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 ago He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow Most people looked at him with terror and with fear But to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear He could preach the Bible like a preacher Full of ecstasy and fire But he also was the kind of teacher Women would desire Ra ra Rasputin Lover of the Russian que...
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.
We discuss the creation and history of the great American comfort food, Mac and Cheese.
We discuss the story behind the invention/discovery of LSD and its extraction from ergot, the plant fungus that is considered to be behind almost every crazy witchcraft story from the middle ages.
We discuss Horace de Vere Cole and his many audacious pranks pulled during the glory days of the British Empire.
The Field of Cloth of Gold was a huge party/festival/show of power thrown by Henry VIII of England (yes that Henry the 8th) and Francis I of France to show their desire for better relations and to subtly attempt to outshine each other and 5000 of their friends. Learn all about the fun, from the tens of thousands of gallons of wine to the King on King wrestling match.
Was Arizona "Ma" Barker a criminal mastermind that running the Barker-Karpis gang or just a middle aged mom trying to do her best to support her boys (who just happened to be murderous felons)? We discuss Ma and the Gang from their beginnings to their notorious end in a Florida shootout.
In 1984, Malcolm Fairley terrified a series of small English towns with a spree of break ins, serial rape, and random mayhem. Dubbed ‘The Fox’ he was eventually captured by police after they were able to track his type and color of car from tracks and paint scrapings.
The suicide rate among First Nations youth in Canada is among the highest for any group in the world. We discuss the origins of this alarming trend and how they relate to "The 60s Scoop" a policy in which indigenous children were taken from their families for placement in foster homes or adoption.
We discuss the Legend of Gil Perez, a 16th Century Spanish Solider that found himself instantly transported from the Manila in the Philippines to Mexico City, Mexico. We also discuss Urban Legends in general, how they get started, why they stick in our heads, and the details of a few popular ones.
Jinn or Djinn are supernatual creatures from Arabian culture and are a concept that has spread around the world with Islam. Western culture mostly has used the term Genie to describe the concept with the most famous version being the wish giving Genie from 1001 Arabian Nights. We discuss the concept and history of Jinn which differs significantly from what is commonly seen in western culture.
We discuss Julia Child, renowned chef, American Cultural icon, deliverer of French cuisine to the common American household, and spy??
We discuss the city of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire and forerunner to present megalopolis, Mexico City. Founded in the 1300s on an island in Lake Texcoco, the city saw the rise of the Aztecs, the practice of human sacrifice, and their eventual fall at the hands of Hernan Cortes.
We discuss The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God cult, a Catholic splinter cult created formed Joseph Kibweteere, Joseph Kasapurari, John Kamagara, Dominic Kataribabo, and Credonia Mwerinde. The cult's doomsday predictions for the year 2000 and their subsequent failure to come to fruition led the leaders to murder close to 1000 of their followers.
We discuss Robert Hooke, contemporary (and rival) Isaac Newton. Discoverer of the cell, the elastic constant, proponent of the wave nature of light, and architect of post Great Fire London.
The story of John McAfee, from drug addict, to Antivirus Tycoon, to international fugitive, to Presidential Candidate. In America when you're rich you are allowed to make MANY mistakes.
Data shows that the United States and Canada both have an abnormally high rate of violent crime directed toward native women. This is embodied in the Highway of Tears, a stretch of Highway 16 in British Colombia that has seen a horrifying number of native women be murdered or go missing.
We discuss the case of the Central Park jogger from 1989 and the subsequent railroading and false conviction of the Central Park 5. The five teens (four black, one latino) were eventually exonerated when DNA evidence proved that the culprit was a lone serial rapist who confessed to the crime.
A brief mini-sode on the finding of the Fenn Treasure, a multi-million dollar treasure hidden in the Rocky Mountains by Forrest Fenn in 2010.
The history (and more importantly gossip) surrounding Queen Elizabeth the First, the last of the Tudors. Why was no one allowed to inspect her body upon death? Why did she wear a literal inch of makeup? Was she actually an impostor? Find out here!
Is it possible? We discuss the theory of time travel as well as its representation in popular media and viral hoaxes.
