Unhinged History

We all have bad days at work, but never, and I mean never have we struggled as hard as Rear Admiral Zinovy “Mad Dog” Rozhestvensky as he led the Russian Second Pacific Squadron from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean to do his part in the Russo-Japanese War. Theresa has way too much fun sharing what could only be the real-life basis for Mchale's Navy.

You ever learn about a guy so bold and self-assured *and* keeps winning?! Angie tells us the story of the Norwegian Hans Solo, Peter Wessel Tordenskjold. At one point he goes in for a court martial and comes out with a raise instead. Theresa then shares the Dancing Plague of 1518. You know, that time everyone just compulsively danced until they dropped dead? That one.

Grab a juice box and settle in. Theresa is telling the story of Nakano Takeko, her joshigun (women's army), and the battle at Aizu-Wakamatsu. Takeko leads this group of 20-30 trained female warriors, think samurai, into battle and shows everyone just what an alpha female looks like.

Okay, some sets of stories are so delightfully unhinged they will be shared in public, without warning. These are two of those tales. Angie sets things off with the retelling of the Ghost Army, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops from WWII. These men used inflatable tanks, set design, and everything theater instructors had ever taught to fool the Axis Powers. Then Theresa tells the bizarre tale of Pope Pius II. She shares his spy mission, the dirty book he wrote (The Tale of Two Lovers), and how he funded Vlad the Impaler's campaign against Mehmed II.

This episode has it all. The plague. Trebuchets. WWII. Ducks. Theresa starts us off with a rollicking tale of how the Golden Horde allegedly flung their plague-ridden corpses into the city of Caffa around 1345–1347 because Khan Jani Beg had some big feelings about losing. Thank goodness Angie takes it upon herself to lighten the load, so to speak. She shares the story of Marine Sergeant Jack “Siwash” Cornelius, the duck that fought in several amphibious assaults in the Pacific Theater during WWII.

Journey through the pages of medieval writing with Angie and Theresa as we learn about the Voynich Manuscript. Angie unpacks what we know about this unreadable text. She shares theories and touches on aliens. Yup. Aliens.

Come for the myth of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Stay for Theresa sharing the facts around what we really know about the Voudou Queen of New Orleans. If you're like us, the truth is far more compelling.

This last week of Women's History Month hits hard. Theresa shares the story of Grunya Efimovna Sukhareva, the Russian researcher who discovered Autism decades before Hans Asperger. Angie makes Theresa cry when she shares the story of Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman to make it to space.

You know these two love a good WWII spy story. Theresa serves up the tale of Aline Griffith, the Princess Spy. She served the Allies during the war while based in Spain before marrying into a noble family. Angie brings us all the way back to the California Gold Rush with the story of Eleanor Dumont, the French card player who earned the nickname "Madame Mustache" later in life.

Angie starts off strong telling the story of Margaret Skinnider. This strong woman had zero chill. She starts out as a school teacher and turns into a revolutionary in Ireland. She participates in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin as a sniper. Before we introduce Theresa's story, let's point out that she misspeaks and says, "Mexican-owned Canada" multiple times. She meant California. She's as sorry as she should be. Despite this glaring error, Theresa tells the story of Esther Short, the woman who found Vancouver, Washington.

Get a fresh cup of coffee, drink it black, and strap in. Theresa starts us off by sharing the tale of Queen Lili'uokalani, the first and last queen of Hawaii. Angie comes in hot with the tale of a lesser-known aviatrix, Beryl Markham. This woman does it all, including two princes.

Join us as Angie kicks off Women's History Month with an absolute doozy. Kick your feet up and listen to the story of Georgia's Queen Tamar. This absolute badass lived from c. 1160 – 18 January 1213 and was their first queen to rule in her own right.

Some stories just stick with you. In Episode 55, Theresa mentioned Nubian warrior queens in passing. This caused Angie to rabbit hole and dig that story out. So sit back and enjoy the history of the Kandake, or Candaces, Sudan's warrior queens. These women face down Rome, at its height. Theresa brings us back to the US as she shares the story of Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the nation's first Black woman physician. She got her medical degree as the Civil War raged and became the only published Black woman in the 19th century.

This romp through history starts with Theresa returning to the 1980's in Brooklyn. She tells the tale of the Lo Life Crew. This group of men united through their passion and started boosting Ralph Lauren's Polo merch. From there they unknowingly changed the course of fashion. Angie balances out the episode by taking us back to the Wild West and telling us the story of Stagecoach Mary. Mary Fields (c. 1832 – December 5, 1914), was the first Black woman star route postwoman in the United States.

This was an incredible round-up of stories, as we celebrate Black History Month. Angie starts us off with a bang telling the story of Bass Reeves (July 1838 – January 12, 1910) the Black marshall who started his life as a slave. Theresa ponders the severity of travel warnings from the US State Department, as she shares the pyramids of Sudan.

Look, you're going to have some big feelings about this episode. This week, Theresa covers Henrietta Lacks and the medical racism that exists. While we have greatly benefited from Lacks' medical contributions, there are a lot of issues with the medical ethics around the HeLa cell line.

Some mashups are so bizarrely incredible that you don't know you need until you get them. We hope you're sitting down. This week Angie shares the story of the dark purple menace, Libby Holman. This singer, activist, and actor is on a whole other level. Theresa follows her up sharing the story of Phyllis Latour Doyle. Latour Doyle was a female spy in Nazi-occupied France and used knitting in her spy efforts. ...You're welcome.

What a year of podcasts it's been. Angie shares the history of the guillotine because, of course, she does. Then Theresa shares the most unhinged Christmas party that ever happened. She tells the tale of the Egg Nog Riots, that time when the Westpoint Academy went off the rails when they over indulged in the holiday drink.

Whew. What a couple of stories we've gathered for you. Angie shares the delightfully unhinged tale of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. This dude (1742-1819) has zero chill and is why Wellington won the Battle of Waterloo. Theresa must have known what Angie was bringing and matched the unhingedness with her telling of Erasmus of Lueg. This 15th-century knight survived a year-long siege in Predjama Castle and died when he was shot with a cannon while on the toilet.

Come hang out with us. Theresa starts off by telling us the folklore of Julia Brown, the Voodoo Queen ...sorta. She does a deeper dive giving you her origin story. Angie torments Theresa by telling the tale of Alexander the Great's death.