Podcast Episodes

What Was in the Soup?

Episode 251

Texas, 1990s. A small diner called Soupadelic built an empire on one bowl.

The slogan said, “One sip and you’ll be hooked forever.” Locals agreed — no one could explain why the soup tasted so good.

The…

Published on 3 weeks, 3 days ago

America’s First Monster Quarterback

Episode 250

He was the greatest quarterback of his era. In the late 1950s, Moby Dickman won every award the sport could offer and became the country’s newest obsession. By 1963, a freak play changed everything. …

Published on 3 weeks, 4 days ago

The Grow-A-Guy Recall

Episode 249

In 1996 a toy called Grow-A-Guy—marketed to “fizz, grow, and become a buddy overnight”—was recalled after officials linked it to a series of serious incidents. The recall notice and health warnings p…

Published on 3 weeks, 5 days ago

Good Night, Neighbors

Episode 248

In 1998, outside Seattle, Fred Foster lived quietly after his wife’s death. He spent his days building tiny cardboard houses, fake trees, even streets. He said it was for when his friends came back.

K…

Published on 3 weeks, 6 days ago

The Real-Life Texas Chainsaw

Episode 246

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre wasn’t born in Hollywood. It came from Plainfield, Wisconsin, 1957 — and from one quiet man named Ed Gein. To neighbors, he was harmless: a shy farmer who fixed fences and…

Published on 4 weeks ago

The Elliot Crane Night

Episode 245

Kentucky, summer 1995. For three nights a tall, thin man stands motionless in the fields, watching a farmhouse from the dark. On the third night, Uncle Larry has had enough. He marches with a flashli…

Published on 4 weeks ago

The Banquet Hall King

Episode 244

St. Louis, 1883. Harold Crane styled himself a king and built a banquet hall that looked like a throne room—red cloth sagging from beams, stolen chandeliers dripping wax, long tables set on tin plate…

Published on 4 weeks, 1 day ago

The Gingerbread Ashes

Episode 243

Central Pennsylvania, 1891. The frost comes early. A kitchen smells of smoke and sugar. Elsie’s little brother doesn’t wake—the stove fire died in the night. Her mother sits by the iron door until mo…

Published on 4 weeks, 2 days ago

The Street Called Him the Milk Man

Episode 242

1963, New York City. A door-to-door seller with a gentle smile and a script that always began, “Is the father home?” Neighbors called him The Milk Man of Manhattan. He left porches with signed orders…

Published on 1 month ago

The Real “Pinocchio” Legend

Episode 241

Early 1900s. A famed dollmaker, Woody Forrest, takes one wooden boy everywhere. In 1911 he dies, and the doll is sold at auction to a local dentist known as Cucumber. Days later, the buyer is found d…

Published on 1 month ago