Amazing Tales About History

In this, the FINAL EPISODE of the Amazing Tales podcast, we look at the very first mile of commercial railroad track in the U.S., which was laid by the B&O Railroad – the same train line that hosted the epic race between the Tom Thumb steam engine a horse-drawn train car to determine supremacy. Trains are nearing their 200th anniversary in the country and will play a big role in next year's 250th anniversary of the founding of our country.

It’s a square-mile section of land in CT – a parcel where engineering science advancements were made, military leaders trained for combat, college football was played and Dwight Eisenhower hunted. Yet, it faded into a ghost town with abandoned buildings and amazing legacies. You can visit it, but all you’ll find are some foundations and a unique stone water tower built nearly a century ago.

Being Paul Revere’s descendant is an important fact of life for Paul Revere III; however, he also looks for the humorous side of being related to his legendary ancestor. For instance, what happens after he tells someone his name is Paul Revere? Or, would his own wife be upset if he said he had to take off for a few hours to go do something rather important? Paul Revere III has a wonderful perspective on his ancestor – as well as his own role in maintaining our history.

Two plane crash incidents from more than half-a-century ago killed 150 people in New York City, including (1) when a B-52 bomber rammed the Empire State Building and (2) when TWA and United jets collided over Staten Island, scattering passenger bodies and debris there and in Brooklyn. Most amazing are the stories of the survivor from each separate incident.

Hot air balloons are subject to the wind – where the wind blows, so goes the balloon. Charles Ritchel upset that paradigm in 1878 by creating a lighter-than-air craft that could be steered. His craft was able to land exactly where it took off from. It worked - most of the time; but, when it didn’t, the pilot had to make hair-raising, in-air adjustments to survive.

Nathan Hale, Caleb Brewster, Benedict Arnold, John Andre – all part of spy rings or treasonous activities. One man, who has studied them all, retraced 200 miles of their paths during the Revolutionary War by bicycle and kayak. He recounts their historic and harrowing stories.

Do you remember Freedomland – a theme park in The Bronx, NY that was surprisingly open for only five years? It was dubbed “Disneyland of the East” because it was created by the same person who designed the original Disneyland – the first employee ever hired by Walt Disney. It turns out that Freedomland’s financial backers never intended for it to be open more than five years – and the reason will amaze you.

Did Gustave Whitehead beat the Wright Brothers as the first to fly? His supporters say he beat them by two years, but that an unfair agreement between the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and the Wrights’ estate unfairly stacks the deck against Whitehead. The arguments are strong on both sides, and this 125-year-old dispute shows no signs of dying down.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is the oldest continuously published periodical in the U.S. Started in the late 1700s, it’s been known for its highly accurate weather forecasts for more than 230 years as well as information of agriculture, gardening, astronomy, and home-spun wisdom. The current editor shares the basics of the weather forecasting formula.

It used to be a major holiday. It’s been largely forgotten. But it’s trying to make a comeback. It’s Evacuation Day. It’s when the British left their military headquarters in New York City for the last time after the Revolutionary War, leaving the new United States to stand on its own. On November 25, 1783, General George Washington led his troops down Broadway, but all did not go smoothly that day. The British left a final surprise.

Starting an all-sports television network took guts, money, and talent. These miraculously came together to meet a September 7, 1989 deadline for ESPN to go live. The first employee was Peter Fox – ESPN’s original Executive Producer. He has numerous, priceless, and unforgettable behind-the-scenes stories of the people and circumstances that brought us ESPN.

There’s a Colonial Era hero who many people have never heard of – John Durkee. Ten years before the Declaration of Independence, Durkee stopped the highly unpopular British Stamp Act from taking effect in Connecticut. You won’t believe how he did it, though. His actions spurred a movement that brought Jonathan Trumbull to the Governor’s office, cementing CT’s role as the only colony to officially back the Patriots during the Revolutionary War.

You can no longer find the village of Fredericksburgh, NY on any maps. It disappeared 200 years ago. And yet, for three months in 1778, George Washington and his generals developed strategic military plans there during the Revolutionary War, and the infamous Culper Spy Ring was also formally kicked off.

The creator of the Indy 500 car race, bicyclists, and an Army convoy led by Dwight Eisenhower all had a hand in pushing development of the first road to connect America’s east and west coasts. The Lincoln Highway was built nearly 50 years after the country had been connected via the transcontinental railroad. Here’s the magical story of opening up automobile traffic across a 3,000 mile landscape.

2.3 million gallons of molasses were in a 5-story high tank in Boston’s north end. On a cold winter day in 1919, the tank collapsed, sending a 30-foot-high wave of molasses throughout an entire neighborhood killing 21 and injuring 150. The disaster led to the first class-action lawsuit in U.S. history. And, the smell of molasses lingered for decades.

The famous French General Rochambeau, who helped the Patriots win the Revolutionary War, was arrested after he had helped us win our independence. This incredible story has escaped most history books. The story is also remarkable because it helped save Rochambeau’s life when he returned to France.

Could you imagine skydiving with your parachute open and then grabbing the cords to the chute, pulling a machete from your pocket, and severing all the cords, resulting in you “free falling” through the air? The aeronaut daredevil featured in this episode did this routinely 100 years ago at carnivals. The “highest flyer on earth” rode a rudimentary hot air balloon 10,000 feet in the air, and then jumped

French aristocrat Lafayette was a teenager when he came to the U.S. to help the Patriots win the Revolutionary War. He pinned Cornwallis in Yorktown until Washington and Rochambeau arrived for the final encounter. He pulled off one of the greatest escapes in military history, after being completely surrounded. He used his influence with France’s king to speed up support to the Patriot cause. He’s the only foreigner whose portrait hangs in the U.S. Capitol.

What do all of these inventions have in common: The erector set, fire sprinkler, the frisbee, the hamburger, the lollipop, intravenous chemotherapy, and the stone crusher that literally paved the way for asphalt highways? They were all invented in just one city and they all have very interesting back stories about how they came to be.

Ham radio. It's been around for 125 years, but most people know nothing about it. When disaster strikes, knocking out phones and the internet, ham radio still works. There are a million operators nationwide available to help transmit information during crises. Other times, they communicate around the globe, sometimes with Morse Code, and can even speak with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.