logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
39m 5s

82: Legalized Murder: When The Purge Hap...

Audioboom Studios
About this episode
Welcome to the Dark History podcast. Remember that movie, The Purge? The one where for one day only you could commit whatever crime you wanted. Yeah,  back when it came out in 2013, everyone was losing their minds. They were so worried that people would just randomly start murdering each other. Well, what if I told you there was already a real-life Purge that had happened in America over a hundred years ago? Well, Buckle Up Baby. In today’s episode, we’re talking about the Red Summer of 1919. A time in history when riots broke out in 26 different cities across the country and the cops were just letting people murder.

Episode Advertisers Include: Squarespace. Learn more during the podcast about special offers!
Up next
Oct 8
185: The Alaska Triangle: Disappearances, Dead Ends, and the Dark Truth Beneath It All
Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I learned about a place in Alaska where more than 20,000 people have vanished — planes, hikers, politicians — and almost none have ever been found. And I had to do an episode on it. It’s called the Alaska Triangle and it's a remote stretch of wilderne ... Show More
56m 29s
Oct 1
184: The Devil's Secretaries or Scapegoats? The Witches History Erased
Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So the other night I was deep into my usual bedtime routine of doomscrolling, and I stumbled across this headline that said: “DID YOU KNOW: The Last Witch Trial Was in 1944.” And I was like… I’m sorry, what? 1944? Like while the rest of the world was ... Show More
58m 47s
Sep 17
183: The MESSY Life of Ronald Reagan: Snitching, Scandals & DEADLY Decision
Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So the other day, I was googling jelly beans. Don’t ask why, I was in a mood. But I ended up falling down a rabbit hole, and suddenly… I was reading about Ronald Reagan. Apparently, Reagan was *obsessed* with jelly beans. I guess he started eating the ... Show More
1h 10m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2021
The Tulsa Race Massacre
In 1921, an act of terrorism would turn a once thriving Black community to ash and rubble overnight. It was an event so horrific that many historians now call it the single worst incident of racist violence in U.S. history. But what led up to that fateful day? And why were folks ... Show More
41m 44s
Jan 2022
Copycat Killers: The Purge
The dystopian horror film, The Purge, explores the ruthless nature of humans when all crime—even murder—is legal one night a year. Jonathan Cruz, a troubled Indianapolis teen, obsesses over the idea of crime without consequence. He also identifies with the outsiders in The Purge ... Show More
46m 38s
Dec 2020
S1 Ep8: Kitty Genovese: A Murder with 38 Witnesses
As a 28-year-old woman screamed for help on an otherwise quiet New York City street, neighbors roused from sleep ... and then largely did nothing. The 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese would soon represent apathy in America and spark the creation of a centralized phone number that ul ... Show More
37m 54s
Oct 2020
Ridiculous History Presents: Criminalia
If you like Ridiculous History, check out this iHeartRadio & Shondaland Audio podcast – Criminalia. On Criminalia, hosts Holly Frey and Maria Trimarchi explroe the intersection of history and true crime. This season is all about lady poisoners. During the time that Chicago’s most ... Show More
38m 41s
Feb 2021
S1 Ep16: Richard Speck: Born to Raise Hell
On July 14, 1966, Chicago residents awoke to horrific news: Eight young nurses had been brutally killed in their dorm-style housing overnight. The killer had lost count of his victims and left one survivor, and soon, the hunt for Illinois-born and Texas-raised felon Richard Speck ... Show More
44m 27s
Jul 2020
The L.A. Riots | 28
On this episode of History of the 90's we look back at the 1992 Los Angeles riots and the various factors that led to the largest and most violent case of civil unrest in United States history. The acquittal of four police officers in connection with the brutal video taped beatin ... Show More
50m 15s
Sep 2023
The Black Dahlia Murder Pt. 1
In 1940s Hollywood, a 22-year-old aspiring actress is found mutilated and drained of blood. Her body is posed, and her mouth has been carved into a permanent smile. The investigation takes police into the hidden sides of the city — illicit romances and gang-related crimes. But wh ... Show More
41m 49s
Dec 2020
Unsolved Mysteries Ep 9: Death Row Fugitive
In November, 1965, Lester Eubanks brutally murdered 14 year old Mary-Ellen Deener. He was swiftly convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. However in 1973, he was able to just walk away from his sentence while out of the prison on a shopping trip that had been arranged for ... Show More
51m 15s