December 02

Born into a prominent Yorkshire family, Geoffrey le Scrope became Chief Justice of the King’s Bench in 1338 and again in 1340 under Edward III. He advised the king on legal matters and presided over significant cases that shaped early English common law. Scrope also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and represented Yorkshire in Parliament. His judicial career coincided with the early years of the Hundred Years’ War, during which he helped maintain royal authority. His legal opinions and reforms influenced English jurisprudence beyond his death in 1340.

John Brown was born in Connecticut in 1800 and dedicated his life to the eradication of slavery in the United States. He gained notoriety during the Bleeding Kansas conflicts of the 1850s, where he led armed raids against pro-slavery settlers. Brown's most famous act was the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, aiming to incite a slave rebellion by capturing the federal arsenal. Captured and tried for treason, he was hanged, but his execution turned him into a martyr for abolitionists. His radical tactics and unwavering conviction intensified national divisions and moved the nation closer to the Civil War.

Pablo Escobar (1949–1993) was a Colombian drug trafficker who rose to power as the head of the Medellín Cartel. Under his leadership, the cartel controlled a significant portion of the cocaine trade into the United States during the 1980s. Escobar amassed immense wealth, at one point ranking as one of the richest men in the world. He was known for his lavish lifestyle, philanthropy in Medellín, and ruthless tactics against rivals and law enforcement. His reign of terror included bombings, assassinations, and corruption of public officials. Escobar was killed in a shootout with Colombian National Police on December 2, 1993.

Born in 1980, he moved to Australia with his family as a young child and studied computer science at university. In 2002, he was arrested at Changi Airport carrying a large quantity of heroin and subsequently sentenced to death under Singapore’s strict anti-drug laws. His case gained international attention as supporters and politicians appealed for clemency on humanitarian grounds. Despite diplomatic efforts and global campaigns, his sentence was carried out on December 2, 2005. His execution sparked debates on capital punishment and the treatment of foreign nationals under stringent legal systems. His family later established scholarships and advocacy groups in his memory. He was 25 years old at the time of his death.

Born in 1926, he underwent experimental surgery in 1953 to treat severe epilepsy, which resulted in the removal of key hippocampal structures. Afterwards, he suffered profound anterograde amnesia, unable to form new long-term memories, while retaining pre-surgery memories and motor skills. His case, often referred to by the initials H.M., became the most extensively studied individual in the history of memory research. Over five decades, scientists conducted hundreds of experiments to understand the role of the hippocampus and memory consolidation. Findings from his case led to fundamental advances in cognitive neuroscience and psychology. His contributions helped distinguish between different types of memory systems in the brain. He passed away on December 2, 2008, at the age of 82.

Born Debbie Nelson in 1955, she raised Marshall Mathers III (Eminem) in Detroit, Michigan. Their often strained relationship became public through Eminem's songs, including 'Cleanin' Out My Closet' which accused her of neglect. In 1999, she filed a defamation lawsuit against her son over lyrics she deemed damaging, drawing widespread media attention. Debbie later authored a memoir detailing her side of the story and the challenges of motherhood in the public eye. Despite years of public dispute, the two reportedly reconciled in later years. Her life story remains intertwined with the career of one of rap’s most influential artists.