History For Weirdos

Judith Love Cohen was an American aerospace engineer, ballet dancer, author, publisher, and mother to computer scientist Neil Siegel and to a reasonably well-known actor – Jack Black. Her work was crucial to bringing home the Apollo 13 astronauts when disaster struck. In addition to being a big deal in the field of aeronautics, she was also a professionally trained ballet dancer! An all-around gen...

Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American Hollywood Actress from the Golden Age of cinema, yet was a technological pioneer. She began her acting career in her native Austria before emigrating to the United States in the 1930s. She appeared in numerous films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, including the controversial film "Ecstasy". Lamarr was also known for her beauty, and was voted the "most beautiful...

Leland & Jane Stanford created a legacy of higher learning and of patronizing the arts...funded through illicit activity. When Jane Stanford died everyone believed she died of natural causes, but about 100 years later the truth finally came out: Jane Stanford was murdered. But who did it? Why did they do it? Listen to Steff share the details and decide for yourself!  - History For Weirdos Feature!...

We have something to cheer you guys up to keep you in the festive mood...a massacre that took place over Christmas about a century ago! Ok but in all seriousness, this week explores what has been colloquially known as the 1919 Christmas Day Massacre. It involves mobsters / the mafia, whiskey and the deaths of over 100 people. This bit of weird history often goes untold but was an important event i...

Our "Weirdo" spotlight this week is on a woman who did something that most of her male contemporaries would never dream of doing! During the first century AD, the Celtic "Warrior Queen" Boudica dared to rebel against one of the mightiest empires the world had ever seen: the Roman Empire. Fueled by vengeance, her campaigns would leave a mark on not only Roman history in Britannia, but on the entire...

The "femme fatale" trope gets cranked up a notch in this week's episode. Our subject, Olga of Kiev, was a Kievan Rus' leader during the 10th century who made her enemies pay the ultimate price. Born of Viking (Varangian) blood, she would not only strike fear into her opponents...but would eventually become a saint? Listen now to hear her stranger than fiction life story. - Thank you for listening...

On the day of April 14, 1561, strange phenomenon took place over the skies of Nuremberg, Germany that have puzzled onlookers, astronomers and historians for centuries. But the stranger thing was this event was not isolated. Did unidentified flying objects (UFOs) visit the city or were these non-supernatural astrophysical phenomena? You be the judge. - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podc...

The infamous, ill-fated English colony of Roanoke has gone down into historical lore. Before even Jamestown, the English attempted to create its first permanent colony in the Americas. But it was not meant to be. Your hosts take a deep dive into the history of the colony, the disappearance of the colonists and even possibly what fate awaited them. Tune in now to hear the full story! - Thank you fo...

This week, Stephanie dives into the story of Ona Judge, an enslaved woman who was "owned" by none other than the 1st President of the United States, George Washington. She escapes from the household of the most powerful man in the country to gain her freedom. But her journey would be far from easy. Listen now to hear the full story! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by...

This week's episode explores a controversial English leader who brilliantly commanded armies during the Hundred Years War in the Middle Ages. Celebrated in England yet hated in France...sometimes a hero, other times a villain. Listen now to hear which it was! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so...

Happy Halloween to our Weirdo family! While you have probably heard of the Salem Witch Trials, this sort of 17th century "justice" wasn't confined to the English colonies. In this week's episode, Stephanie discusses the history of the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612 in England. Listen now to hear the full story! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscr...

On December 7th, 1941 the Japanese Imperial Fleet shocked the United States (and the world) with a devastating, surprise attack on the US Navy Base at Pearl Harbor. Just a couple of months later, an attack on Los Angeles, CA was imminent...or was it? Listen now to hear the strange circumstances surrounding the event that would be known as, "The Battle of Los Angeles". - Thank you for listening Wei...

As a part of the History for Weirdos "Spooky" October series, this week Stephanie covers the Villisca axe murders that occurred in 1912 as well as the potentially paranormal activity that has taken place there since. Listen now...if you dare. ;) - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so much to us. Le...

This week's special spooky episode is all about the Italian island of Poveglia. From plagues to mad scientists, this haunted island has a history you will not want to miss! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇 Email: historyforweirdos@gmail.com Website: www.hist...

In this week's episode Steff shares the mysterious and tragic deaths that occurred in Greystone Mansion in 1929. How did the son of oil tycoon Edward Doheny end up deceased in this spectacular home alongside his friend Hugh Plunkett?  - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in...

The only successful coup d'état in American history is bloody and a general stain on our country's past. Tune in this week to hear how local politics in Wilmington, North Carolina shaped our history and created issues we are still experiencing to this day! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so muc...

Welcome back to another episode of History for Weirdos! This week, Stephanie discusses the Nottingham Cheese Riot of 1766, it's stranger than fiction and you won't want to miss out! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇 Email: historyforweirdos@gmail.com Website:...

This week's episode is a doozy! Andrew takes us all the way back to the first great Persian nation in the 6th century BC under Cyrus the Great: the Achaemenid Empire. He dies and his sons take over but what happens next? Something truly stranger than fiction... maybe? Tune in now to hear how this story unfolds. - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, sub...

This week, Stephanie shares the legendary tale of a rebel princess! Listen now to hear how princess Erendira of the Purepecha nation (in present day Michoacán, Mexico) went against the odds to fight off the Spanish Invasion.  - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇...

Have you ever heard of horse diving? Well...neither had we! But this week Andrew covers the history of horse diving along with the "Babe Ruth" of the sport, Sonora Webster. Listen now and share your thoughts with us over on Instagram! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in...

Robert Lees was a Victorian-era spiritualist with connections to Prince Albert and Jack-the-Ripper. Listen now to here this paranormal tale! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇 Email: historyforweirdos@gmail.com Website: www.historyforweirdos.com IG: @historyfo...

Andrew tells us the story of Tiberius & Gaius Gracchus who were some of the original champions of the common person. It's possible you have never heard of them, but their actions shaped the course of western civilization. Tune in now to find out how! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so much to u...

Stephanie tells us the tragic tale of one of the most incredible artists of all time, Caravaggio. His paintings early on caught the eyes of many wealthy patrons and set him up to be one of the most sought after painters... but his off-the-canvas shenanigans caught the eyes of authorities as well. Tune in to hear all about he instantly became a legend! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the po...

The moment we've all been waiting for! We answer all of the amazing and weird questions that you guys submitted over the past few weeks and boy oh boy did we have a blast. Thank you so much Weirdo fam 🤙 - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇 Email: historyforweir...

In this week's episode, Andrew spins the tale of a woman who dared defy Roman authority in the 3rd century AD. She amassed a massive amount of power and prestige, making her one of the most powerful women in the history of Rome. Listen now to hear the story of Zenobia! - Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing it today. Your support...