This week we deep dive into the oft overlooked subplot of Batman's 1988 storyline "A Death in the Family" in which the Joker is recruited by the Ayatollah Khomeini himself to Iran's ambassador to the UN and the life of Dora Richter, the first Trans woman to ever receive gender-affirming surgery. A listener email finally clarifies the origins of the Michigan-Ohio rivalry. Episode Tabs: The Joker Was Once DC's U.N. Ambassador from Iran... Until He Wasn't https://www.cbr.com/batman-joker-iran-ambas...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 31 min•Season 2Ep. 75
This week we deep dive into the story of how bisexual icon Toto Koopman went from being a world famous model to World War II spy and how a planned citywide blackout resulted in a tense Los Angeles thinking it was under attack by the Japanese. A listener email explains how the final legal breakup of The Beatles occurred at the "Happiest Place on Earth." Episode Tabs: The Story of Toto Koopman, the Free-Spirited Model Turned World War II Spy https://www.them.us/story/toto-koopman The Great Los Ang...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 74
This week we deep dive into how turn of the century celebrity conman Death Valley Scotty came to get a castle built in the desert and how Dutch artist Willem Arondeus helped destroy the Amsterdam public records office, saving countless queer people and Jews from being identified by the occupying Nazi army. A listener email explains how the English weren't the only ones to eat mummies. Episode Tabs: There's A Damaged Castle Out In Death Valley With A Wild History. It's Now Open For Tour https://l...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 43 min•Season 2Ep. 73
This week we deep dive into how the Woman's Army Corps proved to be a safe space for closeted lesbians during WW2 and how after a trade deal with the Soviet Union in 1989, Pepsi briefly possessed the sixth-largest fleet in the world. A listener email informs us of Japan's Colonel Sanders curse. Episode Tabs: Allan Berube Interviews of WAC soldiers https://tinyurl.com/ep71sources The Doomed Voyage of Pepsi’s Soviet Navy https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/11/27/pepsi-navy-soviet-ussr/ Listener Tabs: H...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Season 2Ep. 72
This week we deep dive into how at the height the Cold War the United States and USSR put on cultural exchange fairs for each other and Michel and Nadine Vaujour pulled off one of the most dramatic helicopter prison escapes ever. A listener email clues us into the music career of a non-scientist Oppenheimer. Episode Tabs: The All-American Expo That Invaded Cold War Russia https://gizmodo.com/the-all-american-expo-that-invaded-cold-war-russia-550628823 Michel Vaujour, The Escape King https://www....
May 28, 2025•1 hr 31 min•Season 2Ep. 71
This week we deep dive into how ravens and wolves work in tandem to survive and how Tipu Sultan's beef with the English led to the greatest piece of hater art ever commissioned. A listener email explains how sharks have been around longer than Saturn's rings! Episode Tabs: Ravens and Wolves – Friends or Enemies https://centerofthewest.org/2022/10/13/ravens-and-wolves-friends-or-enemies/ Tipu’s Tiger https://smarthistory.org/tipus-tiger/ Listener Tabs: Dusty analysis shows Saturn’s rings are youn...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 70
This week we're joined by special guest Patrick Ballesteros as we deep dive into how gatekeeping can be an effective tool against instant gratification, how John Calhoun's landmark rodent utopia over-population experiment led to societal collapse, and how corvid behavior effects our everyday lives. A listener email tells us how Richard Nixon once longed to be the Kendrick Lamar of his day. Journey Through the Maze: 45 Years of PAC-MAN Opening Reception Info: https://cityofirvine.org/news-media/c...
May 14, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Season 2Ep. 69
Guest host Josie Azzam dives into the fascinating (and occasionally outrageous) lives of Napoleon Bonaparte’s many siblings while Hannah goes on an existential journey to learn more about the mysterious Sea Peoples and their role in the collapse of the Bronze Age civilizations. A listener mail asks the question: was Shakespeare actually Italian? Episode Tabs: House of Bonaparte https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Bonaparte What Role Did the Sea Peoples Play in the Bronze Age Collapse? https:/...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 68
This week we learn about all the many, many Popes who have been murdered, and guest host Alyssa Cooper shines a light on the unexpectedly progressive world of 19th century New England whaling wives. A listener email tells us all about the inventor of the automatic machine gun, Hiram Maxim, and his foray into amusement park rides. Episode Tabs: In 1303 the French King Sent Goons to Attack and Kidnap the Pope https://www.history.com/articles/french-king-kidnapping-pope-philip-iv-boniface-vii Whali...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 67
This week we learn about how the introduction of the corrugated box changed the entire pizza delivery industry and how Pythagoras' belief that fava beans contained the souls of the dead may have lead to his violent death. A listener email gets into the X-rated history of tree carvings in the American west. Episode Tabs: The Low-Tech Genius of the Cardboard Pizza Box https://www.eater.com/2016/9/28/13065010/pizza-box-design The Death of Pythagoras https://philosophynow.org/issues/78/The_Death_of_...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 66
This week we deep dive into how professional flatulists used to make the big bucks and how Tippi Hedren's humanitarian work with Vietnamese refugees inadvertently created a multi-billion dollar industry. A listener email explains how Legacy Park in Ashburn, VA is a valued MEMBER of the community. Episode Tabs: The True Story of Roland the Farter, and How the Internet Killed Professional Flatulence https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/roland-the-farter-professional-flatulence Nailed It https://t...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 65
This week we're in Chicago for C2E2 as we deep dive into what led to the confrontation of German and Irish immigrants vs the Chicago Police Department in 1855 and how 2 renegade tricksters managed to tank Dow Chemical's stock by giving a fake interview to the BBC. A listener email shares their Filipino family's own personal story of crossing paths with the Aswang. Episode Tabs: The Lager Beer Riot: Chicago’s ‘First North Side War’ https://brewedculture.org/2017/05/04/the-lager-beer-riot-chicagos...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 64
This week we're joined by special guest Murahd Shawki as we deep dive into people who are questioned by police for exercising their First Amendment right to video record in public spaces like a Taco Bell parking lot, how El Adobe in San Juan Capistrano came to be Richard Nixon's favorite Mexican restaurant despite only serving continental cuisine, and how a shaggy sheepdog named Auditor won the hearts of miners in Butte, Montana. A listener email tells us how Vanuatu tribes are mourning the deat...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 63
This week we deep dive into the strange phenomenon of people who falsely claim to be descended from Native American or First Nation ancestors and the absolutely unhinged on and off field antics of Baseball Hall of Famer Rube Waddell. A listener email explains how the only copilot in NASCAR history was a rhesus monkey named Jocko Flocko. Episode Tabs: Who can Identify as a Native American? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBQPks1zb3A Rube Waddell https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/rube-waddell/ Liste...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 62
It's Nowruz again so this week we deep dive into how the legend of Siavash may have influenced Persians to jump over fire on Red Wednesday and how a proposed U.S. state would span the southern Oregon and Northern California region. A listener email explains how Disney perfected a hue of green for their trashcans as to become almost invisible to park goers. Episode Tabs: Chaharshanbe Suri: A Fire-jumping Festival https://welcometoiran.com/chaharshanbe-suri-fire-jumping-festival/ State of Jefferso...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Season 2Ep. 61
This week we're joined by special guest J. L. Westover as we deep dive into the mechanics of a capitalist gameshow of yesteryear, how Australian jewel beetles mistakenly bang discarded beer bottles, and that time the CIA tried to trick a Filipino communist guerrilla movement into thinking vampires were real. A listener email tells us how a Finnish pizza restaurant clapped back at Silvio Berlusconi by making an award winning spite pizza. Episode Tabs: How to Become a Fan of the Supermarket Sweep ...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Season 2Ep. 60
This week we conclude the Stone of Destiny heist and deep dive into the various stories of ship boys named Richard Parker who were eaten at sea. A listener email tells us about the time the UK Royal Air Force airdropped cats into a remote part of Malaysia to help deal with the rat problem. Episode Tabs: The Students Who Stole The Stone Of Destiny https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-63130942 Cannibalism at Sea: The Starving Victorian Sailors Who Ate a Cabin Boy https://www.histor...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Season 2Ep. 59
This week we deep dive into how a shortcut meant to save time while programming spawned a love affair with cheat codes and how a group of college students decided to steal an ancient symbol of Scottish kings back from the English. A listener email reveals the multicultural history of Groundhog Day. Episode Tabs: Game Breaking: How Cheat Codes Changed Video Games Forever https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a33650224/cheat-code-history/ The Students Who Stole The Stone Of Destiny https...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 58
This week we deep dive into Naser al-Din Shah Qajar's published diary of his 1873 European tour and learn about bigger and better houses of spite. A listener email reveals how a sexy Abe Lincoln statue broke everyone's brains. Episode Tabs: Nasir Al-Din Shah And The Art Of Indifference https://new.bidoun.org/articles/redolent-delusions Spite Buildings: When Human Grudges Get Architectural https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jun/21/spite-buildings-when-human-grudges-get-architectural-in-pictu...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 57
This week we deep dive into how Billionaire James Crocker built a fence around a German immigrant's home in San Francisco and how legendary arson investigator John Orr's passion project doubled as a confession for some of California's worst fires. A listener email explains how the first ever women’s college basketball game was played at Smith College in 1893. Episode Tabs: The Man Who Built a 40-Foot Spite Fence Around His Neighbor’s Home https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/94298/crocker-spite-f...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 56
This week we learn how the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 gave birth to the city's most honest gambler and how Mark Twain's feud with the United States Postal Service lasted a lifetime. A listener email tells us the story of Mike the Headless Chicken. Episode Tabs: The Irish American Gangster Whose Family Rose from Chicago's Ashes https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/big-jim-oleary-chicago-crime-boss Mark Twain Had a Lifelong Feud with the United States Postal Service https://www.atlasobscura....
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Season 2Ep. 55
This week we learn about a sex manual/midwifery book from 1684 and how the American Hippo Act forced two rivals from South Africa to come together for the greater good. A listener email explains why Pandas use horse manure to stay warm. Episode Tabs: When the Birds and the Bees Were Not Enough https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/when-the-birds-and-the-bees-were-not-enough-aristotle-s-masterpiece/ American Hippopotamus https://magazine.atavist.com/american-hippopotamus/ Listener Tabs: Why is Ber...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 40 min•Season 2Ep. 54
This week we finally unpack Charles Dellschau's forgotten aeronautical notebooks and learn how long-term nuclear waste warning messages are created. A listener email digs up the story of how the Brynlow shovel was dug up out of Alderley Edge but not identified as a Bronze Age tool until many decades later. Episode Tabs: Charles A.A. Dellschau Book http://www.shishigami.com/srfa/Charles_Dellschau_FINAL.pdf Inverse Archaeology: Sending a Message to the Future https://www.stochastication.com/2016/0...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 43 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Unfortunately the LA fires have forced us to delay recording, so here's a quick update about ways you can help followed by our last Patreon AMA that should be unhinged enough to hold you all over till next week. Stay safe friends!! ANIMATION PPL & FRIENDS AFFECTED BY FIRES: https://airtable.com/appugwkqKAVGDdeaJ/shrrujOu1GKwKAW0f/tblBTejpocYFoeauX Email your closed tab submissions to: 500opentabs@gmail.com Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/500OpenTabs 500 Open Roads (Google Maps...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Season 2Ep. 52
We're back from the winter break and midder than ever! This week we learn how salamanders tricked medieval Europeans into thinking they were fireproof and how Prussian immigrant Charles Dellschau's forgotten aeronautical notebooks came to shock the art world 40 years after his death. A listener email tells the harrowing tale of how astronaut Sergei Krikalev got stuck in space after the fall of the Soviet Union. Episode Tabs: The Asbestos Workers’ Salamander http://www.laborculture.org/publicatio...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Season 2Ep. 51
Yes it's technically 2025 now but here are Kaveh's two most popular tabs of 2024 as voted by you the audience! Join us as we revisit the story of our Horse Daddy King Nikola Jokić and the wonderful Meiji era political cartoons involving Tanuki balls. Episode Tabs: How Nikola Jokić Became The World’s Best Basketball Player https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/12/how-nikola-jokic-became-the-worlds-best-basketball-player Testicular Tanuki Tales: Japanese Folk Humor for Children with a Ribald ...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 50
This year for Christmas you're getting Hannah's two most popular tabs of 2024 as voted by you the audience! Join us as we revisit the story of how Iceland got the wrong translation of Dracula and Pompeian graffiti got freaky deaky. Episode Tabs: The Literary Mystery of the Icelandic Dracula by Valur Grettison https://grapevine.is/mag/2022/05/09/the-literary-mystery-of-the-icelandic-dracula/ What the Graffiti of Ancient Pompeii Teach Us About Our Modern Selves https://blog.degruyter.com/graffiti-...
Dec 25, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 49
On our season 1 finale, the ancient tournament of Kumitab continues as we pit some of our craziest subjects against one another including Ronald Reagan's sweatpants, a meth-addled WW2 solider, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. A listener email explains the wonders of a nonstop Moby Dick reading marathon. Listener Tabs: https://slate.com/life/2024/01/moby-dick-whale-book-ship-massachusetts-captain-ahab.html https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/getting-to-the-bottom-of-mel-s-hole/article_d72...
Dec 18, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 48
This week we learn about how an offline meme of the number 47 made its way into Star Trek and how a hibernating lizard named Ol' Rip caught the attention of President Calvin Coolidge himself. A listener email shines a light on Disneyland's complex system of garbage tunnels. Episode Tabs: The 47 Society https://www.47.net/47society/ The strange tale of Old Rip, the horned toad on display in a Texas courthouse https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texana/2018/10/05/the-strange-tale-of-old-rip-the-horned...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 47
This week we learn how the battle between Nikolai Vavilov and Trofim Lysenko reached its crescendo when the Nazis came for the Russian seed vault and how the Zeno Brothers claimed to have "discovered" the New World first. A listener email explains how bees love to play with balls. Episode Tabs: The Heroic Story of Nikolai Vavilov and The Saviors of the Seeds https://campfirestoriespodcast.medium.com/the-heroic-story-of-nikolai-vavilov-and-the-saviors-of-the-seeds-c46e9efb076a The Zeno Voyage htt...
Dec 04, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Season 1Ep. 46
