Mysterious

Episode 50: Why Did Japan Twice Attempt to Take Alaska? I t almost happened, you know. Japan almost took Alaska. Not during the Second World War;  just after the First World War. It was a very clever plan and almost succeeded. Now, let me tell you the whole story!!             _____________________________________________________ Now Available! Use the Code “Chr...

Episode 49: The Mysterious Michigan Stonehenge Stone circles found in many places in the world are remnants of the Neolithic Age and are predominantly found in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Most people are familiar with Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain in England. It was built about 5,000 years ago and continues to make the curious wonder – who and why. The 300 stone circles found in Brit...

Episode 48: E. T. Barnette, the man who embezzled the entire town of Fairbanks – AND GOT AWAY WITH IT! The citizens of Fairbanks should have been so lucky. Fairbanks, like Juneau and Nome, was founded by accident. In August of 1901, Elbridge Truman Barnette convinced a gullible steamboat captain that his steamship could easily ascend the Tanana River without striking bottom. However, when it becam...

Episode 47: How Many People Did Mary McKnight Murder, and Why? Accurately recognizing and treating many diseases, including mental illness, was not prevalent in the 19th or early 20th centuries. Rural farm communities were accustomed to injuries and illnesses that often resulted in death. Some deaths could not be explained that’s just the way it was.   On Monday, April 20, 1903, Gertrude Murphy le...

Episode 46: The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe’s Death Edgar Allan Poe, born January 19, 1809, was an American writer, poet, author, editor, and  literary critic , who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the  macabre . Probably the best known–and least understood–mystery he authored was that of his own death on October 7, 1849. There...

Episode 45: The Mystery of Space Space has always been filled with mystery. Strangely, the more astronomers and astrophysicists learn about the makeup of the Universe, the more mysterious space becomes. ____________________________________________________ Grab a copy of Crystal Shards ! _________________________________________________ Check out the Author Masterminds Website _____________________...

Episode 44: What Killed Chris McCandless? On September 6, 1992, two young hikers from Anchorage arrived at the old Fairbanks city bus #142, a makeshift shelter located on the Stampede Trail, twenty-five miles west of Healy. They immediately noted a stench emanating from the bus. A red leg warmer swung from an alder branch near the vehicle’s rear door. A note taped to the door terrified the hikers....

Episode 43: What REALLY Happened to the SS Jessie ? One of the oddest and most mysterious stories of the Alaska Gold Rush is the fate of the steamship Jessie.  Depending on who you choose to believe, it is either the largest massacre of whites by Indians in Alaska history or it is absolute historical garbage. Further, this being said, the entire saga of the steamship Jessie is odd, and it will tak...

Episode 42: Who Killed Frances Lacey? Mackinac Island is perched aesthetically in the Straits of Mackinac. The island is unique, historic, and timeless. There is a sense when stepping from the dock into the town that a switch has been flipped, and you are plunged back in time to the 19th century. Cars were outlawed in 1898. The ferries drop visitors within steps of the main street but be careful w...

Episode 41: The Yogurt Shop Murders On Friday night, December 6, 1991, a heinous crime was committed in the I Can’t Believe Its Yogurt shop in Austin, Texas, located in a small strip mall near the Northcross Mall. ____________________________________ Prince Ali had everything: talent, charisma, and a devoted best friend, Becky Howard. He won every time he set a hoof in a show ring. He garnered mor...

Episode40: The Mysterious Disappearance of British Spy Ian Mackintosh On the evening of July 7 th , 1979, a plane disappeared near Kodiak Island in fair weather and moderate seas. News agencies in Alaska reported little about the missing plane and its occupants. Although reports of the apparent fatal crash made more of a splash in Great Britain, official sources offered no comment about the loss o...

Episode 39: Summer Solstice Mysteries The Summer Solstice, the day marking the longest period of daylight in the year, has been celebrated across the globe since time immemorial. The significance of this celestial event transcends geographical and cultural boundaries, weaving a tapestry of traditions, myths, and scientific observations. Here, we explore six captivating mysteries linked to the sols...

Episode 38: Mysterious Loss of Billions of Crab in Alaska   Since 1975, the surveilling authorities of Alaskan fisheries tallied snow crab in the billions. It was observed and confirmed over the years that animal populations rarely remain steady, owing to poor survey procedures, over-harvesting, movement of life based upon changes to the environment, and simple poor management of a resource....

Episode 37: Wall of Silver — The Lost Mine Who can resist a story about a lost mine? King Solomon’s Mine in Africa, the Lost Dutchman’s Mine in Arizona, and The Wall of Silver in Michigan. They all have a story. Historically, Michigan had vast iron ore and copper deposits in its Upper Peninsula. Gold and silver were also found there, but no mother loads were found in Michigan. Richard Kellog...

Episode 36: The Most Mysterious Bombing in American History Without a doubt, the single most misused word in America today is terrorism . It is the word used or hinted at when any act of violence occurs. And 911 is constantly called a terrorist attack. This is an error. 911 was not a terrorist attack. We know what did it and why. A terrorist attack is one where no one knows who did it, why they di...

Episode 35: Mysterious and Deadly Critters Kissing Bug To find this deadly mystery and the murderers involved, Victoria looked no further than her backyard.                 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________ __________________________________________________________ Join Beach Blank...

Episode 34: The Female Robinson Crusoe and Wrangel Island Expedition Mystery Ada Blackjack’s story reflects the harrowing experiences faced by those who venture into the Arctic and the often-overlooked capabilities and contributions of indigenous peoples to Arctic expeditions. In the annals of Arctic exploration, few tales evoke the blend of mystery and tragedy quite like the Wrangel Island Expedi...

Episode 33: The Mystery of  Time There was a time when we thought we mastered time by clocking it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fifty years ago, I thought I had mastered time when I strapped on my first Timex windup wristwatch. If I didn’t forget to wind it up every day, I had time under control. How little I understood about time back then. ____________________________________________...

Episode 32: Mysterious Sudden Collapse of the Mayan Civilization What caused the mysterious demise of the Maya? What was the cause that led to the disappearance of one of the greatest civilizations in the history of Mesoamerica? The collapse did not happen all at once; instead, it occurred over time from place to place, between about the late 8th and 925—about ±100 years. Exactly why any of this t...

Episode 31: Mysteries from the 1990s I’m your host, Victoria Hardesty, and in this episode, I share several mysteries from the 1990s. Welcome aboard! Mysteries include: Who Abucted Amber Hagerman? Who did the Las Cruces Bowling Alley Massacre? Where did the Oakville Blobs come from? Who killed Yale Senior Suzanna Jovin? Who Sabotaged Amtrak’s Sunset Limited in 1995? What was the Cosford Inci...

Episode 30: The Doomed Wilcox Expedition George Mallory once said, “I climb mountains because they are there.” Mallory died climbing Mt. Everest in 1924, and his body wasn’t found for 75 years. George Mallory represents both the passion and the danger for those who climb mountains. On July 18, 1967, a catastrophic snowstorm pummeled Alaska’s Mt. Denali, killing seven of the twelve young men in the...

Episode 29: The Death of Juanita Richardson: Accident, Suicide, or Murder? On June 22, 2006, Juanita Richardson fell to her death. The investigation of her death, and the subsequent trial and conviction of her husband, Thomas Richardson, was not ordinary. Sources: United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on appeal from the Western District of Michigan https://www.morelaw.com/verdicts/c...

Episode 28:  Richard Willoughby and “The City in the Mist” “Did Richard Willoughby really photograph a mirage in the sky, or was he conning the residents of Juneau, Alaska, and the many people who paid dearly for a copy of his photograph?”                                                             ___________________________________ Grab a copy of  The Human Face of the Alaska Gold Ru...

Episode 27: Ghosts of the Desert Listen to ghost stories from the California desert. Vallecito Stage Stop Yaqui Well           _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Wri...

Episode 26: Christmas Hauntings in England When I hear the words ‘ghost’ and ‘Christmas,’ I automatically think about my favorite Christmas story, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens and Scrooge’s nightmare evening of being visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. But did you know other Christmas ghost stories aren’t so full of hope and the spirit of the season? You may not...