American Shadows

In the 1950s the United States launched a witch hunt, and it's not at all what you think. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What would you do when faced with a life-or-death situation? Alferd Packer had to answer this question for himself, and do something that is -- for many -- unthinkable.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of a man who loved his mother. Too much. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the bicycle was invented it did more than simply change people's lives, leisure and mobility. It ignited a controversy over traditional gender roles. One woman set out to change all that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fight for equal rights was long and slow until one day a fight broke out with police, culminating in a riot. What happened next is history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prussian immigrant Louis Wagner came to America hoping to make a better life for himself. Working as a fisherman in the Isle of Shoals it seemed he was living the dream, until he found himself down on his luck. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Gilded Age was a time of opulence and opportunism, an age that turned businessmen into household names. But it also created some of the biggest rivalries in the rush to unearth the past. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thomas Neill Cream wanted nothing more than to leave the family shipping business to become a medical doctor. Having graduated with honors, his future seemed promising -- until the bodies began to appear.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spirits were high that summer’s day as everyone boarded the General Slocum. The passengers were looking forward to their annual picnic just up river… but as fate would have it, they’d never arrive See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1918, the US Government created a plan to track, detain, and imprison women for the STIs brought home from soldiers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the mid 1930s an unidentified killer stalked Kingsbury Run, Ohio. It's a mystery that even Elliott Ness couldn't solve. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we think of American outlaws, we often think of cowboys and dusty trails in the Wild West. Meet the Ashley Gang who operated out of the Florida Everglades. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every once in a while, there are news stories that are stranger than fiction. In this episode, we meet Ruth and Judd, possibly the worst murders of the 1920s.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hawaii didn't become a state until 1959. Before then, it was a Republic, but not by choice. A coup by an American fruit corporation staged a coupe and took control.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of Andrew Kehoe and his opposition to taxes, namely school taxes and the disaster that followed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Only one thing stood between a town's survival: 674 miles of unforgiving terrain in the worst arctic weather conditions in 20 years. Boats, planes, and trains could not get through. And that left the town with one hope: sled dogs.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Timothy Dexter was many things — at least to himself. But mostly, he was lucky in the strangest of ways. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

William Beadle had everything he'd dreamed of: a pretty and good-hearted wife, beautiful children, social status, and plenty of wealth. But when he lost his fortune, William lost his mind.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edmonia Lewis always loved art. In the 1800s, there weren't many women sculptors. Edmonia wasn't interested in what she couldn't do. She was only interested in what she could.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When men went off to fight in WW II, women did their own part. They worked in factories, played in a women's baseball league, and raised families. One woman's family was bigger than the rest. Meet Margaret Chung, who called thousands of military men her sons. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The mysogenistic article, 'What Are Girls Good For' infuriated Elizabeth Cochrane. Her well-written response to the newspaper did more than get her point across. It started her career as Nellie Bly, award-winning investigative reporter.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of Aaron Burr, who's legendary battle with fellow Founding Father began long before the duel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia Tann believed the rich were better than those without means. She also believed lower-income couples should not have children This is the story of how thousands of children were stolen and sold in the black market.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During times of war and difficulties, people turned to sports and clubs as a way to enjoy friends, a good time, and to forget about their troubles and the headlines for a while. And sometimes, those same nightclubs made the headlines.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For many tourists, Coney Island was the epitome of summer. However, the carnivals and fun houses revealed another side of human nature.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.