On This Day. Events that happened on this date in the past. |
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Laugh It Off. The comic strip. |
On this day, in 1964, thieves broke into the American Museum of Natural History and stole a number of valuable gems. The thieves avoided the entry by donation by sneaking in through an unlocked bathroom window. They stole the Eagle Diamond, the de Long Ruby, and the honking Star of India Sapphire, which is 563 carat. It is about the size of a golfball and many people have contemplated teeing it up. The thieves visited the museum before breaking in and unlocked a bathroom window. This was the museum's Achille's heel. The only other barrier was an alarm that monitored the Star Of India. Luckily, the alarm's battery was flat. The leader of the pack was Jack Roland Murphy. He was also known as Murph the Surf because he was a world champion surfer. He was also known as Murph the Smurf because he liked smurfs. Who doesn't? Murph was a loveable character who only committed murder once. He killed a secretary in California because she kept calling him Murph the Smurf. He was given a sentence until 2225 but he pretended to find Jesus and was released early on parole. He is quoted as saying, "If you're not doing God's business, you're just doing time." I'm not because I'm not in prison. The Star of India was recovered in a locker in Miami. It wanted to see South Beach. The Eagle Diamond was never recovered and it is believed it was cut into a number of smaller pieces. Either that or it actually turned into a proper eagle. If you see a diamond eagle you should call the museum. The other two thieves were captured with Murph because they need to get other friends and were spending way too much time together. Their stories aren't as interesting as a born-again murdering surfer.
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