Lady Lucan was also attacked but she managed to run to a nearby pub to raise the alarm, alleging Lucan was the attacker. 

Sandra Rivett

Afterwards, Lucan visited friends and was described as being in a distressed state before disappearing entirely. Later his car was found abandoned and blood-stained in Newhaven on the English south coast. 

It is assumed that Lucan fled the country. He was never found and is presumed dead. Finally, in 1999, he was officially declared dead in absentia.

The Passing of Howard Keel

7th November 2004 saw the death of Howard Keel, American film and television actor and singer.

He is remembered for his many Hollywood musicals and in his latter years, his role as Clayton Farlow in the TV series Dallas.

Born April 13, 1919, in Gillespie, Illinois, he rose to fame through his work on both stage and screen. Known for his tall, charismatic presence and booming voice, he became one of the definitive leading men of Hollywood's Golden Age musicals.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Keel experienced a resurgence in popularity through his role as the oil tycoon Clayton Farlow on the hit TV show Dallas.

He passed away on November 7, 2004, 20 years ago, but he left a lasting legacy as one of the standout voices of Hollywood’s musical era.

The Ufton Nervet Rail Crash

The Ufton Nervet rail crash occurred 20 years ago today on November 6, 2004, near the village of Ufton Nervet in Berkshire, England. 

The Level Crossing pictured in 2012

A high-speed First Great Western train from London Paddington to Plymouth collided with a stationary car deliberately left on a level crossing by its driver. 

The crash tragically resulted in the deaths of seven people and injuries to 71 others. This incident remains one of the most devastating rail accidents in the UK in recent decades.

At around 18:12 GMT at a level crossing near Ufton Nervet, a First Great Western HST (High-Speed Train) carrying over 180 passengers struck a stationary car that had been driven onto the crossing and abandoned there by its driver.

Seven people died, including the car’s driver, the train driver, and five passengers, and there were 71 reported injuries, ranging from minor to severe.

The now-disused level crossing and replacement road bridge pictured in 2022

The car on the track had been deliberately abandoned by its driver in what was later determined to be a suicide attempt. 

The high-speed impact led to the train derailing and overturning, with multiple carriages coming off the track and causing extensive damage.

The Oldest Heavyweight Champion

Today, 30 years ago in 1994, American boxer George Foreman (aged 45) became the world’s oldest heavyweight champion after knocking out Michael Moorer (aged 26) in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

He also broke the record for the greatest age difference between champion and challenger.

Southpaw Moorer had won the WBO title beating Bert Cooper and went on to unify the titles beating Evander Holyfield. Foreman had been on the comeback trail for several years after coming out of a 10-year retirement.

George Foreman

Moorer controlled the pace from the beginning and built up a substantial lead. By the start of the 10th round, trainer Angelo Dundee told Foreman that the only way he could win would be by KO and that the time had come. 

Moorer fended Foreman off for most of the round until a combination caught him flush on the jaw. Foreman was declared the winner by KO and became the champion.

Foreman later stated that his strategy was to let Moorer fight his usual fight and wait for him to slip up, while Moorer insisted that Foreman just got “lucky”.

Foreman v Moorer Highlights

Death of Henri Matisse - 3rd November 1954

Today is the 75th anniversary of the death of French artist Henri Matisse, considered by many as the most important French painter of the 20th century.

Born in December 1869, Matisse is known primarily for his bold use of colour and is one of the founders of fauvism, which characterised strong colour and fierce brushwork (fauves in French translates as wild beasts).

One of his iconic works from this period is Woman with a Hat (1905), which shocked audiences with its use of expressive and vivid colour (see left).

Matisse’s work greatly influenced modern art and continues to inspire modern-day artists in diverse fields. His collaboration with Pablo Picasso and their influence on each other's art became a defining relationship in modern art.

His pieces are celebrated for their playfulness, simplicity, and emotional depth.

Further reading: Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954) Essay - The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Birthday of the UK Newspaper Crossword - 2nd November 1924

The first crossword puzzle to appear in a British Newspaper appeared on this day 100 years ago in the Sunday Express.

This marked the beginning of a crossword craze in the UK, inspired by the earlier popularity of crosswords in the United States. However, British crosswords soon evolved into their own style, with a preference for "cryptic" clues, which require wordplay and lateral thinking.

This was nine years after the world’s first modern crossword puzzle was published in the FUN section of New York World in December 1913. British journalist Arthur Wynne (left) who created it, originally called the puzzle a “Word Cross,” featuring a diamond-shaped grid with simple clues. A topographical error later changed its name to a “Cross-Word.”