During a steeplechase event at the famed Belmont Park in NY, jockey Frank Hayes set a record that has never been duplicated. And that's probably a really, really good thing. Frank Hayes Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter WikiWalks.net Support Wiki Walks by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/wikiwalks...
A fed up and down on his luck San Francisco businessman, Joshua Norton , declared that he was the new Emperor of the United States, and the people sort of...just went with it. He passed laws and issued his own currency, and literally for the lolz the citizenry just played along. But like, for real though. Emperor Norton Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter WikiWalks.net Support Wiki Walks by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/wikiwalks...
What makes a thing a thing? What makes you...you? How much can you change something before it stops being that thing? Just one tweak? Or all tweaks but one? The Ship of Theseus is a classic Greek thought experiment that lays this complicated question that has been debated for millenia. Ship of Theseus Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter WikiWalks.net Support Wiki Walks by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/wikiwalks...
World War II was a time of technological marvels and revolutionary new weaponry that changed the world as we know it. However, one military project stands alone as perhaps the nuttiest (and brutally effective) plan ever devised. Gluing bombs to thousands of bats and just letting 'er rip. Bat Bombs Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter WikiWalks.net Support Wiki Walks by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/wikiwalks...
Episode Notes The ubiquitous piece of technology that connects everything from headphones to toothbrushes is named after a Scandinavian king who had some pesky dental issues. Bluetooth Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter WikiWalks.net...
Episode Notes After her family was sold to the Creek Indians and moved to Oklahoma in the early 1900s, Sarah Rector was given land at the age of 4 that turned out to be sitting on liquid gold. Nearly overnight, this young woman became arguably the richest black girl in the world. Sarah Rector Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter WikiWalks.net...
Episode Notes The crazy story of Helen Jackson, the 101 year old Missouri woman who died just a few weeks ago in December of 2020. Oh, quick note on Helen, she was the WIDOW OF A CIVIL WAR SOLDIER. Ya know, the Civil War, like, the one from the mid 1800s. Her husband fought in it. How is that even possible?? Also, the utterly random but oddly related story of how cicadas got their sound, according to Greek mythology. I promise its connected. Helen Viola Jackson Instagram // Facebook // YouTube /...
Episode Notes America was short on allies after its founding, and its Navy was getting absolutely thrashed overseas by pirate states. However, one surprising nation come to our rescue and was the first country to recognize the legitimacy of the United States, and still serves today as our companion in America's longest unbroken treaty. America's Oldest Ally Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes The Kingdom of Hawaii's Ni'ihau Island was purchased in the 1860s by Elizabeth Sinclair, a Scottish woman by way of New Zealand looking to find land to raise sheep and her family. Since then, "The Forbidden Island" has been off-limits to outsiders, even other Native Hawaiians, to protect the indigenous Ni'hauans' way of life. It has survived storms and even a wild escaped Japanese pilot who crashed there immediately after Pearl Harbor, where he took hostages and threatened to kill ...
Episode Notes In the closing days and hours of the end of the Vietnam War, as Saigon began to crumble, the American military attempted to evacuate as many orphans out of the country as they could. These children were flown out in makeshift airborne nurseries to be delivered to American parents waiting to take them in. But further investigations revealed that many of these children were stolen from families and would spend decades trying to locate the families lost to them years ago. Operation Ba...
Episode Notes Well this is a bizarre thing. There exists a bonafide, honest to goodness medical disorder wherein your gut bacteria will ferment with the addition of carbs and turn the contents of your stomach into...alcohol. Which then gets absorbed into your body and you get drunk off it. Auto-Brewery Syndrome. If you thought you were a cheap date before, you ain't heard nothing yet. Auto-Brewery Syndrome Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes In 1979, America was suffering through a hostage crisis, a gas crisis, and a President deemed as weak and ineffectual by his rivals. That image was not helped when a photo was released that showed US President Jimmy Carter being attacked by a swamp rabbit while fishing alone in his native Georgia. The Jimmy Carter Rabbit Incident Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes You may know that 101 Dalmatians was originally a 1950s children's book. You may not know, however, that it had a sequel (not named 102 Dalmatians, by the way) based on comatose humans and alien dogs with superpowers trying to avoid nuclear war. This is a book...for children. Disney lovers, listen up. The Starlight Barking Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes One of the most thrilling and fascinating stories of the Civil War and its aftermath. During the war, Robert Smalls escaped from slavery by stealing a Confederate ship, piloting it through Confederate-controlled waters to freedom, then personally helped convince Abraham Lincoln to accept African-Americans into the Army and Navy. But the story doesn’t end there. After a successful career in business, he entered politics and served three terms in the House Of Representatives. Robert ...
Episode Notes The amazing story of young Samantha Smith, a 10 year old girl from Maine, who, in 1983, wanted to know why the head of the USSR wanted to hurt America. So, she wrote him a letter pleading for peace. He responded, and then invited her to visit Moscow and tour the Soviet Union as his guest. She did, and became an inspiration for both countries to push for peace and end the Cold War. Take that, Greta. Samantha Smith Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes Celebrity stalkers these days are old news. But back in Victorian England, a 14 year old named, "The Boy Jones" loved nothing more than stealing Her Majesty's royal undergarments, and wouldn't leave the poor woman alone. Until he was banished to a prison ship and then exiled to Australia. We've all been there, right? The boy Jones Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes We can debate all day who was the most impactful first lady, but it’s unlikely we’ll find a more captivating first daughter than Alice Roosevelt. She was a smokin', drinkin', gamblin' pant-wearing whirling dervish who took Washington by storm and drove her father Teddy absolutely insane. She's a hoot. Alice Roosevelt Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes The desk you see on TV whenever they show the Oval Office has a crazy history. From being encased in Arctic Ice, to helping avoid multiple wars, the Resolute Desk has a long and winding backstory that spans hundreds of years and multiple scandals. From Rutherford B. Hayes to Donald J. Trump, this desk has stood the test of time. Resolute Desk Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes Everyone loves waffles, right? But how did such a distinctive looking food come to be? Why do the Belgians seem to have a stranglehold on naming rights? What about the frozen ones? The story of the waffle begins over 2000 years ago and was filled with drama and innovation every step of the way. Waffles Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes The TRUE, bizarre, and downright charming tale of Princess Caraboo. In 1800s England, a mysterious and beautiful woman randomly appeared in town, dressed strangely and speaking a language never before heard. This exotic enigma enchanted the whole of Britain and soon everyone wanted to know more about Princess Caraboo, but they never could have imagined what they would soon learn... Princess Caraboo Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes Those who suffer from Capgras Delusion believe that their friends, family members, even lovers, have been replaced by uncanny imposters. Today we delve into the bizarre and frightening world of unusual delusional disorders. Capgras Delusion Wiki Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes In 1984, the Union Carbide pesticide chemical plant had a major gas leak that caused a huge poisonous cloud to descend over the town of Bhopal, India during the middle of the night. The sun rose on a town that had been gassed and thousands were left dead or dying in the wake of incredible negligence and corporate malfeasance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes David Hahn was just your normal teen in the 90s. He loved sports, science experiments, the Boy Scouts...and he built an actual working nuclear reactor in a garden shed and got shut down by the FBI. The crazy true tale of one very radioactive Boy Scout. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes In 1982, LA resident Larry Walters took a 45-minute flight in a homemade airship made of an aluminum lawn chair and 45 helium-filled weather balloons, armed only with a CB Radio and a pistol. The aircraft rose to an altitude of over 15,000 feet where it was nearly hit by passing aircraft as he sailed closer to the Pacific. Ever see the movie, “Up”? Yeah…they based it off this guy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawnchair_Larry_flight Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http:...
Episode Notes In the 1300's, French noblewoman Jeanne de Clisson's husband is wrongfully executed by France for treason. Enraged, Jeanne sells everything, raises a pirate navy, paints her boats black and her sails blood-red, is known as the "Black Fleet", and terrorizes French ships for over 13 years. What a Badlass! The Lioness of Brittany might be my new favorite historical character, ever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_de_Clisson Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiw...
Episode Notes The Japanese Buddhist folk tale of The Straw Millionaire tells a story where a peasant is able to, through a series of trades, move up from one piece of straw to being a millionaire. As crazy as it seems, this happened in real life, as a Canadian man was able to trade up from just one red paperclip to owning a two story farm house in Saskatchewan without spending a dime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes Smallpox has been one of, if not THE, biggest killers in medical history. Hundreds of millions died as the result of the miniature menace, but it was eventually completely eradicated after British scientist Edward Jenner noticed that dairy farm-working milkmaids never got infected. The story of the FIRST vaccine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox_vaccine Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes Ben Franklin discovered that he was able to ingratiate himself to his most ardent enemies and critics by asking them to do him a favor. This outrageously counterintuitive strategy is the most famous example in our foray into the psychological minefield that is cognitive dissonance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin_effect Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes Scotsman John Macadam is the man who took us from rutted-out dirt roads to the tar covered boulevards we know today. His invention is the inspiration behind the airport "tarmac". All roads might lead to Rome, but it was probably made from macadam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Macadam Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
Episode Notes A double peg-legged South African railway employee teaches his pet baboon to throw the switches when trains come through his signal house, while the railway managers are none the wiser to this brilliant baboon's mistake-free railroad record. Wikipedia: Jack the Railway Baboon Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Twitter http://wikiwalks.net...
