Don't Look Now

What is the link between a Danish King with a dead tooth and a ubiquitous technology that we tend to take for granted any time we wirelessly print something or make a call from a car?  Come learn about the story of Harald Bluetooth and what he means for our modern day life.

We continue the tale of Lizzie Borden with the story of her arrest and trial.  

The axe murders of Abby and Andrew Borden supposedly at the hands of their daughter Lizzie were one of the most sensational crimes of the Gilded Age and still talked about and debated today.  Did she do it? If so, why?  In this episode we discuss the family drama that lead up to the murders as well as what has been pieced together about the day itself and the subsequent police investigation.

Carlina White was abducted from the hospital in Harlem, NYC in 1987 when she was just 19 days old.  This is the story of how she came to be reunited with her family 23 years later.

We have reached a century of podcasts!  Today's episode is about Napoleon Bonaparte, the Little Corporal, famed French Military leader and Emperor.  Our format has changed for this special episode, so we hope you enjoy!

An episode all about the beginning of comics and the so called Golden Age of comics when classics such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman got their start.  Join us for some fun as we go through the comic book timeline and see how we got to the present day.

Learn about the origin of A Christmas Carol.  What particular ills of society drove Charles Dickens to write it?  What is Jeni's favorite adaptation? (hint, it stars Michael Caine)  Find out in this week's podcast.   

We discuss the story of Ellie Nesler, a mother who shot and killed the accused molester of her son while he was standing trial.  What lead up to her making this choice, and how did it end up affecting her family for years to come?

We discuss the International House of Prayer and more specifically a fringe group in Kansas City that went horribly wrong.  If you like cults this is for you.  Strap in, it's a long one!

We discuss the Duplessis Orphans, 20,000 Canadian children that were wrongly identified as mentally ill in order to increase funds for their mental health institutions that were run by the Catholic Church, including the Grey Nuns of Montreal.

We discuss the American folklore icon Johnny Appleseed.  What is the real story of the real man?  How did he bring boozy apples to the west?  Come check out the podcast and find out!

We discuss the origins of American Thanksgiving.  What was the First Thanksgiving like?  What was actually eaten?  How did the modern holiday become a national tradition?  Join us and make a wish on a wishbone.

Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece is often considered one of the world's most important paintings due to it being the first great oil painting and the forerunner of artistic realism in the Renaissance.  It also has a very exciting history, escaping destruction from angry reformation crowds and being stolen multiple times throughout its lifetime.  One panel, stolen in 1934, is still missing.  Come listen and learn about questionable restorations, Nazi art thievery, and a very disturbing looking lamb. 

Time to learn about Doris Payne, one of the most prolific jewel thieves in history with a career spanning into her 80s (if it is indeed over at age 90).

We discuss the life and times of Grigori Rasputin, Russian peasant, holy man, womanizer, and official royal hanger on.  In the lyrics of Boney M:There lived a certain man in Russia long agoHe was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glowMost people looked at him with terror and with fearBut to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dearHe could preach the Bible like a preacherFull of ecstasy and fireBut he also was the kind of teacherWomen would desire Ra ra RasputinLover of the Russian queenThere was a cat that really was goneRa ra RasputinRussia's greatest love machineIt was a shame how he carried on

We all know about Halloween, but what do you know about Devil's Night, aka Halloween Eve?  We discuss the history and less than rosy history of the night before Halloween, from kids turning over water basins to Detroit dumpster fires.

We discuss the Kensington Runestone, a stone of debated authenticity that is purported to be of 14th century Viking origin and found on a farm near Kensington, Minnesota.  Does this stone prove that Vikings explored much of northeastern North America and reached Minnesota, or is it all just a hoax?

We discuss the history and (believe it or not) science behind the Ouija Board, America's favorite portal to the other side/board game.

Travel back to the Wild West with the story of the Dalton Gang, a band of outlaws primarily run by the Dalton brothers that terrorized Oklahoma and Kansas and most famously participated in a bloody shootout following a double bank robbery in Coffeyville, Kansas.

We discuss the famous case of Tylenol tampering from 1982 Chicago, when seven people were killed by cyanide that was introduced into their Tylenol.  The random poisoning terrified the nation and remains unsolved to this day.