Crimes of the Centuries - podcast cover

Crimes of the Centuries

Amber Hunt and Audioboomwww.centuriespod.com
Crime is so commonplace that it takes something particularly shocking to be labelled the “crime of the century.” Even so, there are a lot of cases that have earned the distinction. In each episode of Crimes of the Centuries, award-winning journalist Amber Hunt will examine a case that’s lesser known today but was huge when it happened. The cases explored span the centuries and each left a mark. Some made history by changing laws. Others were so shocking they changed society.

Episodes

S5 Ep6: The Enduring Mystery of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid

For much of their outlaw careers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid weren't the inseparable duo that Hollywood made us believe with its 1969 depiction of the pair. But the movie isn't the only reason the two are inextricably linked: The two members of the Wild West crew known as The Wild Bunch were wanted men when they opted in 1901 to disappear together. The official story is that the pair died in a shoot-out with the Bolivian army, but more than a century later, questions remain. " Crimes of ...

Apr 07, 202548 minSeason 5Ep. 6

*BONUS* Strange And Unexplained- That Time Democracy Almost Collapsed: The Forgotten History of Smedley Butler and the Plot to Overthrow FDR

Crimes Of The Centuries is dark this week, but we hope you'll enjoy this episode of Strange And Unexplained with Daisy Eagan. In the 1930s, some shadowy figures approached a decorated and beloved Marine with a plot to overthrow the government and replace FDR with someone much more friendly to the wealthy. If only they hadn't chosen Smedley Butler to do their bidding, we might be living in a very different world today. " Strange and Unexplained " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab & Three Goos...

Mar 31, 202542 min

S5 Ep5: How the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire Forever Changed Civil Litigation

As the audience was settling in for an evening of entertainment in one of the swankiest nightclubs in the Midwest, a busboy approached the mic and asked everyone to exit the sprawling building. Soon, the place was engulfed. The May 28, 1977, fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club was a deadly disaster that subsequent investigations found was not only preventable, but had been predicted, too. The lawsuits that followed changed the landscape of class-action litigation in America. " Crimes of the Ce...

Mar 24, 202545 minSeason 5Ep. 5

S5 Ep4: How Family Man John List Became New Jersey's Bogeyman

To outsiders, John List was a mild-mannered, church-going father of three whose oddest trait was mowing the lawn in a suit and tie. But then the bodies of his wife, mother and three children were uncovered rotting in the family's Westfield, New Jersey, home in late 1971. This was no whodunit: List left notes explaining not only what he'd done, but why he claimed he had to do it. Then he disappeared, becoming one of America's most wanted criminals. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Gr...

Mar 17, 202546 minSeason 5Ep. 4

S5 Ep3: Mulholland's Deadly Dam Disaster

William Mulholland was summoned to the St. Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon early March 12, 1928, to inspect some leaks that workers found worrisome. Mulholland shrugged off the concerns and declared the dam -- the 19th he'd designed alone to feed water to the parched desert of Los Angeles -- perfectly safe. Hours later, the dam gave way, releasing billions of gallons of water downstream, killing more than 400 people. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring ...

Mar 10, 202546 minSeason 5Ep. 3

S5 Ep2: The Genesee River Killer

Sex workers began disappearing in the Rochester, New York, area at an alarming rate in the late 1980s. When their strangled and mutilated bodies were later discovered, it was clear they were being targeted by a sick killer with a distinct MO. It turned out that the man behind the killings, Arthur Shawcross, had already killed before. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get ear...

Mar 03, 202549 minSeason 5Ep. 2

Friday Follow-Up: Charley Ross: America's First Kidnapping for Ransom

On this Friday Follow-Up, we update with information brought to us by two descendants of an important latter-day figure in the case. After 4-year-old Charley Ross vanished in a carriage with two men who'd offered him candy and fireworks, police at first told his father to wait it out. Surely the men had no bad intentions. Then came the first ransom letter. And another. And another. In 1874, the Charley Ross case marked the first time in American history that a child had been stolen for money. " ...

Feb 28, 202543 min

S5 Ep1: Twins Torn Apart: The Kidnapping of Marion Parker

When a well-dressed man approached a Los Angeles junior high school in 1927 asking for his coworker Perry Parker's daughter, the woman at the front desk should have immediately sensed something was off. Parker didn't have one daughter at the school; he had two. When the man clarified he wanted the "younger" Parker girl, that should have struck the office marm as odder still because the girls were twins. Still, Mary Holt summoned 12-year-old Marion Parker to leave school grounds -- a deadly decis...

Feb 24, 202550 minSeason 5Ep. 1

Introducing: CRIME HOUSE TRUE CRIME STORIES

Crime House True Crime Stories is the ultimate destination for true crime fans. Every episode features two notorious cases from that week in crime history, tied by a common theme like infamous serial killers, mysterious disappearances, tragic murders, and more. Every Monday, uncover the full stories behind the headlines as host Vanessa Richardson takes you through high-profile investigations like the murder of Gabby Petito, the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, and the mass suicide of the Heaven's ...

Feb 20, 202516 min

S4 Ep46: The Betrayal of Anne Frank

Most people know the story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who hid in a secret attic for two years with six other people to avoid the Nazis, but a question still festers 80 years later: Who turned them in and sealed their fates? " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page. DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES B...

Feb 17, 202544 minSeason 4Ep. 46

S4 Ep45: The Lysine Cartel: How an Informant (Sloppily) Exposed Archer Daniels Midland

Mark Whitacre, a high-ranking exec at the agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland, approached the FBI with some scandalous news: His employer was part of an international cartel illegally inflating the cost of lysine, an additive used in animal feed. What Whitacre ultimately helped uncover landed more than just his bosses in prison. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get ...

Feb 10, 202545 minSeason 4Ep. 45

S4 Ep44: At Any Cost: The Rise and Fall of Lance Armstrong

After recovering from Stage 4 testicular cancer, cyclist Lance Armstrong not only got his health back, but he became one of the sport's highest profile figures, winning seven Tour de France races in a row. While he insisted -- repeatedly and under oath -- that he'd earned those wins without the help of performance-enhancing drugs, one of his past teammates stepped forward to tell a different story. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from time...

Feb 03, 202545 minSeason 4Ep. 44

S4 Ep43: How Two Murders Became Three: The Story of George Stinney Jr.

In 1944, the brutal slayings of two young girls made plenty of headlines in Alcolu, South Carolina. The trial of their suspected killer garnered far less attention -- even when he was convicted and violently executed in the electric chair. That's because few people had much sympathy for the boy who supposedly confessed to the crime. Nearly a century later, however, and 14-year-old George Stinney Jr. is not only recognized as the youngest person legally executed in America in the 20th century, bu...

Jan 27, 202544 minSeason 4Ep. 43

S4 Ep42: Aberfan's Lost Generation

Students at Pantglas Junior School had just settled in at their desks the morning of Oct. 21, 1966, when an avalanche of slurry swept through the building, trapping hundreds of children and teachers and wiping out nearby homes and businesses. Known as the Aberfan Disaster, the collapse of a colliery spoil tip ultimately killed 116 children and 28 adults. While the official cause was weeks of heavy rain, what happened was no mere act of God. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag ...

Jan 20, 202548 minSeason 4Ep. 42

S4 Ep41: The Stealing of 'The Scream'

As the world descended on Norway for the 1994 Winter Olympics, a determined thief set his sights on a Norweigian painting he'd coveted most of his life: Edvard Munch's The Scream. The daring theft of the world-renowned painting took less than a minute and prompted an undercover sting in hopes of retrieving the masterpiece. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-f...

Jan 13, 202541 minSeason 4Ep. 41

S4 Ep40: The Murder That Scandalized Harvard

On Thanksgiving week in 1849, Boston doctor and Harvard graduate George Parkman went for a walk and never returned home. The last place he'd been spotted was near the college's medical school, where he'd stopped for a meeting with Harvard chemistry professor John White Webster. The case that unfolded not only made international headlines but it threatened the reputation of America's oldest university. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from t...

Jan 06, 202541 minSeason 4Ep. 40

Introducing The In Between Podcast

Host Mel Barrett investigates a famous murder case that has split the community in her home state of New Hampshire right down the middle for thirty-four years. It’s a closed case, but based on what Mel uncovers this season in old police files (including surreptitiously recorded wiretaps), never before heard interviews, and a bombshell post trial interview with a juror that’s been hidden away, Mel is about to blow the case wide open. On this season of The In Between Podcast, the Accomplice to Mur...

Dec 30, 202428 min

Daniel Sickles: Temporarily Insane?

Crimes of the Centuries presents one of Amber's favorite episodes from Season One. Happy holidays everyone! In 1859, two of Washington, D.C.'s highest-profile men were in love with the same woman -- and that love triangle would lead to the broad-daylight shooting of one of them just a stone's throw from the White House. The victim had been the first-born son of Francis Scott Key, author of the lyrics to America's national anthem. And his killer would be the first in the country to argue a defens...

Dec 23, 202442 min

S4 Ep39 Part 2: Claus von Bülow's Two Trials of the Century

We are bringing you part two of the "Sunny" von Bülow story as a Bonus episode! When heiress and socialite Martha "Sunny" von Bülow was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor, her husband seemed awfully quick to pull the plug when doctors declared her comatose. Suspicions only grew when investigators discovered that Claus von Bülow had a mistress who'd given him an ultimatum to leave Sunny or else. But what seemed at first glance as an open-and-shut case turned out to be anything but. " Crimes...

Dec 17, 202436 min

S4 Ep39: The Decades-Long Death of "Sunny" von Bülow

To outsiders, Claus and Martha "Sunny" von Bülow seemed an idyllic couple on the upper echelons of high society, but those who knew them best were growing increasingly concerned in the late 1970s when Sunny began having health scares that doctors couldn't figure out. Claus said his wife was a depressed alcoholic, but Sunny's children and maid weren't so sure. Things took a tragic turn after Christmas of 1980, captivating the country and beyond with one of the highest-profile cases of the 20th ce...

Dec 16, 202442 minSeason 4Ep. 39

S4 Ep38: The Nazi Plunder of World War II

We all know Adolph Hitler as a mediocre artist-turned-genocidal dictator, but did you know that he pulled off the greatest art heist the world has ever seen? As World War II unfolded across Europe, Hitler directed his Nazis to steal countless masterpieces from every country they traversed. He kept his favorites, while others were hidden in castles and salt mines to be unearthed after the war ended. Many of the pieces have never been recovered. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab B...

Dec 09, 202456 minSeason 4Ep. 38

S4 Ep37: Escape from Alcatraz

The morning of June 12, 1962, alarms sounded at the federal prison on Alcatraz Island when guards conducting a head count came up three inmates short. In the prisoners' beds were decoy heads that bought the men enough time to escape the supposedly inescapable prison known as The Rock. The trio -- Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin -- had used handmade tools to dig tunnels and craft makeshift rafts to brave the cold and turbulent waters of the Pacific in their bid for freedom. " C...

Dec 02, 202444 minSeason 4Ep. 37

S4 Ep36: Brink's Heist: The Ultimate Caper

On January 17, 1950, a throng of men wearing superhero Halloween masks stormed into the headquarters of Brink's in Boston, Massachusetts, and made off with nearly $2.8 million. For years, the case baffled federal authorities, who spent 10 times the amount stolen working to solve the crime. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patre...

Nov 25, 202447 minSeason 4Ep. 36

S4 Ep35: Firefighter-Turned-Arsonist John Leonard Orr

As a series of brush and building fires baffled most firefighters in the Los Angeles region, John Orr of the Glendale Fire Department seemed amazingly skilled at identifying the cause of each blaze. He was so skilled at his job, in fact, that he was routinely asked to train other firefighters. Turned out, though, there was a sinister reason for Orr's success. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped chang...

Nov 18, 202442 minSeason 4Ep. 35

S4 Ep34: The Monster of Florence

Between 1968 and 1985, eight sets of lovers were murdered during new moons in the Tuscany region of Italy. The mysterious and brutal slayings terrorized the region, made international headlines and fueled countless theories -- including one that the Monster of Florence and America's Zodiac Killer were one and the same. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free ...

Nov 11, 202447 minSeason 4Ep. 34

S4 Ep33: The Unholy Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker

As high-rolling televangelists, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker built a Christian media empire that included a theme park, broadcasting network and ministry funded by faithful viewers who believed the Bakkers when they said God would reward their investments 100-fold in this life and even more so in the next one. Then the feds got involved. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get ea...

Nov 04, 202452 minSeason 4Ep. 33

S4 Ep32: How the 1919 World Series Blackened the Chicago White Sox and American Sports

In the wake of the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, disturbing rumors began to swirl that sparked an investigation: Did members of the White Sox club -- including legendary "Shoeless Joe" Jackson -- conspire with professional gamblers to rig the outcome of the series? " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on ...

Oct 28, 202451 minSeason 4Ep. 32

S4 Ep31: You Have the Right to an Attorney ... Thanks to Clarence Earl Gideon

A poor drifter named Clarence Earl Gideon had faced more than his share of legal run-ins over his lifetime, but when he was arrested in 1961 for allegedly stealing some drinks and quarters from a bar, he insisted he wasn't guilty -- and asked for an attorney to help him prove it. At the time, though, Florida law only provided defense lawyers in capital cases. After his conviction, Gideon sought to change that law throughout the nation. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Colla...

Oct 21, 202443 minSeason 4Ep. 31

FRIDAY FOLLOW-UP: Sex, Lies, and Murder: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, and Harry Thaw

On this Friday Follow-Up, we tweak one of our earliest episodes after Amber's later research uncovered that an aspect of this case has been wrongly reported for decades. It was one of the most salacious stories the country had ever heard: A famous architect had been gunned down in front of an audience of hundreds by a man who said he was defending his wife's honor. It so happened the wife was the world's first supermodel. The love triangle among architect Stanford White, model and showgirl Evely...

Oct 18, 202449 min

S4 Ep30: The Pastor and His Mistress: The Scandalous Hall-Mills Murder

The town of New Brunswick, New Jersey, was rocked by the discovery of two bodies beneath a crabapple tree in September 1922. The remains belonged to Edward Hall, a local pastor, and Eleanor Mills, a member of the church's choir. The two were found entwined beneath the tree -- an odd positioning considering they'd both been married to other people. Suspicion soon fell as the lovers' spouses, turning the tawdry tale into a media circus that went far beyond the tabloids. " Crimes of the Centuries "...

Oct 14, 202445 minSeason 4Ep. 30