Taboo Treasures

Taboo Treasures Executions: From Cruel to Unusual This week, the guys take on one of humanity’s oldest, darkest institutions — and examine it the only way Taboo Treasures can: historically accurate, deeply researched… and just irreverent enough to make you question everything. From ancient empires to modern governments, execution has been used as punishment, spectacle, deterrent, political theater...

Taboo Treasures Bruce and Jef are back — and this time, they’re digging into the jobs that history forgot to warn us about. In this episode, the guys explore some of the most dangerous occupations ever recorded, from the distant past to the modern day. And while some of these roles sound like they belong in another century, others might surprise you — because the risk of life and limb isn’t always...

Bruce and Jeff are BACK to shine their weird and crazy light on the loveliest of all our made up holidays... Valentine's Day. We hope you're spending today with someone who understands what today truly represents: it's just another Saturday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

⭐ TABOO TREASURES — “Visionaries or Inventors?” On Taboo Treasures this week, Bruce and Jeff take a victory lap through the minds of history’s most chaotic geniuses and ask the question nobody ever wants to say out loud: What exactly separates a visionary from a madman with a soldering iron? We kick things off with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison — two men who built the modern world while...

💎 Taboo Treasures Atomic Toys & Candy Cigarettes: How Marketing Made Us This week on Taboo Treasures, Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine rewind the tape on the most powerful machine ever built — not a weapon, not a computer — but advertising. From the birth of American marketing to the jingles that rewired childhood, we pull the curtain back on how entire generations were engineered one Saturday-mornin...

💎 Taboo Treasures Smart Phones, Dumb People This week on Taboo Treasures, Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine dial up a blisteringly funny — and painfully accurate — look at humanity’s long, messy love affair with communication technology. We begin with the humble telephone: a marvel that once required etiquette, patience, and a chair in the hallway. Then: the age of spy-gadget glamour — the Bat-Phone,...

🎃 Taboo Treasures — “Halloween in Hollywood” Presented by the Evio Creative Podcast Network This week on Taboo Treasures, hosts Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine trade ancient relics for cinematic ones — exploring the forbidden, blood-stained origins of Halloween in Hollywood. From the grindhouse basements of the 1970s to the studio backlots that birthed the modern slasher, this episode traces how low...

🎙️ TABOO TREASURES — “Halloween: The Good, The Bad, and The Dead” This week on Taboo Treasures, hosts Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine dig into the strange, spooky, and surprisingly historic side of Halloween — a holiday where trick-or-treat meets truth and tragedy. From Andrew Jackson’s dirty 1828 campaign, to the Great Depression’s “Black Halloween”, to the radio panic of War of the Worlds, Bruce an...

🎙️ TABOO TREASURES “Trick, Treat, and Terror: The Strange History of Halloween” Before the candy and the costumes, before the porch lights and plastic skeletons — there was Samhain, a pagan fire festival marking the end of harvest and the return of the dead. In this week’s episode of Taboo Treasures, hosts Bruce and Jeff trace the dark, fascinating history of Halloween — from its ancient Celtic or...

From the first sharpened stone to jeweled swords worth millions, humanity’s story has always been written in steel. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we trace the long, bloody, and fascinating history of edged weapons. From Stone Age tools, to Bronze Age daggers, to Iron Age swords that shaped empires, and into the modern era of ceremonial blades, these weapons were never just for survival—they...

Long before tattoos became mainstream fashion statements, they carried layers of meaning—sacred, social, and sometimes sinister. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we trace the fascinating history of tattooing across cultures and centuries. From the ritual markings of ancient Egypt, to the traditions of Native American tribes, to the twisted use of tattoos under the Nazis, and finally to the body...

Few figures in modern medical history are as controversial—or as infamous—as Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Nicknamed “Dr. Death,” Kevorkian became a lightning rod in the 1990s for his role in physician-assisted suicide, challenging society’s deepest taboos about life, death, and the right to choose. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we explore Kevorkian’s rise from a pathologist to a public crusader, the...

Show Notes – Cursing Curses Cursed What does it mean to be cursed—and why are we so fascinated by it? In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we dive into the history of curse words themselves, tracing how language once considered shocking or obscene evolved into everyday expressions. Joining us is a special guest from the UK, offering insight into the cultural differences in profanity and why certain...

Who was the world’s first serial killer—and why do these figures still haunt us? In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we trace the chilling history of serial murderers—from Gilles de Rais in 15th-century France, to the so-called Golden Age of serial killers in the 20th century, and the headline-grabbing predators of today. We explore how these killers became dark celebrities, the macabre artifacts...

Show Notes: April 30, 1945. Adolf Hitler takes his own life in a Berlin bunker, using a small pistol that would become one of the most infamous objects in modern history. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we trace the chilling story of Hitler’s suicide weapon—what it was, what became of it, and why collectors and historians still debate its fate. We also explore the broader history of firearms:...

Show Notes: On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after launch, claiming the lives of all seven crew members—and leaving behind one of the most haunting artifacts in space history: a battered soccer ball that somehow survived the disaster. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we trace the incredible journey of that ball—from its connection to astronaut Ellison O...

TABOO TREASURES EPISODE TITLE: “The Moon Watch: The Timepieces That Changed History” Show Notes: It was strapped to the wrist of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as they stepped onto the lunar surface—and became one of the most coveted objects on Earth. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we explore the story of the Omega Speedmaster “Moon Watch”—the timepiece that made history on Apollo 11—and how...

Show Notes: Few toys are as iconic—or as controversial—as Barbie. But in 1996, Barbie became part of one of the most haunting crime stories in American history: the murder of JonBenét Ramsey. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we explore the strange connections between Barbie dolls, child pageantry, and the media circus surrounding the Ramsey case. With special guests joining us at the top of the...

Show Notes: It wasn’t just a motorcycle—it was the symbol of freedom, rebellion, and a generation’s restless spirit. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we trace the story of the iconic chopper from Easy Rider, the 1969 film that defined counterculture on two wheels. We explore the 1960s movement that shaped the film, the stars who brought it to life, the unforgettable stars-and-stripes helmet—and...

Show Notes: In 2015, Wu-Tang Clan shocked the world by selling Once Upon a Time in Shaolin—a one-of-a-kind album packaged like a priceless artifact. The buyer? Martin Shkreli, the infamous “pharma bro,” who locked the music away. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we explore the story of the rarest rap album ever made, why it became a symbol of greed and controversy, and how it ultimately resurfa...

THE IDES OF APRIL Show Description: The Ides of April is a gripping historical podcast that takes you inside the final 17 days of John Wilkes Booth’s life—from the surrender at Appomattox to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the largest manhunt in American history. Narrated by Alec Baldwin, this immersive series blends dramatic storytelling, historical detail, and expert insight to trace th...

Show Notes: December 8th, 1980. New York City. John Lennon is gunned down outside The Dakota, and the world loses a Beatle. When police arrest his killer, Mark David Chapman, they find him carrying a copy of The Catcher in the Rye—a book that, for him, blurred the lines between fiction and murder. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we explore the haunting artifact at the center of this infamous c...

Show Notes: In 1997, the world was stunned by the mass suicide of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate cult in San Diego. But one detail stood out in every photo of that tragic scene—the matching black Nike Decade sneakers on each body. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we explore how these now-infamous shoes became a dark symbol of the cult’s final ritual. We trace the origins of Heaven’s Gate, led...

TABOO TREASURES TRAILER: Welcome to the World’s Darkest Collection Show Notes: What drives people to seek out the most disturbing artifacts in history? Taboo Treasures is a new podcast that explores the objects linked to the world’s most infamous crimes, cults, and mysteries. From cursed relics to murder memorabilia, we uncover the shocking stories behind the artifacts collectors are dying to own....