Ohio Mysteries

We bet you don't pronounce "pajamas" the way the rest of America does. We can pretty much guess whether you drink "pop" or "soda." And depending on whether you have "fireflies" or "lightning bugs" living in your backyard, we can make a good bet on whether you belong to Team Ohio. Join the four Ohio Mysteries hosts (Paula, Steve, Mike and Dan) in exploring the quirks in our dialect and play along w...

In the early 1800s, Ashtabula shipbuilders lost nearly a dozen vessels in about 15 years, leading the superstitious industry to wonder if there was a curse on the port. We tell the stories behind five of those lost ships, including the Superior, which met a diabolical end, and the Elisha Whittlesey, upended in a terrible gale. The other three - the Tempest, the Elizabeth and the LaFayette Packet -...

Dive into the fascinating world of Ohio's connections to the RMS Titanic in this eye-opening podcast. "Titanic Ties" unravels the untold stories of Ohioans who played pivotal roles in the Titanic saga, from passengers and crew to the far-reaching impacts on families and communities. Discover the remarkable tales of courage, tragedy, and intrigue as we explore how this iconic maritime disaster reve...

In 1998, 17-year-old Danny Violette ended an argument with his parents by storming from his home. He was discovered dead in a cornfield 11 days later. Also, the recent announcement that DNA has revealed the identity of a John Doe found in Stark County in 2020. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon.com/ohiomysteries www.twitter.com/mysteriesohio www.facebook.com/ohiomysteries...

Dive into the fascinating world of Ohio's connections to the RMS Titanic in this eye-opening podcast. "Titanic Ties" unravels the untold stories of Ohioans who played pivotal roles in the Titanic saga, from passengers and crew to the far-reaching impacts on families and communities. Discover the remarkable tales of courage, tragedy, and intrigue as we explore how this iconic maritime disaster reve...

In 1792, the 5-year-old daughter of a Virginia pioneer family was kidnapped from her home. Nearly 60 years later, a brother found her living with a Wyandot Indian tribe that had been relocated from Upper Sandusky, Ohio to Kansas. Through an Interpreter, Caty Sage shared the story of her life in Ohio as a blonde-haired Indian princess. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon.co...

Join us on a journey through the life and music of the legendary Screamin' Jay Hawkins, a trailblazing figure whose impact on rock 'n' roll and the blues reverberates to this day. Known for his wild stage presence, trademark growl, and flamboyant persona, Hawkins defied conventions and created a musical style uniquely his own. Born Jalacy Hawkins in the turbulent 1920s, his career took an unexpect...

In 1864, a Tennessee slave named Jordan Anderson was freed when Union troops camped on the plantation of his master during the Civil War, and Jordan and his wife and children moved to Dayton, Ohio to start their lives as free people. A year later, Jordan heard from his former master, Col. PH Anderson, who asked him to come back to the plantation because the farm was failing and he was desperately...

What's your favorite Twilight Zone episode? Perhaps it's "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" or "The Invaders" or "A Game of Pool." Maybe it's "Eye of the Beholder" or "Time Enough at Last." Join us as we discuss the many Ohio born actors who starred in these classic episodes, as well as several historical facts that connect the Twilight Zone and its creator Rod Serling to the great state of Oh...

Terri Hastings was confident her 17-year-old son, Tyler Anderson, would be able to work through his troubled teen years. After all, she knew a family member who was scared straight by a stint in a juvenile detention facility and went on to have a successful family and career. Tyler was to be sentenced on a breaking and entering charge in May of 2012; maybe this was lesson he needed to understand c...

Welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries, Backroads! Today we take a look back at the Lorain/Sandusky tornado of 1924. On January 28, 1924, a wickedly devastating tornado struck the lake front cities of Sandusky and Lorain, Ohio. 88 people would ultimately lose their lives by this powerful storm. The storm would forever alter the city and change the lives of countless families. Check out our F...

In 1884, 10,000 Cincinnatians filled the streets around the Hamilton County Courthouse to protest a jury's decision to convict a cold-blooded killer with the lesser crime of manslaughter. What happened next took the lives of 56 people, sent hundreds more to area hospitals, and left a courthouse and most county records in ruins. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon.com/ohiom...

Welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries, Backroads! Today we’ve got a fun topic to discuss, and that’s the Buckeye’s State’s rich history in newspaper comic strips, or to use an old late-1800s term, “the funny papers!” Anyone old enough to remember actually reading a daily newspaper will certainly recall flipping the pages to the back of the newspaper to read the comic strips in hopes of a go...

The coroner doesn't know how 18-year-old Heather Walker was killed, or even when she died during the two-and-a-half months she went missing in the winter of 2008. The mere fact that she was stuffed in a trash can on the east side of Dayton, however, was enough for a ruling of homicide, since she clearly didn't put herself there. Sixteen years later, her family is still hoping for answers, and dete...

Since Ohio became a state, it has excelled in creating, discovering, and inventing! The buckeye state has created pop culture icons, set sports records that may never be broken, and has invented items that we use every day and in every walk of life! Ohio can lay claim to milestones in business, medicine, manufacturing, sports, and almost every form of entertainment from television to magazines! Yo...

In 1960, Cal Poly flew its Mustangs football team to Toledo to play Bowling Green State University. After the game, they took off from Toledo for their trip back home. The plane lasted just 30 seconds in the air before crashing and tumbling in a fiery explosion, killing 22 of 48 aboard. This is the story of the trip, the victims and the survivors. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com w...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries: Backroads. In this episode we travel back in time to 1910 and explore a record breaking flight by pioneer aviator Glenn Curtiss. He flew from Euclid Beach to Cedar Point beach, 60 miles away. Curtiss would break the world's record in the process with over 100,00 people witnessing this flight which broke the world's record set the previous yea...

In 1998, Stan Meyer - who had made headlines claiming he found a way to power cars using water instead of gasoline - was having dinner with Belgian investors when he drank his juice, grabbed his throat, and proclaimed he had just been poisoned. He died the next day. The Franklin County Coroner said Meyer died of a brain aneurysm, not poison, but supporters still wonder if someone killed Meyer to s...

Hello and Welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries: Backroads. The state of Ohio has a long list of historic firsts that have helped shape and influence not only the rest of the country, but also the entire world! Ohio got the ball rolling with firsts in pop culture, sports, politics, education, music, medicine, business, inventions, and so much more! Join Mike and Dan as they take a deep dive...

On Aug. 20, 1794, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne launched a new professional army formed by Pres. George Washington against a confederation of Native Americans who did not want to be forced out of Ohio. Knowing the army was planning an attack, Chief Blue Jacket chose to make his stand among a landscape of fallen trees that had been toppled by a recent storm. He hoped the tangled mess would benefit hi...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries: Backroads. In this episode we explore some wild urban legends in Ohio. Some maybe you've heard of, some maybe you haven't. Helltown, the Oxford Light, the Kirkland Melonheads, Abbott's Tomb in Milan and the monkey that escaped Cedar Point are all the stories we cover. Hear all about the legends, rumors and stories. There are so many cool urba...

In 2005, Alex Wells, an Akron drug dealer and father of 10, was ambushed in his West Akron driveway and shot 10 times by two assailants. His killers have never been identified. In this collaborative print-and-podcast project, Ohio Mysteries and the Akron Beacon Journal interview Akron police detectives who are still trying to solve this cold case, and a child of Wells who is trying to hold onto go...

Hello and welcome to the latest episode of Ohio Mysteries; backroads. The bootlegging era provided America with a new breed of criminal; the mobster. Organized crime took hold in Northern Ohio in a big way with men like John Zetzer, Al Ramsey and Wayne Wheeler began importing illegal liquor into the United States via the Southern shore of Lake Erie. Learn about the fas boats, the hiding spots and...

In May of 1865, something happened that had never happened before. Twenty bandits derailed a train for the purpose of robbing its passengers and stealing bonds from its safe. The event, which happened in the Hamilton County village of North Bend, marked an evolution of the old highwaymen who used to rob stagecoaches. It was an era that also ended in Ohio, with the last great train heist recorded i...

Hello and welcome to another edition of Ohio Mysteries: Backroads. In today's episode, we discuss the trailblazing, firebrand owner of the Cleveland Indians Baseball team. This charismatic owner saw many changes to the game of baseball making it a fan friendly game for the first time. Bill Veeck would stop at nothing to draw the fans and no promotion seemed too crazy. While frequently at odds with...