Alain Melchor
5 January 2016
The Robbin Hood of the Sky: Finding D. B. Cooper
. There aren’t many criminals that have become heroes. In November 1971 a man under the name of Dan Cooper bought an airline ticket from Portland to Seattle for twenty dollars. This man would be the first ever to successfully perform a skyjack and get away with it (***). Today detectives have no more evidence than they did back then. Since the crime was committed there have been hundreds of leads (Kugiya). The appearance, qualification, and background of these suspects make them the most likely to be Cooper: Richard McCoy, Kenneth Christiansen, Bobby Dayton, and Duane Weber
On the eve of Thanksgiving, Dan Cooper sat on a Boeing 727 sipping his cup of bourbon. He handed a stewardess a note, explaining his plans to hijack the plane. It was simple. He had a bomb and was demanding $200,000 and four parachutes. Upon touching down in Seattle the money and parachutes were delivered, the jet was refueled and the passengers were released. As the plane took off with only the crew, Cooper ordered the captain to fly towards Mexico. After telling the crew to remain in the cockpit, Cooper strapped on his parachute, lowered the stairs of the
…show more content…
plane and plummeted himself into the dark, stormy night. The requests that Cooper made to the pilot are evidence that he had extensive knowledge about planes. He requested that the pilot travel under 10,000 ft with the flaps angled at fifteen degrees (Jack 58). A higher altitude would pressurize the cabin of the plane, creating a vacuum that would eject him out upon opening an exit. Also he called for civilian parachutes rather than military ones, knowing that the military style would open automatically at 200ft compared to the fully manual function of the civilian chutes (Gray). An interesting detail is that Cooper knew of the Boeing 727’s ability to take off with the stairway down, something the pilot nor the company engineers thought was possible (76-78). Only when they called Boeing did they learn that the 727 was used in the Vietnam War to deliver supplies and to drop parachuters. Clearly Cooper must have been a veteran (Karbo). F.B.I detectives have gathered some important evidence for finding Cooper. Among the most important of these evidences is the description of two stewardesses who spent about five hours with Cooper. (Gray 85) Both women were immediately interviewed upon landing and from their description a sketch of Cooper was produced. (85) Among the physical evidences Cooper left behind is a J.C. Penny tie with a clip , from which the DNA of 3 persons was extracted (“D.B. Cooper Redux”). Later, some of the money was found in a bag on the muddy banks of the Columbia river by an eight year old boy on a camping trip.(“D.B. Cooper Redux”) By testing the rate of decomposition of the bills, geologists concluded that the had been placed in the river 5 years after the hijack. Agent Larry Carr, to whom is currently assigned the Cooper case confirms that the serial numbers match those of the stolen money. (Seattlepi) The first suspect Richard McCoy Jr. was as a student at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He was a Vietnam veteran, former Green Beret helicopter pilot and a specialist paratrooper (Jack 64). on April 7, 1972, four months after the Cooper hijack, McCoy boarded a United Flight from Denver to Los Angels, under the name of James Johnson (64). In a “carbon copy of Cooper’s plan” (Jack 64). McCoy began his crime handed a stewardess a note and ended it by hurling himself from the plane. McCoy’s seemingly perfect getaway was disrupted. He was arrested in his home 3 days later where the parachute and a bag of money containing $499,970 were found (65). McCoy later escaped from prison in Virginia Beach where he was shot dead in the gun battle (65). Although McCoy never confessed to being Cooper, The similarities between the two crimes are too close to ignore. What added to this was the similarity between D. B. Cooper’s tie and McCoy’s Brigham Young University tie (65). The 200,000 from the original hijack are claimed to be were hidden, and its location was lost with McCoy’s death Kenneth Christiansen worked for northern Orient Airlines as a purser (Gray 12). This was the same airline that Cooper used. Geoffrey Gray, the author of the book “Skyjack” and the first reporter to be allowed into Cooper’s FBI files. Kenneth Christiansen, a trained paratrooper who bought a home with cash shortly after the crime. His address only twenty miles from the SEA TAC the airport where they hijacking took place (13). He knew about pressurizing the plane, he was military (117). The stewardess described matching the exact description of the flight attendants (6). His favorite drink: Bourbon. Bobby (Barbara) Dayton under intense emotional anxiety underwent the first gender change surgery performed in the state of Washington. Dayton, confessed to be Cooper and underwent gender-change surgery to resolve personal emotional issues 1969 (Gray). Ron and Pat Forman friends of Bobby would fly together an on trips and say that he finally confessed to being Cooper (Forman) say that she reverted to her male persona to commit the crime that’s the reason he never got caught.. Skilled pilot and parachutist, skilled with machinery and explosives Ron and Pat Forman, close friends of Dayton and authors of the book “D.B. Cooper: death by natural causes” The Forman claim that her performed the crime to counter that deep depressions that occurred after his sex change operation ( Foreman). 1967 His experience in Vietnam gave him the knowledge that a 727 At Vietnam he learned that a 727 could be flown with the stairway down, Receives a surgery and doctors say that she sis depressed and down. Duane Weber, lived also under the name of John C.
Collins was discharged from the Navy for misconduct, he didn’t last in the army either (Gray 52). On his deathbed he confessed to the crime saying “I’m Dan Cooper” (105-107). Weber has a striking resemblance to the FBI sketch. Wife told him they found his handwriting in the margin of a book about cooper in the local library. She, a time of the confession had no idea, but she pieced the clues together. He had a criminal background. He had license Gray (134). Two things that the wife remembered his dreams at night saying “I left my imprints on the afstairs, I’m going to die) (135). She also found an airline ticket for north airline. And one time took her on a walk. Told her this is where cooper made his
escape. In 2008 the FBI agent Carr office in Seattle receives about a lead a day (***). Can be sure that there will be more leads. It’s possible that the correct lead its buried under the thousands of false ones that have accumulated over the year. In the meanwhile people are “To date, hundreds of skyjackers and terrorist have taken over planes. One remains unknown” Every year people re-create Cooper’s jump, there have been movies about him, yearly celebrations. The legend of D.B. Cooper. Perhaps it’s better that the mystery of Cooper remains unsolved.
Reverend Jeremiah Brown - Hillsboro's minister. He is a hard- hearted man who feels no qualms about convincing the town to condemn Bert Cates and his daughter as incorrigible sinners.
Doodle was like a shooting star in the night sky. He was rare and special. Doodle was a unique person that was different and didn’t fit in. Doodle was born sick and no one thought he would live, but he did end up living and his brother spent much of his time helping Doodle become stronger and learn to walk. Over time in the story Doodle got stronger, but in the end he eventually died. In “The Scarlet Ibis” James Hurst uses creative symbols such as the color red, the scarlet ibis bird, and the seasons to represent the life of Doodle.
Nobody understands what really took place that night, the night that John Brown launched his raid on Harpers Ferry. Why it was done, what caused it and what the actual event itself caused was later discovered and well known by people centuries after it even took place. This raid, was one of the biggest reason a nation was left divided. The Southern part of America was its own “nation” where as the Northern part was thought of kind of as the same but opposite. “Midnight Rising” gives an in depth explanation and feel for the events leading to and the events caused by this raid. The book is based around the time period pre civil war ( circa 1859), In the first part of the book and overview and a little bit of background information is provided. Explaining where and when the raid was being planned and where it was going to be executed, and all of this being told through the perception of one of John Browns men .Prior to this event, Bleeding Kansas had happened and it caused an immense amount of outrage, blood shed, fear and frustration amongst almost every single person part of the U.S at the time. Nat Turners rebellion caused an uproar filled with fear, in the south and that was one of the things that had led up to the main event discussed in the book ( the raid on Harpers Ferry). During the time period the book took place, the southern part of America was pro slavery where as the North was not, and due to these discrepancies neither side could or would compromise and neither would be able to come to any sort of agreement on what to do with laws and rules and with the slaves either. Events such as Nat Turners Rebellion are what caused people in the south to become more fearful of slaves
The official story of 9/11 is a conspiracy theory in that the government claims 19 hijackers conspired together to hijack four planes and create terror in the world. Four American airplanes were hijacked; two were driven into the World Trade Centers and the third airplane into the Pentagon. The fourth airplane suspected target was the White House, but it was diverted by the brave men and women aboard that hijacked airplane, and crashed the airline jet before it could reach its target. It was like time stood still as America watched through television broadcast these unbelievable and horrifying events taking place. The reports told of the smell the jet fuel, burning flesh, and people jumping out windows to their death to escape the flames. When the two bravura structures tumbling down, rescuers, (police officers, firefighters, and ambulance drivers and techs) were caught in the mast and lost their lives doing their job trying to save lives.
A pretrial plea bargain was given to Bundy, which was Bundy would plea guilty to the murders of killing Levy, Bowman and Leach. In exchange, Bundy would be sentenced to prison for a firm 75 years. He ultimately declined the offer and decided with trying to win the case, which was not a smart move by Bundy. Bundy thought the prosecutors had no evidence from the Chi Omega sorority, but what he’s about to find out ruins his life. No evidence was recovered at the Chi Omega sorority house like Bundy thought, but two crucial testimonies from sorority members played a big role. Connie Hastings believed she saw Bundy in the house that night, while Nita Neary stated that she saw him escaping the house clasping the oak firewood murder weapon. These testimonies showed that Bundy was in the house and was in the house around the same time of the murders. But with no physical evidence, Bundy could not be found guilty. What Bundy didn’t realize was that there was a piece of evidence from the sorority crime scene. While investigators examined the scene, one officer found the bite marks on Levy’s buttocks. The officer picked up a yellow marker ruler and took photographs of the bite mark. By the time the trial had started the bite mark disappeared, because the tissue around Levy’s buttocks had gone back to its normal color, size and shape. Prosecutors took the photos to forensic odontologist Dr. Richard Souviron.
In The Promised Land, Nicholas Lehmann follows the stories of black migrants, politicians, and bureaucrats through the Great Migration, and attempts to explain the decline of northern cities, the constant liberty struggle of blacks across America, and government response to the issues surrounding the Great Migration. This work signalled a drastic change from the structured approach of Thomas Sugrue’s, The Origins Of The Urban Crisis, which observes the effects of institutions and human agency on postwar Detroit and its marginalized peoples. Both Sugrue and Lemann had (albeit slightly different) holistic views of the political climate of postwar cities, which helped provide context for prejudices towards blacks and the poor, and subsequently
For instance, the multiple calls made to family members as well as 911 from the frantic passengers. Mark Bingham for instance called 911, as well as his mom telling her he loved her and that the plane was being hijacked. Another man called 911 screaming that they were being hijacked and that he heard some sort of explosion and saw white smoke coming from the plane. Then there was Tom Burnett, who called his wife saying the hijackers had already stabbed to death one passenger and that he intended to do something about it. A Jeremy Glick called his relatives saying the same, that he and some other passengers were intending to fight the hijackers. These calls brought up the thought that perhaps some passengers on board had fought the hijackers, keeping them from controlling the plane, and sending it crashing to the ground.
The story begins with a man by the name Hancock, this man, although simple and common at first glance possess incredible strength and the ability to fly. He puts these powers to good use for all the right reasons but uses them in all the wrong ways. This "hero" is an alcoholic, here is when the public witnesses his flaw. Hancock is not your typical hero he lacks honor, intellectual, honesty, determination, and incentive, yet he is still a hero. Hancock is a hero who has done wrong in his past, but he is a hero none the less. He’s an alcoholic super hero with a bad attitude. He saves a lot of lives, but causes millions of dollars worth in damages to the city of Los Angeles in the process. He doesn’t let anyone stop him from doing whatever he wants; not even the law. While trying to save people he r...
Lance Freeman tackles the issue of gentrification from the perspectives of residents in the gentrified neighborhood. He criticizes the literature for overlooking the experiences of the victims of gentrification. The author argues that people’s conceptions on the issue are somewhat misinformed in that most people consider it as completely deplorable, whereas in reality, it benefits the community by promoting businesses, different types of stores, and cleaner streets. These benefits are even acknowledged by many residents in the gentrified neighborhood. However, the author admits that gentrification indeed does harm. Although gentrification does not equate to displacement per se, it serves to benefit primarily homeowners and harm the poor. Additionally,
Steve Stern weaves a mystical-historical tale of “The Pinch”, a small area in the north of downtown Memphis populated by Jews. The main character, Lenny Sklarew, opens a book in the bookstore where he works in the Pinch to find himself included in the story. Subsequently, as a reader of Steve Stern’s book, one is taken back and forth in time and given detailed background stories on several characters in the Pinch. Stern’s book and Lenny’s book in the story are both called “The Pinch: a History a Novel”. On the surface the tale seems like a very colorful story interwoven with historical facts and Jewish mysticism, plus a contemporary story line about Lenny during the civil rights movement. However, story within story, a theme begins to arise: although things may appear “as it is written” or on a certain trajectory, one can chart another course. It is the theme of Jewish self-determination.
The legend of Robin Hood has survived in ballad, book, poem, play, and modern media. The story of Robin Hood has been of great interest among a select group of historians. It is highly debated whether he actually existed. Many historical texts of the time describe outlaws that closely match the description of Robin Hood. The legend of Robin Hood was originally based on a real person.
The Baron’s Cloak, by Willard Sunderland, focuses on a Russian-German noble named, Baron Roman Fedorovich von Ungern-Sternberg. His nickname is Ungern. The author focuses on one man’s life, which helps develop a story line; from the man’s life story we can understand the history at this time, especially what is what everyday life was like. His family’s heritage gives us insight to the intermingling of nations, culture, and religions. Ungern’s schooling gives insight to the importance of nationalism and the changing world, as Russia took over more land.
The best-known feature of the legend of Robin Hood is the so-called ‘Robin Hood shot’.
This essay will be covering chapters five through eight of the Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. It will include a general half page summary of each chapter. There will also be a conclusion at the end. In order to summarize the chapters, there must be a main character introduction. Robin Hood is the main character. He and the Sheriff have had a few feuds through the book (considering he is an outlaw). Little John is Robin Hood’s right hand man or “lieutenant,” as stated by Allen W. Wright. The Sheriff of Nottingham is a greedy sheriff who is very focused on capturing Robin Hood.
Robin Hood's good traits are easily seen throughout the story. The author did a good job of making his hero come across as a good person, who has often been misinterpreted because of things that he did as a young boy. Showing the change Robin Hood has made since he was a little boy easily allows the reader to better understand how great he really is, and how he is helping not only himself, but all of the poorer community.Robin Hood was faced with issues from very early on in his life. His mothers death was very difficult for him, but living with his fathers love for another women, after his mother had died, was just too much for him and he threatened his father that staying with that women would cost him his only sons love.