Unhinged History

Whatever you were expecting, this ain’t it. Theresa brings us an unsettling tale about a group of scientists in the 1970s who placed Felicia, a ferret, in a particle accelerator for scientific purposes. Apparently, they needed to clean out the four miles of tubes, and what better way than a diaper-wearing ferret? Angie struggles to find a transition to her story when she pivots to recap the 1527 Sack of Rome. She ends up naming all of the famous people alive during this time as they all enter the chat. This episode pairs well with: Siwash, the duck that fought in the Marines Mehmed II

Buckle up, kids. Today, for no explainable reason, Angie and Theresa swap stories. Angie jumpstarts the episode by telling everyone about the role in the Dutch resistance that Audrey Hepburn played. Theresa takes to the skies when she shares the story about Thomas Fitzpatrick, the man who was drunk and on a bet stole and landed a plane on the streets of the Washington Heights neighborhood in NYC – twice. Apparently, the second time, the fellow bar patron didn’t believe him, so he had to show him. This episode pairs well with: Resistance Fighter: Toto Koopman The Doomed Second Pacific Squadron

In another week of unexpected history, Theresa kicks things off with a story from Brazil. Meet Antonio Conselheiro, a man crushed by life who turns to following God. He wanders the back country of Brazil, preaching the Good News and fixing churches. He ends up building a community with recently freed Black people who have nowhere else to turn. Because no good deed goes unpunished, farmers who lost their laborers raise an army, and history does its thing. Angie, shocked by this tale, pivots sharply and takes us into the Gilded Age by telling us the story of Mamie Fish. This socialite surprised and delighted the upper crust with her antics. Come for her elaborate dinner parties. Stay for the monkey dressed as a prince. This episode pairs well with: Seneca Village: Andrew Williams Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth

First off, did you know there is a black market for luxury cheeses? Angie shatters Theresa’s understanding of things when she shares the “Grate Cheese Heist of 2024.” Listen to how a massive amount of artisanal cheese is stolen and unaccounted for. Then Theresa shifts gears and shares the WWII story of Agent Zigzag. This British citizen, Eddie Chapman, moves from criminal to German spy to British double-agent. There are love affairs, blowing up factories, and lies. This story has it all. This episode pairs well with: The great butter and cheese fire of 1991 Great Maple Syrup Heist The SAS raid no one knew about Odette Samson

Old-timey history has tons of greats. Previously, Theresa and Angie lamented not having modern greats, until today. Theresa shares the Great Madison Butter Fire of 1991. Join us as she regales Angie with the tale of 12,500 tons of dairy products going up in flames, releasing a river of cream and melted butter. This blaze took eight days to put out and was quite the event. Angie shifts the episode's tone dramatically as she tells us the story of how JFK was saved by a coconut. During this episode, Angie makes Theresa crack up when she admits to not realizing he served in WWII. This episode pairs with: The NW Butter Crimes Bad Butter Rebellion The bonkers story of the Second Pacific Squadron Josef Mencik – the WWII Knight

This week, Angie shares many of the factors that excite her about history. She shares an overview of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed II’s rise to power, and how his path crosses with a young Wallachian prince, Vlad Tepes. Once you add in the socio-political stances of the European kingdoms and the fear of Muslim takeovers, you now see how Pope Pius II funded the military campaigns of Vlad Tepes, who would go on to earn the spot in history as Dracula. This episode pairs well with: Pope Pius II Funds Dracula’s War

Whatever you were expecting for today’s episode, this ain’t it. Theresa jumps right into the podcast, telling the story of Cherokee Beloved Woman, Nanyihe (aka Nancy Ward). This woman, from the age of 17, commands respect from her people as she attempts to help them navigate a world of English settlers moving in. Some say she’s the hero, while others view her as a traitor. Angie takes a sharp left turn in the storytelling to share the tale of The War of Jenkins’ Ear. If you love missing body parts and pointless wars, this story is for you. It takes place between Great Britain and Spain from 1739 to 1748 and kicks off over an ear. This episode pairs well with: Sacagawea The Theft of the Irish Crown Jewels - Santa Anna’s Missing Leg The Barataria Pirates

Each week, we come up with some absolutely bonkers stories, and this week is no different. Angie shares how Holland dealt with an unpopular Grand Pensionary (think prime minister). Johan de Witt sparked such anger among the crowd that on August 20, 1672, they tore him apart and ate his remains. Theresa gingerly side-steps the cannibalism and shares how Cherokee Chief Sequoyah fell in love with the concept of written language and created the first written version of a Native American language. The Cherokee Syllabary remains in use to this day. This episode pairs well with: "Lord" Timothy Dexter Tarrare Sacagawea

This week, Unhinged History honors the achievements of native Americans and their history. We hear a lot about the Navajo codetalkers of WWII, but how much do you know about the Choctaw codetalkers of WWI that inspired the Second World War version? If you’re like most of the world, you don’t know much. This week, Theresa takes Angie on a romp through history as she shares the origins of the United States using the languages of indigenous peoples to communicate effectively without their messages getting intercepted. Angie scares Theresa when she also tells a story about the Choctaw. Instead of talking about WWI, Angie zips back to the mid-1800s to share about the first Choctaw lawyer and the first Native American to be admitted to the bar in the United States. James Lawrence McDonald was educated by the government, then used his education to serve his people and help them when the nation didn’t honor its side of the treaties. These stories pair well with: Francis Pegahmagabow Anandi Joshi

Apparently, Angie can’t stop thinking about the fall of the Berlin Wall, and today tackles the specific incidents that directly led to its collapse. So if you want to hear how Russian middle managers muff the punt and how that triggers some real drama... Theresa shifts the focus of history in a dramatic way when she shares the story of Apache warrior, healer, and holy woman, Lozen. She shares her mystical powers of tracking her enemy, her missions with her brother Victorio, and how she joined Geronimo’s forces.

This week, these two unhinged ladies wrap up the final week of Spooky Season with two perfect stories for the time of year. Theresa kicks off with the story of Wild Bill Hickock and how he was haunted by the death of one of the men he killed in a gun fight, and how his final hand of poker became known as the “Deadman’s Hand.” Angie digs up a great tale when she regales us with the story of Edgar Allen Poe's death. While his life was far from illustrious, it appears he might have been “cooped.” Cooping was when a group of people attempting to cause voter fraud, kidnapped and beat the victims, then got them drunk and had them vote in accordance with the kidnappers. This story pairs well with: Stagecoach Mary Fields Button Gwinnett

Way back when King James II was attempting to bring his bride to England, her voyage hit some bad weather. So he blamed witches. Angie shares the North Berwick Witch Trials and how the king later regrets them. Theresa takes things down a dark path as she wades into some true crime, telling the story of the Lady of Crescent Lake. Come for the terrible relationship where the wife goes missing. Stay for the part where the lake relinquishes her body years later, after it had turned to soap. This episode pairs well with: The last witch burned in Ireland The Haunted Queen Mary

We’re deep in Spooky Season, as Angie and Theresa share some tales to get us in the spirit. Theresa starts things off when she covers the sinking of the Andelana. This four-mast ship was safely anchored in Tacoma, Washington, when a storm hit, sinking the vessel in minutes without witnesses. All 17 men aboard were drowned. Then we have to unpack the tragedies that happen after it sinks... Angie outdoes herself when she covers Inês de Castro and Pedro (Peter 1 of Portugal). You might have already heard of Inês. She’s the skeleton queen of Portugal. It’s a rather sordid tale involving multiple civil wars fought for love. It’s just unfortunate for Peter 1, that his love lasts longer than his partner’s life span. These stories pair well with: The Haunted Queen Mary Lady Mary Howard

This week, Angie explores the adventures of Pyotr Kozlov, a traveler from Russia/Soviet Union who explored large portions of Asia and was falsely reported to have found the tomb of Genghis Khan. Kozlov led several expeditions uncovering several royal burials and was surprisingly appreciated by the countries in which he worked. This episode pairs well with: Rear Admiral Robert Byrd Mary Kingsley

Join us as Theresa kicks off the spooky season by sharing the origins of her favorite book, Frankenstein. She takes us through all the scientific advancements leading to the creation of the favorite creature. From resuscitating drowning victims to using electricity to generate muscle spasms in corpses, science hinted that reanimating the dead was just around the corner. Theresa also shares some of the darker parts of Mary Shelley’s life that added additional color to the horror and grief in the book. This episode pairs well with: The Casquette Girls of New Orleans 14

Join us this week as we tackle some sketchy history. Angie starts us with the story of (not quite a founding mother) Eliza Bowen Jumel. She’s born in a brothel, and eventually becomes the wealthiest woman in America. This fascinating woman ends up marrying Aaron Burr later in life and divorces him, using Alexander Hamilton Jr. as her lawyer. Theresa takes us to Japan in the 1100s and regales us with the story of Saitō Musashibō Benkei. This legendary samurai grows up in a series of monasteries, goes rogue, and in his quest to win 1000 swords in battle, becomes the loyal retainer of Yoshitsune. While defending Yoshitsune, Benkei would defeat 300 swordsmen and die standing (and riddled with arrows). This story pairs well with: Nell Gwyn - actress and court mistress Miyamoto Musashi

Theresa is back at it. This story has a little bit of everything you expect from one of her stories. WWII. Female spies. A missing leg. Join us as she shares the tale of Virginia Hall. This renowned spy has an incredible story, and there is so much to unpack. This story pairs well with: Odette Samson and Peter Churchill

Angie continues with her love affair with SAS member Paddy Mane. Join us as she takes us through his work during WWII. Paddy is quite the hero. While demurely accepting medals for his valor, our favorite Irishman is leading his troops miles behind enemy lines and making the lives of the Axis powers rough. This story pairs well with: Paddy Mane’s Intro to the SAS

Angie is riding her Paddy Mane trip for the second week. This week, she covered Paddy Mane's tumultuous start to military service and how he met the founders of the SAS. Theresa takes us in a wildly different direction as she circles back on a previous story. Before she'd covered William Riker, the cult-founder of Holy City in episode 132. Today she covers William Riker's lawyer, Melvin Belli. This man fired a cannon from the roof of his office and flew the Jolly Roger flag when he won cases. This episode pairs well with: Paddy Mane's Early Years Melvin Belli's Cult-Founding Client

History is strange and weird. Today's mash-up of stories proves it. Theresa picks up where she left off last week. (Last week, she shared about that time North Korea sent 31 commandos into South Korea to take out their president.) This week, South Korea responds by forming their own squad, only spoiler alert: things go fantastically awry. Angie collects her bearings before sharing the early years of her favorite SAS member, "Paddy" Blair Mane. Join us as she tells about him hunting South African springbok in formal wear and more. These stories pair well with: The Blue House Raid The SAS Raid You Never Heard Of