At the Northern Bank in Belfast masked men stole £26M, the largest cash robbery in UK history.

This #Heist (though the violent kidnapping blurs this term) exposed a society still marked by conflict and fragile trust.

Maybe it exposes the fault lines of #reconciliation?

#HI6171 📷: Amazon

'Paintings were suddenly seen as money': The reason art heists exploded in the 1970s Acclaimed new film The Mastermind, starring Josh O'Connor, tells the story of an art heist gone wrong. It's inspired by a wave of similar thefts at a time when society was in upheaval.

#GardnerMuseum: two fake police, 13 stolen masterpieces, and 0 arrests.

Maybe this #Heist shows the moment in time when #massmedia and #PublicBroadcasting broadened the publics understanding of the value of #Art and #CulturalHerietage? #PublicHistory #Democratizing #Culture?

#HI6171

Canada's Supreme Court upholds C$9m fine on maple syrup thief Nearly 3,000 tonnes of maple syrup was stolen in the so-called Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.

The #MapleSyrupHeist shows how positive #stereotypes can fortify #NationalIdentity.

Canada’s “most valuable” #Heist was non-violent, with no guns, and the perpetrators were held accountable.

#LiquidGold for a country that often defines itself in contrast to its neighbour.

#HI6171 #PublicHistory

Screen shot from Instagram of Leanne standing with her book in OMahonys, Limerick. The caption says Thank you to Leanne Calvert for calling in to sign copies of her debut book, Pious and Promiscuous.

Thanks to OMahonys in Limerick having me down yesterday to sign copies of my book ❤️ first time I've personally seen it in a bookshop! @ria.ie @ulhistory.bsky.social

Thank you for following this nascent #PublicHistorian as I learned to use #Bluesky for what I love doing: telling a good story.

The #HeistHistories we continue to share shape our understanding of ourselves and our relationship with institutions of power.

📷: @claireul2025.bsky.social
#HI6171

Canada's Supreme Court upholds C$9m fine on maple syrup thief Nearly 3,000 tonnes of maple syrup was stolen in the so-called Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.

The #MapleSyrupHeist shows how positive #stereotypes can fortify #NationalIdentity.

Canada’s “most valuable” #Heist was non-violent, with no guns, and the perpetrators were held accountable.

#LiquidGold for a country that often defines itself in contrast to its neighbour.

#HI6171 #PublicHistory

'Paintings were suddenly seen as money': The reason art heists exploded in the 1970s Acclaimed new film The Mastermind, starring Josh O'Connor, tells the story of an art heist gone wrong. It's inspired by a wave of similar thefts at a time when society was in upheaval.

#GardnerMuseum: two fake police, 13 stolen masterpieces, and 0 arrests.

Maybe this #Heist shows the moment in time when #massmedia and #PublicBroadcasting broadened the publics understanding of the value of #Art and #CulturalHerietage? #PublicHistory #Democratizing #Culture?

#HI6171

Film poster with 4 characters

At the Northern Bank in Belfast masked men stole £26M, the largest cash robbery in UK history.

This #Heist (though the violent kidnapping blurs this term) exposed a society still marked by conflict and fragile trust.

Maybe it exposes the fault lines of #reconciliation?

#HI6171 📷: Amazon

a pink panther is standing in front of a fence and saying `` 2:22 i love you '' . ALT: a pink panther is standing in front of a fence and saying `` 2:22 i love you '' .

In non-violent heists, I often root for the thief.

Is my #Heist fascination about the crime or the fantasy of reclaiming power from institutions?

Is the public appeal questioning who owns heritage, who tells history, and who keeps it?

Maybe a #decolonizing conversation for the masses?

#HI6171

Small Mona Lisa in large room

In 1911, the #MonaLisa vanished from the #Louvre.

The thief? Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian nationalist who believed she should return home.

For two years the world searched, never imagining she was hidden in his small apartment.

#Heritage, #identity, and #art intertwined.

#HI6171
📷: Louvre

a man in a police uniform and tie says it 's heist day jake ALT: a man in a police uniform and tie says it 's heist day jake

Why do we root for the thief? Maybe because every #Heist flips the script. Its about individuals outsmarting the powerful.

We cheer rebellion against systems that feel untouchable.

It’s not the crime we admire, but the courage to challenge control.

#PublicHistory #Heritage #HI6171

Colorful words that pertain to National identity. A word map.

From the #Louvre to #Belfast to #Belfast to #RuralCanada, every #Heist becomes more than a crime, it becomes a story, a symbol, and a shared memory.

We study them not just for what was stolen, but for what they reveal about us. 📷: Cultural Heritage Informatics Initiative

#HI6171

What we choose to remember, and what we laugh about, says a lot about who we are as #Nations.

So do our commitments to justice.

Canada, a country that prides itself on law and order, arrested 17 people and justice was served to them sweet and slow... with maple syrup on the side.

#HI6171

The fact that the #MapleSyrupHeist is Canada’s largest to date #Heist, a non-violent and glacial theft, made for great fodder for late night hosts... Canadians became the punch line but they liked it.

Being told that even our crimes are polite reinforced #NationalIdeinty and #Values.

#HI6171

Apparently, over several months, nearly 10,000 barrels, worth in excess of $18 million were siphoned from the #CanadaianCartel...

Thank goodness it was only maple syrup! 🍁

When the news broke, late-night hosts couldn’t resist.

The world laughed, but for Canadians, it hit close to home. #HI6171

He tries to climb onto one of the huge barrels that should hold 600 pounds of product… but it feels lighter than usual.

When he opens it, he can’t believe his eyes. Things were about to get sticky.

Who would dare mess with the #CanadianCartel?

a man is pushing a red drum in a warehouse . ALT: a man is pushing a red drum in a warehouse .

In July 2012, Michel, a worker in a #CanadianCartel, arrives at a rural warehouse to check inventory.

For years his cartel had been building a secret reserve, a stockpile of "sweet stuff," allowing them to control the price of what they're pushing.

To Michel all looks fine... until👇

#HI6171

The Debate - France's Heist of the Century The Louvre is reopening for the first time since Sunday’s heist of the century. We will follow leads in a daylight robbery now estimated at 88 million euros and check security at the world’s most visi...

Going back to the inspiration for this week’s #StudentTakeOver, this is a great listen for understanding why the #LouvreHeist matters from a #Nationalism, #PublicHistory and #CultureLovers perspective.

#Heritage #Culture #MaterialCulture #TourGuide #ViveLeMusée!

www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/...

Please come to the annual Bolton-King public lecture on 5 November, at 6pm. Organised by the Limerick Centre for Early Modern Studies (@cemslimerick.bsky.social), in association with the Hunt Museum
@ulhistory.bsky.social
@michistory.bsky.social
@ulresearch.bsky.social
@ullibrary.bsky.social

For anyone interested here is a play by play of the theft presented by the museum.
www.gardnermuseum.org/audioguide/e...

Police drawings of fake police officers/ suspects

And the FBI continues to hunt for leads 35 years later. Let's hope French officials are more successful at solving the #LouvreHeist.
📷: FBI
#HeistHistories #PublicHistory #Heist #Rembrant #FBI

empty frames in fancy museum room

Keeping a candle burning for what was lost, the #IsabellaStewartGardnerMuseum still hangs the empty frames where the stolen paintings once were.

Silent reminders, waiting for their art to come home.
📷: Gardner Museum
#HI6171

collection of artwork stolen

Once done with the Rembrandts, the thieves turned to a few Degas sketches, a Manet, and even an eagle finial that once crowned one of Napoleon’s flagpoles.

In total, 13 works vanished that night, worth an estimated $600 million.

35 years later the museum is offering a $10 million reward.

📷: FBI

Then another. This time, a landscape once attributed to Rembrandt.

Only art historians "in the know" would have realized it had recently been reattributed to his student, Govaert Flinck.

A curious choice for thieves with such discerning taste…

Landscape with an Obelisk, 1638
📷: gardnermuseum.org

Then another Rembrandt was torn off the wall and cut from its frame.

A Lady and Gentleman in Black, 1633
📷: gardnermuseum.org

Boat besieged by a storm

In the late ’80s and early ’90s, several Massachusetts museums with Rembrandts had been targeted.

The thieves’ first target? Rembrandts' only seascape.

They took it down and sliced the canvas from its frame with a sharp blade.

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633)
📷: gardnermuseum.org

The men weren’t police officers. Within moments, they overpower the guards, binding them with duct tape and locking them in the basement.

The #Heist-ers move toward the Dutch Room… they know exactly what they’re after. The Rembrandt paintings 🎨🧑‍🎨

TBC👇 #HI6171 #HeistHistories

Louvre heist raises decades-old questions about museum security The heist at the Louvre on Sunday morning, which saw thieves flee with eight royal jewels, has raised questions about how well France's priceless historical artefacts and cultural heritage are being…

Louvre heist raises decades-old questions about museum security f24.my/BVbV.BS

Anyone working in #GLAMs knows that shrinking budgets make it harder to truly serve our publics. How can we protect invaluable cultural heritage in an era of austerity and constant cuts to culture funding? #HI6171

a person is standing in a dark room with a blue light coming out of the ceiling ALT: a person is standing in a dark room with a blue light coming out of the ceiling

With the #LouvreHeist still making headlines, let’s explore another unsolved museum #Heist.

It’s just after 1AM on March 18, 1990, in Boston (a famously rowdy city on St. Patrick’s Day), when a security guard at the #IsabellaStewartGardnerMuseum opens the door to two men dressed as police officers.

Louvre director admits security failures and insufficient camera coverage after heist Laurence des Cars also told French lawmakers she had tendered her resignation on Sunday after the theft, but that the culture ministry had refused it.

Louvre director admits security failures and insufficient camera coverage after heist