18 October: Lee Harvey Oswald

Lee Harvey Oswald, the presumed US assassin of President John F Kennedy, was born on this date in 1939. Some facts about him:

1. He was born in New Orleans on October 18 1939.
2. His father, Robert, was a marine who'd served in the first world war, and was a distant cousin of the Confederate general, Robert E Lee. He died of a heart attack before his son was born.
3. As a child he was of average intelligence and was bad at spelling, although he was good at reading. He also showed violent tendencies from a young age, being thrown out of his half brother's apartment for hitting his mother and threatening his brother's wife with a knife. He often skipped school and was assessed by a psychiatrist as having "schizoid features and passive-aggressive tendencies".
4. He was 5'8 in (1.73m) tall and weighed 135 pounds (61kg) and had hazel eyes and brown hair. Because he was slightly built, he got the nickname Ozzie Rabbit. He also got called "Osvaldovitch" because of his interest in Russia.
5. He left school at 17 to join the marines. He never graduated. He was under age when he joined and his half brother had to sign papers as his legal guardian. It was in the marines that he learned how to shoot and at one point scored highly enough to be designated a "sharpshooter".
6. While in the Marines, he decided to teach himself Russian. At the age of 20, he travelled to Russia on a tourist visa and told his guide he was a communist and wanted to become a Soviet citizen. He was turned down, and to avoid being escourted onto a plane home, he shot himself in the wrist. This got him detained in hospital under psychiatric observation. When he was let go, he tried for citizenship again, hinting that, as a former Marine, he might have some useful information. This time, he was allowed to stay and was sent to Minsk to work in an electronics factory. It was only when he'd acquired a wife (Marina) and a child (June) that he applied to go back to the US, where Oswald was said to be disappointed by the lack of attention he got from the press on his return.
7. He'd tried to assassinate somebody before Kennedy. The person in question was a right-wing army officer called Edwin Walker. Oswald kept a book of plans for killing Walker which included photos of Walker's house. He fired shots into Walker's house, but missed him. It was only after the Kennedy assassination that the bullets were matched to Oswald's gun.
8. He wasn't arrested for shooting Kennedy, but for shooting a police officer called J.D. Tippit. It was only later that the he was charged for killing Kennedy as well.
9. According to people who knew him, Oswald didn't passionately hate JFK. In fact, he actually agreed with him on some issues, like civil rights. However, he was angry about the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba and did hate the American system, of which Kennedy was a symbol.
10. According to James Leavelle, the police officer who escorted Oswald from his cell the day he was shot, Oswald didn't believe anyone would bother to shoot him. He laughed off a suggestion by Leavelle that he hoped anyone who tried to shoot him was "as good a shot as you are" so they'd not hit Leavelle by mistake. Oswald accused him of being melodramatic.

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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