Hello and welcome to Serial Killing a Podcast, where we also veer off the Serial Killer

Path to delve into other topics within our beloved true crime community.

This week's podcast will be on Diane Downs.

So let's start at the beginning.

Elizabeth Diane Fredrickson was born on August 7, 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona.

So let's get into some history for that time.

This year we see the first operational nuclear-powered submarine launched called the

USS Nautilus. It continued operating until it was decommissioned in March of 1980 and during its time it broke an impressive amount of submarine records, completing several important research and naval missions.

Also this year, Jonas Salks polio vaccine was determined to be safe for humans and was

highly effective in preventing polio. Trials had begun the year before.

In the Middle East, the Central Treaty Organization, or Sento, was formed after the Baghdad

Pact was agreed upon by Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and the UK.

Its purpose was to create a structure very much like NATO

in which the participating countries would agree to protect one another,

cooperate for the sake of trade and military issues, and to also not interfere with each other's affairs. This was of course unsuccessful.

In the UK, the first Guinness Book of World Records was published. The U.S. version was not released until the next year.

This is the year that the U.S. finally became involved in the Vietnam conflict or second endochina war by sending troops to help train

the South Vietnamese military after France left.

In 1955 West Germany joined NATO. Juan Peron in Argentina was forced to leave after the military seized control.

Ruth Ellis was the last woman in England to be executed by hanging.

The first McDonald's fast food restaurant chain was started.

The first riot at an Elvis Presley concert happened in Jacksonville, Florida.

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