In early January of 1956, Glasgow police received a phone call about a break-in at the home of the Smart family. The scene they walked in on however was something far more sinister. Peter Smart, his wife, Doris, and their 10-year-old son Michael had all been shot dead at point-blank range in their beds. It was clear to detectives that the Smarts had been dea ... Show More
Feb 13
ShortHand: The Bizarre History of Birth Control
Valentine's Day is the perfect time to dive into the surprising, and at times horrifying, history of contraception through the ages; from crocodile-dung pessaries and mercury-tadpole concoctions to penis sheaths made of turtle shells, humanity has come a long way in its efforts t ... Show More
31m 2s
Feb 10
ShortHand: White Slaves & the Pirates of the Barbary Coast
For all the centuries of slavery throughout human history, you might think one group came through mostly unscathed: white Europeans. But for more than a thousand years, Barbary pirates from North Africa (funded by the Ottoman Empire) prowled European coastlines, snatching unsuspe ... Show More
26m 33s
Jul 2022
Austrian House of Horrors
<p>Today’s podcast features two separate, unique stories that share a theme: stories that are so messed up they sound fake, <em>but,</em> they are actually true. The audio from these stories has been pulled from my YouTube channel, which is just called MrBallen, and has been rema ... Show More
44m 17s
Sep 2022
Bathroom Man (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
<p>In the fall of 1994, a 52 year old woman pulled into the driveway of her home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and then turned her car off. As she sat there for a minute, chatting with her daughter on her car phone, she was suddenly startled by someone running up and knocking on he ... Show More
51m 54s
Jan 2024
An Insignificant Man: Episode 374
St Mellons is an eastern suburb of Cardiff. When 15 year old Claire Hood, who lived in St Mellons with her mum and sister, was not in the house when her mum Pam arrived home from work one day, Pam knew something was wrong. But she can't have imagined for one moment the horror tha ... Show More
28m 19s