Oct 8

Candy Jones, the Brainwashed Fashion Model

Candy Jones had an impressive résumé: Miss Atlantic City, Model of the Year, highest-paid cover model of the 1940s, entrepreneur, radio personality, author…and an unwitting undercover CIA agent, brainwashed by the government. Or, so she claimed. To find out more, we’re digging in ... Show More

48m 3s

Oct 1

Fake News and Forgeries: How MI6 Manipulated Americans

As Germany conquered Europe in 1940, the UK desperately needed foreign reinforcements. When the American people hesitated to help, MI6 conspired to secretly change their minds. But how far did the influence go? Conspiracy theories suggest the US President may have conspired in th ... Show More

43m 11s

Sep 24

Helena Blavatsky: The Most Interesting Woman in the World?

Most of what we know about Helena Blavatsky’s life seems improbable. In her 59 years on Earth, she was a young Russian aristocrat. A Parisian circus performer. A concert pianist in England. A clairvoyant. A medium. A telepath. An author. A missionary. A descendant of a Rosicrucia ... Show More

42m 33s

May 2023

Ep 118 Asbestos: Corruption and cancer and corporate greed, oh my!

An entire generation probably first learned the word “mesothelioma” and its link to asbestos from those ubiquitous commercials in the 1990s and 2000s. You know the one: “if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma you may be entitled to financial compensation.” The ... Show More

1h 38m

Dec 2020

The Bubonic Plague Pt. 2

When the plague broke out again in the late 19th century, scientists dissected buboes, bodies, and fleas… and found the source of the Black Death. The disease had already killed millions throughout Europe and Asia. In 1900, it reached San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choic ... Show More

54m 6s

Dec 2020

The Boiling River Pt. 1

Hidden deep in the Peruvian Amazon, there supposedly lies a mythical, superheated river. While it's rumored to have healing properties and be protected by spirits, it will boil alive anything that falls into it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

42m 53s

Sep 2020

Anthrax

In the wake of 9/11, one man’s exposure to a rare and deadly illness sparked widespread panic in the U.S. On September 19th, Bob Stevens opened a letter containing a strange white powder. A week later, he was fighting for his life as a victim of a biological weapon. It left many ... Show More

47m 44s

Mar 2021

Cochno Stone

Outside Glasgow, Scotland, a 1,000-square-foot slab of rock lies buried in a hillside, covered in ancient carvings. Is the Cochno stone the remnant of an ancient ritual, a rocky guidebook, or something more supernatural? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ ... Show More

34m 11s

Dec 2020

The Mad Gasser Pt. 1

In the summer of 1944, the citizens of Mattoon, Illinois suffered a series of baffling attacks that left them nauseated and temporarily paralyzed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

43m 29s

Mar 2018

Arsenic: The Assassin's Dream Weapon

For centuries people from all walks of life sought to eliminate friends, strangers and enemies using the devious, subtle poison known as arsenic. Arsenic poisoning became such a well-known method of murder that people in Britain began calling it ''inheritance powder''. But what m ... Show More

36m 59s

Mar 2021

Exploding Teeth

For roughly a century, from the 1860s to the 1960s, numerous people reported the same bizarre medical malady: horrible toothaches that didn't end until the offending molars exploded — inside their mouths. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

34m 56s

Aug 2020

Typhus Pt. 1

In the sixteenth century, sporadic outbreaks of a deadly fever crippled armies and altered the political landscape of Western Europe. Centuries later, a British surgeon reshaped the world’s understanding of how disease spread—and uncovered the key to fighting typhus. Learn more a ... Show More

46m 3s

Asbestos Cover-Up Pt. 1