logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
43m 5s

The Orphan Train: That Time the US Aucti...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

New York was a pretty terrible place in the late 1800s. The population was riddled with disease, crime, and terror -- things were especially bad for the virtual army of street urchins. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn how one man created an innovative (and imperfect) system to save New York's orphans: shipping them to the Midwest en masse, and auctioning them off to farmers.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Nov 22
CLASSIC: Benjamin Franklin's Advice On "Finding A Mistress"
<p>Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was a man of many interests, but his endeavors were by no means limited to technical innovation, philosophy and politics. In fact, throughout his life he had a reputation as an irredeemable lech -- literally, in later years, a dirty old man -- ... Show More
31m 43s
Nov 20
Wait! Can a tree really own itself?
<p>Do you have a favorite tree? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max head over to the famous college town of Athens, Georgia where -- legend has it -- one guy was so enamored with his childhood oak that he ultimately deeded it to itself. How much of the story is true? Can a tree ... Show More
42m 22s
Nov 18
Doc Holliday Was, In Fact, A Deadly Dentist
<p>Longtime listeners are well-aware that the history of the 'Wild West' is more than a bit... embellished. Yet a grain of truth exists at the heart of almost every legend, and the story of Doc Holliday is no different. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn more about Tombs ... Show More
40m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
Introducing... FIASCO: VIGILANTE
The new season of Fiasco is out now on Audible. You can sign up for a free trial and listen at adbl.co/vigilanteIn 1984, as a New York City subway train made its way downtown, a white man named Bernhard Goetz shot four unarmed Black teenagers he believed were going to rob him. Th ... Show More
1m 39s
Oct 2024
The Man Who Came From the Railroad
In this chilling episode, I tell you about the "Railroad Killer," a man who terrorized small towns along the U.S. railroads in the late 1990s. We follow the stories of Chris Maier and Holly Dunn, two university students who crossed paths with this brutal attacker, as well as the ... Show More
19m 41s
Oct 2024
What was the Ludlow Massacre? Chapter One: The Colorado Coal Rush
Unions and governments have always had a complicated, at-times antagonistic and violent relationship. In the first evening of this week's special two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel explore a terrifying tale of corruption, crime and conspiracy: What was the Ludlow Massacre?They d ... Show More
1 h
Nov 2024
Selects: The Cleveland Torso Murders
During the depths of the Great Depression, Cleveland’s most vulnerable and destitute residents were prey for one of history’s most horrific serial killers. The killer’s identity remains a mystery to this day. Josh and Chuck take you through what's known in this classic episode.Se ... Show More
49 m
Oct 2024
Indian Posse: The Native Teen Gang Ruling Canada's Prisons
Danny and Richard Wolfe were barely even teenagers when they formed the Indian Posse in their mother's basement with a handful of friends, but they had already been living the street life since they were in grade school, robbing, stealing and fighting. Never did they expect that ... Show More
58m 52s
Apr 2022
Introducing Deliver Us From Ervil
In the 1940s, a group of Mormon dreamers started a town in the Mexican desert. But what began as a utopian vision quickly turned sour when the founding family’s son, Ervil LeBaron’s struggle for control of the community unleashed a multi-generational crimewave – the ripples of wh ... Show More
1m 55s
Feb 2024
The Underground Railroad | Journey’s End | 4
<p>In December 1850, Harriet Tubman saved three family members from an auction block in a daring rescue in Cambridge, Maryland. It was the start of one of the most legendary careers in the annals of the Underground Railroad.</p><p>Underground activists like Tubman faced enormous ... Show More
43m 21s
May 2024
The Pinkerton Detective Agency | Brothers and Sons | 2
<p>In the mid-1870s the Pinkerton Detective Agency’s fame was growing, and founder Allan Pinkerton began to pen bestselling books that promoted his and the agency’s crime-fighting image even more. But after Pinkerton died in 1884, his sons took over and expanded the business, pro ... Show More
38m 10s
Mar 2025
The invention of the shopping trolley and the Calais 'Jungle'
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.We find out how Sylvan Goldman’s invention of the shopping trolley in 1930s America turned him into a multi-millionaire.Our expert is Rachel Bowlby, Professor of Comparative Lite ... Show More
50m 55s
Aug 25
The Wonderland Murders - 638
<p>July 1st, 1981. Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. Five people were viciously attacked inside a known drug house on Wonderland Avenue. Only one survived. The murders were soon linked to an adult film star and a wealthy nightclub owner with ties to the drug industry.</p><p>For bonus e ... Show More
57m 9s