Crimes of the Centuries
Crime is so commonplace that it takes something particularly shocking to be labelled the “crime of the century.” Even so, there are a lot of cases that have earned the distinction. In each episode of Crimes of the Centuries, award-winning journalist Amber Hunt will examine a case that’s lesser known today but was huge when it happened. The cases explored span the centuries and each left a mark. Some made history by changing laws. Others were so shocking they changed society.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 39 minutes
- Episodes
- 223
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
Daniel Sickles: Temporarily Insane?
Crimes of the Centuries presents one of Amber's favorite episodes from Season One. Happy holidays everyone!
In 1859, two of Washington, D.C.'s highest-profile men were in love with the same woman --…
In 1859, two of Washington, D.C.'s highest-profile men were in love with the same woman --…
00:41:33 |
Mon 23 Dec 2024
S4 Ep39 Part 2: Claus von Bülow's Two Trials of the Century
We are bringing you part two of the "Sunny" von Bülow story as a Bonus episode!
When heiress and socialite Martha "Sunny" von Bülow was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor, her husband seemed …
When heiress and socialite Martha "Sunny" von Bülow was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor, her husband seemed …
00:35:37 |
Tue 17 Dec 2024
S4 Ep39: The Decades-Long Death of "Sunny" von Bülow
To outsiders, Claus and Martha "Sunny" von Bülow seemed an idyllic couple on the upper echelons of high society, but those who knew them best were growing increasingly concerned in the late 1970s whe…
00:41:44 |
Mon 16 Dec 2024
S4 Ep38: The Nazi Plunder of World War II
We all know Adolph Hitler as a mediocre artist-turned-genocidal dictator, but did you know that he pulled off the greatest art heist the world has ever seen? As World War II unfolded across Europe, H…
00:55:30 |
Mon 09 Dec 2024
S4 Ep37: Escape from Alcatraz
The morning of June 12, 1962, alarms sounded at the federal prison on Alcatraz Island when guards conducting a head count came up three inmates short. In the prisoners' beds were decoy heads that bou…
00:43:32 |
Mon 02 Dec 2024
S4 Ep36: Brink's Heist: The Ultimate Caper
On January 17, 1950, a throng of men wearing superhero Halloween masks stormed into the headquarters of Brink's in Boston, Massachusetts, and made off with nearly $2.8 million. For years, the case ba…
00:46:33 |
Mon 25 Nov 2024
S4 Ep35: Firefighter-Turned-Arsonist John Leonard Orr
As a series of brush and building fires baffled most firefighters in the Los Angeles region, John Orr of the Glendale Fire Department seemed amazingly skilled at identifying the cause of each blaze. …
00:42:05 |
Mon 18 Nov 2024
S4 Ep34: The Monster of Florence
Between 1968 and 1985, eight sets of lovers were murdered during new moons in the Tuscany region of Italy. The mysterious and brutal slayings terrorized the region, made international headlines and f…
00:47:11 |
Mon 11 Nov 2024
S4 Ep33: The Unholy Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker
As high-rolling televangelists, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker built a Christian media empire that included a theme park, broadcasting network and ministry funded by faithful viewers who believed the Bakk…
00:52:13 |
Mon 04 Nov 2024
S4 Ep32: How the 1919 World Series Blackened the Chicago White Sox and American Sports
In the wake of the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, disturbing rumors began to swirl that sparked an investigation: Did members of the White Sox club -- includ…
00:51:03 |
Mon 28 Oct 2024
S4 Ep31: You Have the Right to an Attorney ... Thanks to Clarence Earl Gideon
A poor drifter named Clarence Earl Gideon had faced more than his share of legal run-ins over his lifetime, but when he was arrested in 1961 for allegedly stealing some drinks and quarters from a bar…
00:43:25 |
Mon 21 Oct 2024
FRIDAY FOLLOW-UP: Sex, Lies, and Murder: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, and Harry Thaw
On this Friday Follow-Up, we tweak one of our earliest episodes after Amber's later research uncovered that an aspect of this case has been wrongly reported for decades. It was one of the most salac…
00:49:19 |
Fri 18 Oct 2024
S4 Ep30: The Pastor and His Mistress: The Scandalous Hall-Mills Murder
The town of New Brunswick, New Jersey, was rocked by the discovery of two bodies beneath a crabapple tree in September 1922. The remains belonged to Edward Hall, a local pastor, and Eleanor Mills, a …
00:44:50 |
Mon 14 Oct 2024
S4 Ep29: Col. Tom Parker: The Fraud Who Made Elvis Presley
Music legend Elvis Presley never knew it before he died, but the man he trusted with his career and money was not who he said he was. Col. Tom Parker had been born in the Netherlands, not in Huntingt…
00:52:35 |
Mon 07 Oct 2024
Crimes Of The Centuries presents: The Burden
Crimes Of The Centuries is dark this week, but if you liked last week's episode on former Detective Louis Scarcella, we think you'll like season one of The Burden. The Burden is a documentary series …
00:16:36 |
Mon 30 Sep 2024
S4 Ep28: From 'Closer' to 'Crooked': NYC Detective Louis Scarcella's Fall from Grace
When Det. Louis Scarcella retired in 1999, he was a New York City hero. He had closed dozens of homicide cases during his decades-long run as a cop nicknamed 'The Closer' for his ability to get suspe…
00:41:26 |
Mon 23 Sep 2024
S4 Ep27: From Hero to Traitor: How Benedict Arnold Slid into Infamy
Before Benedict Arnold's name became synonymous with 'traitor,' he had been hailed as a hero of the American Revolutionary War. His rise from militiaman to trusted ally of George Washington was the s…
00:45:19 |
Mon 16 Sep 2024
S4 Ep26: How the Horrifying Murder of Adam Walsh Changed America
In 1981, a 6-year-old boy accompanied his mother to a Sears department store, where she left him for mere minutes in the toy department. Two weeks later, the boy's head was discovered in a ditch. Lea…
00:57:49 |
Mon 09 Sep 2024
S4 Ep25: The Clutter Family: The Case Behind Truman Capote's In Cold Blood
The horrific killing of four members of the Clutter family in 1959 led author Truman Capote to write In Cold Blood, the book credited with launching true crime as a genre. But how much of what Capote…
00:44:40 |
Mon 02 Sep 2024
S4 Ep24: How Catherine of Aragon Changed Europe
The Catholic Church lost its grip on England largely thanks to a woman who refused to quietly let her husband trade her in for a younger model. Catherine of Aragon's impact on Europe has lasted for c…
00:49:15 |
Mon 26 Aug 2024
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