Here’s your special preview episode of the new series Elizabeth the First – about the remarkable life of Elizabeth Taylor. In our preview, Elizabeth Taylor overcomes unthinkable loss and rises as the biggest movie star on the planet. She uses this power to negotiate a legendary payday for her leading role as CLEOPATRA. All eyes are now on Elizabeth, and the years ahead will be tumultuous ones. Headline News says ‘I love Elizabeth the First’ and the Toronto Star says the podcast is ‘sumptuously p...
Nov 28, 2022•27 min
Anyone can start a marathon, but not everyone crosses the finish line. Whether you’re competing against other runners or perhaps a horse, while running underwater, or with a glass of wine in hand, it really doesn’t matter as long as you give it your best. Some marathons are serious and proper, while others are complete madness! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 19, 2022•39 min
Andrew Thornton II had everything. He was born into a wealthy family in the bluegrass state of Kentucky, went to the best schools, and had all the opportunities in the world ahead of him. He wanted to serve his country, so he joined the US Army. He wanted to serve his community, so he joined the police force. But when the excitement of busting bad guys became boring, he looked for it elsewhere. Andrew Thornton II found it on the other side of the law. It didn’t end well for him. Learn more about...
Jul 12, 2022•33 min
Professional surfer, glamourous jewel thief, convicted murderer, reformed evangelist. Jack “Murf the Surf” Murphy’s life took on many forms. Yet, Murf the Surf was best known for his daring robbery of rare gems at the Natural Museum of History in New York City in 1964, which turned him into a folk hero. That was just a few years before he was convicted of beating, stabbing, and shooting a woman to death aboard a boat in Miami. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 05, 2022•36 min
During a 3-week period in October 2002, a team of snipers went on a killing spree in and around the Washington DC area. Bizarre clues were left at several crime scenes, including a tarot card with the words “Call Me God”, adding a chilling twist to an already twisted case. With 17 people already dead and almost a dozen more wounded, police were in a race against the clock to capture the DC sniper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 28, 2022•36 min
In October 2002, residents of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC became targets for a team of snipers. The two-person group was responsible for killing 17 people and injuring almost a dozen more. The kill team was well trained and stayed well hidden, making them incredibly difficult to locate or identify. Over several months, they terrorized millions of people and were the subject of one of the largest manhunts ever in the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoic...
Jun 21, 2022•36 min
In July 1976, the small town of Chowchilla, California was rocked by the largest mass kidnapping in US history. A school bus carrying 26 students, along with its driver, was ambushed by a group of armed men. They were taken to a remote rock quarry and stripped down to their underwear. Each one was then ordered down a ladder into a container truck that had been buried 15 feet underground. They had no idea where they were, who had taken them, or why they had just been buried alive. Learn more abou...
Jun 14, 2022•39 min
When police in the UK received a panicked phone call from a teenage boy in the summer of 2003, it seemed fairly routine. His friend had been stabbed and was in need of medical attention. Authorities were told it was a random, unprovoked attack, but that could not have been farther from the truth. In fact, the attack had been meticulously planned for months. The perpetrator was so unexpected and the whole situation was so strange, authorities almost dismissed the case entirely. England had never ...
Jun 07, 2022•36 min
In March 1989, when a 21-year-old student from Texas went missing while on spring break in Mexico, it sparked a federal investigation on both sides of the border. The search led authorities down a bizarre and gruesome rabbit hole of mysticism and the occult that included everything from drug running to human sacrifice. It’s cases like this that make you want to sleep with the light on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 31, 2022•36 min
When a man was found dead on a South Australia beach in 1948, it kicked off one of the most bizarre cases that country’s authorities had ever seen. With no identification and all the labels cut out of his clothing, police did find a torn piece of paper with two mysterious words. The words led to an unbreakable code in the back of the book. Had he committed suicide or was it murder? Why had no one come forward to identify him? That was just the beginning of what would become one of Australia’s st...
May 24, 2022•35 min
They can be high-tech or unsophisticated, but either way, the purpose of a booby trap is the same, to surprise the target. In 2002, a retired engineer in Belgium thought he would surprise his estranged family with not one, but 19 hidden traps around his house. Each one was lethal and each one was cleverly disguised. Oh yeah, and to find them, you needed to crack a series of codes. In 2018, a man in the US created what authorities would dub the Indiana Jones house. It might have something to do w...
May 17, 2022•37 min
In the Fall of 1982, taking something as simple as a pill for your headache could have been fatal. That’s because someone was tampering with Tylenol capsules and filling them with cyanide. When it comes to risky pain relief treatment, taking an over-the-counter pill usually doesn’t rank at the top of the list. For those living in the Chicago area, however, it was gambling with death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 10, 2022•37 min
There’s something both terrifying and fascinating about explosions. Basic curiosity demands that we see what’s going on, while our survival instinct tells us to run. When a fireworks factory in the Netherlands went up in flames back in 2000, onlookers thought the multi-colored sparks and smoke would be the extent. They had no idea it would become one of the largest disasters in that country’s history. Almost a hundred years earlier, a ship in the busy port of Halifax, Nova Scotia detonated, beco...
May 03, 2022•38 min
There are accidents and then there are freak accidents. The difference is that when it comes to freak accidents, the victim will never see it coming. Whether you’re lying in bed, eating a carrot, sitting on the toilet, or out for a quiet day of fishing, it doesn’t matter how many safety precautions are taken or how simple the activity. In the end, there’s no way to predict when or how it will happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 22, 2022•36 min
Have you ever been mistaken for somebody else? It’s one thing to share a resemblance, but what if the likeness is so uncanny that you could be a twin. In the case of three strangers in New York, it turned out they were actually identical triplets who had been separated at birth. The heart-warming reunion quickly turned to shock when the dark truth surrounding the circumstances of their separation came to light. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 15, 2022•35 min
As long as criminals have been breaking the law, authorities have been coming up with clever ways to catch them. From dressing up in ridiculous disguises to developing sophisticated technology, there’s apparently nothing law enforcement won’t do to get their man. What’s even more incredible than the crazy sting operations conceived by police are the crooks that fall for them! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 08, 2022•32 min
If you’re a fan of reading murder mysteries, you might be familiar with the concept of a ‘locked room’ scenario. It’s when the victim is killed under seemingly impossible circumstances, leaving the reader questioning how the perpetrator was able to get away with it. It’s essentially the literary recipe for the perfect crime. Yet, stories like this are not just limited to words on a page. There are plenty of ‘stranger than fiction’ cases that have left police scratching their heads. Learn more ab...
Mar 01, 2022•33 min
For over a decade during the 1940s and 50s, an unassuming man named John Christie was quickly becoming one of Britain’s most infamous serial killers. He hid the bodies behind the walls of his apartment, under the floorboards, and in the garden. But it’s not just the murders that makes this one of the worst in the country’s history. If you ever wondered why England doesn’t have the death penalty, it’s because of this horrific case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi...
Feb 22, 2022•32 min
It must be a strange experience to wake up one day to find out that you’ve been declared dead. It’s something that celebrities know well. From Paul Rudd to Jeff Goldblum, it can’t be pleasant to find out the news outlets have killed you off. It’s not just the misinformation they have to deal with in the aftermath of such announcements, it’s all the conspiracy theories that come along with it! Fun times for the famous! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 15, 2022•34 min
It started as a military outpost in the middle of the North Sea, but the small British stronghold once called Fort Roughs would soon become the world’s smallest nation – sort of. It might not be recognized as a sovereign country, but the Principality of Sealand has seen its share of international conflict over the years. From, pirate radio stations and mercenary invasions, to Guinness Records and its own royal family, this tiny territory is no stranger to excitement. Learn more about your ad cho...
Feb 08, 2022•35 min
From the 1920s to the 1950s, nothing was more fashionable for the rich and famous than adopting a child. Unlike the Hollywood fairytale endings, thousands of children during that time were bought and sold in a real-life baby black market. For decades, the undisputed boss of that underworld was a charming and pleasant woman from Tennessee named Georgia Tann. To this day, she remains the most prolific child predator in US history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoice...
Feb 01, 2022•35 min
When neighbors disagree, it can often be the start of some pretty serious passive aggressiveness. Anonymous notes, dirty looks, and all-around juvenile behavior often ensues. But if that’s the most it escalates, consider yourself lucky. You could have a neighbor who decides to build a spite house. This is a structure designed with one purpose in mind, to annoy one’s neighbor by blocking daylight, views, and access to other areas. From Boston’s famous Skinny House to the Richardson Spite House in...
Jan 25, 2022•33 min
Who doesn’t love a good movie? Whether it’s a romcom or an action adventure, sometimes there’s no better escape from reality. Behind the scenes, however, the reality is that movie making is a pretty risky business. From crewmembers being eaten by sharks to actors literally losing their heads for the perfect shot, the industry is not for everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 18, 2022•36 min
When it comes to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, sometimes making it out in one piece comes down to good old-fashioned luck. In maritime history, the award for luckiest person goes to a woman named Violet Jessop. She not only survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, but she also survived the sinking of another famous ocean liner, Britannic, four years later. Incredibly, Violet Jessop was aboard the RMS Olympic when it almost sank years earlier after colliding with a military vess...
Jan 11, 2022•32 min
If you've ever been in the North End of Boston on a hot day, you might have noticed the sweet smell of molasses. That’s because in January 1919, over 2 million gallons of the sticky liquid burst from a massive holding tank killing 21 people and injuring more than 150 others. Over 100 years later, the smell lingers. Or how about in 1914, when a beer tsunami killed several people in London? The wave was 15 feet high and contained enough beer to fill millions of pint glasses. And then there’s the b...
Jan 04, 2022•35 min
In 2010, the body of 55 year-old Greg Fleniken was found inside a hotel room in Beaumont, Texas. It was initially assumed that he died of a heart attack. After all, he tended to enjoy life to the fullest, and there was no sign of foul play. When the medical examiner started the autopsy, he expected no surprises. So, it came as a shock that the body’s internal damage was so severe that it had to be from blunt force trauma. It wasn’t. A private investigator and the lead detective teamed up to unco...
Nov 23, 2021•32 min
The Olympic games have always been the ultimate competition. It showcases the very best of human athletic achievement. But what happens when scandal overshadows epic performances? From a marathon runner who rode as a passenger in a car for most of the race to a skier who made the Olympics by switching countries 3 times. Usually, legends are forged in the heat of competition, but not in these cases! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 16, 2021•37 min
In 1974, police in Iceland were dealing with two separate disappearances in just the span of months. In a country where violent crime was almost unheard of, the pressure was on to solve both cases. With no bodies, eyewitnesses, or forensic evidence, authorities were getting desperate for a lead. When a suspect in an unrelated case said she had a nightmare about one of the missing people, police seized the opportunity. That nightmare turned into confessions from six people. The only problem was, ...
Nov 09, 2021•33 min
It was one of the largest manhunts in the history of French law enforcement. In 2011, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnes vanished after murdering his wife and four children and burying them in the backyard. Authorities were confident he hadn’t left the country, but after years of searching, he was nowhere to be found. When a body hanging from a tree was found in the woods, police thought they had their suspect. When human remains were found inside a cave, they were sure it was him. Each time, it turned o...
Nov 02, 2021•32 min
When a family of 6 and their 2 dogs went missing from their home in France in April 2011, authorities were stumped. When they checked the house, there was no sign of a disturbance and everything was neat and orderly. Police thought the family had simply gone on vacation. That was until a letter arrived stating they were suddenly in the US federal witness protection program and further communication would be dangerous. Seemed odd to family. When investigators returned to the empty home and scoure...
Oct 26, 2021•32 min
