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 FieldsButton 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 MaryLady 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 their 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 1212The 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 Willaim 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 WarThe 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 SamsonThe 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