The Morbid Museum

In July 1863, at the height and heat of the American Civil War, a race riot erupted in New York City, in response to the drafting of thousands into the Union Army. For four days, the city seethed with indiscriminate mob violence, fire, and chaos. The grievance of the rioters was the same as the national war itself; the cause of Black freedom and the social costs to Whites. "When America Hated Cath...

Martin Scorsese's sweeping 2002 epic Gangs of New York brought the gritty streets of lower Manhattan in the 19th century to life. It's full of grit, incredible sets and costumes, and just a smidge of historical liberties. It's the factual smackdown you never knew you wanted. Patreon: patreon.com/themorbidmuseum Instagram: @themorbidmuseum Email: themorbidmuseum@gmail.com Artwork: Brittany Schall M...

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two titans of the American Revolution, died within hours of each other on Independence Day, 1826--fifty years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was signed. Their long friendship and correspondence was complicated by their shared zeal and hope for the future of the new nation they helped to create--and divergent political ideologies. Patreon: patreon....

In the North Atlantic Ocean, a string of missing ships and aircraft have been attributed to a geometric nexus of misfortune. Is the Bermuda Triangle explainable due to unpredictable forces of nature, or something more supernatural? Patreon: patreon.com/themorbidmuseum Instagram: @themorbidmuseum Email: themorbidmuseum@gmail.com Artwork: Brittany Schall Music: "Danse Macabre" by Camille Saint-Saens...

Are you okay? Cause we are not okay! We are living through a major turning point in history: the crowning of King Charles III, and the end of HBO's hit black dramedy Succession signal the end of one era and the beginning of a meh-ra. Catch up with us, and get the full episode on Patreon. Patreon: patreon.com/themorbidmuseum Instagram: @themorbidmuseum Email: themorbidmuseum@gmail.com Artwork: Brit...

In British Columbia, Canada, a stretch of highway winds through 450 miles of quiet country. For over 50 years, murders and missing person cases, notably among the indigenous community, have haunted the local population, earning the road the unfortunate moniker, ‘The Highway of Tears.’ In this episode, we explore the ongoing investigations and advocacy work raising awareness of this crisis. Why are...

In British Columbia, Canada, a stretch of highway winds through 450 miles of quiet country. For over 50 years, murders and missing person cases, notably among the indigenous community, have haunted the local population. The Highway of Tears is part of the enduring trauma of colonialism and assimilation, which included the genocidal Canadian Indian residential schools. The Residential School System...

Our historical accuracy film review series continues with a re-watching of the bloody blunderous commercial for the American Revolution that is The Patriot with Mel Gibson. The production aims small and misses no small amount of context in this sanitized re-telling of guerilla warfare. Get the full review on Patreon today! Patreon: patreon.com/themorbidmuseum Instagram: @themorbidmuseum Email: the...

After liberating themselves from the slave ship, Cinqué and the Amistad Africans are held in the United States, where the courts determine their status as enslaved or free. The national debate on slavery was channeled into the Supreme Court, where a former President defended the Africans. United States v. The Amistad :: 40 U.S. 518 (1841) :: Justia US Supreme Court Center Harris, Katherine J. (201...

In 1839, kidnapped Mende Africans held in the illegal Spanish slave schooner La Amistad revolted against the crew. When the ship was recovered off the coast of North America, a legal and political firestorm was ignited in a nation divided over the slavery question. The Story of the Amistad - Mystic Seaport Museum Exploring Amistad: Race and the Boundaries of Freedom in Maritime Antebellum America...

In the late 19th century, relief from the pain of rheumatism came in many forms. Included among them was the putrid practice of prolonged immersion of the patient inside the carcass of a dead whale. A New Cure for Rheumatism Australians bathed inside rotting whales to 'cure' rheumatism | WIRED UK The Prescription for Rheumatism Used to Be to Sit Inside a Rotting Whale for 30 Hours Rheumatism suffe...

During the American Revolution, the British captured thousands of American Continentals, militia, spies and sympathizers, and crammed them into prison ships between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Squalid conditions and barbaric treatment were imposed upon thousands of inmates, crammed in hulks throughout the New York harbor. It's a largely forgotten story that is sobering to behold. "Brooklyn, New York A...

It's 1997. One movie about a love story set against one of the most iconic nautical disasters in history becomes embedded in the popular culture. With stunning set pieces, visual effects and period details, James Cameron's Titanic is a magisterial document of the vessel and its demise. And yet, there are oh so many things they got wrong. Patreon: patreon.com/themorbidmuseum Instagram: @themorbidmu...

The R.M.S. Titanic tragically sank in the Atlantic Ocean over 110 years ago, claiming the lives of more than 1,500 souls - and ensnaring the imagination of millions. Since its rediscovery in 1985, debates around preservation, salvage rights, and the sacred identity of the wreck complicate the site's ultimate fate. Titanic Expedition - OceanGate Titanic Shipwreck to Be Protected Under Treaty with t...

In the early 20th century, a string of missing children cases tormented the people of Barcelona. When a missing girl was found in the home of Enriqueta Martí, the owner of a local brothel and alleged bruja (witch), a grisly web of myth and mystery swirled around the woman known as 'The Vampire of Barcelona'. Patreon: patreon.com/themorbidmuseum Instagram: @themorbidmuseum Email: themorbidmuseum@gm...

In the 20th century, the final assault against the Tuberculosis epidemic was waged in purpose-built facilities such as Seaview Hospital on Staten Island. When white nurses refused to work with TB patients, nurses of color, known as the 'Black Angels' stepped into the breach, and aided in the clinical trials of new treatments that would, once and for all, send the disease into retreat. BLACK ANGELS...

When discussing a historical subject as complex and dense as WWI, it is easy to reduce it to mere numbers or points on a map. Today WWII takes up so much space in historical memory, that we often overlook the equally important and compelling stories of those who experienced the tragedies and triumphs of what was once known as "The Great War." This week, in honor of Women's History Month and in rem...

It's Women's History Month! We salute the First Ladies to the American Presidents. Those who we appreciate, and those who we revel in a little mean girls-style hate. This is the First Ladies Burn Book. Get the full goss on Patreon. Patreon: patreon.com/themorbidmuseum Instagram: @themorbidmuseum Email: themorbidmuseum@gmail.com Artwork: Brittany Schall Music: "Danse Macabre" by Camille Saint-Saens...

After a life of military and government service, President Grant's last days were marked by financial distress and a bleak cancer diagnosis. His death evoked a monumental national grieving, a moment of unity that belied the failures of Reconstruction. Rediscovering Our Past: Champion Of The Weed Masking Death — U.S. Grant Cottage National Historic Landmark History in the Raw: The death and embalmi...

On July 2, 1881, President James A. Garfield was shot in Washington, DC by Charles Guiteau. Over the next 79 days, Garfield clung to life - and may have lived, were it not for the missteps of attending medical professionals. "Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President" by Candice Millard "A President Felled by an Assassin and 1880’s Medical Care" by Amanda S...

It's Presidential History Month at the Morbid Museum, and we have a full slate of informative and engaging public programs on the pod. This is not one of them. In honor of President's Day, we compare nuanced, logical, non-reductive Top 10 Lists of Oval Officers in order of hotness. Patreon: patreon.com/themorbidmuseum Instagram: @themorbidmuseum Email: themorbidmuseum@gmail.com Artwork: Brittany S...

The youngest chief executive ever elected, John F. Kennedy’s image of health and vigor signaled a new generation of leadership in the 1960s; however, JFK actively concealed a myriad of medical issues which may have undermined his electoral appeal. John Kennedy: Hospitalization Chronology John F. Kennedy kept these medical struggles private | PBS NewsHour 1961: Travell, Janet | JFK Library Patreon:...

Washington, DC is a city built on a swamp. As the city slowly limped into modernity, utilities such as plumbing were slow to develop. Poor sewage drainage contaminated drinking water, imperiling the lives of several U.S. Presidents & their families. Inaugural Address Length | Presidents of the United States (POTUS) Historic Meanings of “Cholera” – Contagions Polk, Exhausted, Says He's Feeling...

In the 19th century, anatomical dissections required a fresh supply of cadavers. Spurred by the financial incentives of corpse-selling, two men in Edinburgh, Scotland committed a series of murders - this is the story of Burke & Hare. Patreon: patreon.com/themorbidmuseum Instagram: @themorbidmuseum Email: themorbidmuseum@gmail.com Artwork: Brittany Schall Music: "Danse Macabre" by Camille Saint...

This week Katie & Luke will be discussing and reviewing their recent visit to the New-York Historical Society, in particular, the temporary exhibition "The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming." New-York Historical Society Museum & Library The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming | NYHS Exhibition Alexander McQueen autumn winter 2007-08 "In memory of Elizabeth Howe, Salem, 1692...