Lizzie Borden Day

It’s Lizzie Borden Day. I’m normally very verbose and sharing about this particular note in American history. But today I have no idea what I’m going to say to you.

I’m hampered by what’s recently happened with the movie theater massacre on the opening of the latest Batman movie. But I’m not going to talk about that. Plenty of other, smarter people have that full-on covered. And every time I try to think about it, my brain shuts down and turns away.

But… today… it’s Lizzie Borden day.



On August 4th, 1892, Lizzie Borden’s family was found brutally murdered with an axe. Lizzie was arrested for the murders and tried. Nothing about the case made sense, but this was a certain point in American history and very very different from how things would have happened today.

If you’re interested in learning more, start here. In my opinion, it’s engrossing reading.

Lizzie’s story hits a couple of my pastimes; most obviously, horror and history. But there’s an element of unsolved – and will probably NEVER be solved – mystery to this case. And for me that’s the real intrigue. What really happened and why? Much has been written on the topic, debate rages, but the truth will probably never be known.


What IS know is that Lizzie was tried for the murder, acquitted on June 20th, 1893, and lived until 1927. Whether she was guilty or not, she spent the rest of her life in the shadow of suspicion and whispers. American jump-rope-skipping children gave us this classic to remember her by:

Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one.

I’m always yammering on about how our entertainment reflects our culture on through the ages. Well, this wasn’t entertainment in the strictest sense. But it is, in that it sold plenty of newspapers and books and got lots of attention. Much like the 24 hour newsfeed on the movie theater massacre is today.

As I said before, I’m not going to talk about that event, the news coverage, or the politics of it. That’s well covered by other people. Others are commenting on what the current day tragedy says about our culture, politics, and news habits.

But Lizzie’s story? What does she say about our culture and our history? Is it different? Can we possibly learn anything about ourselves by comparing the two?

Thanks,
DCD