The Spirit of Capitalism Made Flesh

if you like 'em big, well, they don't get any bigger than this

A fun night out at the theater featuring ethnic jokes, slapstick violence, a sappy moral, three tons of feminine pulchritude, and a dead cat. Read More...

Categories: Bonus Episodes, Entertainment & Media, Wild Card

Tags: New York, NY Presented by #13 vaudeville

Published: December 14, 2020
Edited: January 3, 2021

Pennies from Heaven

In honor of our latest episode, #7 has graciously decided to share some photos of the best pressed pennies in her collection! Read More...

Categories: Man's Amazing Inventions, Supplement, Wild Card

Tags: elongated coins field trip hobbies pressed pennies squished pennies travel

Published: November 16, 2020
Edited: January 3, 2021

Pressing Matters

the only souvenir option that makes cents

It's the only souvenir option that makes cents - or rather, is made from cents. A brief history of the pressed penny, squished penny, or elongated coin! Read More...

Categories: Man's Amazing Inventions, Series 5, Wild Card

Tags: 1893 Chicago World's Fair and Columbian Exposition elongated coins hobbies Presented by #7 pressed pennies squished pennies travel

Published: November 9, 2020
Edited: February 22, 2021

Normalating

let me tell you about the healing power of color

The idea that color has healing power is a relatively modern (and utterly fallacious) one. We discuss its development through the 19th and 20th centuries. Read More...

Categories: Hoaxes, Frauds & Forgeries, Series 5, Wild Card

Tags: civil law crime eclectic medicine Presented by #13 quackery Theosophical Society Theosophy

Published: October 12, 2020
Edited: February 8, 2021

A Menace to the West

David Grundman goes shooting at a stationary target -- and breaks off more than he can handle

When a man fights a cactus, you probably don't expect the cactus to win. Read More...

Categories: Series 3, Wild Card, Wonders of the Natural World

Tags: crime Presented by #13

Published: April 6, 2020
Edited: January 3, 2021

Death from Above by Chocolate

sometimes a story seems too good to be true because it is

In 1923, a plane flew over downtown Pittsburgh, dropped Baby Ruth candy bars on the crowd below, and caused widespread panic... or did it? Read More...

Categories: Hoaxes, Frauds & Forgeries, Series 3, Wild Card

Tags: Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, PA Presented by #13

Published: March 9, 2020
Edited: February 8, 2021

Goodnight, Irene

an icon finally gets her due

The story of the "weeping icon" has it all - a 102-year-old flying nun, the Gulf War, armed robbery, John Gotti, religious schism, and insurance fraud. Hear the amazing truth in this week's episode, "Goodnight, Irene"! Read More...

Categories: Footsteps into the Unknown, Hoaxes, Frauds & Forgeries, Series 2, Wild Card

Tags: Canada Chicago, IL civil law crime Mafia New York, NY Presented by #13

Published: December 16, 2019
Edited: January 3, 2021

The Jackalope

lopegigrus lepusalopus ineptus

Douglas Herrick invented the jackalope in 1932 by "enhancing" a mounted rabbit with a set of deer antlers. It's a nice story, but is it true? Read More...

Categories: Hoaxes, Frauds & Forgeries, Legendary Lands and Beasts, Myths & Legends, Series 1, Wild Card

Tags: cryptozoology fakelore Presented by #7

Published: August 12, 2019
Edited: January 25, 2021

Strange Stories, Amazing Facts

never underestimate the power of a good book

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step... and sometimes with a book pilfered from grandma's house. Or maybe Aunt Paula's house. Read More...

Categories: Bonus Episodes, Curious & Bizarre Beginnings, Entertainment & Media, Meta, Wild Card

Tags: Presented by #13 The Ancient and Esoteric Order of the Jackalope

Published: July 29, 2019
Edited: January 3, 2021