Podcast Episodes

Night of a Thousand Weddings

Season 1 Episode 35

On August 26, 1965, LBJ issued a surprise executive order eliminating marriage as grounds for deferment from the Vietnam draft. The announcement set off a panic across the country. The problem was, n…

Published on 6 months ago

Live From New York, It's Your Grandmother

Season 1 Episode 34

During its first 50 seasons, Saturday Night Live has welcomed legendary actors, superstar athletes, and notable politicians. But for one memorable night in 1977, Lorne Michaels turned the show over t…

Published on 7 months, 1 week ago

Super Streaker

Season 1 Episode 33

Mark Roberts is the world's most notorious streaker. He’s spent more time naked than most Greek statues. And in February 2004, he set his sights on the Super Bowl. To make streaking history, he just …

Published on 7 months, 3 weeks ago

Hot Wheels of Fortune

Season 1 Episode 32

Do you have a small fortune parked in your basement?

Six decades ago, Hot Wheels were America’s hottest new toy. Now the children of the ‘60s are fueling a small but mighty collectors' market. Cars t…

Published on 8 months, 4 weeks ago

Stealing Baby Jesus

Season 1 Episode 31

While leafing through 75 years of local newspapers, Zaron Burnett uncovers an American Christmas tradition as ingrained in our culture as the red-and-white Santa: sneaking up to a nativity scene and …

Published on 9 months ago

An Artificial Christmas

Season 1 Episode 30

Who's the artificial Christmas tree king? Meet Si Spiegel, a Jewish kid from New York with a remarkable, improbable Christmas story. Si's story was first brought to light by Laurie Gwen Shapiro in he…

Published on 9 months, 1 week ago

Big Parma

Season 1 Episode 29

Stuffed crust pizza. Grilled cheese burritos. How did so much cheese get into so many things? On today's episode, we peel back the curtain on the Dairy Industrial Complex — AKA Big Parma. 

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VERY SPE…

Published on 9 months, 2 weeks ago

The Spider-Man Wedding

Season 1 Episode 28

In 1987, long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a glimmer in Stan Lee's eye, Marvel promised a different kind of blockbuster: Spider-Man and Mary Jane would get married. Not just in the comics…

Published on 9 months, 3 weeks ago

The Landfill

Season 1 Episode 27

A waste management specialist unearths thousands of Atari games buried in a New Mexico landfill. As gaming historians rejoice, he plots to turn Atari’s unwanted trash into cash.

Note: This week's VSE…

Published on 10 months ago

E.T. and Me

Season 1 Episode 26

In 1981, 11-year-old Matt DeMeritt got a call that would change his life. He wasn’t a child actor, or a performer of any kind. He was just a suburban kid enjoying his summer break. But Matt had somet…

Published on 10 months, 1 week ago