Does Historical Accuracy Matter in Historical Fiction? But Tonys response was so disturbing, its impossible to forget. Thanks for your time! One of the reasons for Baekeland's desire to return to Ghent was that he had fallen in love there with Celine Swarts, the charming daughter of his professor of chemistry, Theodore Swarts, and his wife Nina (Plateau) Swarts. He was closing in on his goal of visiting all 193 countries (as defined by the United Nations), and planned to visit his final targetSerbiaalong with his mother, Lady Violette Baekeland, in October 2017 for an elite extreme traveler conference where they were set to become the first mother-son team to have visited every country in the world. She quickly repudiated the match and married another chieftains son. Usually, Brooks had no reason to go flaunting his sidepieces around his wife, but this time it was different. It was based on the book of the same name. Then, after this brush with the law, Barbara Baekelands life really went off the rails. One ferocious stab with a domestic knife ended what had been a turbulent and at times combative mother-son relationship. Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature. A baby didnt fix those issues. Yet for all that this seemed innocent, Tonys dark side was also growing. She also knew she had the goods to make it happen. When the police arrived, they found Anthony, who was 25 years old at the time, ordering Chinese food over the phone. Tony grew utterly distraught and even more unhinged than usual, so much so that he checked himself into a psychiatric ward. Now, this news would upset many an uptight mother, but Barbara took it to the next level. While the rest of her family settled on a country estate, Maria I was cared for in a convent where she died in 1816. Try entering a name, location, or different words. This is the savage, tragic story of Barbara Baekeland. Anthony had apparently been experimenting with boys from around the age of fourteen. But I don't believe she had sex with Tony. It was natures gifts that blessed Barbara with the advantages of finding work as a model with some of the top magazines of the day from Vogue to Harpers Bazaar. Then one day, it all came crashing down. Whether this admission came from a place more to do with Tonys unstable mind than actual behaviour by his mother is unknown but the fact is minutes after a frightened Barbara ran into the kitchen Tony followed and picking up a knife stabbed her without hesitation. On Monday, the Fixer to Fabulous couple shared sweet tributes to daughter Sylvie as she celebrated her . After one intense session with the boy, the doctor gave Barbara some disturbing news. When the doctors first gave the Baekelands the news, Brooks Baekeland actually refused to let the boy seek any psychiatric help, all because he thought psychiatrists were amoral.. Instead, she settled on her fathers 43-year-old brother, Pedro. Although her church finally forgave her, Nahienaena died soon afterward. I doubled back to my network of extreme travelers in search of younger, more demographically interesting country collectors, and several made the same recommendation: William S. Baekeland. Her son's erratic behavior caused concern among family friends. Anthony and Cooper started a homosexual affair. Barbara Daly Baekeland, a previous model for Vogue and Harpers Bazaar, had married into wealth and high-society when she wed Brooks Baekeland, whose grandfather was chemist Leo Baekeland, the inventor, Black History Month 2018 X the Gun Violence Prevention Movement, SHOCKING TRUE CRIME./// (& some other stuff). From the outside, Barbaras life now had all the trappings she could have ever wanted. While in custody at Brixton prison he would even ask visitors how his mother was as if she was still alive. If that sounds like a bad idea, thats because it definitely was. Tony was slipping further into paranoia, and displaying some new unsettling symptoms on top of his many other issues. When the police arrived at the apartment to discover the carnage Tony complained to the officers that she wont die despite the multiple stabs wounds and broken bones he had inflicted on the frail still alive screaming woman. At the Old Bailey Tony was defended by the legendary John Mortimer (author of Rumpole of the Bailey books) who attempted to get Tony extradited back to the US for treatment. Chulalongkorn was grief-stricken. However, they did not win the war. William never mentioned the incident, and, in any case, his credibility among elite travelers couldnt have been higher. Tonys paternal grandmother Nini Daly took a more compassionate view of her grandsons troubles and was instrumental in garnering powerful family allies such as Hugo Money-Coutts (connected to the famous bank family) to help steer a campaign to get Tony repatriated back to the US. Anthony undertook sessions with a psychiatrist while living at home; the doctor became so concerned about Anthony's condition that on October 30, he warned Barbara that he was capable of murder. Barbara finally became very concerned about her son when she discovered he was gay. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. Then Tony snapped. She and Brooks bought an extravagant apartment in New Yorks Upper East Side, and they frequently entertained all manner of luminaries, from Hollywood starlet Greta Garbo to tormented playwright Tennessee Williams. This dramatic episode was possibly the beginning of a stormy mother-son relationship that culminated both in Barbaras extreme behaviour to cure her gay son and also brought about her own divorce from Brook who, tired of his wifes emotional problems, had begun an affair with a young Spanish girl. Although Barbara Baekeland was nothing if not self-absorbed, even she must have seen that her son was in need of some professional help. Referring in particular to the menage-a-trois scene of Barbara, Antony, and Sam in bed together having sex, he wrote: It is true that almost 40 years ago I did have an affair with Barbara, but I certainly never slept with her sonNor am I bisexual. As weve seen, Barbara was so obsessed with maintaining her picture-perfect facade that there was almost nothing about her troubled son that she couldnt wave awayemphasis on almost. In short, her life was spiralling toward a tragic climax. In 1954, Barbara and Brooks decided they needed a change, so they packed up their eight-year-old son Tony to go live a nomadic existence around Europe. . ]]> Tonys new love interest was a French beauty named Sylvie, but she was a little too much of a hit with the family. In 1967, and with the family based in both Switzerland and the Spanish-resort of Cadaques, Anthony met the bisexual Australian Jake Cooper. Even at this juncture, Barbara dismissed the accusation one last, fateful time. Officers found his cold body in his cell on March 20, 1981, his face covered in a plastic bag. Birthdate: February 21, 1921. It seemed like the ultimate example of the perils of wanderlusthis clients were desperate to get to the ends of the earth and were willing to do almost anything to hit their targets. In 1933, Barbara lost her father Frank in one of the most horrific ways imaginable. Jun 23, 2021, 4:26 AM. I have to charter my own yacht or ship. yearly orientation no Anthony, 1922 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, Nov 17 1972 - Chelsea, London, England, United Kingdom, "and ordered held in for a hearing next Monday Anthony, Sep 28 1922 - Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States, Francis James "Frank" Daly, Mrs. Nini Lillian Daly (born Fraser), Sep 28 1921 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, Estados Unidos de Amrica, Nov 11 1972 - London, Inglaterra, Reino Unido, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Grace. Attractive and well educated, Maria was also extremely devout. Not only did the two begin a steamy affair, Cooper also convinced his upper-class beau to travel to Morocco with him, buy hallucinogenics, and have a grand old time rebelling against mommy and daddy. The family are notorious for a murder which scandalised high society in 1972, in which Tony stabbed his mother at their London home, killing her instantly. In the blink of an eye, she was one of New Yorks ten most beautiful girls and one of the top models of her time. She tried to get a young French girl Anthony was friendly with to marry him- only for the girl, Sylvie, to run off with Brook. Nahienaena may have been her fathers only daughter by his chief wife- but he had sons by his other wives, and so the chiefs wanted the Princess to form a union with her brother, Prince Kauikeaouli. Barbara Daly Baekeland lived a fantasy life of glamorous parties, wealthy admirers, and Hollywood starlets. Her reaction threw everyone into a tailspin. Managed by: Private User Last Updated: May 23, 2018: View Complete Profile. If they only knew. George had 2 siblings: Jenny Baekeland and one other sibling. How could I resist the opportunity to profile a 21-year-old billionaire whose travel resume had floored even these hyper-well-traveled men? Just six days after he had left Broadmoor Tony got into a heated argument with his grandmother over a telephone call he wanted to make to England. Nini loved her grandson and believed that under her supervision he could lead a normal happy life. He confessed to the murder and was confined to Broadmoor. Welljust wait. This time there was no rich influential people in the US defending Tonys right to freedom and he was incarcerated for life at Rikers Island, New Yorks main prison where his access to family money provided a merry-go-round of sexual partners, protectors and possible enemies in the top security prison. 492 pp. When Mrs. Baekeland was informed of this by her friend Barbara Curteis, she travelled by car to Spain to bring her son back to Switzerland. William played the harpsichord and was writing a book about Norwegian Antarctica. On May 31, 1880, the pregnant young Queen was making her way to the royal summer palace by boat when the vessel capsized. It wasnt long after the power couples marriage in California that the relationship started to show cracks. She knew that Leonides was going off to inevitable death when he set off for Thermopylae. I felt she was controlling my mind. Overall, Chulalongkorn had 153 consorts, concubines and wives who gave him over 77 children between them. His first move was bone-chilling. Aug. 18, 1985 12 AM PT It was a strident 1981 newspaper headline, "Plastics Heir Kills Mom," with its chilling reportage on matricide and incest that set Natalie Robins on a different path. Celine Baekeland, Coconut Grove, Miami. Nahienaena may have loved her new husband- but she still had feelings for her brother. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. King Rama V of Siam or modern Thailand was born on September 20, 1853. Much of his initial years were spent in Ghent, Belgium. It included a review of his year in travel, documented through a 79-photo slideshow featuring his seventh around-the-world journey, his pioneering adventures crossing Russias Northeast Passage on an icebreaker ship, landing near the summit of Mount Everest in a helicopter, and a host of other adventures from the forbidden Hawaiian island of Niihau to a Namibian ghost town and beyond. The details are skin crawling: Sickeningly, Barbara supposedly believed she was doing Tony a favor by finally showing him what a real woman could do. Maria, I of Portugal was born on December 17, 1734, the daughter of King Joseph I. Fortunately, this marriage produced no children! He ruled through regents until he was officially crowned ten years later. Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the young Barbara seemed destined for a well-adjusted life of upper-middle class contentment. While some mothers go the horrific route of conversion therapy to fix their gay sons, Barbara had her own twisted methods. Their quest is to get to the hard-to-reach, virtually unvisited places at the ends of the earth and young William was the lad who was getting them where they wanted to go, or at least was promising to try. When Tony attacked his mother that fateful night, she was only 51 years old, but he was just 25 himself. Instead, Tony was found guilty of manslaughter and sent to Broadmoor, one of the UKs top security hospitals where he was visited by the rich and famous, possibly due to his mothers celebrity status and association with the Baekland dynasty. It was her friend Gloria Jones who saved her. During the few days after Tony had arrived in New York and was staying in his grandmother Ninis apartment, he built a macabre shrine to his dead mother and mumbled satanic masses over her ashes. Anthony was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She refused to get over Green, and months later, she tried to get him back with one very ill-advised seduction move. In episode three of " Loki ," Sophia Di Martino's character introduces herself as Sylvie. After discovering the affair in February 1968, Barbara again tried to commit suicide. Brooks didnt simply divorce Barbara; he also took right up with Sylvie after, actually marrying the girl and having another son with her. The boy wanted for nothing materially but was largely ignored by his self-absorbed parents. Gorgos is one of the few women considered worth a mention by name by the historian Herodotus- a clear indicator of her worth. Nahienaena was very fond of Kauikeaouli. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. Barbara had always been brash and flirtatious, and she had always been preternaturally close to Tony, but people soon realized she was starting to use her feminine wiles on her own son. Despite admitting the brutal slaying of his mother Tony showed little grasp of reality. Whether Gorgos did marry again is another matter. While heading back to Switzerland, they got stopped at the French border and Tony realized that he didnt have his passport with him. Tony was still susceptible to intensely violent moods, and he and Barbara would get into such massive fights that their well-to-do neighbors resorted to calling the authorities multiple times. She was the ex-wife of Brooks Baekeland, who was the grandson of Leo Baekeland, inventor of Bakelite plastic. Tony threatened to murder Brooks' second wife Sylvie. Antony Baekeland - Biographical Summaries of Notable People - MyHeritage Antony Baekeland In Biographical Summaries of Notable People Save this record and choose the information you want to add to your family tree Save record Relatives Spotted an error? The young socialites introduction to the dashing Brook Baekeland, a trainee pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force, cemented the status of a celebrity couple bestowed with looks, money and in Brooks case, a lineage linked to the Bakelite empire, as he was the grandson of Leo Baekeland who invented what was the worlds first plastic. Still connected to one of the most rich and powerful American dynasties Barbara lived a privileged life where its material trappings of great wealth hid from the outside world the reality of her dealing with an increasingly out of control son who had threatened her life with knives, choking and even trying to push her in front of vehicles outside of the London family penthouse apartment. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Suggest an alternative Share your comments about this record Post comment It must have been the worst outcome that Barbara could have predicted, and she was at sea for many long months following the split. In early 2018, I became obsessed with untangling this question. According to Herodotus, her political acumen existed at a young age. He had visited 163 countries, and his goal was to see the 30 others that he hadnt been to. They maintained their ancestral beliefs and traditions and had no truck with the new religion. Men who thought they had been everywhere would be stumped when, in his posh, upper-crust British accent, he would name-drop places like Kapingamarangi, a forgotten atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia, or Trindade and Martin Vaz, a stunning archipelago in the southern Atlantic Ocean that serves as a garrison for the Brazilian Navy. In Reminiscences which she wrote at age twenty-five, Virginia recalls her initial hero worship for this brother, which declined over the years, taking him from someone thought of strong and handsome and just to little better than a brute.. In fact, new ones just started popping up. He was then twenty-nine. One prominent extreme traveler said in an interview that he was destined to become the worlds most traveled person. However, on May 25, 1786, Pedro died suddenly, and grief sent his widow (and niece) into a spiral of depression that drove her mad. When the grisly scene was uncovered by the police finding Barbara dead on her back, Tony appeared to be in denial of the seriousness of his actions and was somewhat bizarrely in the throes of ordering a Chinese takeaway on the phone. The fact that these men were venturing to fascinating, forbidden places that even geography buffs would struggle to locate on a map was apparently irrelevant. By 1790, she was in a deep state of melancholia. The effects of sexual abuse by her much older brothers, one at least who had been well-loved, had a profound impact on Virginia. When court officials were suggesting marriages for the Princess, Maria could have had her pick of European Princes. I think she simply enjoyed shocking people. I had heard a lot about the brainy and daring young billionaire explorer from other prolific travelers I had profiled, most for a BBC series called Travel Pioneers. She was murdered at her London home when her son Antony stabbed her with a kitchen knife, killing her almost instantly. In early 2018, I became obsessed with untangling this question. Was William a con man or just a kid with incurable wanderlust who had gotten in over his head while trying to fund his travel ambitions? In short, the wealthy, dashing, and intelligent Brooks was everything Barbara wanted in a man. Main article: Savage Grace http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Grace. MC Lyte gained full ownership of her music catalog as her divorce from John Wyche came to an official close. Besides his pronounced psychological issues, Tony had also grown up in posh isolationso he needed very little encouragement to let loose with Jake Cooper. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of Terms and Conditions. He joined elementary school at five years of age and later joined the government high school, 'Atheneum'. But once communication lines opened, and the founder of one of the leading clubs for top travelers started digging into Baekelands story, some began to doubt him. Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the young Barbara seemed destined for a well-adjusted life of upper-middle class contentment. In the comics, Sylvie is actually the second version of Enchantress. That is, everything seemed swell until the year she turned 11and everything started to change in the absolute worst way.