Ridiculous Romance

The most dangerous and successful pirate in the world was a woman named Zheng Yi Sao who, together with her lover Cheung Po Tsai, united pirates under a single banner in the South China Sea. To end her bloody reign, the Qing Dynasty would have to negotiate, and her tongue was as sharp as her sword. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deland McCullough grew up a happy adopted child but always wanted to find his birth parents. As he rose the ranks in the NFL to become a coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, he set out on a life changing journey to find them. The answers he uncovered were more than he'd ever bargained for. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our final RiCRYPTulous Romance of 2021, we saved the worst for last! A ghostly prophecy gave Carl Tanzler a vision of his future wife. When he finally met the girl in Florida decades later, she was terminally ill. But Carl wouldn't let death stop him from being with his promised bride... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Salesman and grandfather of the American Infomercial, Samuel Popeil, had such a rocky marriage that his wife Eloise hired killers to take him out. But wait, there's more! Listen now and you'll get this story PLUS betrayal, PLUS their outrageous trial for free! This offer is not available in stores! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this ghastly, gruesome RiCRYPTulous Romance, Daniel and Manuela were each lost souls, looking for someone who shared their love, their passion, and their thirst for blood. But after sharing vows at one alter, they soon made a human sacrifice at another! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The high dollar French courtesan Marguerite Alibert always got what she wanted. When she nearly met her match in her husband, the oppressive Egyptian aristocrat Ali Fahmy, she got a little trigger happy and found herself on trial. Maybe her ex-boyfriend, the womanizing heir to the British throne could help her out... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On another RiCRYPTulous Romance, Fred Oesterriech was haunted by bumps in the night and a ghastly figure he saw in the attic. His wife Dolly was convinced it was all in his head, until one day a pale, scrawny creature appeared in their kitchen and shot him dead! Who was the ghoulish gunman? The terrifying truth awaits! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a Catholic nun in Mexico in the late 17th century who outraged the Spanish Inquisition by being way smarter and cooler than them. As long as she had the love and protection of the Vicereine of New Spain, Maria Luisa, they were powerless to stop her. But that protection wouldn't last forever... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our first RiCRYPTulous Romance - Amanda Large was just your average medium when she encountered a spirit who would change her life forever: the 300 year old Hatian pirate, Jack Teague. But after falling in love and MARRYING the spirit, her health started to fail! Was her ethereal lover sucking her life away? Or could the bonds of love hold them together across the veil? It's all in this special spooky episode! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phillip Morris was in jail for a minor offense when he fell in love with Steven Russell, a tall, smart, charming, master conman. In a series of mind blowing schemes, Steven escaped prison by walking out the front doors MULTIPLE times! And he kept going straight back to his love, no matter how much trouble it caused them both. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Helen Keller lived a rich and exciting life. She traveled the world, dined with royalty, and fell deeply in love with Peter Fagan. But her abelist family didn't seem to think one of the most accomplished women in the world could handle marriage! Through it all, the love that Helen, Anne Sullivan, and Polly Thomson shared was unbreakable. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Akihiko Kondo and Hatsune Miku fell madly in love and got married even though they had never met each other in person. That's because Hatsune Miku is a synthesized digital voice program with a holographic cartoon avatar! And it sure got us talking about the nature of reality, true love, and robotic sex toys. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I Love Lucy was changing sitcoms forever, and Lucille and Desi pushed the envelope further with a shocking pregnancy storyline in season 2. But some differences couldn't be reconciled, and eventually their marriage dissolved for good. After six seasons, two children, and a hearing before the House Un-American Activities Committee, would their friendship endure? It's all right here in part 2! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two of the most legendary names in entertainment, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz met on the set of Too Many Girls in 1940. But "too many girls" was exactly Desi's problem, and their rocky marriage was a tabloid sensation. Fortunately their creative partnership was unfazed, and together they revolutionized comedy and negotiated what's still considered the greatest deal in television history! That's only the beginning... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The one-legged, sex crazed, abolitionist and optimist Gouverneur Morris is the coolest Founding Father you've never heard of. But Ann Cary Randolph's story was as harrowing as his was outrageous. After he wrote the preamble to the US Constitution, the two of them formed a union of their own! Together they're an American legend truly worth hearing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maha Vajiralongkorn is the current monarch of Thailand (as of this launch date), though his behavior is anything but kingly. He and his two queens rule with strict lèse-majesté laws, sending anyone who speaks ill of him and is many, many scandals straight to prison. Uh oh, might have to rethink our trip! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High school sports champion Jackie Robinson didn't strike out when he met the brilliant Rachel Isum. And when he faced the challenge of being the first Black man to play Major League Baseball in the 20th century, she helped him round the bases and knock racism out of the park! This couple protected each other through brutal challenges and became the first married couple to both be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a long time, it's been assumed that Amelia Earhart flew in and stole George Putnam away from his wife Dorothy. But the truth is, Dorothy had been trying to take off for years, and had a few layovers herself! Sadly their marriage was grounded early, and love was stuck at the gate. Please put your seats in their full upright position for this epic and emotional story of travel, adventure, and dirty little secrets! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In August of 2021, Diana & Eli attended Podcast Movement, an annual convention centered around... you guessed it, Podcasting! We were invited to speak on a panel called "The Humor & The Heavy" with our good friends and hosts of Ridiculous History, Ben & Noel! Moderated by Lauren Vogelbaum (Savor, BrainStuff, American Shadows), we discuss the challenges and strategies of bringing our thigh-slapping humor to deep, dark, and heavy subject matter without being total jerks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Margaret Wise Brown put her sense of wonder and whimsy into all of her children's books, including Goodnight Moon. Her lesbian lover Michael Strange was a smack-talking erotic poet who didn't have much respect for those "baby books." But Margaret showed her and the world by creating a sensation in children's literature that still gets stuck in parents' heads to this very day! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Eleusinian Mysteries are the best kept secret in history! (But you know we've got some ideas.) Hadrian and Antinous attended this trippy event and kicked off a world-tour romance that would inspire people for centuries to follow. But after a fatal drowning, the Romans make their own little stop at Speculation Station! Hear the epic conclusion now! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hadrian had some big sandals to fill when he succeeded Trajan as Emperor of Rome. The senate didn't love him, but fortunately one ridiculously attractive, athletic, cool AF man did. Their story became legend, and these men have gone down in history as icons, inspiring gay culture and sports to this day. Hear how Hadrian changed an Empire, challenged the Roman senate, and met his one true love in part 1 of this epic story! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marguerite Steinheil's affair with the President of France was already worth one episode. But not long after that scandal, she would become the talk of Paris once again... as a suspect in her husband's murder! Daring heists, international conspiracies, and of course, wild speculation, are all in this thrilling conclusion! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marguerite was at the center of French culture in 1898, holding grand salons with the top artists and politicians of the day. She was also mistress to Felix Faure, the French President best known for... dropping dead at a very "intimate" moment. It was a scandal that brought France to its knees! And that's only Part ONE of Marguerite's ridiculous story! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George Remus and his wife Imogene ran the biggest bootlegging business in America during the prohibition years! But when George slips up and gets locked away, can he trust his wife to manage their fortune? Or will the savvy young Agent Dodge seduce her into a betrayal? Grab a drink and find out in this episode! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Linda had no luck in love until she met the man of her dreams! Too bad he was married. When she gave him the boot, he hired hitmen to blind her with acid. After a stint in prison, he tracked her down and did the unthinkable - he married her! What? Why? What?? All questions we'll get into! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2012, UK Labour Councillor Simon Parkes revealed to the world that aliens had been studying humans since the dawn of our species. Also, he's been banging one of them his whole life, and he has an alien hybrid daughter named Zarka! We'll try to get to the outer limits of this cosmic love story, with special guest appearances by some old alien friends of our own! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The brilliant writer Murasaki Shikibu didn't experience much romance in her personal life in the late 1st century. But she captured the attention of Japan by releasing The Tale Of Genji one episode at a time. Altogether the tale is one of the first novels ever produced, and it's still celebrated today as a symbol of enduring love and marital harmony. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the King of Bechuanaland fell in love with a white Londoner in 1946, everyone was... surprisingly cool with it! But due to the influence of Apartheid, he wasn't allowed to reclaim his throne. Find out how their marriage totally redrew the map of Africa and led to the new, independent nation of Botswana. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Little is known about this royal couple (a lot can go missing in 3400 years). But this Pharoah and his Queen ruled Ancient Egypt for decades, and brought about a golden age of culture! Queen Tiye was so integral to their glory that she changed the very concept of what an Egyptian Queen could be. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clementine and Winston were both tired of courting dreary snobs and gossipy debutantes. When they met by chance, it was love at first sight, but little did they know how much their union would change the world. Find out how love literally saved the day and helped defeat the Nazis in WW2! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sid Vicious, the notorious bassist for the Sex Pistols, was a nasty, violent, drug addict... and a summer peach compared to his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. In less than two years, these spitfire punks met, fell in love, tore the UK to pieces, terrorized New York City, and died. They left behind a punk rock legacy, and a baffling murder mystery that's unsolved to this day! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahoy me hearties! Prepare yerselves for a voyage full of swashbuckling adventure, daring escapes, and ruthless gay pirates! Robert Culliford was one of the most dastardly pirate captains on the high seas, and he did it all with his best mate (figurative and literal), Jon Swann. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suleiman The Magnificent was the Ottoman Empire's greatest Sultan. But one girl rose from harem slave to a wife who reigned by his side, and helped him to usher in a golden age of art and culture. Together they defied tradition, shocked a nation, and changed the world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trial of the Century! In 1906, Harry K. Thaw shot and killed his wife's abuser, the renowned architect Stanford White. But this was no dutiful act of chivalry. Evelyn was trapped between two dangerous men, each destructive in their own way. How did America's Original Top Model get entwined in such a treacherous triad? All the excitement, mystery, and murder is right here! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many women tried to find a spark with inventor Nikola Tesla, but no one had a voltage high enough to distract him from his work. Today, the Master of Lightning might identify as asexual and aromantic. But after decades of hardship and alternating currents of fortune and poverty, one little bird found the right frequency to complete his circuit. We look into Tesla's complicated relationship with romance, and how a few other inventors have managed in their own! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ellen and William Craft were in love and wanted to start a family - but it was 1848, they lived in Georgia, and they were enslaved, with very little chance of escape. But one day, William cooked up a plan so crazy, it just might work, sending them on an action-packed "leap to liberty!" Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Martha Beck would kill for love. And when she met Raymond Fernandez, she did. Together, they would run scams on lonely women through Lonely Hearts matchmaking ads, robbing them of jewelry, cars, thousands of dollars - and sometimes their lives. When the killers went to trial, it was the story of the century! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did America's most troubled playboy drug addict become one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes? It took a lot more than a snap to blip out his rotten past. Fortunately he met a brilliant producer who gave him one last shot at a career and another chance at love. If Team Downey hadn't fallen for each other, entertainment might be very different today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elagabalus is taking wives and ending lives like it's her job. But what happens when a handsome Charioteer rolls into town? Spoiler alert: it's more destruction, chaos, and murder. If you thought part one was crazy, wait until you hear what The Little Empress gets up to in this epic conclusion! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This transgender Empress of Rome in the early 3rd century was only 14 when she violently seized control! From there she took on wife after wife after husband after lover… and so on. She killed a lot of people, but she also appointed Rome’s first women senators! So… a mixed bag. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Step right up and hear the story of the 8-foot Giant and the acrobat with no legs who loved him! "The Strangest Married Couple In The World" toured the American Sideshow circuit in the 1940's. Amazing feats! Narrow escapes! Dastardly villains! Dare to feast your ears on this tale of love and excitement! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suffering Sappho! William Marston was a mixed bag of qualities, along with his wife Elizabeth and their live-in girlfriend Olive. But amidst the polygraphs, baby parties, and sex cults, this throuple created Wonder Woman and changed comic books (and feminism) forever! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mary Edwards was the richest woman in England when she married Lord Hamilton, but when he started spending her money a little too freely, she wasn’t afraid to torpedo her whole life just to get him out of it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1960s, the TV game show The Dating Game was surprise hit! A handful of celebrities (and spies, and serial killers) left their mark on the panel, but perhaps their biggest winner was comedy legend Steve Martin, who gamed the system to win the trip of a lifetime. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lorena Gallo thought she achieved the American Dream when she married military man John Wayne Bobbitt. Once the dream became a nightmare, it was time to cut ties – literally. But that's just the tip! The full story spans decades with wild characters, nonprofit activism, and a real who's who of America's dirtbags! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Betty and Barney Hill were an interracial couple living a perfectly normal life in 1961 Portsmouth, New Hampshire, until a spur-of-the-moment honeymoon turned into the very first alien abduction. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shah Hussain was a Muslim poet and weaver in 16th century Pakistan who fell in love with the beautiful Hindu boy Madho Lal. Religion, politics, and civil rights all collide in this romance, still celebrated today as a symbol of universal love and harmony between the two religions. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do the Berlin Wall, the Eiffel Tower, a rocking chair, a guillotine, and a playing card all have in common? They’re all married – to humans! Learn about objectum sexuality, animism, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jean-Antoinette Poisson was determined to be King Louis’ mistress. One pink carriage and a tree costume later, she had won – but the story was just beginning. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.