Unhinged History

Few individuals live a life as unhinged as "Lord" Timothy Dexter. Living during the founding of the United States of America, Dexter goes from a poor uneducated son of farm laborers to a rich obnoxious uneducated neighbor. Join us as Theresa recounts the life of this man who keeps making money despite himself.  This episode pairs well with:  Count Robert and his castle of pranks  

Prepare to be delighted with this week's stories. Angie starts us off by sharing the tale of Jerome of Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia. This mysterious man appeared on September 8, 1863. Theresa turns around and tells the story of Sergei Ponomarenko, the time traveler from Kyiv who shows up in 2006 with evidence he's been to 2050.  This episode pairs well with:  The man who ate everything, Tarrare Dunkelg...

Join us this week for more incredible tales. First, Theresa shares the story of the 2002 mayoral election in Hartlepool, where residents voted for H'Angus the monkey mascot of the local football team to be their mayor: Stuart Drummond, the man behind the mask made for a surprising leader. Angie recounts her favorite mistress for the English king, Charles II, Nell Gwyn, and her exploits. This episo...

Join us as Angie shares the story of the Revolutionary War's Culper spy ring and Agent 355. Before you leave, stick around as Theresa recounts the problematic retelling of possibly trans man Catalina de Erauso, the lieutenant nun, who lived from 1592–1650. This episode pairs well with:  The smugglers of the Boston Tea Party   Penelope Barker's Tea Party   Natalie Clifford Barney - American writer...

Get your popcorn ready; we'll wait. Theresa shares the story of 6th-century Frankish queens, Fredegund and Brunhild. These two women married into the Merovingian dynasty and reigned against each other during the 40-year civil war. There are assassins. There are battlefield tactics. This story has it all.  This episode pairs well with:  Eleanor of Aquitaine   Queen Tamar of Georgia  

Angie starts us out by telling the story of Cassius Marcellus Clay, Former United States Ambassador to Russia, abolitionist, and a man who was just born to fight. Theresa introduces Anandi Joshi, the very first female doctor in India.  This episode pairs well with:  The Wide Awakes who got Lincoln elected   General Harriet Tubman   Dr. Rebecca Crumpler  

What a roundup. This week Angie starts us off by sharing the history of tignons and the Tignon Law of 1876, requiring Black women to cover their hair. Theresa continues the thoughts of strong women with her retelling of Artemisia I of Halicarnassus, the female general, who fought against the Greeks under Xerxes in the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE. This episode pairs well with:  The Battle of New O...

Come for the story featuring war elephants and stay for the tale about America's first female activist. Theresa starts by sharing the story of Prince Dejatch Alemayehu, the son of Tewodros II of Abyssinia who was stolen to England. Angie raises the mood by sharing Revolutionary activist, Penelope Barker and her Edenton Tea Party. This episode pairs well with:  The history of war elephants   The sm...

What a raucous roundup of stories this week! Start your podcast with a rousing tale of the WWII Danish Nazi Resistance fighter, Willem Arondeous. Then jet back 400 years earlier with Angie sharing the story of Julie d'Aubigny, the French opera singer and duel-winning extraordinaire.  This unhinged set of stories pairs well with:  Colin Gubbins, the creator of the SOE   Cassius Clay  

What a week. Theresa starts by sharing the story of Sally Ride, you know, the first American woman in space, and her tie-in to Pride Month. Angie refuses to be outdone and shares the story of William Dorsey Swann, the first drag queen of history.  Stay proud with these stories:  NASA Astronaut – Kalpana Chawla   Christine Jorgeson – American GI Trans Woman  

Refresh your Victory red lipstick and settle in as Angie shares the story of fem fatale and WWII spy Nancy Wake. This delightful Australian bombshell joins the SOE and becomes "The White Mouse."  This pairs well with:  WWII Spy – Phyllis Latour Doyle  

Sit back and relax as Theresa shares the story of Shelly Bauman and how losing her leg in Seattle's Bastille parade triggered the series of events culminating in the opening of the first disco. This club, named Shelly's Leg, was a gay dance club and resulted in Seattle embracing its LQBTQIA+ community.  This episode pairs well with:  Sally Stanford  

Whatever you do, don't eat during this episode. Theresa shares the 18th-century story of the Frenchman known only as Tarrare and his insatiable appetite. Don't eat during this story. We warned you.  Angie offers a palette-cleanser by telling the story of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and his Hollow Earth theory.  This episode pairs well with:  The Werewolf Trials  

Brace yourself for two seriously unhinged moments of history. This week Theresa starts with one of the first cults of personality Sarah Bernhardt, actress, artist, and shit-disturber. Angie refuses to be outdone and shares that time the US experimented with using bats to carry bombs to use during WWII. This episode pairs well with:  Libby Holman - Actress   Japan bombing Brookings, Oregon during W...

What do you know about the least visited country in Europe, Liechtenstein? If you're like us, not much. This week Angie shares a brief history of this insanely small country, and none of it sounds real (like they have a yearly party where residents are invited to have a beer with the crown prince).  If you thought this was unhinged – check out:  The Great Spaghetti Hoax of 1957  

Ever hear of Grace Quackenbos Humiston, the attorney turned private investigator from the early 1900s? Dubbed Mrs. Sherlock Holmes she solves a host of cases using common sense. After listening to this episode, you'll see why Theresa is obsessed with her.  If you liked this check out:  Helen Duncan – the last person convicted under the 1734 Witchcraft Act  

What a week. Theresa starts by sharing the story of the invisible billionaire, Daniel Ludwig (the man who paid PR firms money to ensure he stayed out of the press). Angie tops her tale by retelling the time that Josef Linowski (the Polish driver and engineer), Wolf-Diethard Knoppe (the Luffwaffa Starfighter pilot), and Manfred Ramminger (described as a German architect, playboy, race car enthusias...

Ever wonder about the origins of vampire tales in New Orleans? This week Angie shares the tale of the Casquette Girls of New Orleans from 1728. Their sickly appearance spawned rumors of vampires. Theresa steers the conversation in a completely different direction as she recounts the exploits of Sargent Stubby, the stray dog who served in WWI and goes further back in history to share the tale of Ja...

What a crazy mashup. Come for Theresa telling the story of the 1875 Dublin Whiskey Fire. Stay for Angie sharing the tale of Lawn Chair Larry and his epic flight using weather balloons and his trusty lawn chair.  This episode pairs well with:  The History of Bourbon The Great Molasses Flood The Balloon Escape

Join us this week as Angie shares another military blunder. During Sept 21-22 1788, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor fought Serdar-ı Ekrem Koca Yusuf Pasha the Vizier and Sultan Selim 3 ...sorta.  This episode pairs well with:  The pope who wrote a dirty book and funded Vlad the Impaler  

What's better than a pointless bloodless war? Theresa leads this week in retelling the story of the Honey War of 1839. During this conflict, Iowa and Missouri nearly started a war over three trees and a tax man.  More Pointless Wars:  The Pig War The Pastry War The War of the Stray Dog

Angie and Theresa celebrate April Fool's Day by recounting historical pranks. Angie starts us off with The Great Spaghetti Hoax of 1957 (that time Richard Dimbley and Charles De Jaeger presented a fictitious spaghetti harvest on the BBC). Theresa follows up with Count Robert II of France and the Hesdin Castle that pranked its guests. This episode pairs well with:  That time a guy died on a toilet...

Theresa goes back to 1989 when the oldest active cold case investigation was solved. Join her and Angie as they tackle the NW Butter Crimes of the Great Depression.  What? You heard us—butter crimes.  This episode pairs well with:  The Maple Syrup Heist 

This week Angie and Theresa explore Arthur Vicers and the not good, really bad day AKA the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels. Come for the historical tale. Stay for Theresa getting hung up on the names of the people in this story.  This episode pairs well with: Franz Reichelt

Take a raucous ride through history as Theresa retells the tale of the redoubtable General Antonio López de Santa Anna and how he lost his legs during the Pastry War of 1838. After that doozy, Angie regales us with how Fredrick the Great tricked his people into loving potatoes.  This episode pairs well with:  Shelly Bauman Queen Tamar of Georgia