Leigh Leigh was a 14-year-old girl from Fern Bay on the east coast of Australia, who was murdered on 3 November 1989. While attending a teenage birthday party at Stockton Beach (location of party pictured in 2014), Leigh was kicked and spat on by a group of boys after she publicly asserted she had been raped. Leigh left the party shortly afterwards. Her naked body was found in nearby sand dunes the following morning, with severe genital damage and a crushed skull. Matthew Webster (18 years old) pleaded guilty to her murder and served 14½ years in prison. A 19-year-old male pleaded guilty to assault; a third male (aged 15) pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor. The murder investigation proved controversial as several people who admitted to various crimes, including assaulting Leigh, were never charged, and Webster's confession did not match the forensic evidence. The extended media coverage of the murder, which has been cited as an example of victim blaming, tended to focus on the lack of parental supervision at the party, drug and alcohol use, and Leigh's sexuality. The murder inspired a theatrical play entitled Blackrock, as well as a feature film of the same name.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Leigh_Leigh

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1867:

In Angola, New York, US, the last coach of a Lake Shore Railway train derailed, plunged 40 ft (12 m) down a gully, and caught fire, resulting in 49 deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angola_Horror

1892:

The first performance of the fairy-tale ballet The Nutcracker was held at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker

1939:

Second World War: The German Luftwaffe victory over the Royal Air Force in the Battle of the Heligoland Bight greatly influenced both sides' future air strategy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Heligoland_Bight_(1939)

1996:

The school board of Oakland, California, passed a controversial resolution officially declaring African American Vernacular English as a separate language or dialect. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_Ebonics_controversy

2009:

The Copenhagen Summit on climate change ended with the drafting of the non-binding Copenhagen Accord. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_Accord

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

pergola: A framework in the form of a passageway of columns that supports a trelliswork roof; used to support and train climbing plants. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pergola

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

God buries his workmen, but carries on his work.   --Charles Wesley https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley