Harrison G. Dyar, Jr. is known today largely as a hobby tunneler. But he was also an influential entomologist, and his personal life was much more convoluted than any tunnel he ever dug.
Dec 2024
James P. Watson: The Bluebeard Killer
<p>When Kathryn Wombacher suspected her husband, Walter Andrew, of having an affair in the spring of 1920, she hired a private detective to follow him on one of his many “out-of-town” trips that he’d taken in their short marriage. However, rather than follow Walter out of town, t ... Show More
57m 1s
Feb 2025
623. Can New York City Win Its War on Rats?
<p>Even with a new rat czar, an arsenal of poisons, and a fleet of new garbage trucks, it won’t be easy — because, at root, the enemy is us. (Part two of <a href="https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/sympathy-for-the-rat/">a three-part series</a>, “Sympathy for the Rat.”)</p><p> ... Show More
50m 23s
Mar 2025
Jean Harris and the Murder of Herman Tarnower (Part 2)
<p>When Jean Harris met Herman Tarnower in the winter of 1966, she quickly fell in love the charming doctor. Having just come out of a disappointing twenty-year marriage, Harris was desperate to find the love and stimulating partnership she’d long dreamed of, and believed she’d f ... Show More
52m 49s
Feb 2025
The Unsolved Murder of Jeannette DePalma
<p>On the afternoon of August 7, 1972, sixteen-year-old Jeannette DePalma left her house in Springfield, NJ and was never seen alive again. Six weeks later, Jeannette’s remains were discovered when a neighborhood dog returned to its owner at a newly built apartment complex, carry ... Show More
1h 17m
Mar 2025
Jean Harris and the Murder of Herman Tarnower (Part 1)
<p>When Jean Harris met Herman Tarnower in the winter of 1966, she quickly fell in love the charming doctor. Having just come out of a disappointing twenty-year marriage, Harris was desperate to find the love and stimulating partnership she’d long dreamed of, and believed she’d f ... Show More
1h 23m
Oct 2025
#249 MrBallen - Ouija Boards, Aliens Hijacking an Aircraft and Real-Life Horror Stories
John B. Allen, known as MrBallen, is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, and storyteller specializing in strange, dark, and mysterious true stories. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Allen served as a Navy SEAL from 2010 to 2017, completing multiple deployments includin ... Show More
2h 12m
Sep 2025
The Horrific Crimes of the Aspirin Bandit
<p>On February 4, 1941, Bronx police officers were called to the home of John and Catherine Pappas for a report of a homicide. Based on the evidence, detectives theorized that someone had been invited into the Pappas apartment while Catherine was home alone and that same someone ... Show More
59m 22s