Help Is Not On The Way

In 1859, in San Francisco, Joshua Abraham Norton, declared himself "Emperor of the United States", and eventually "Protector of Mexico".

$1.6 million in rare photographs disappear. An owner of one of…

John R. Brinkley dreamed of being a doctor. Unfortunately he couldn't achieve that goal. He could however say he was one, and became known for implanting goat gonads into patients. Brinkley was on th…

In 2001, The Free State Project was founded with the intention of recruiting Libertarians to New Hampshire, in an attempt to create a sort of Libertarian utopia. Not too surprisingly, things didn't e…

The most devastating wildfire in U.S. history was not in the western states, or even a recent event. Instead it was in Wisconsin, on October 8th, 1871. The fire burned around 1.5 million acres, and c…

Jimmy Hoffa, former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters - a powerful union with ties to organized crime, disappears in 1975. Hoffa is eventually declared dead in 1982, though his …

In 857 A.D., in the Rhine Valley, an outbreak of a disease causing hallucinations, gangrene, and death occurred. Because the symptoms included a severe burning sensation, and it was believed to be a …

In 1980, while Texaco was drilling in Lake Peigneur, a sinkhole opened up and drained the lake, swallowing the drilling platform, and several boats and barges in the process. The 10 foot deep lake wa…

In 1985, Eastern Airlines Flight 980, crashed at 21,000 feet, on route to La Paz, Bolivia. Decades of searches turned up little, sparking a variety of conspiracy theories. Was it a disaster due to we…

Warning: this episode covers cults. Cults often were bad, and the content can be upsetting. This material may not be appropriate for children.

After a long break due to Covid, travel, and technical di…

Jean-Paul Marat was a French political theorist, physician and scientist, and, during the French Revolution, a journalist and politician. Initially an advocate of basic human rights for the poor, he …

Starting in the late 19th century, Los Angeles was outgrowing it's water supply, and by the early 20th century, the fight for water, known as the California Water Wars had begun.

On May 31st, 1889, th…

Until the 1850s, the leading theory for disease was Miasma, or "bad air", was the cause of disease. Though basic germ theory was written about around 400 B.C., it wouldn't be until the 1800s, that th…

When Germany invaded the Netherlands, the Dutch Resistance formed, and three women joined the Haarlem Council of Resistance. Freddie and Truus Oversteegen, 14 and 16 years old, joined in 1941, and Ja…

On January 15, 1919 a tank of Molasses collapsed in Boston, sending a 20 foot tall wave of molasses through town. The tank contained almost 2.5 million gallons of sticky Molasses. The ensuing disaste…

Dean Cummings was a successful mogul skier on the U.S. ski team in the 80s, a World Champion freeskier in the 1995 World Extreme Ski Championship, and owner and operator of H2O Heli Ski, the premier …

When a Pan Am flight was hijacked by terrorists, Neerja Bhanot, heroically rose to the occasion and saved the lives of numerous passengers. Bravery and quick thinking by the Bhanot saves lives, but c…

Enigmatic Kaspar Hauser appears in the town square in Nuremberg, Germany on May 26th, 1828. Seemingly unable to speak more than a few words local officials are soon able to piece together his amazing…

In 1850, fourteen year old Olive Oatman was taken captive by Native Americans and spent 4 years with the Mohave. Her story after being repatriated into American society against her will would make he…