Cutting Class

It’s been far too long since Jess and Joe looked at another heroic individual from wars past! Jess delivers the goods on Benjamin Solomon, a humble dentist sent to fight plaque and cavities in WWII. But that wouldn’t be all that Solomon would slay as he landed on the beaches of Saipan. Join us this … 137 – Benjamin Salomon: A Dentist at WarRead More »

Gather your candles and obsidian mirror folks! It’s time to speculate and commune with the beyond! Joe takes us on a magical mystery tour of Elizabethan England and the magical mathematician who advised the queen and coded the language of angels! Sources – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 … 136 – John Dee the Mathemagician!Read More »

Almost exactly 50 years ago Florence Oregon was visited the by the bloated corpse of a 8 ton 45 foot sperm whale. The whale posed quite a conundrum for local government as people unsure of how to remove the great stinking corpse. It wasn’t until the Highway Division showed up with a man, a plan, … 135 – Florence Oregon’s Whale EncounterRead More »

Henry Wallace isn’t exactly a household name. He’s not one you’d find in the history textbooks or even a late-night binge of the History Channel. But Henry Wallace bought into some weird characters and ideas during his time as the Secretary of Agriculture and commerce under FDR. Check out this weird tale that connects all … 134 – America’s Most Bizzare Secretary of AgricultureRead More »

We’ve all seen that famous photograph of Harry Truman holding up the newspaper declaring his defeat. Nowadays people have very little idea of who this “Dewey” guy even was. So what made it seem so obvious that he would win? Joe gives us the lowdown on this famous historical photo and the “obvious outcome” that … 133 – Fake News: Dewey Defeats Truman!Read More »

Joe and Jess dive (see what we did there?) into the wild history of the Devil Docs of the navy and their role in various historical events of the past. Not all soldiers carry guns, but these ones certainly do. Check out these badasses who excel and saving and taking lives. Sources – 1 2 … 132- Navy Devil DocsRead More »

Today we wrap up (see what I did there?) Houdini’s legacy with his mysterious death. As the war with the Spiritualists raged on Houdini will die under odd circumstances. Was it an act from beyond the grave? Was it a hit by the Spiritualist leaders? Or was it all unlucky circumstance? You decide! Sources – … 131 – Who Killed Harry Houdini?Read More »

No, that’s not a sadist being locked up for funsies. It’s Harry Houdini! Harry Houdini is a name we’ve all heard at some point before. Images of straight jackets, handcuffs, and death defying feats jump to mind first. But there’s more to this trickster’s life than simply being an escape artist. Joe gives us the … 130 – Houdini’s Life and War on SpiritualismRead More »

Many people have heard the story that a gripping radio drama caused panic back in the 1930s of a REAL alien invasion. Wailing in the streets, bodice ripping, and gnashing of teeth are said to have ensued. But is this really the case? If not? Why not? Joe takes on this classic American legend of … 129 – Did A War of the Worlds Radio Play cause mass hysteria?Read More »

Jess introduces us to Master Chief Carl Brasher who has quite a heroic legacy. This is kind of a side-story to a previous episode we did a while back. See if you can guess which one! Special shout out to Bob who recommended this topic. Sources 1 2 3 4

We’re not just blowin’ smoke! Today’s episode is entirely around the Presidents and their cigar smoking habits. We’ll make no mention of anything else they may have been accused of doing with them. Joe brings us the details on the leaders of the past and of course… yet another visit from our favorite president ever. … 127 – The Presidents CigarRead More »

We return with the follow up of our last episode on the Beirut explosion. This time we take a look at a heavily requested topic. The Halifax explosion is the largest non-nuclear explosion the world has ever seen and the whole thing happened by a terrible accident. Listen into this amazing story of titanic proportions! … 126 – The Halifax ExplosionRead More »

August 4th 2020 Beirut was shook by a massive explosion on the north side of town. Today Jess takes a look at the causes and consequences of this blast and how it may shape Beirut’s future. We know it’s not history yet, but it will be! NOTE: Jess epic failed and recorded with his internal … 125 – The Beirut Blast of 2020Read More »

Christopher Lee was an astounding actor whose career spanned half of the 20th century and beyond. He’s best known for his villainous roles from Dracula to Dooku. But did you know he served in WWII or that he’s related to royalty? Did you know he was an award winning heavy metal musician? Learn more about … 124 – The Dramatic Life of Christopher LeeRead More »

You remember Emperor Norton I right? You learned about him in gradeschool I imagine as the first emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. No? Oh! Well let us fill you in on this bizzare and somewhat heartwarming tale of a man who lost it all and decided to pick himself up again … 123 – The First and Only Emperor of the United StatesRead More »

Few countries can boast of a war against our feathered foes. We covered one battle against birds in the Chinese Communist Calamity episodes but now it’s time to look into Australia’s army versus that of the Emu hordes plaguing the western farms in the early 20th century. Sources – 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 122 – The War on EmusRead More »

It only took about 150 years but American women finally got the right to vote! Joe wraps up the series on Women’s suffrage with the Perfect 36 and Tennessee’s unique “War of the Roses” to gain women’s right to vote. Not surprisingly it all boils down to one young man’s decision and a mother’s guilt! … 121 – The Perfect 36 and Women’s Right to VoteRead More »

You knew it wouldn’t be that easy right? The fight to vote didn’t end in Seneca Falls and women would struggle onward for nearly about another 70 years before they could vote. But the Civil War threw a real whirlwind of change in America as to who was a citizen, who could vote, and who … 120 – The Continued Struggle for Women’s SuffrageRead More »

As we near the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, Joe seeks to outline the key players in making this reality take place. But to do so we have to dive back to probably the biggest push for women’s voting since Jane Addams was in the White House. The Seneca Falls convention … 119 – Seneca Falls and the early push for women’s suffrageRead More »

Today’s show is a spin on our usual podcast in which Jess tries to stump Joe with some stories about World War II. Which are true and which aren’t? Did the British have a reindeer aboard a submarine? Did American’s plan to release glow-in-the-dark foxes on the japanese? Find out on today’s show! Sources – … 118 – World-War-True or FalseRead More »