The Missing Chapter Podcast

Dr. Joseph Bell, a Scottish surgeon and lecturer, had an uncanny ability to “read” people based on their wardrobes, body language, and simple surveillance and examination.  This gift went well beyond a doctor’s usual skill to observe.  Bell was able to determine what patients did for a living, or what illness they might be suffering from, simply by glancing in their direction or by watch...

The country of North Korea has been riddled with mystery - little is known about this Mississippi-sized country - until fairly recently.  North Korea has been locked down to outsiders, and after miraculous escapes by defectors, and a handful of documentary film crews breaching the borders, we’ve become more enlightened about this Hermit Kingdom and what truly happens on the north side of the...

Thank you for reaching out and providing feedback on Episode 26, Top 5 War Movies!  On today's episode, we take your recommendations and discuss the films that may have been omitted from the original episode.  And we can't forget to give you additional "Missing Chapter" facts as we discuss the sequel to the Top 5 War Movies.

In 1940, after Germany invaded Norway, a 22 year-old named Jan Baalsrud, escaped into Sweden where he would be trained in espionage by British officials. He acted as a courier between Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway, but was caught by Swedish authorities, tried and convicted of espionage.  He served 3 months of a 5-month sentence and was then expelled from the country.  His journey ov...

Just over a century ago, a young boy was born into a modest family, in the small eastern Montana community of Miles City.  The youngest of 8 siblings, the boy grew up with his aunt and uncle on a farm, that in addition to a variety of different animals, grew chickens.  This boy’s life did not begin without tragedy – his twin sister died at birth and his mother some 2 days later.  Th...

In the 16 months of fame, James Dean arguably became more popular than the movies themselves. However, the fast fame ended just as quickly as it began when his Porsche 550 Spyder crashed into an oncoming driver near Salinas, California.  But the events that happen after his untimely demise, however, further secure his name as an icon when coincidences surround not only the car, but the parts...

War movies have been entertaining and educating people for decades.  At the very least, no matter how factual some of these movies actually are, they have become a conversation-starter for many.  In classic Missing Chapter fashion, hear the stories behind the stories in the making of some of your favorite war movies, and all the factual and not-so-factual scenes that encompass them. &nbs...

If you were to take a walk in lower Manhattan, in New York City's bustling financial district, between the intersection of Wall Street and Broad Street, they may not notice something peculiar in the side of one of the city's most prominent buildings.  Ranging in size from small, missing chunks of limestone to deeper, baseball-size pits, the J.P. Morgan building's stone façade is scarred with...

Sarah Emma Edmonds may be one of the greatest masters of disguise in military history, as she was able to switch from being a betrothed 17-year old girl in New Brunswick, to a 21-year old male volunteer named Frank Thompson, to a male slave and then to a female Irish peddler woman, and then back to a woman and survived to tell the tale. Sit back and listen to the latest episode “The Tombs of the U...

In 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, a black woman gets on a bus, sits down, and is eventually told by the bus driver to give up her seat for a white person. She calmly refuses to surrender her seat but then was forcefully removed from the bus and eventually arrested.  It was her act of civil disobedience that sparked legal action which led to the end of Alabama's segregated bus laws and empowered...

We have seen the destructive force of water, the devastation of our natural environment from oil spills, but let’s imagine, just for a second, what kind of disaster would take place if we took the force of a wave with the devastating elements of oil...what would that be like?  Well, we actually don’t have to imagine it, we can read about it because it actually happened...except the destructiv...

Don McLean memorialized February 3rd, 1959 in his epic, 8-minute history-lesson as “the day the music died.”  The classic 1972 single is referencing the plane crash that killed musicians Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (better known by his performing name, the Big Bopper), and Ritchie Valens, along with the plane’s pilot, Roger Petersen.  One member of Holly’s band who did not make the flig...

Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was mortally shot by a young Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip.  When Princip pulled the trigger, he would unknowingly convict 20 million soldiers and civilians, many of them young men like himself, to their deaths.  World War I  was called "the war to end all wars", triggered by this lone assassination, would give...

Unfortunately, disasters have plagued human history since the dawn of human transportation.  Some were caused by human error, some have been mistaken by our enemies as threats and some are just simple mishaps.  But when we think of maritime disasters, I’m sure our minds immediately drift to the Titanic, and rightly so.  However, there is an unknown sea vessel mishap that has gone do...

U.S. General Edward King, commander of all American armed forces on Bataan Peninsula in 1942, told his men, “We have no further means of organized resistance, we are low on ammunition, have virtually no medical supplies, and our food is all but gone. The situation has become hopeless.  You did not surrender; I ordered you to surrender.”  78,000 U.S. and Filipino soldiers were put at the...

When it comes to college football, no other program in the country conjures up the history and the mystique that the University of Notre Dame does.  Outlined against a blue-grey October sky, the Golden Dome in South Bend has preserved the legacies of football royalty.  In November 1937, arch rival Southern Cal and Notre Dame were tied at 6 in the waning moments of the 4th quarter when a...

At the inception of the Missing Chapter Podcast, little did we know or anticipate that these forgotten stories would have such a reach.  In the first 15 episodes, we have had 3 guest speakers, been played in 38 states, as well as 20 different countries worldwide, and have discussed a wide variety of history topics all while drinking an assortment of different blends of local coffees. We have...

History has always highlighted the political and cultural impact that the Greeks have had on our modern-day world.  From the development of law and government, to their style of architecture, and creation of the Olympic Games, many pieces of Greek history have found their way into our daily lives.  But there’s one piece of Greek history that begs to be told and has run through our commun...

How long does it take the earth to revolve around the sun?  The answer is easy, one year, 365 days right?  Actually, the Earth revolves around the sun in 365 days, 5 hours, 59 minutes and 16 seconds. So the longer time goes on, the more inaccurate the calendar becomes. So how do we accurately create a calendar that accounts for the fractions of time?  How has the human race adjusted...

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a... How many of you just completed that line?  A Christmas intro so famous and so iconic, that it rivals almost any other seasonal story, song, or fable.  A tradition so nostalgic, it conjures up images of children sitting with their parents, listening intently, in anticipation of Santa C...

The unbreakable bond between man and canine was put to the test like never before in the winter of 1925.  An unbelievable journey, over the nation's harshest terrains, in unimaginable conditions, with life and death of an entire village in the balance.  Against all odds, these specialized teams must deliver the serum, that only they can, to a remote Alaskan coastal town.  But c...

Who knew that when a poor, 17 year-old boy from New Orleans found a cornet in the street, that he would dominate the city's music scene for the next 10 years and start an entirely new style of music, and be crowned the "First King of New Orleans?"

In 1938, an unassuming carpenter finds himself in a German beer hall, having a couple drinks with his meal.  A regular of this establishment, this man has seemingly become a loyal customer.  But this man is not here for the atmosphere or the refreshments, he is here on a personal mission.  Not much of a reader, and far from a political activist, this carpenter sneaks into an upstair...

Many families traveling to the sun-drenched ocean town of Long Beach, California in the summer of 1977, would take a day trip and visit the Nu-Pike Amusement Park; picture Coney Island on the West Coast.  With its vintage rides, shows, games and attractions and located on the beautiful breeze-swept beach, Nu-Pike was a favorite amongst locals, as much as it was with out-of-town tourists. &nbs...

It's May 5th, 1945. Adolf Hitler has just committed suicide five days prior.  Chief of Operations Officer Alfred Jodl and Field Marshall Vilhelm Keital will order the unconditional surrender of all German armed forces two days from now. It will be on this day, however, that the strangest battle of World War II will unfold. Under the ashes of Stalingrad, Kursk, Normandy, and the innumerable ba...