Podcast Episodes

The Donut Shop That Addicted Chicago

Episode 270

In the late 1970s, a tiny Chicago donut shop on Ashland Avenue became an overnight obsession. Customers lined up before sunrise, buying box after box of Mr. Sprinkles’ doughnuts. They weren’t just po…

Published on 10 hours ago

The Real-Life Ninja Turtles | Vermont’s Underground Lab

Episode 269

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In the 1960s, a secret laboratory beneath a small-town library in Vermont tested an illegal life-extension formula on animals. The goal: to make pets live longer. Every test failed—u…

Published on 1 day, 5 hours ago

The Inventor Who Turned His House Into a Trap

Episode 268

In 1930s Ohio, a reclusive inventor named Joseph Cermitsky lived alone in a Victorian house that locals feared. When a drifter vanished near his property, Detective Bob Rosenthal went to investigate.…

Published on 2 days, 3 hours ago

The Billionaire Who Built Real-Life Squid Game

Episode 268

RSS — DESCRIPTION (≈130 words)

In the 1950s, billionaire Jez Bezos invited the world’s desperate to his private island for a chance to win $67 million. The rules were simple — the games were not. If y…

Published on 4 days, 10 hours ago

The Magician Who Made His Audience Disappear

Episode 267

RSS — DESCRIPTION (≈120–140 words)

In 1891, New York’s famed illusionist—the Great Zaza—promised one final trick. Before a crowd of 1,600, he asked them to close their eyes and count to ten. Before th…

Published on 5 days, 3 hours ago

“Mrs. Cupcake” and the Don Sampson Trial

Episode 266

They were America’s TV triplets—Ron, Don, and John Sampson of Triple Harmony. Then the 1980s hit and John’s plane vanished over the Atlantic. Fame fractured. Ron drifted into a hair-metal sideshow. D…

Published on 6 days ago

The Woman Who Sold Obedience (1945)

Episode 265

In 1945, in a small Ohio town, parents whispered about Martha Simmons—a woman who promised she could fix any troubled child for $1,000. There were no ads, no letters, no phone listings. Just rumors t…

Published on 1 week ago

The Alabama Motel That Served More Than Chili

Episode 263

During the late 1970s in rural Alabama, Clint Orson ran a small roadside motel called The Blackwood Inn, fifteen miles from the nearest town. Travelers loved it: cheap rooms, warm coffee, and Clint’s…

Published on 1 week, 3 days ago

The Justin Bieber of the 1930s—And He Was Pure Evil

Episode 264

In 1933, a young singer named Harry Footman became America’s sweetheart. Smooth voice, perfect hair, million-dollar smile. By 1937, his fame had grown—and so had the darkness behind it.

That year, on …

Published on 1 week, 4 days ago

He Guaranteed Love—For a Price

Episode 262

In 1934 Chicago, a man named Willie Stroker opened an office called The Reconciliation Bureau. For $500, he promised desperate wives one thing: “Your husband will come back. Improved.”

At first, it wo…

Published on 1 week, 5 days ago