Law, Crime & Punishment, TOD-UNI
Every society draws lines between order and disorder. Explore the laws, crimes, courts, and punishments that reveal how communities define justice and respond when rules are broken.
Law, Crime & Punishment Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Today in History—February 26: Napoleon’s Escape from Exile
On this evening in 1815, a man boarded a ship and attempted one of history’s most audacious comebacks. It ended......
Today in History—January 27: Dante’s Divine Justice
On this day in 1302, Italian poet Dante Alighieri was exiled from Florence. Sentenced by a court of his political......
Today in History—July 17: The End of House Romanov
When the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, and his family were awakened and crowded into a small cellar about midnight......
Today in History—July 18: Baseball’s Black Sox Trial Begins
The heavily favored Chicago White Sox lost the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds in eight games. The behavior......
Today in History—July 19: The Sinking of the Mary Rose
On this day in 1545, the Mary Rose sank off the Isle of Wight. Technically, the disaster happened during battle.......
Today in History—July 21: John T. Scopes Found Guilty of Teaching Evolution
The so-called Monkey Trial was a setup, but not like you might think. Math and science teacher John T. Scopes was......
Today in History—July 22: Pablo Escobar Escapes His Own Prison
A nightclub. A sauna. A waterfall. A soccer field. That might sound like a five-star resort. But it was actually......
Today in History—July 28: The Battle of London Airport
On a sultry summer night in 1948, an audacious robbery attempt happened at the newly opened London Airport. (We......
Today in History—July 31: The Start of the Search for Jimmy Hoffa
On this day in 1975, a mystery began that remains unsolved: What happened to Jimmy Hoffa? He started as a union......
Today in History—June 12: Nelson Mandela Receives a Life Sentence
On this day in 1964, eight activist leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment for treason, sabotage, and conspiracy......
Today in History—June 17: The Day “Watergate” Became Synonymous with Scandal
On June 18, 1972, The Washington Post published its first story about a break-in at the Democratic National Committee......
Today in History—June 1: Czech Republic Passes “Dark-Sky” Law
On this day in 2002, one of the weirdest side effects of capitalism was thrust into the spotlight, literally: lighting.......
Today in History—June 20: Lizzie Borden Is Acquitted of Murder
“Lizzie Borden took an axe / And gave her mother forty whacks / And when she saw what she had done / She gave her......
Today in History—June 3: The Dutch West India Company Receives a Charter
The Dutch East India Company might be best known today for introducing tea to Europe—and for the later Boston brouhaha......
Today in History—June 5: Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassination
The Kennedys are basically American political royalty. They’ve been relevant since the first Kennedy to enter politics,......
Today in History—June 9: The Global Fraud Case About Toxic Waste
On this day in 1986, brothers Jack and Charles Colbert were found guilty in a New York courtroom of running what......
Today in History—March 14: The Birth of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List
In February of 1949 a reporter for the Washington Daily News made an unusual request to the FBI: He asked for the......
Today in History—March 21: Alcatraz Is Shut Down
At 10:50 am on this day in 1963, the Federal Bureau of Prisons formally closed the maximum-security prison on Alcatraz......
Today in History—March 22: The Most Ingenious Prison Escape
On this day in 1621, the man who would later be called the “father of international law” was smuggled out of prison......
Today in History—March 26: Great Britain Passes the Murder Act
In 1752 Britain decided that homicide was punishable by dissection. It was during the era of the Bloody Code—a......
Today in History—March 28: The Labor Law That Shaped the Baguette
In Paris the workday for bakers once began in the dark. Boulangers worked through the night, shaping and folding......
Today in History—March 3: John Dillinger Escapes Prison with a Wooden Gun
At 9:30 am on this day in 1934, no one thought to check the gun pointed at them. It looked real enough. And the......
Today in History—May 11: The Day Adolf Eichmann Was Captured
Imagine your daughter brings home a young man. She seems happy, but there’s a problem: His father is one of the......
Today in History—May 17: Day 1: Brown v. Board of Education
In a unanimous ruling on this day in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down racial segregation in public schools,......
Today in History—May 18: Day 2: Plessy v. Ferguson
On this day in 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that would endure until a day in May 1954. In a 7–1......
Today in History—May 20: How Jeans Turned the Whole World Blue
On this day in 1873, two men were granted a patent for trousers reinforced with rivets—the origin of what we now......
Today in History—May 22: Aaron Burr’s Treason Trial Begins
On this day in 1807, Aaron Burr went on trial for treason in what the press called “the trial of the century” (an......
Today in History—May 25: Oscar Wilde Goes to Prison
If Oscar Wilde were alive today, he’d probably smirk at any talk of coming out of the closet. Why? Because in his......
Today in History—May 26: The British and Allied Forces Escape at Dunkirk
It was May 1940, and months of “Phony War” had come to a shocking end with Germany’s blitzkrieg attack on the Low......
Today in History—May 28: Publication of the Federalist Papers
New Yorkers were a skeptical bunch. The U.S. Constitution had been drafted over the summer of 1787 at the convention......
Today in History—May 2: A War Changed by the Blink of an Eye
American Comdr. Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr., had been held by the North Vietnamese for 10 months when he met with a......
Today in History—November 17: The Murders of H.H. Holmes
On this day in 1894, authorities arrested H.H. Holmes in Boston on suspicion of fraud. Only later did they unearth......
Today in History—November 5: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot
On this day in 1605, English authorities caught a man in the cellar underneath the House of Lords in London, surrounded......
Today in History—October 10: U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew Resigns
On this day in 1973, U.S. Vice Pres. Spiro Agnew pleaded nolo contendere in federal court to a single count of......
Today in History—October 18: News Breaks of Al Capone’s Guilt
On this day in 1931, news broke that Al Capone, Chicago’s untouchable crime boss, had been found guilty. After......
Today in History—October 27: A Newspaper Brings Down Boss Tweed
The arrest of Tammany Hall leader William Magear “Boss” Tweed on this day in 1871 marked a turning point in one......
Today in History—October 5: The Dalton Gang Tries to Rob Two Banks at Once
On this day in 1892, three Dalton brothers—Grattan, Bob, and Emmett—and two associates rode into Coffeyville, Kansas.......
Today in History—October 9: Roger Williams Banished for “Newe & Dangerous Opinions”
Today in 1635, the Massachusetts Bay Colony banished a dangerous, radical thinker. His crime? Preaching an idea......
Today in History—September 11: The First Known Victim of the 9/11 Attacks
He was designated “Victim 0001.” But his name was Mychal Judge. He was the son of Irish immigrants, a Roman Catholic......
Today in History—September 13: The Start of the Straw Hat Riots
“The average man’s devotion to his HAT is one of life’s greatest mysteries.” That’s a line from a September 5,......
Today in History—September 6: A Deadly World’s Fair
On September 6, 1901, a setting intended to showcase the thrill of a new century instead became the scene of a......
Tokyo subway attack of 1995
Tokyo subway attack of 1995, coordinated multiple-point terrorist attack in Tokyo on March 20, 1995, in which the......
Toleration Act
Toleration Act, (May 24, 1689), act of Parliament granting freedom of worship to Nonconformists (i.e., dissenting......
Toleration, Edict of
Edict of Toleration, (Oct. 19, 1781), law promulgated by the Holy Roman emperor Joseph II granting limited freedom......
Tolpuddle Martyrs
Tolpuddle Martyrs, six English farm labourers who were sentenced (March 1834) to seven years’ transportation to......
tombo
tombo, (Portuguese: “register of grants”), register of landholdings in Ceylon, compiled in the early 17th century......
tong war
tong war, any of several feuds carried on in U.S. cities (e.g., San Francisco and Los Angeles) between gangs of......
Tort
Tort, in common law, civil law, and the vast majority of legal systems that derive from them, any instance of harmful......
torture
torture, the infliction of severe physical or mental pain or suffering for a purpose, such as extracting information,......
Townshend Acts
Townshend Acts, (June 15–July 2, 1767), in colonial U.S. history, series of four acts passed by the British Parliament......
Toxic Substances Control Act
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), a law passed by the Congress of the United States in 1976 that authorizes......
Trade Disputes Act
Trade Disputes Act, (1906), British legislation that provided trade unions with immunity from liability for damages......
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears, in U.S. history, the forced relocation during the 1830s of Eastern Woodlands Indians of the Southeast......
transaction cost
transaction cost, economic losses that can result from arranging market relationships on a contractual basis. In......
transitional justice
transitional justice, national institutions or practices that identify and address injustices committed under a......
transnational threats
transnational threats, security threats that do not originate in and are not confined to a single country. Terrorism,......
Transportation, U.S. Department of
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), executive agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for programs......
treadwheel
treadwheel, penal appliance introduced in 1818 by the British engineer Sir William Cubitt (1785–1861) as a means......
treason
treason, the crime of betraying a nation or a sovereign by acts considered dangerous to security. In English law,......
Treasure trove
Treasure trove, in law, coin, bullion, gold, or silver articles, found hidden in the earth, for which no owner......
treaty port
treaty port, any of the ports that Asian countries, especially China and Japan, opened to foreign trade and residence......
Trespass
Trespass, in law, the unauthorized entry upon land. Initially, trespass was wrongful conduct directly causing injury......
Trial
Trial, In law, a judicial examination of issues of fact or law for the purpose of determining the rights of the......
trojan
trojan, a type of malicious computer software (malware) disguised within legitimate or beneficial programs or files.......
Troubles, Council of
Council of Troubles, (1567–74), special court in the Low Countries organized by the Spanish governor, the Duke......
Trover
Trover, a form of lawsuit in common-law countries (e.g., England, Commonwealth countries, and the United States)......
Trump v. Anderson
Trump v. Anderson, a legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on March 4, 2024, unanimously overturned a December......
Trust
Trust, in Anglo-American law, a relationship between persons in which one has the power to manage property and......
Trustee
Trustee, in Anglo-American law, a person in whom title to property held in trust is vested and who performs the......
Tulsa race massacre of 1921
The Tulsa race massacre of 1921 was one of the most severe incidents of racial violence in U.S. history. It occurred......
Tupamaro
Tupamaro, Uruguayan leftist urban guerrilla organization founded in about 1963. The group was named for Túpac Amaru......
Twelfth Amendment
Twelfth Amendment, amendment (1804) to the Constitution of the United States repealing and revising presidential......
Twelve Tables, Law of the
Law of the Twelve Tables, the earliest written legislation of ancient Roman law, traditionally dated 451–450 bc.......
Twentieth Amendment
Twentieth Amendment, amendment (1933) to the Constitution of the United States indicating the beginning and ending......
Twenty-fifth Amendment
Twenty-fifth Amendment, amendment (1967) to the Constitution of the United States that set forth succession rules......
Twenty-first Amendment
Twenty-first Amendment, amendment (1933) to the Constitution of the United States that officially repealed federal......
Twenty-fourth Amendment
Twenty-fourth Amendment, amendment (1964) to the Constitution of the United States that prohibited the federal......
Twenty-second Amendment
Twenty-second Amendment, amendment (1951) to the Constitution of the United States effectively limiting to two......
Twenty-seventh Amendment
Twenty-seventh Amendment, amendment (1992) to the Constitution of the United States that required any change to......
Twenty-sixth Amendment
Twenty-sixth Amendment, amendment (1971) to the Constitution of the United States that extended voting rights (suffrage)......
Twenty-third Amendment
Twenty-third Amendment, amendment (1961) to the Constitution of the United States that permitted citizens of Washington,......
Tydings-McDuffie Act
Tydings-McDuffie Act, (1934), the U.S. statute that provided for Philippine independence, to take effect on July......
tyrannicide
tyrannicide, in ancient Greece and Rome, the killer or would-be killer of a tyrant. The term may also refer to......
U.S. marijuana laws by state
Since California’s legalization of medical marijuana in 1996, there has been a growing movement in the United States......
U.S. Secret Service
U.S. Secret Service, federal law-enforcement agency within the United States Department of Homeland Security tasked......
Ukraine crisis of 2013–14
In 2014 Ukraine faced the greatest threat to its national security since the collapse of the Soviet Union, of which......
Ukraine scandal
Ukraine scandal, U.S. political scandal that arose in the summer of 2019 from an attempt by Pres. Donald J. Trump......
Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association (UDA), loyalist organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1971 to coordinate the efforts......
Ulster Volunteer Force
Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. Its name......
Umkhonto we Sizwe
Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), was the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1961 until 1993.......
Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act
Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act, U.S. legislation enacted in October 1913 that lowered average tariff rates from about......
Uniform Marital Property Act
Uniform Marital Property Act (UMPA), U.S. law enacted in 1983 that defined the ownership of property by married......
Unigenitus
Unigenitus, bull issued by Pope Clement XI on Sept. 8, 1713, condemning the doctrines of Jansenism, a dissident......
Union, Act of
Act of Union, (Jan. 1, 1801), legislative agreement uniting Great Britain (England and Scotland) and Ireland under......
United Airlines flight 175
United Airlines flight 175, domestic passenger flight that was hijacked on the morning of September 11, 2001, as......
United Airlines flight 93
United Airlines flight 93, domestic passenger flight that was hijacked on September 11, 2001, as part of a coordinated......
United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard (USCG), branch of the U.S. armed forces that is charged with the enforcement of maritime......
United States Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals, any of 13 intermediate appellate courts within the United States federal judicial......
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, court created by the Congress of the United States in 1950......
United States Court of Federal Claims
United States Court of Federal Claims, court established by act of Congress of October 1, 1982, to handle cases......