The Darkives: Serious history. Told not so seriously

Hot air balloons. Arctic exploration. And a plan that may have been doomed from the start. This week, Jamie and Leo take to the skies to follow the strange and tragic story of Andrée's Arctic Balloon Expedition. In 1897, Swedish engineer and balloon enthusiast Salomon August Andrée believed the future of polar exploration might not be by ship or sled, but by air. His plan was simple in theory. Lau...

Conquest, rebellion, and a campaign that left northern England devastated. This week, Jamie and Leo head back to medieval England to unpack one of the darkest chapters of the Norman Conquest, the brutal campaign known as the Harrying of the North. After claiming the English throne following the famous Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror faced repeated rebellions from Anglo-Saxon resistance i...

Two lions. Dozens of victims. And a construction project that ground to a halt. This week, Jamie and Leo travel to late 19th century East Africa to uncover the chilling true story of the Tsavo man-eating lions. In 1898, during the construction of the Uganda Railway in what is now Kenya, workers began disappearing in the night. At first, it seemed like isolated attacks. Then the pattern became impo...

A mansion. A fire. And a discovery that shocked an entire city. This week, Jamie and Leo head to the French Quarter of New Orleans to uncover the disturbing story of Delphine LaLaurie and the infamous LaLaurie Mansion. In the early 1800s, Madame LaLaurie was a wealthy socialite known in New Orleans high society. But behind the doors of her Royal Street home, something far darker was happening. In...

Before Santa Claus… there was a bishop. This week, Jamie and Leo travel back to the 4th century to uncover the story of Saint Nicholas, the real figure behind one of the most recognizable characters in the world. Known as the Bishop of Myra, Saint Nicholas built a reputation for generosity, secret gift giving, and a growing collection of stories that would spread far beyond his lifetime. But like...

Soap opera drama, early American edition. This week on The Darkives, we head back to the War of 1812, when tensions between the United States and Britain exploded into one of the most shocking moments in early American history. After the disastrous Battle of Bladensburg, British forces marched straight into Washington and set fire to the heart of the nation. Government buildings burned, the Capito...

This week on The Darkives, we’re heading into the cold. We “chisel” out a few stories from history, digging into ancient burial practices, unsettling discoveries, and the frozen bodies that refused to decay. From Ötzi the Iceman, the 5,000-year-old man high in the Alps, to the Inca ice mummies high in the Andes, to eerie Siberian burials locked in permafrost, these are the stories of people preser...

This week on The Darkives, we head into the remote frontier of Hokkaido in 1915, where one of the most terrifying animal attacks in history unfolded. In a small settlement near Sankebetsu, a massive brown bear known as Kesagake began stalking the village. What followed wasn’t just a single attack… it was a series of calculated returns that turned a quiet winter outpost into a nightmare. We get int...

Avast ye history lovers! Let's go back to the 18th century to learn some maritime outlaw stories throughout New England and British naval pirate history. We follow one of the most brutal pirate captains, Edward (Ned) Low and his crew of some of the most violent and terrifying real life pirates of the Caribbean. Chock-full of travels across the Atlantic, torture stories, and the worst thing for any...

In this episode we get into Irelands famine history, about 100 years before The Great Potato Famine there was a mini ice age known as The Year Of The Slaughter. We will go to the beginning to find out what the caused the Irish famine, the impact on Irish farming, mass starvation and Irish deaths involved within this dark history of Ireland. Get ready to jump back to the 1740's and learn the legacy...

In this episode... who was Geli Raubal? To answer this we travel back to a 1930's Munich apartment and dive into Nazi Germany scandals in the early life of Adolf Hitler. We'll hear stories from past lovers and dig up some dirt on the dark side of Hitlers private life. Learn how Gelli Raubal and Adolf Hitler's personal life became intertwined and shed light on one mysterious death in history. Lets...

This week we figure out the true origins of Halloween and how the spooky traditions started. We study Celtic and Roman festivals, the pagan origins, Samhain history, and some folklore of Halloween. We'll answer questions like where did Halloween come from, how has it evolved over time, and how did Halloween in America start. We'll also get into how certain Halloween symbols came to be and the mean...

This week: the history of witches! Come with us as we travel the globe to discover real stories of accused witches throughout time. Why were witches hunted? What did witch executions look like? What laws were passed and repealed involving witches? What's the true history behind witch hunts? We skip the more commonly known Salem witch trials and find stories of medieval witchcraft, European witch h...

This week we get back into the true story of Edgar Allan Poe and his mysterious death. We cover more events in Edgar's life that made him seem as if he was a haunted writer of the 19th century. Follow the timeline of Poe's short stories that cemented him in American gothic literature history and learn the known facts and theories towards the end of his dark life. In this case of The Darkives, we p...

This week we cover the early life of Edgar Allan Poe, one of the most famous 19th century American authors. Poe's life was about as mysterious and macabre as his writings in gothic literature. Hear tales of Poe as a child, the events that molded him into young adulthood, and the tragedies as well as the triumphs that influenced him to become one of the most renowned dark poets in history. Join us...

This week, come judge the history of the Greenbrier ghost and the life (and murder) of Zona Heaster Shue. This famous American ghost story isn't like the others, we hear stories of 1890's West Virginia true crime, fast lovers (one with a secret past), and a ghost's testimony used in court... Let's hear a tale of how a ghost helped solve a murder but can Zona be the first ghost to actually convict...

This week we share a tale of 1800's California history and explain the real history of the Whaley house in San Diego. One of the historic houses in San Diego's dark history, a house that is considered by many to be one of if not the most haunted house in America . We delve into Thomas Whaley's family history and the impact they had on their communities throughout the generations. We will uncover t...

This week we cover the history of one of the most famous mountains in the world. We dive back to the first Everest attempt in 1921, the famed 1924 Everest expedition involving George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, 1953 Everest expedition involving Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay as well as more climbers throughout the mountains long dark history. Hear the history of the mountain, true stories of peo...

This week we discuss the grisly story of Alfred/Alferd Packer aka the Colorado cannibal! Learn of a Donner Party like journey through the Rocky Mountains that has it all...a run in with natives, murder and one of the original American Cannibals in history . Was it actually a crime or was it just pioneers struggle for survival? Join us as we dive into The darkives to discover what really happened o...

Join us this week as we dive into the chilling disappearances of Walter Collins, the Winslow brothers and Alvin Gothea. 1920's Wineville California's history harbored secrets of child abductions and unsolved murders so scandalous the town changed its name to Mira Loma. Learn who Gordon Stewart Northcott was and the true story behind the film Changeling staring Angelina Jolie. The Wineville murders...

This week, we spill the dirt on the Paris catacombs history and the miles of underground tunnels running through the modern day city in France. We'll cover questions like, why were the Paris catacombs built? How many bodies are in the catacombs? Where were the Paris plague burial sites in 18th century French history? We also tell tales of bodies spilling through walls, bones stacked floor to ceili...

This week, Jamie tells Leo the true story of Vlad Dracula aka Vlad III aka Vlad Tepes aka Vlad the Impaler who is, you guessed it, the real life inspiration for the infamous Dracula. Honestly I think Vlad is scarier! We cover one of the most brutal rulers in the ottoman empire wars and Romanian history. Recount dark history moments of medieval torture methods as well as some of Vlad's more notewor...

Listener discretion advised: These events are as disturbing as they are important to remember. This weeks episode, we discuss the declassified cover-up of Unit 731 in the Japanese occupation of Manchuria China during WWII. Unit 731 carried out some of history’s most grotesque human experimentation and biological warfare during the war. Discover the true history of Unit 731, about the hidden atroci...

Jamie and Leo cover the trial of a dead Pope, more specifically the cadaver synod trial of Pope Formosus. Wrapped up in a medieval catholic church scandal and one of the strangest trials in history, Formosus had quite the life (and death). We delve into the dark history of the Vatican and of 9th century papacy. So, let's learn the true story of the cadaver synod. Why was Pope Formosus put on trial...

This week, Jamie and Leo cover treatments for ailments throughout history. Learn how well milk worked as blood, what a tobacco enema is, the origins of snake oil. And is you thought that was all... We've got a few more treatments, some involving mummies, blood, and whale carcasses. Lets delve into another chapter of The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously * P.S. We are aware of the we...