Unhinged History

Today we have a very special guest. The Unhinged History podcast welcomes Jenny Chan, author and podcaster, exploring the atrocities of the Pacific theater during World War II. In this episode, we explore her in-depth study of Chinese comfort women, Unit 731, and so much more. Website: https://www.pacificatrocities.org/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PacificFrontUntold

Ever get stuck in front of the TV watching the bizarre shows labeled as history? This episode is just like that, but only for your ears. We offer nothing for your eyes. Angie kicks things off with the Beale Papers. This story takes us on a journey through history, where we attempt to crack codes and locate a large amount of buried gold, silver, and jewels in Bedford County, Virginia. Theresa is skeptical from the start, but mostly because she doesn’t trust innkeepers entrusted with secrets. Theresa takes things in a wildly different direction when she covers the Emancipation Duel, or that time Princess Pauline Metternich and Countess Anastasia Kielmansegg got into an argument over flower arrangements and decided the best way to settle things was with a topless sword fight. Then she delves into whether we can believe the intense press coverage of the incident. This episode pairs well with: The Cardiff Giant The Craziness that is the Country of Liechtenstein

This week’s unhinged stories feature two women largely forgotten by history. Starting off strong, Theresa tells the story of Madame Montour, the interpreter who spoke English, German, and several Native American languages. Her work as an interpreter brokered several treaties. We have one small problem with Madame Montour – she is history’s most unreliable narrator. Follow along as Theresa lays out a myriad of conflicting sources. Angie’s story is wildly different, as she regales us with the story of Jane Boleyn, Queen Anne Boleyn’s sister-in-law. Surprisingly, Jane’s story relates to several royal deaths. This woman served three queens in Tudor England before being sentenced for assisting Queen Catherine Howard in her affair. This episode pairs well with: Sacagawea Nell Gwynn

This week’s Unhinged History features two women with outrageous stories. Angie kicks things off with the story of Elizabeth Bathory, you know, the Blood Countess. She’s rumored to have murdered over 600 virgins to bathe in their blood in hopes of maintaining her youth and beauty. But what if all of that was created by the men in her life who owed her money? Angie pulls back the rumors and shares what we know and can prove about this infamous killer. In a delightfully unhinged pivot, Theresa shares the tale of Elvira de la Fuente Chaudoir. This Peruvian/French socialite turned double-agent spied for MI5 and convinced the Nazis move their troops away from Normandy, setting up success for the D-Day invasion. Her antics are legendary. You can hear Theresa on the edge of laughter the entire episode. This episode pairs well with: Sack of Rome Mehmed II Pope Pius II / Vlad Tepes Another WWII Spy Toto Koopman

Some stories just warm you up inside like a Hot Toddy. Today, Theresa starts us off with a story from her comfort era: World War II, as she shares the tale of Soviet sniper, Lyudmila Pavlichenko. This badass earns a sniper diploma before graduating from college, which proves beneficial as she ends up fighting as one of only 2,000 female snipers. While only 500 of these women would survive the war, Lyudmila thrives, racking up 309 confirmed kills. She would then go on to become a friend of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Angie struggles with pivoting as she transitions from this sniper to the French court, as she regales us with the life of the Duchess de Polignac. This woman would serve Marie Antoinette and become her best friend. Learn how this down-to-earth woman deals with the most indulgent time period of France, and dodges the Reign of Terror. This story pairs well with: Maria Bochkareva and the Russian women’s battalion of death Nell Gwynn General Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette

Listen to this week’s episode as Angie tells a story about a man Theresa’s already learned about. She shares the story of Anders Lassen, the incredible Danish man who joined Colin Gubbins’ Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and made the SOE what it was known for. This episode pairs well with: Paddy Mayne Colin Gubbins Odette Samson The SAS Train Raid You Never Heard of...

What a strange and wonderful mashup of unhinged history stories we have for you today. When we think of Tudor England, we often overlook the individuals of African descent who lived and worked there. Today, Angie corrects that. Come learn about the various people historians uncovered. Theresa takes a different route as she shares the story of Darius McCollum. Darius loves one thing more than anything else in the world: trains. His love of the Metro Transit Authority has led him to get arrested for stealing trains and buses more than 35 times. Come listen to his tale. This episode pairs well with: General Harriet Tubman Grunya Efimovna Sukhareva, the Russian researcher who discovered Autism

What an episode of two indomitable people! Today, Theresa kicks things off by telling the story of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. Dr. Dan is credited with completing the first open-heart surgery. This was in the mid-1800s, before the creation of rib spreaders, bypass machines, or any other devices that would make his life easier. Even better, his patient survives. To further boost his creds, this incredible human created the first racially integrated hospital and nursing school. After that, Angie struggles with a transition to tell the story of Ona Judge. The tale begins with Ona being enslaved to Martha Washington, the wife of the first president. Well, after President Washington engages in some shady antics to keep Ona enslaved, she absconds. This gets old, George-y boy, to crash out. The rest, as they say, is history. This story pairs well with Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler Bass Reeves Robert Smalls

Today’s mash-up of stories leads to some very unexpected places as Angie shares the story of Belle da Costa Greene. Belle ends up being the first Black female librarian of Mr. J. P. Morgan. This woman ends up being the Pepper Potts to Morgan, as she controls art and literature that gets bought and added to his personal collection. Then, surprising no one, Theresa takes us in a very different direction as she recounts the tale of York, the Black man who accompanied Lewis and Clark on the expedition across the newly purchased land of the Louisiana Purchase. Like anyone who experiences travel, his trek changes him and gives him a sense of accomplishment, forever altering the power dynamic between him and his owner, William Clark. This episode pairs well with: Alice Roosevelt Sacagawea

Few white dudes of history have ever earn so much respect from the Black community does, and for good reason. This week, Theresa takes over the entire episode and shares the unhinged life of John Brown. Starting with his early years, raised in a home that was both steeped in religion and abolitionism, John Brown’s path led him to campaign to end slavery. During his life, he would earn the respect of Fredrick Douglass, as he polarized the nation in their stances on ending the practice of slavery. Theresa continues to share how it was Brown’s post-conviction writing that furthered his cause, and not so much the raid at Harper’s Ferry. This is a solid episode, if we say so. This episode pairs well with: The attack on Senator Charles Sumner

The stories we tell here at Unhinged History are predictable, and today offers no variation from the trend. Theresa begins by telling the story of Elijah Parish Lovejoy. This abolitionist would believe two things in this life: that slavery is wrong, and as a journalist, he had the freedom of speech. These convictions would result in four printing presses getting destroyed by mobs and him getting shot five times. Angie, while struggling to segue, transitions to Adrian Carton de Wiart, the unkillable soldier. This man joined countless conflicts, lost an eye and a hand, was shot countless times, survived five plane crashes, and still died of old age. This episode pairs well with: Senator Charles Sumner Mad Jack Churchill Paddy Mayne part 1 Paddy Mayne part 2 Paddy Mayne part 3

Sometimes the events covered in Unhinged History are as zany as they are unexpected. Other times, things get dark. This week, Theresa shares the life of Charles Sumner, the senator who was beaten for giving an abolitionist speech. This attack would polarize the country and start it on the path toward the Civil War. Angie apparently didn’t get the memo that Theresa was telling such a tale, because she takes us further into the darkness when she covers the Theresienstadt Ghetto. This WWII camp was established by the Nazis and, at one point, camouflaged as a “spa town” for older Jewish citizens. This episode pairs with: The Wide Awakes: How fashion led to Civil War Josef Mencik – The Knight of Strakonice

Have you ever heard about the enduring mystery surrounding the fate of the Amber Room? You know that massive room crafted with walls of solid amber, gold leaf, and mirrors? Angie starts by sharing the room’s inception and how King Frederick I commissioned it. She talks about how it was gifted to Russia, where it sat in boxes for years before getting reassembled and improved upon. Then Angie goes into how Hitler wanted the Amber Room and was salty it ever left Germany, where upon it disappears. Don’t worry, she shares the leading theories of what happened. This episode pairs well with: The Potato King – Frederick II

Whatever you were expecting, this ain’t it. Theresa brings us an unsettling tale about a group of scientists in the 1970s who placed Felicia, a ferret, in a particle accelerator for scientific purposes. Apparently, they needed to clean out the four miles of tubes, and what better way than a diaper-wearing ferret? Angie struggles to find a transition to her story when she pivots to recap the 1527 Sack of Rome. She ends up naming all of the famous people alive during this time as they all enter the chat. This episode pairs well with: Siwash, the duck that fought in the Marines Mehmed II

Buckle up, kids. Today, for no explainable reason, Angie and Theresa swap stories. Angie jumpstarts the episode by telling everyone about the role in the Dutch resistance that Audrey Hepburn played. Theresa takes to the skies when she shares the story about Thomas Fitzpatrick, the man who was drunk and on a bet stole and landed a plane on the streets of the Washington Heights neighborhood in NYC – twice. Apparently, the second time, the fellow bar patron didn’t believe him, so he had to show him. This episode pairs well with: Resistance Fighter: Toto Koopman The Doomed Second Pacific Squadron

In another week of unexpected history, Theresa kicks things off with a story from Brazil. Meet Antonio Conselheiro, a man crushed by life who turns to following God. He wanders the back country of Brazil, preaching the Good News and fixing churches. He ends up building a community with recently freed Black people who have nowhere else to turn. Because no good deed goes unpunished, farmers who lost their laborers raise an army, and history does its thing. Angie, shocked by this tale, pivots sharply and takes us into the Gilded Age by telling us the story of Mamie Fish. This socialite surprised and delighted the upper crust with her antics. Come for her elaborate dinner parties. Stay for the monkey dressed as a prince. This episode pairs well with: Seneca Village: Andrew Williams Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth

First off, did you know there is a black market for luxury cheeses? Angie shatters Theresa’s understanding of things when she shares the “Grate Cheese Heist of 2024.” Listen to how a massive amount of artisanal cheese is stolen and unaccounted for. Then Theresa shifts gears and shares the WWII story of Agent Zigzag. This British citizen, Eddie Chapman, moves from criminal to German spy to British double-agent. There are love affairs, blowing up factories, and lies. This story has it all. This episode pairs well with: The great butter and cheese fire of 1991 Great Maple Syrup Heist The SAS raid no one knew about Odette Samson

Old-timey history has tons of greats. Previously, Theresa and Angie lamented not having modern greats, until today. Theresa shares the Great Madison Butter Fire of 1991. Join us as she regales Angie with the tale of 12,500 tons of dairy products going up in flames, releasing a river of cream and melted butter. This blaze took eight days to put out and was quite the event. Angie shifts the episode's tone dramatically as she tells us the story of how JFK was saved by a coconut. During this episode, Angie makes Theresa crack up when she admits to not realizing he served in WWII. This episode pairs with: The NW Butter Crimes Bad Butter Rebellion The bonkers story of the Second Pacific Squadron Josef Mencik – the WWII Knight

This week, Angie shares many of the factors that excite her about history. She shares an overview of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed II’s rise to power, and how his path crosses with a young Wallachian prince, Vlad Tepes. Once you add in the socio-political stances of the European kingdoms and the fear of Muslim takeovers, you now see how Pope Pius II funded the military campaigns of Vlad Tepes, who would go on to earn the spot in history as Dracula. This episode pairs well with: Pope Pius II Funds Dracula’s War

Whatever you were expecting for today’s episode, this ain’t it. Theresa jumps right into the podcast, telling the story of Cherokee Beloved Woman, Nanyihe (aka Nancy Ward). This woman, from the age of 17, commands respect from her people as she attempts to help them navigate a world of English settlers moving in. Some say she’s the hero, while others view her as a traitor. Angie takes a sharp left turn in the storytelling to share the tale of The War of Jenkins’ Ear. If you love missing body parts and pointless wars, this story is for you. It takes place between Great Britain and Spain from 1739 to 1748 and kicks off over an ear. This episode pairs well with: Sacagawea The Theft of the Irish Crown Jewels - Santa Anna’s Missing Leg The Barataria Pirates

Each week, we come up with some absolutely bonkers stories, and this week is no different. Angie shares how Holland dealt with an unpopular Grand Pensionary (think prime minister). Johan de Witt sparked such anger among the crowd that on August 20, 1672, they tore him apart and ate his remains. Theresa gingerly side-steps the cannibalism and shares how Cherokee Chief Sequoyah fell in love with the concept of written language and created the first written version of a Native American language. The Cherokee Syllabary remains in use to this day. This episode pairs well with: "Lord" Timothy Dexter Tarrare Sacagawea

This week, Unhinged History honors the achievements of native Americans and their history. We hear a lot about the Navajo codetalkers of WWII, but how much do you know about the Choctaw codetalkers of WWI that inspired the Second World War version? If you’re like most of the world, you don’t know much. This week, Theresa takes Angie on a romp through history as she shares the origins of the United States using the languages of indigenous peoples to communicate effectively without their messages getting intercepted. Angie scares Theresa when she also tells a story about the Choctaw. Instead of talking about WWI, Angie zips back to the mid-1800s to share about the first Choctaw lawyer and the first Native American to be admitted to the bar in the United States. James Lawrence McDonald was educated by the government, then used his education to serve his people and help them when the nation didn’t honor its side of the treaties. These stories pair well with: Francis Pegahmagabow Anandi Joshi

Apparently, Angie can’t stop thinking about the fall of the Berlin Wall, and today tackles the specific incidents that directly led to its collapse. So if you want to hear how Russian middle managers muff the punt and how that triggers some real drama... Theresa shifts the focus of history in a dramatic way when she shares the story of Apache warrior, healer, and holy woman, Lozen. She shares her mystical powers of tracking her enemy, her missions with her brother Victorio, and how she joined Geronimo’s forces.

This week, these two unhinged ladies wrap up the final week of Spooky Season with two perfect stories for the time of year. Theresa kicks off with the story of Wild Bill Hickock and how he was haunted by the death of one of the men he killed in a gun fight, and how his final hand of poker became known as the “Deadman’s Hand.” Angie digs up a great tale when she regales us with the story of Edgar Allen Poe's death. While his life was far from illustrious, it appears he might have been “cooped.” Cooping was when a group of people attempting to cause voter fraud, kidnapped and beat the victims, then got them drunk and had them vote in accordance with the kidnappers. This story pairs well with: Stagecoach Mary Fields Button Gwinnett

Way back when King James II was attempting to bring his bride to England, her voyage hit some bad weather. So he blamed witches. Angie shares the North Berwick Witch Trials and how the king later regrets them. Theresa takes things down a dark path as she wades into some true crime, telling the story of the Lady of Crescent Lake. Come for the terrible relationship where the wife goes missing. Stay for the part where the lake relinquishes her body years later, after it had turned to soap. This episode pairs well with: The last witch burned in Ireland The Haunted Queen Mary

We’re deep in Spooky Season, as Angie and Theresa share some tales to get us in the spirit. Theresa starts things off when she covers the sinking of the Andelana. This four-mast ship was safely anchored in Tacoma, Washington, when a storm hit, sinking the vessel in minutes without witnesses. All 17 men aboard were drowned. Then we have to unpack the tragedies that happen after it sinks... Angie outdoes herself when she covers Inês de Castro and Pedro (Peter 1 of Portugal). You might have already heard of Inês. She’s the skeleton queen of Portugal. It’s a rather sordid tale involving multiple civil wars fought for love. It’s just unfortunate for Peter 1, that his love lasts longer than his partner’s life span. These stories pair well with: The Haunted Queen Mary Lady Mary Howard

This week, Angie explores the adventures of Pyotr Kozlov, a traveler from Russia/Soviet Union who explored large portions of Asia and was falsely reported to have found the tomb of Genghis Khan. Kozlov led several expeditions uncovering several royal burials and was surprisingly appreciated by the countries in which he worked. This episode pairs well with: Rear Admiral Robert Byrd Mary Kingsley

Join us as Theresa kicks off the spooky season by sharing the origins of her favorite book, Frankenstein. She takes us through all the scientific advancements leading to the creation of the favorite creature. From resuscitating drowning victims to using electricity to generate muscle spasms in corpses, science hinted that reanimating the dead was just around the corner. Theresa also shares some of the darker parts of Mary Shelley’s life that added additional color to the horror and grief in the book. This episode pairs well with: The Casquette Girls of New Orleans 14

Join us this week as we tackle some sketchy history. Angie starts us with the story of (not quite a founding mother) Eliza Bowen Jumel. She’s born in a brothel, and eventually becomes the wealthiest woman in America. This fascinating woman ends up marrying Aaron Burr later in life and divorces him, using Alexander Hamilton Jr. as her lawyer. Theresa takes us to Japan in the 1100s and regales us with the story of Saitō Musashibō Benkei. This legendary samurai grows up in a series of monasteries, goes rogue, and in his quest to win 1000 swords in battle, becomes the loyal retainer of Yoshitsune. While defending Yoshitsune, Benkei would defeat 300 swordsmen and die standing (and riddled with arrows). This story pairs well with: Nell Gwyn - actress and court mistress Miyamoto Musashi

Theresa is back at it. This story has a little bit of everything you expect from one of her stories. WWII. Female spies. A missing leg. Join us as she shares the tale of Virginia Hall. This renowned spy has an incredible story, and there is so much to unpack. This story pairs well with: Odette Samson and Peter Churchill

Angie continues with her love affair with SAS member Paddy Mayne. Join us as she takes us through his work during WWII. Paddy is quite the hero. While demurely accepting medals for his valor, our favorite Irishman is leading his troops miles behind enemy lines and making the lives of the Axis powers rough. This story pairs well with: Paddy Mane’s Intro to the SAS

Angie is riding her Paddy Mane trip for the second week. This week, she covered Paddy Mane's tumultuous start to military service and how he met the founders of the SAS. Theresa takes us in a wildly different direction as she circles back on a previous story. Before she'd covered William Riker, the cult-founder of Holy City in episode 132. Today she covers William Riker's lawyer, Melvin Belli. This man fired a cannon from the roof of his office and flew the Jolly Roger flag when he won cases. This episode pairs well with: Paddy Mane's Early Years Melvin Belli's Cult-Founding Client

History is strange and weird. Today's mash-up of stories proves it. Theresa picks up where she left off last week. (Last week, she shared about that time North Korea sent 31 commandos into South Korea to take out their president.) This week, South Korea responds by forming its own squad, only spoiler alert: things go fantastically awry. Angie collects her bearings before sharing the early years of her favorite SAS member, "Paddy" Blair Mane. Join us as she tells about him hunting South African springbok in formal wear and more. These stories pair well with: The Blue House Raid The SAS Raid You Never Heard Of

History is jam-packed with stories you've never heard, and today's episode brings together two such tales. Angie starts with sharing Josef Mencik – the last knight, or the Knight of Strakonice. This Czech man of noble standing starts to enter the historical narrative by buying a castle, a suit of armour, and then stands up to a Nazi tank division. Theresa takes the rest of the episode in a wildly different direction when she shares, The Blue House Incident, or that time North Korea snuck 31 commandos into Seoul and got them within 300 meters of the president's palace before the mission went sideways. These stories pair nicely with: The Wide Awakes The SAS raid no one knew about

Do you remember how, in the past, Theresa and Angie explained the start of WWI as that time a Serbian shot an Austrian, so Britain declared war on Germany? Well today, Theresa does a deep dive and explains how a secretive organization within the Serbian government referred to as The Black Hand is the group that trained the assassins who killed Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie. This episode pairs well with: The SAS raid no on knew about

It isn't every week Angie brings the pain, yet here we are. This week Angie shares the Lebensborn program. During this 9-year program, the Third Reich attempted to breed more soldiers. It starts with unwed Aryan mothers going to country estates to give birth and ends with the SS kidnapping children who looked the part. Theresa offers a palate cleanser by sharing Harvard's Bad Butter Rebellion. Listen to the pre-Revolutionary War era hysterics over Harvard's dining hall serving rancid butter and the chaos that ensues. This episode pairs well with: The Children's Crusade of 1212 The Eggnog Riots

Angie and Theresa bring you another set of bizarrely wonderful stories to prove that yet again, people are unpredictable. Angie shares the wildly unhinged tale of the Emu War, or that time Australian farmers waged war against birds, and lost so so badly. It's hard to imagine pitting a machine gun against a flock of birds and losing, but here we are. Refusing to leave well enough alone, Theresa shares the story of William Riker, not the one from Star Trek, but the one who founded the Holy City cult in the mountains near Santa Cruz, California. This episode pairs well with: The Pig War The Ghost Buster Ruling

It's been a while since Theresa tortured Angie and the listeners. This episode is another opportunity to remind yourself that she gets off of curdling stomachs. Join us and give Angie moral support, and Theresa forces her to learn about Dr. Harvey Wiley and his volunteers who formed the Poison Squad and built the foundations of the FDA. This episode pairs well with: Tarrare's Terrible No Good Appetite

Angie serves up a story so piping hot it consumes the entire episode. Come join us as she regales us with the story of Mata Hari. Whatever you think you know of this WWI spy, this wasn't it. Angie serves up all the tea and she turns us all into fan girls as she shares her execution. This episode pairs well with: WWII's Most Decorated Spy: Odette Samson The Outrageous Sarah Bernhardt

We're back to exploring the gritty unhinged history of WWII spies this week as Theresa shares the story of the war's most decorated spy, Odette Samson. This French-born woman left her three young girls in Britain and joined the war effort, as a courier (the fatality rate of couriers was over 40%). During this mission, she fell in love, got tortured, sent to Ravensbruck, and survived without giving the Axis powers any intel. This all-around badass is a name we should all know. This episode pairs with: WWII Spy: Nancy Wake WWII Spy: Toto Koopman

This episode has it all. Today, Angie takes center stage when she shares the correlation between sliced bread, the Normandy, and WWII. Come for Theresa losing her mind at how sliced bread relates to anything. Stay for a thorough retelling of Operation Underworld, or how the Italian mafia helped protect Americans, as the first line of defense from Axis U-boats. This episode pairs well with: Collin Gubbins – creator of the SOE

You haven't heard it all until you've encountered the chaos of Tallulah Bankhead. This stage actress struggled to break into Hollywood while racking up over 500 lovers of both genders. Come for the unhinged antics of a starlet. Stay for her surprising activism. This episode pairs well with: Tallulah's Ex-Girlfriend and WWII Spy: Toto Koopman

There is nothing Angie loves more than the drama, pomp, and circumstance of Charlie Two's court (Charles II). Today's story is another instance of royal gossip as she shares a possible love triangle between Queen Anne, Sarah Churchill, and Abigail Marshem. This episode pairs well with: Another juicy moment from Charlie Two's Court: Nell Gwyn

There are certain things you can expect from this podcast and today's episode is no deviation. Theresa shares the story of Toto Koopman, the first famous biracial model and WWII spy. Her list of lovers runs from Tallulah Bankhead to Winston Churchill's son. Because she was a hell of a lot more than her black book, she served the Italian resistance faithfully and survived the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Angie refuses to be outdone and shares the story of the gender non-conforming Queen Nzinga. This boss stood her ground against the Portuguese and made them regret tangling with her. This episode pairs well with: WWII Spy: Nancy Wake WWII Spy: Josephine Baker Sudan's Warrior Queens Yaa Asantewaa

Happy Pride Month! We're kicking off June with stories that are meant to be told. Angie starts with Lucicus Beebe. This dandy of a gentleman did everything with the utmost panache. He toured the US and Europe in his own decked-out train car and remained fashionable, even when reporting on fires that broke out. Theresa brings in the tragic story of the pink triangle, which started in concentration camps and is a potent symbol of the queer community. Many wearers of the pink triangle in these camps were not freed when the camps were liberated – instead, they remained imprisoned until the early 70s. After gaining freedom, they reclaimed this symbol, and it is now a positive symbol for the LGBTQIA+ community. This episode pairs well with: William Dorsey Swann Stonewall

This episode is yet another shiny example of something you never expected. Theresa starts off sharing the story of Wong Kim Ark, the US citizen you likely never heard of. He is the man who challenged the government, had his case heard by the Supreme Court, and established himself as the first person named as a recipient of birthright citizenship. Oh, this was back in 1898. Angie, as flabbergasted as she is, somehow figures out a way to share the tragic tale of Torii Mototada. This samurai warrior made a fantastic stand in the late 1500s. Knowing he would likely die in his final stand, his sacrifice was honored by the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who dismantled the blood-stained castle and used the boards as ceilings in temples to ensure his deeds were never forgotten. This episode pairs well with: Lone Fir Cemetery The Blood-Soaked Battle Angel and the Battle at Aizuwakumatsu