The Three Tumblers

When America’s founding documents — the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights — were under threat, one company was trusted to protect them:  The Mosler Safe Company . In the shadow of the Cold War and the nuclear age, Mosler built a vault designed to safeguard the Charters of Freedom against bombs, fire, and time itself. This episode of Hardware History Files uncove...

If you were in the door hardware industry in 1952, you knew the name Lockwood. It stood for prestige, quality, and American industrial might. The Lockwood Hardware Manufacturing Company operated five regional sales offices and six manufacturing plants across the United States. It had furnished buildings all over the world: apartments, hotels, hospitals, colleges, embassies, and federal facilities....

Across the world, hundreds of millions of houses are broken into on a regular basis during the month of December, with most occurring just on one particular night. The means of how these family safe havens are violated remain the subject of much speculation. Some people believe it’s an open secret, while others have a more radical take. What’s clear is that no locking mechanism created in over a t...

Welcome to the Three Tumblers lock-shop of horror! Tonight, we will tell you three stories of intrigue, mystery, supernatural activity, and tales from beyond. Two of these stories will be based on actual occurrences. One will not.   You will have to decide which ones are real, and which one isn’t. But don’t worry! We will be here to give you our expert opinions on the details of each story and at...

Season Three is on the way! ----- Listen to The Three Tumblers anywhere you get your podcasts and, please, follow and give us a review!  The Three Tumblers Podcast: https://threetumblers.com Follow Us On Twitter: https://twitter.com/3tumblerspod  Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethreetumblerspod/

From ancient mythology, to modern public safety tools. Symbols of horrific history, to objects of pleasure. These restraints have been used for centuries!  Today, we will provide the captivating details on one of the worlds oldest wearable locks!  ----- Listen to The Three Tumblers anywhere you get your podcasts and, please, follow and give us a review!  The Three Tumblers Podcast: https://threetu...

Break-ins. Burglaries. Home invasions. Squatters.   Long gone are the days of not locking the door when you leave your house for the day. Criminals brazenly enter homes that are not theirs, and violate the one place we should always feel safe in.   The fear of having your home invaded by a stranger has lead to many innovations to make it more secure. But do they work?  ----- Listen to The Three Tu...

In the early 60s, Americans were introduced to a new kind of crime threat. With cases beginning in Boston and California, police were investigating murders that had striking similarities. Newspapers and television stations would give nicknames to the killers and run them in the headlines, striking fear into the public about who would be next.  Taking home security more seriously than ever before,...

Wednesday, November 24th, 1971. The man wearing a dark suit, sunglasses, and a parachute stood at the back of the Northwest Orient Airlines plane. Steadying himself, he pulled the lever and lowered the rear airstairs on the Boeing 727. A couple minutes later and he was falling towards the ground.  This hijacking spurred hundreds of theories, and changed the way aircraft were secured for decades af...

Pirates didn’t just steal treasure… they adapted to security.  During the Golden Age of Piracy, ships crossing the Caribbean carried gold, silver, sugar, and rum worth fortunes. To protect these valuables, merchants turned to heavy armada chests, reinforced locks, and early security technology.  But pirates weren’t just brute force raiders—they were experienced sailors who understood exactly how t...

Monday, September 13th, 1971. At the corner of Baker and Marylebone Streets in Westminster, London, the branch manager of Lloyd's Bank opened the vault at ten in the morning as usual. As the huge door swung away what he saw left him speechless. Chunks of concrete, wrecked safe deposit boxes, jewelry, and more compromising items were strewn across the floor.   Was it really possible that criminals...

August, 1945. The United States drops atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in a last ditch effort to stop the imperialist military dictators from killing more people. Soon, there is an arms race between America and the Soviet Union with both sides trying to prove to the other that their weapons are more powerful.  With mutually assured destruction between nations, rouge actors were of t...

Weeks after family members report a young woman as missing, investigators find a ring of keys in her car. One key has seemingly random numbers and letters stamped on it. Will this code be able to lead detectives to solve the disappearance of a vibrant, young woman? ----- Listen to The Three Tumblers anywhere you get your podcasts and, please, follow and give us a review!  The Three Tumblers Podcas...

Los Angeles California, Hollywood Hills. The year was 2008 and celebrities were living it up just as they had been for decades. Between nightlife, award shows, and parties, stars were rarely at home. This made their less than humble abodes appealing to people coveting that glamorous lifestyle. Obviously, celebs had top rate security preventing any thefts or break-ins. Right? ----- Listen to The Th...

The Chevrolet Corvette. One of America's defining sports cars experienced a boom in sales in the early 1980s. It also became one of the most popular cars for thieves to steal. Insurance companies charged owners of the car up to 40 percent more just because of the theft rates. Could a team of mechanics, engineers, and locksmiths put a stop to the likes of organized cars rings? Or would the bad guys...

For the past five months, The Three Tumblers have told you the tragic history that shaped how we interact doors today. Now, they bring you stories from ancient history to modern heists and those that could lead to potentially disastrous outcomes.  Join Jeff Moss, Tyler J. Thomas, and Tim Coleman as they bring you these stories and more with the unique perspective of over thirty years of locksmithi...

Only three men involved in the Station nightclub fire are held legally responsible. But were there more to blame? Good comes out of darkness. Families and survivors band together to make sure the tragedy is never forgotten. ----- Listen to The Three Tumblers anywhere you get your podcasts and, please, follow and give us a review!  The Three Tumblers Podcast: https://threetumblers.com Follow Us On...

In a matter of minutes, those still trapped inside the Station nightclub are on the verge of death. Can they still escape, or will they die trying?  ----- Listen to The Three Tumblers anywhere you get your podcasts and, please, follow and give us a review!  The Three Tumblers Podcast: https://threetumblers.com Follow Us On Twitter: https://twitter.com/3tumblerspod  Follow Us On Instagram: https://...

A small nightclub built in the late 1940s transforms over the years into a popular, local venue for live music and good evenings with friends until one fateful night it burns to the ground and claims one-hundred lives.  ----- Listen to The Three Tumblers anywhere you get your podcasts and, please, follow and give us a review!  The Three Tumblers Podcast: https://threetumblers.com Follow Us On Twit...

With over four hundred people dead and dying at the Cocoanut Grove club, someone had to be to blamed. While investigators look for a cause, others work to make sure that the tropical paradise in Boston didn’t burn in vane.  ----- Listen to The Three Tumblers anywhere you get your podcasts and, please, follow and give us a review!  The Three Tumblers Podcast: https://threetumblers.com Follow Us On...

Tony is a kid who works at The Grove. Stanley works there too. Jimmy and Clifford are both in the armed forces and in the paradise at 17 Piedmont Street before heading out to war. All four would be forever effected by the inferno that awaited them that night.  ----- Listen to The Three Tumblers anywhere you get your podcasts and, please, follow and give us a review!  The Three Tumblers Podcast: ht...

November, 1942. America is at war. Mobsters still have control and influence on city inspectors, allowing them to skate past regulations and requirements. Guys getting ready to ship out to the battlefield want to take their gals on one last date. The Cocoanut Grove promises to be the place for a night they’ll never forget. It lives up to its hype as a south seas paradise, but for all the wrong rea...

Every minute of every day in America there are emergencies. Multiple times a day people have to get to safety in a hurry and locked doors could mean a death sentence to them. Every state in the country, and most every city and county have laws requiring emergency exit devices on doors meant for people to get out and away from harm. In 1911, however, there were few laws, if any, requiring this type...

Fires, exits, origins, and bloopers. Lots of bloopers. In this special holiday episode, Jeff, Tyler, and Tim discuss what brought them this far, what lessons they've learned, and what is motivating them to continue with the show. Also, they prove that while the recordings sound great, it takes a lot to get there! Enjoy this special episode while you wait for part two of The Von Duprin Game Changer...

On December 30th 1903, thirty-three year old Carl Prinzler was in Chicago for business. With his business concluded, Carl found himself delayed in getting home. Deciding to pass the time, he planned on getting a ticket to see Klaw and Erlanger's “Mister Bluebeard” production at the new Iroquois Theatre. But at the last minute, a train ticket came available and he rushed to get home to Indianapolis...