Good Ol' Grandpa Getty

33 years ago today, the 16 year old grandson of art collector, oil billionaire John Paul Getty, had his ear cut off by kidnappers. A few months earlier, dear gramps had refused to pay the 17 million dollar ransom, so the kidnappers sent the severed ear to a newspaper in Rome, along with a note reading,
"This is Paul’s ear. If we don’t get some money within 10 days, then the other ear will arrive. In other words, he will arrive in little bits."
When the package arrived 8 days after the deadline, Grandpa Getty still refused to pay! Apparently his grandson was only worth 2 million dollars, so after some negotiation, this is what the kidnappers ran off with. They never got caught.

The J. Paul Getty Museum is one of my favorite places in California, but after reading this story today....