Crimes of the Centuries

In the 1960s, after losing all 10 of the babies they'd conceived, Marie Noe and her husband, Arthur, became the most famous bereaved parents in America, with most of the deaths attributed to "crib death," later called Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). After a journalist revisited the case in 1998, investigators took another look at the mysterious series of deaths, prompting Marie Noe to share a...

On September 6, 1949, 28-year-old World War II veteran Howard Unruh ate the breakfast his mother made him, then armed himself with a Luger pistol and walked calmly through his Camden, New Jersey, neighborhood, shooting everyone in sight. He told police afterward he'd had a kill list of specific people he'd felt had wronged him, but by the end of his 12-minute rampage, 13 would be fatally wounded,...

While the grift he deployed had been named for another man, Bernie Madoff took the concept of a Ponzi scheme and pumped it full of steroids, allowing it to keep him -- and plenty of others -- filthy rich for literally decades. In the end, Madoff bilked some $65 billion from thousands of clients, all while maintaining such a sheen of respectability that he was charged with helping write the very ru...

Italian-born Charles Ponzi had grown up hearing from his mother that he was destined for greatness, so it was no surprise to her when she visited him in America to find him wealthy beyond her wildest dreams. Ponzi had come up with a get-rich-quick scheme that he insisted was legal. To his credit, it took federal authorities a good seven months to figure out how it wasn't. In this episode, meet the...

In the midst of nationwide bombings that pit union backers against anti-union bosses, an explosion at the Los Angeles Times building crossed a line that changed everything. At 1:07 a.m. on Oct. 1, 1910, a blast tore through the Times building, killing 21 people. Times officials immediately blamed organized labor, which ultimately bore out: Not only were three union-affiliated co-conspirators convi...

In September 1944, a 24-year-old married woman named Recy Taylor was walking home with friends from church when a carload of seven men stopped her. Forced into the car, Recy, a Black woman, was repeatedly raped by six white men at gunpoint, then tossed roadside with a warning: Tell anyone about this, and you're dead. Recy ignored the threats and her tale soon galvanized activists throughout Alabam...

Hey, Crimes of the Centuries listeners! COTC is now part of Grab Bag Collab, a Patreon-based podcasting network. You can find our other shows available at patreon.com/grabbagcollab Alcoholism, multiple husbands and boarding houses. This is the story of The Landlady.  Dive deep into the upbringing and backstories of individuals who committed history's most notorious crimes, shedding light on the ps...

When luggage leaking blood arrived at a Los Angeles train depot in 1931, the woman who'd traveled with the items feigned ignorance -- and then disappeared, leading to a nationwide manhunt that captivated the nation. Because one of the two victims found inside the Winnie Ruth Judd's trunks had been dismembered -- and because both she and the victims were beautiful women -- the case generated hundre...

The morning of Aug. 1, 1966, 25-year-old Charles Whitman called his wife's boss to say she'd be out, then did the same for his mother. After killing the two women, he climbed atop the observatory tower at the University of Texas and relentlessly began picking off pedestrians below in an attack unlike any before witnessed in America. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exp...

Every parent has worried about their children hauling home tainted candy on Halloween, but not everyone knows where that fear originated. On Halloween in 1974, an 8-year-old boy named Timothy O’Bryan was granted one pick from his basket before bed — and soon after downing the contents of his Pixy Stix, he went limp in his father’s arms. The investigation threw parents into a panic, prompting tons...

Notorious labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa had for decades been a polarizing figure, with his ties to organized crime investigated as early as 1957 by future U.S. Attorney General Bobby Kennedy. A jury tampering conviction eventually took him out of official power, but Hoffa worked tirelessly behind the scenes to reclaim his position -- until his disappearance in 1975. Despite countless theories abo...

Living in Occupied Paris during World War II was utter chaos, with the Gestapo police constantly changing rules, kidnapping people from the streets and sidelining the Parisian police. A physician named Marcel Petiot claimed to be among the brave men and women working for the Resistance — a group determined to help smuggle endangered people to safety, far from the reach of the Third Reich. But when...

Random offenses, Institutions and Orange Socks. This is the story of The Drifter.  Dive deep into the upbringing and backstories of individuals who committed history's most notorious crimes, shedding light on the psychological factors that shaped their paths. With a suspenseful twist, the identities of these individuals won’t be unveiled until the end of each episode. ‘The Catalyst’ will unravel t...

For years, the violence that occurred in the area known as "Black Wall Street" in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921 was remembered as the "Tulsa Race Riot" - when it was even remembered at all.  But that name, promoted by the media and government officials, was at best a misleading description of what we've now started to reveal over the past few decades as a massacre perpetrated on a thriving Black commun...

Handsome and charismatic, the actor Bob Crane led the cast of the hit sitcom "Hogan's Heroes" for six seasons from the mid-sixties into the beginning of the next decade.  The show ended in 1971, and Crane began traveling the country in a touring play.  When he was found dead in his hotel room in Arizona in 1978, was it due to a secret life that he kept hidden from public view?  " Crimes of the Cen...

Her story seemed innocent at first, if not charming.  A young immigrant woman from Germany befriending older gentlemen in Cincinnati's German community and providing them memories of home with her Old World cooking.  But as these men fell ill - or worse, starting dying - the motives behind Anna Marie Hahn's friendly overtures proved to be far more devious. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast...

It's a story every American grade school student learns - how the actor John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln in his box at the Ford's Theater, jumped down to the stage, and fled Washington DC until he was killed by the authorities in a barn in rural Virginia.  But it's not widely known that Booth wasn't acting alone, and that President Lincoln was only one of several targets he and his...

After the murder of the Defeo family, the house known as "High Hopes" where the murders occurred was purchased by the George and Kathy Lutz.  But the Lutz family soon fled the property, claiming frightening paranormal activity.  Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren arrived and began studying the scene.  But did they find evidence of supernatural occurrences - or were they perpetrating a...

The word "Amityville" has practically become synonymous in popular culture with the eerie and supernatural.  But behind the books and movies is a true story of the Defeo murders, and in today's episode, we're joined by fellow Obsessed Network podcaster Daisy Eagan to tell their story. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from the Obsessed Network exploring forgotten crimes from times past that...

Having one husband die under suspicious circumstances may not cause alarm bells to ring, but what if a second husband also meets an unfortunate fate? The so-called "American Black Widow" Sharon Harrelson may have considered herself cursed when it came to love, but in today's episode we dive into her story of deception, betrayal, and ultimately murder. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from...

There were seven men guarding the notorious criminal Frank Nash as he moved through Kansas City Union Station to a car waiting outside. But these officers couldn't stop the onslaught that faced them as they attempted to transfer Nash into the car. In today's episode, we'll explore how this bloody shootout changed the way American law enforcement fought crime. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podca...

The story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow is probably familiar to many of our COTC listeners.  But this story of young outlaws terrorizing the country is one that has been romanticized and practically turned into an American myth.  In today's episode, we shake off the romantic sheen and look at the real events behind one of the most notorious duos in history. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a pod...

In March of 1954, scientists from German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grünenthal produced Thalidomide for the first time. Thalidomide was a sedative and sleep aid sold in many countries worldwide under the name “Contergan”, as well as other brands. The medication was also being marketed and taken by pregnant women as a safe remedy for morning sickness. But in November of 1961, the drug was found...

After the five-day Battle of Lincoln, the deputized posse called the Regulators disbanded. The Lincoln County War appeared to be over. Lew Wallace, the newly appointed governor of the New Mexico Territory knew that some of the former desperados were worried that they could be arrested at any point for whatever role they had played during the ordeal, so he offered amnesty for many of them. But thos...

In November 1876, a 24-year-old wealthy cattleman and banker named John Tunstall, arrived in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Together with lawyer Alexander McSween, John Tunstall set up a rival business to the existing duo who ran things in town - Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan. In this two-part episode, we learn more about the bloody conflict that arose and became the Lincoln County War, and how it...