The Missing Chapter Podcast

Everyone loves a good story.  And I think everyone would love it if the news was actually filled with good news.  The word Gospel means just that, good news.  And within the Gospel account of Jesus, there are many unbelievable stories and accounts in and out of the Bible that are just downright good stories.  Today on the Missing Chapter, I’ll bring you one of those stories.  Let’s talk about one...

Is there any job outside of maybe sports betting, where people put their faith into trying to predict the future? How many times have you found yourself making long-range outdoor plans, only to have things ruined, by an unexpected thunderstorm or even a snow storm? Today, the Missing Chapter looks at the history of one of our most frustrating professions and the roots it has in ancient times… the...

It’s an unavoidable task in one’s life and we all fall into 2 camps… those who don’t mind grocery shopping and those that loath it. But today, at least, we have options… options on where to go or simply on how to get our groceries. Which grocery store is closest, most convenient, or offers the best produce? Do you want to order our groceries online and pick them up at a specific time, have them de...

Go in depth and underground in one of NY State's natural wonders - in our first inaugural video podcast! Last week, we talked about the beauty of Howe's underground Caverns, and now this week you get to see a small glimpse! In our Part II episode, we re-cap our experience with April Islip and her willingness to give us a private tour! Join us today for our Part II Video Premiere! Go to ⁠⁠⁠...

We’ve taken The Missing Chapter on the road… and underground! In our inaugural “on location” episode. 156-ft. below the earth’s surface to be exact, Phil. Howe Caverns has opened its doors an hour early for us and given us exclusive access to the caves to let you know… our worldwide audience… the incredible history behind these natural wonders.  Thanks for joining us on today’s adventure, as we tr...

As technology continues to evolve, there are many jobs, careers, professions that slowly shrink in popularity and necessity, in some cases, become completely obsolete. Today’s generation may never know that some of these occupations even existed, much less played such important roles in our culture. Such is the plight of the first talk show host/talent discoverer/podcast host… who, when all mixed...

I think we’ve all been there…you know, the awkward-silence moments where the semi-stranger is kind of looking around with nothing to say really.  And you’re just waiting for someone in the room, anyone, to break the awkward silence with something…anything! Or you’re having a conversation with someone and it’s going fairly well, then all of a sudden the discussion abruptly stops and you’re left the...

If you’re anything like us, we love a good espionage story - the dramatics, the technology involved, the action, the secrecy - there’s something about the topic that always grabs our attention - like a good James Bond film, or Mission Impossible.  We just love it.  And then one day it kind of dawned on us, how often do these cinematic stories take place in real life?  The oddities of some of James...

Growing up in the 80s and 90s has created a memory bank for the Phils here on the MC that is riddled with, in our opinion, the best era for movies, music, and sports. I know what you’re thinking, we’re part of that common phenomena that has fallen into generation snobbery - thinking that our generation is the best generation.  Well, other than the rise of hip hop, the dream team, and the best deca...

It remains quite remarkable the number of gadgets and gizmos that any automobile or truck comes standardly equipped with in the year 2025. I can get an aerial, 360-degree view of my surroundings to make sure I am safely backing out of my garage. I can type-in GPS coordinates for a vacation destination and know, to the minute, when my family and I will arrive safely to where we’re going. All of the...

The Missing Chapter is taking you out to the ballgame! Now, this isn’t the first time that we’ve delved into the baseball diamond or the vast list of characters who help make up it’s colorful, storied past, but today’s episode is different and sure to surprise even the most avid of baseball fans:   August 24th, 1919 and the crowd roars as Cleveland pitcher, Ray Caldwell and his teammates, take the...

Hey everyone, today on the Missing Chapter Podcast, we take a deeper look at some items we look at every single day, without ever asking ourselves what they are and what they mean.  My esteemed colleague and friend over here, Phil Horender, talked about one of these iconic symbols in  S4E15 and it became one of our top 5 most listened to episodes - the history of the Bluetooth icon!  So we’re on t...

Ok Missing Chapter fans, how many of you enjoy participating in and watching sports?  If you’re a sports fan, like the Phils here, then you can sit down at the end of a work day and decompress by watching your favorite team, or watch a random game with a random team just because of the entertainment value.  What is it that draws us in?  How is it that I can watch the OIympics till the middle of th...

His life is remarkable enough to be considered for an episode of the Missing Chapter Podcast. His innate ability to cheat death can only be rivaled by a figure in history like a Gregory Rasputin. As a child, it’s reported, that he survived a fall of some three-stories, he drank acidic water that he mistook for milk, swallowed a rather large needle, was hit on the head by a large stone, suffered se...

Have you ever had an idea that in your mind sounds great, but in reality, the execution doesn’t really pan out successfully?  I think we’ve all been there.  Take out an ingredient in a recipe, and exchange it for what you think would be an upgrade…turns out to be the most vile thing you’ve ever tasted.  A shortcut that makes sense in your head, but ends up adding double the time and three times th...

Have you ever skipped stones before?  You know, going to a body of water, finding the flattest stones you can gather, and side-arming the disc shaped rocks like you’re an MLB submarine pitcher.  I don’t know about you, but my goal was always 3, let’s see if we can skip it 3 times in a row.  Anything under that, failure, anything over that, celebration.  I guess that’s what you did before the adven...

It’s almost that time again, everyone - warm weather, the glowing orb in the sky is back, no more gray all day, and one of the go-to’s for cooling down on a hot, summer day - ice cream.  You can have ice cream all year round, right?  But can you have soft serve all year round in upstate NY?  I guess, but it’s just not the same.  In our household, soft serve is reserved for summer months only.  Lik...

Everyone loves a good magic trick.  My kids love showing me card tricks, coin tricks, and my favorite, the bippity boppity boo magic wand tricks that makes something appear or disappear.  If only we could do that in real life right?  Well, in 1915, a group of Allied forces kind of did.  In a brilliant evacuation plan, or in this sense, disappearing act, a group of Australian soldiers disappeared b...

For this episode of the Missing Chapter, we’re tapping into one of our new segments, the MC Profile.  This individual, to be mentioned later, and hopefully identified by my co-host and our listeners, is a normal, everyday kind of man who had an affinity for activity, fun, and thinking outside the box.  His life story is filled with unbelievable obstacles, only to be overcome by a strong will, supp...

In February 1825, Samuel Morse, was painting in New York City, blissfully unaware of the tragic news that was about to befall him. At the age of 34, he was carrying out a $1000 commission to paint the Marquis de Lafayette, a returning American Revolutionary War hero, and life was going well. Little did Morse know, however, that his wife, Lucretia, had suffered a heart attack in their New Haven, Ct...

Some of our veteran listeners of the Missing Chapter know a little something about us…the Phils love their 80s and 90s movies and sitcoms.  We loved our Saturday morning cartoons, our Saved By The Bell routine, and our Fresh Prince of Bel Air rapping montage.  My sisters, though, were addicted to one of the 90s shows that was a huge hit…Beverly Hills 90210. But it wasn’t referred to as the full ti...

On June 13, 1926, 26-year-old Gladys Baker brought her 2-week-old daughter, to the foster home of Ida and Wayne Bolender in Hawthorne, California. There was no sign of any father—officially unknown - though Baker would insist for years that it was a Hollywood Studios employee named Charles Stanley Gifford. The sad drop-off of an infant and the sudden and abrupt departure of her single mother, cert...

You know what’s a real pain in the neck?  Well, technically, a pain in your mouth?  When you know you have to go to the dentist.  It’s one of those necessary dreadful things that you know you HAVE to do, and no matter how often you go, it’s never really a good time, right?  Thankfully, I have good dentists in my life, so I’m certainly blessed in that regard, which got me thinking…with all of my de...

The most powerful position in the free world. Regardless of political party, time period, or historical circumstances, the office of president in the United States demands a level of respect and appreciation.  As we recognize President’s Day in the U.S. and reflect on the individuals who have guided our great nation through history, Phil and I take you on a separate journey… the stories you don’t...

Famous author CS Lewis coined a phrase that really speaks volumes about our own society and culture, chronological snobbery - Lewis defines this chronological snobbery as “the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate of our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that count discredited. In other words, we think we’re the best generation and our technology and l...