# Places known for bad reasons **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 27, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314 "2006-09-27T03:45:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/41 "2006-09-27T17:06:58Z")
I’ve been to one of the sites in Berlin where they’ve preserved part of the wall. Known for bad reasons, but better than being forgotten. [QUOTE=erie774] Nuremburg (war crime trials) [/QUOTE] Nuremberg was not chosen at random to hold the war crimes trials. Some of the earliest National Socialist party conventions were held there, and it was an important city to the Nazi government. They built a site there for their rallies, including a parade grounds and (unfinished) congress hall. It was chosen for the trials in part for its signifigance in the rise of Nazism. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/42 "2006-09-27T17:10:16Z")
Salem, MA is quite proud of its creepy heritage, which is funny, because all of the “witches” lived in the western part of town that has since split of to become the town of Danvers. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/43 "2006-09-27T17:20:27Z")
The village of Sing Sing, NY was so unhappy with the connotation of their town, they changed the name to Ossining. Unfortunately for this tactic, the notorious prison on nearby Mt. Pleasant that shared the town’s former name briefly changed (or at least talked about changing) their name to Ossining State Prison. It is currently Sing Sing Prison. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/44 "2006-09-27T17:23:02Z")
I forgot another fun tidbit about Sarasota: it was the place where a woman was killed in front of her several toddler or younger children in a contract killing and they weren’t found for days(?). They’re so fun down there! ---
**Author:** ![M.Meursault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@M.Meursault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/M.Meursault)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/45 "2006-09-27T17:38:19Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] I’ve been to one of the sites in Berlin where they’ve preserved part of the wall. Known for bad reasons, but better than being forgotten. Nuremberg was not chosen at random to hold the war crimes trials. Some of the earliest National Socialist party conventions were held there, and it was an important city to the Nazi government. They built a site there for their rallies, including a parade grounds and (unfinished) congress hall. It was chosen for the trials in part for its signifigance in the rise of Nazism. [/QUOTE] Also, it has to be pointed out, the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg was chosen because it was large enough and it wasn’t damaged. I would imagine that it was hard to find a standing courthouse in post-war Germany. I’ve been to Dachau, Germany. It’s a lovely suburb of Munich with a cute little castle. Schloss Dachau. And…there’s…some…other thing that people go to see. I can’t remember what it was. ---
**Author:** ![M.Meursault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@M.Meursault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/M.Meursault)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/46 "2006-09-27T17:40:03Z")
Oooh, thought of another one: If you don’t give the place any religious significance, Baghdad. Have you _ever_ heard good news come out of Baghdad? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/47 "2006-09-27T17:59:00Z")
Well, I live in Columbia, SC, site of the huge flag controversy. (They moved it off the dome of the capitol, so now it’s down in front on a pole where you can’t miss it. Sigh.) You can take it as a souvenir of _several_ bad events - us getting our asses handed to us by the North, segregation, _or_ the unfortunate events surrounding its eventual removal from the top of the State House. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/48 "2006-09-27T18:26:38Z")
[QUOTE=AndLuna] It’s not exactly, uh, treated as a tourist attraction, though. [/QUOTE] The local council is missing a trick! I think you should write a white paper… Well, give it a hundred years maybe - a few places in London capitalise on their connections with Jack the Ripper. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/49 "2006-09-27T18:27:30Z")
Pompeii ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/50 "2006-09-27T18:39:47Z")
Banda Acheh. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/51 "2006-09-27T18:47:24Z")
Good thread. . . How about Bhanda Aceh Krakatoa (the name of the volcano and the Island) Maybe “Ruby Ridge”. Darfur IMO, I don’t think we can count a New York or a Chicago. . .they’re not “known for bad reasons” just because bad shit happened there. You wouldn’t have heard of Jonestown or Lockerbie if bad shit hadn’t happened there. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/52 "2006-09-27T18:48:05Z")
Jonestown ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/53 "2006-09-27T18:55:47Z")
[QUOTE=M. Meursault] Oooh, thought of another one: If you don’t give the place any religious significance, Baghdad. Have you _ever_ heard good news come out of Baghdad? [/QUOTE] I guess I’m interpreting the question differently. Baghdad is an old city, with a rich history. It was a city of learning. It was always known for being the captial of a country called Iraq. It’s not KNOWN for being the shit hole we’ve turned it into. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/54 "2006-09-27T21:04:38Z")
Three Mile Island ---
**Author:** ![Rebecca\_DiMwitter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@Rebecca\_DiMwitter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebecca_DiMwitter)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/55 "2006-09-27T21:09:23Z")
Lincoln, Montana: Proud Isolated Mountain Home of the Unibomber, Theodore Kaczinski. A mere day-jaunt (of 200 miles) to the north and west of me. –Beck ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/56 "2006-09-27T22:09:23Z")
This thread has turned out to be more interesting than I suspected it might be. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/57 "2006-09-27T22:31:06Z")
Jasper, Waco, and the UT Tower. Wouldn’t matter if a a pair of scientists from Jasper and Waco cured cancer at the UT Tower tommorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/58 "2006-09-28T11:53:13Z")
[QUOTE=casdave] That Aberfan example is a good one, it surprises me that although 144 people were killed, the vast majority of children attedning the school that was engulfed, I wonder why the Universal pit disaster at Senghenydd is not much more widely known, since it killed more people. > **[Senghenydd colliery disaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senghenydd_Colliery_Disaster)** > > The Senghenydd colliery disaster, also known as the Senghenydd explosion (Welsh: Tanchwa Senghennydd), occurred at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, near Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales, on 14 October 1913. The explosion, which killed 439 coal miners and a rescuer, is the worst mining accident in the United Kingdom. Universal Colliery, on the South Wales Coalfield, extracted steam coal, which was much in demand. Some of the region's coal seams contained high quantities of firedamp, a highly ... [/QUOTE] Or the [Westhoughton](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretoria_Pit_Disaster) Pretoria Pit disaster. It doesn’t even get a decent Wiki page. ---
**Author:** ![Surok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Surok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surok)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/59 "2006-09-28T12:13:49Z")
[QUOTE=casdave] That Aberfan example is a good one, it surprises me that although 144 people were killed, the vast majority of children attedning the school that was engulfed, I wonder why the Universal pit disaster at Senghenydd is not much more widely known, since it killed more people. > **[Senghenydd colliery disaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senghenydd_Colliery_Disaster)** > > The Senghenydd colliery disaster, also known as the Senghenydd explosion (Welsh: Tanchwa Senghennydd), occurred at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, near Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales, on 14 October 1913. The explosion, which killed 439 coal miners and a rescuer, is the worst mining accident in the United Kingdom. Universal Colliery, on the South Wales Coalfield, extracted steam coal, which was much in demand. Some of the region's coal seams contained high quantities of firedamp, a highly ... [/QUOTE] I would guess it’s not better known because it was an explosion, IIUC, in a mine. Mining accidents, resulting in multiple fatalities, are sadly not uncommon. Aberfan catches people’s imagination precisely because of the tragedy’s unexpected nature. Miners (and their families) have some awareness of the risks involved in mining. Children and teachers (at least back then) have no expectation of being killed while attending school. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/60 "2006-09-28T12:28:29Z")
I don’t think I ever would have heard of Brentwood, if not for the troubles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314.md?page=4)