Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: History Unhinged

South Sound Magazine recently featured the Elephant House, the former home of Ray Gamble, Tacoma's millionaire magician, in an article, and mentioned our podcast. We thought we would rerelease this episode for you all to explore!   Check out the article! https://www.southsoundmag.com/features/tacoma-elephant-house-history/article_01883564-0abe-4ce3-a95a-308b7c9d2473.html   This episode explore...

This week, we are sharing an episode from one of our favorite pod-friends: Ani from Audibly Haunted. This episode delves into the haunting story of the Watts family murder case, exploring the chilling events surrounding the disappearance of Shannan Watts and her two daughters, Bella and Celeste. The narrative unfolds with a focus on the true crime aspect, revealing the sinister actions of Chris Wa...

In 1910, two trains—one passenger, one mail—were trapped for nearly a week in a brutal Washington blizzard near Stevens Pass. When lightning struck Windy Mountain, a half-mile-wide avalanche thundered down, sweeping the trains and the town of Wellington into the abyss. Nearly one hundred lives were lost in what remains the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history. Today, the site is known as the Iron G...

The Wild West wasn’t all shootouts and saloons—it also had brothels where life, death, and legends collided. Some of those stories never left. In this episode, Shea and Jody take you inside two infamous houses of ill repute: The Birdcage Theater, Tombstone, Arizona – 26 deaths, bullet holes in the walls, and a love triangle that turned into a ghost story still whispered today. The Red Onion Saloon...

In 1899, a massive four-masted iron ship called the Andelana vanished from Tacoma’s Commencement Bay overnight — leaving behind only a pair of floating logs and a haunting legacy. In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes , Shea and Jody are joined by Tacoma historian and tour guide Chris Staudinger of Pretty Gritty Tours to unravel the chilling mystery of Tacoma’s “ghost ship.” From tales of curs...

Beneath the quiet farmlands of Arkansas, a single dropped tool set off a chain of events that could have changed history forever. In this episode, Shea and Jody take you deep underground into the Titan II missile program — the Cold War’s most volatile secret. What happens when human error meets doomsday weapons? And how close did we really come to nuclear apocalypse in 1980? Strap in. This rabbit...

Silver mines, brothels that ran until the 1990s, a highway battle that saved a whole town, and a firefighting hero who invented one of the most iconic tools in history. Wallace, Idaho has it all. In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, Jody takes us through the quirky, fiery, scandal-filled history of Wallace, a town that declared itself the Center of the Universe, and you can’t disprove it. Gr...

A river is the most powerful force in nature—and blocking one is the boldest act a human can attempt. In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes , we dive into the colossal story of the Grand Coulee Dam : a project born in the desperation of the Great Depression, built with sweat and sacrifice, and shadowed by broken promises. From Hoovervilles to hydroelectric power, boomtown brothels to Woody Gut...

Today, we are proud to present an episode by one of our fabulous Umbrella Podcast Collective members-Rob of Dark History. You've heard us talk about the Portland Shanghai Tunnels before, now go even deeper. Check it out! In this gripping episode of  The Dark History Podcast , we dive deep into one of the most chilling and overlooked forms of human trafficking in history:  shanghaiing . From th...

In March 1876, the skies opened above Bath County, Kentucky… and instead of rain, meat fell from the heavens. Was it a divine miracle, a bizarre prank, or an avian puke-fest courtesy of startled vultures? Shea and Jody dig into one of history’s strangest mysteries—the infamous Kentucky Meat Shower. Chapters: 0:00 – Welcome to Rainy day rabbit holes where we take the history of the west off the rai...

Silly Summer Season: The CIA’s Bonkers Spy Cat – Project Acoustic Kitty In this delightfully absurd Silly Summer Season episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, Jody takes us down the rabbit hole of one of the strangest Cold War experiments you’ve never heard of—Project Acoustic Kitty. In the 1960s, the CIA actually spent millions of taxpayer dollars trying to turn a real, living cat into a stealthy spy...

In this mind-boggling episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, hosts Shea and Jody take you on a wild ride through one of the most absurd plans in Cold War history: Project A119, the United States Air Force's secret proposal to nuke the moon. Yes, you read that right! Join us as we explore the motivations behind this bizarre plan, from ego and public relations to a desperate need for cosmic swagger...

Episode 81-Cryptids and Kindred Spirits – A Dive with Devon from Ouija Broads Rainy Day Rabbit Holes is thrilled to welcome Devon from the Ouija Broads , one of the most beloved podcasts about Pacific Northwest paranormal history, ghosts, and cryptids. With a relaunch underway and a new book on cryptids in progress, Devon joins Shea and Jody for a hilarious and heartwarming episode about everythin...

What happens when church politics go full horror movie? In this jaw-dropping episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes , hosts Shea and Jody unearth one of the most bizarre trials in history—the Cadaver Synod of 897 CE, when the Catholic Church literally put a dead pope on trial . You'll learn: Why Pope Formosus was exhumed, dressed in papal robes, and propped up in court How medieval church power str...

How did a 7-ton statue of Vladimir Lenin—a symbol of Soviet communism—end up in Seattle’s artsy, free-spirited Fremont neighborhood? In this listener-requested episode, Shea and Jody uncover the bizarre journey of Fremont’s Lenin statue, from a scrapyard in post-Communist Europe to its quirky life as a holiday-themed, drag-clad Seattle oddity. They dive into the statue's Cold War origins, the...

Normally, this kind of jaw-dropping rabbit hole is reserved just for our Patreon supporters—but today, we’re unlocking it for everyone.   In 1968, Irishman Mick Meaney decided to let himself be buried alive for 61 days in a Guinness record stunt that captured international attention…and caused his pregnant wife to find out via the radio. In this bonus episode, Shea welcomes special guest Kevin Rya...

Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: Silly Summer Season — Napoleon vs. The Bunny Apocalypse In this episode, we travel back to 1807, when Napoleon Bonaparte, the conqueror of Europe and master tactician, faced the most humiliating defeat of his career — at the paws of a swarm of ravenous rabbits. We explore how a grand hunting party meant to celebrate his triumph turned into slapstick chaos, why the bunnies c...

History Unhinged: Rainy Day Rabbit Holes is the podcast that makes history wild, weird, and unforgettable. Join hosts Jody and Shea as they dig into outrageous true stories, haunted places, bizarre disasters, and scandals from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. With unfiltered humor and a love of storytelling, each episode brings you the fascinating tales you never learned in school. Perfect for an...

He vanished in a beam of light. When he came back, he said he’d been taken aboard a UFO. And that was just the beginning. In 1975, 22-year-old logger Travis Walton disappeared without a trace after a terrifying encounter with a UFO in the forests near Snowflake, Arizona. When he reappeared five days later, confused and frightened, he claimed he'd been taken aboard an alien craft. Was it the mo...

Rainy Day Rabbit Holes Presents: Mysterious Pacific Northwest – The McMinnville UFO Photos As part of our Summer of Saucers celebration this June, we’re featuring an episode from Mysterious Pacific Northwest, one of our sister shows in the Umbrella Podcast Collective! In this episode, they explore the captivating story of the McMinnville UFO photographs, taken by Evelyn and Paul Trent in May 1950....

In this final installment of our three-part conversation with filmmaker, lawyer, and legend-level storyteller Steve Edmiston, we’re diving deep into the most unhinged festival in the Pacific Northwest: the Men In Black Birthday Bash! We cover: 👽 The wild origin story of the bash 🐶 The heroic tale of Sparky the Dog and the upcoming disc dog tournament 👑 Drag queens, trivia, and SNL-worthy cospla...

What do you get when you mix craft beer, cryptids, and a whole lot of laughs? Shea from Rainy Day Rabbit Holes joins the Short Pour Podcast to drink Rogue Brewing’s Batsquatch IPA and unravel the juicy mysteries behind the legendary Bat Squatch. In this episode, Shea crashes the Short Pour Podcast to sip Batsquatch IPA and dive headfirst into Pacific Northwest cryptid lore. From the weed-fueled or...

The Maury Island Incident wasn’t just a weird UFO story — it was the first X-File, complete with FBI agents, bomber crashes, and shadowy Men in Black. In Part 2 of our conversation with filmmaker and historian Steve Edmiston, Shea and Jody pull you deep into the tangled webs of the Maury Island mystery. Why did J. Edgar Hoover take personal interest in a Washington state UFO case? What secrets wer...

A little behind the scenes bonus conversation we had with filmmaker and Maury Island expert Steve Edmiston. We chat about skepticism, how we create history, and the art of combat storytelling! Make sure to enter to win tickets to the Men In Black Birthday Bash, happening in Des Moines WA the weekend of June 20th! www.rainydayrabbitholes.com Find out more at https://mibbbfest.squarespace.com/ Follo...

✨ UFOs, Men in Black, and Maury Island Mysteries (with Steve Edmiston) | Part 1 ✨ Summary: In this first episode of a three-part series, Shea and Jody sit down with filmmaker, lawyer, and UFO expert Steve Edmiston to uncover the wild story behind the Maury Island Incident — the Pacific Northwest’s own UFO conspiracy that helped birth the Men in Black legend! We dive into: 👽 The strange events a...