An Old Timey Podcast

Samuel Adams (no, not *that* Samuel Adams) was nowhere to be found. His friends and family were alarmed. They feared that the respected small business owner had met a violent end. Meanwhile, across town, John Caldwell Colt was up to no good. He tried to cover his tracks, but the man in the office next door was onto him.  Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Nor...

On a sunny fall day in 1841, New York City officials boarded a ship in search of a crate. Crew members found it buried deep in the cargo hold. The odor coming from within it was unbearable. Inside, they discovered the decomposing body of half-naked man, covered in salt. Authorities identified the body as Samuel Adams (No, not that Samuel Adams.) Who could have done such a thing? There was no need...

Welcome to the first annual D.B. Cooper Suspect Awards! In this very real award show, we celebrate a handful of the thin-lipped, military-trained sky divers who *might* be responsible for the only unsolved airplane hijacking in United States history. Plus: Mistakes of Shame! Kristin mispronounced the name of D.B. Cooper suspect Robert Rackstraw. She called him Robert Rackshaw. As punishment, Krist...

On Thanksgiving Eve, 1971, D.B. Cooper parachuted into the night’s sky with $200k in ransom money. That night, the FBI launched their investigation into his identity and location. They interviewed eyewitnesses. They developed sketches. They searched the airplane for evidence, finding a few hairs, cigarette butts, and a clip-on tie. They analyzed the flight path to determine where he might have lan...

This episode kicks off our coverage of the only unsolved airplane hijacking in United States history. On November 24, 1971, a nondescript man boarded a flight to Seattle. He wore a dark suit. He carried a briefcase. As the plane took off, he told the flight attendants that he had a bomb. He demanded $200,000 in ransom money, plus four parachutes. The airline, along with federal agents, scrambled t...

Spite Houses: The architectural equivalent of a middle finger. They’re structures or dwellings designed specifically to piss someone off. This week, Norm does a deep dive into a truly ridiculous spite house, built and owned by an eccentric millionaire named Joseph Richardson. It all started when a man made an offer on Joseph’s 5-foot wide, 102-foot deep tract of land in New York City. Joseph was s...

It had been exhausting. It had been challenging. But Emma Gatewood refused to give up on her dream to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. So? She kept going. As she hiked, media outlets chronicled her journey. They dubbed her Grandma Gatewood. When she finished, Emma became the first woman to solo thru-hike the 2,168 mile Appalachian Trail. But Grandma Gatewood’s hiking days were far from finish...

Emma Gatewood was embarrassed. Her first attempt at solo hiking the Appalachian Trail had been a disaster. But she was nothing if not determined. So, Emma tried again. On her second attempt, the 67-year-old grandmother was better prepared. Although the trail proved challenging, she kept going. Soon, the media took notice. If she completed the 2,000+ mile hike, Emma Gatewood (aka Grandma Gatewood)...

When Emma Gatewood set off on the Appalachian Trail, she didn’t look like much of a hiker. She was 67 years old. She wore a pair of Keds. She had no training. But she figured that wouldn’t matter. An article in National Geographic magazine claimed that anyone in “normal good health” could hike the 2,169-mile trail. The article was misleading, but Emma persevered. In 1955, “Grandma Gatewood” became...

In the final episode of our series on Ann Landers and Dear Abby, the feud reached new heights when Abby fell victim to a “gotcha” moment on Charlie Rose. (Who woulda guessed?) Afterward, she agreed to an interview with Ladies’ Home Journal. In it, she said awful things about Ann. Years later, when Ann died, the feud went intergenerational between the sisters’ two daughters — daughters who became,...

For a few years, the feud between twin sisters Ann Landers and Dear Abby was an industry secret. That changed in 1958, when Life Magazine printed a story that exposed the rivalry. In the article, Abby shared stories that weren’t hers to tell. She talked about Ann’s nose job. She talked about Ann’s broken engagement. Abby told the reporter, “I understand why she’s disturbed. She wanted to be the fi...

Ann Landers was thrilled. She’d just landed a job as the new syndicated advice columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. Her new role gave Ann something to call her own. Then, just three months later, her twin sister Abby shared some news. She’d gotten a job as an advice columnist, too. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from: The book “Dear Ann, De...

For decades, Dear Abby and Ann Landers were the undisputed queens of advice columns. They had millions of loyal readers. They were celebrated public figures. Their columns stood out for being sassy, sharp, and at times, shockingly progressive. But, behind the scenes, the twin sisters had a contentious, competitive relationship. In this episode, we set the scene for the women they would one day bec...

Wipe your slate clean of everything you *think* you know about the pet rock. You’ll marble (err, marvel) over its true history! Its inventor, Gary Dahl, thought he’d created a novelty gift that was set in stone. Imagine his surprise when the pet rock’s popularity began to crumble. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken it for granite? Ehh?? Get it?? In this episode, Kristin also addresses the often-asked q...

It took countless efforts and nearly three decades to convince Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda that World War II was over. When those efforts finally paid off, Hiroo Onoda went home to Japan. He received a hero’s welcome. But did he deserve it? Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from: Allyra Crowdfunding. “Donation Page by Searching For Onoda.” http...

World War II was over. (Really. Truly.) But a group of Japanese soldiers stationed on Lubang Island in the Philippines weren’t convinced. They didn’t believe that Japan had surrendered. So they kept fighting. They terrorized locals. They evaded capture. Over the course of several years, Japanese officials made multiple attempts to convince the soldiers that the war had ended. Each time, Hiroo Onod...

As a second lieutenant in the Japanese Army, Hiroo Onoda took his job seriously. He’d been ordered to lead guerilla warfare missions on Lubang Island in the Philippines. He was told to never surrender. And when he received word that World War II had ended, Hiroo was certain that the message was a trick. So, he kept fighting. He kept fighting until 1974 – nearly 29 years after the war ended. Rememb...

In the finale of our series on The Donner Party, rescue groups head off for Truckee Lake and Alder Creek, hoping to save as many survivors as they could. For many members of The Donner Party, the rescue crews came too late. Some had died. Others were too depleted to make the journey back to safety. Ultimately, of the 87 members of The Donner Party, 41 died. The survivors did their best to lead nor...

By the winter of 1846, the Donner Party found themselves in the exact scenario they’d been dreading. They were trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, pummeled by snowstorms. Their food supply dwindled. They knew that if they stayed put, they’d all be doomed. So, a group of men, women, and children set off to get help. They thought their journey would last six days. They thought wrong. Remember, k...

By the time they realized what they’d done, it was too late. Hastings Cutoff turned out to not be much of a cutoff at all. In fact, it was more time consuming and taxing than the regular California Trail. As a result, members of the Donner Party grew hungry. They grew thirsty. Their oxen, horses and dogs suffered. Some died. Some ran away. They ran low on time. People snapped at one another. The g...

The Donner Party was at a crossroads. They’d made good progress on their journey to California, but they were still about a week behind schedule. Lansford Hasting’s new shortcut appealed to the worried group. But an experienced explorer warned them against it. The man told them that the shortcut might kill them. They didn’t listen. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this e...

This episode kicks off our coverage of an infamous American tragedy – the Donner Party. In the mid-1800’s, a group that would later be known as the Donner Party set out West in search of a better life. The California and Oregon Trails were notoriously tough. The journey was dangerous, unpredictable and long. So, when an irresponsible, self-serving douchebag named Lansford Hastings began touting a...

To this day, the Bath School Disaster of 1927 remains the deadliest mass murder in a school in American history, yet it isn’t often discussed. In this episode, Norm covers May 18, 1927, when school board member Andrew Kehoe set off a series of explosions that killed 38 children, 6 adults, and injured at least 58 others. That act of domestic terrorism forever changed the small community of Bath, Mi...

It was unspeakable. Unthinkable. In 1927, a school board member set off a series of explosions that killed 38 children, 6 adults, and injured at least 58 others. That act of domestic terrorism became known as the Bath School disaster. It rocked the small farming community of Bath Township, Michigan, and left people wondering how a seemingly “normal” man like Andrew Kehoe could have done something...

In the late 70s, disco was everywhere. Songs like “Disco Inferno,” “I Will Survive” and “Brick House” topped the charts. Disco had been created and embraced by Black people, Latino people, LGBT+ people, and women. It was fun and funky. It was freeing and empowering. …but *some* folks didn’t like having disco balls shoved in their faces. So, when a 24-year-old Chicago shock jock began hosting “deat...