ADDITIONAL HISTORY: Headlines You Probably Missed

May 13, 1985, marks a dark day in United States history. It was the day of the Philadelphia bombing, a story rarely talked about more than forty years later. Sadly, it wasn't the only bad thing making headlines that day. What else were newspapers reporting on that tragic day?

All sources used in this episode can be found at the end of the video here: https://youtu.be/1lJRs_wtueg

One of the most well-known societies in the world officially began on January 27, 1888. Yes, it was the National Geographic Society. How did it get its start? And, what other thrilling stories were being printed in newspapers at the same time in history?

For al sources used, see the video in YouTube.

https://youtu.be/d2sAtteZ0nU

On September 27, 1986, in Cleveland, Ohio, all eyes were on the sky. That day their city was set to go down in the history books for launching the most helium balloons into the air at the same time. According to some sources, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. But...is that how it really happened?

CONTENT SOURCES

• cleveland.com. “BalloonFest 1986: What Really Happened?” YouTube. Accessed October 15, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIM-pJP5A0o.
• Danhauer, Whitney. “Cleveland Tried to Break a World Record in 1986 - Then the Sky Fell.” Yahoo! News. Accessed November 10, 2025. http://bit.ly/49HzKov.
• Kosowan, Gene. “Why Cleveland Is Often Called ‘the Mistake on the Lake.’” TheTravel, October 19, 2023. https://www.thetravel.com/why-is-cleveland-the-mistake-on-the-lake/.
• Lubano, Alfred. “Inflating Hopes: Balloonfest Workers Rise to the Occasion.” The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), September 27, 1986.

SOUND & IMAGE SOURCES

• Al Jolson. “I’ll Say She Does.” www.pixabay.com/music.
• Lucille Hegamin and The Dixie Daisies. “Cold Winter Blues.” www.pixabay.com/music.
• Sophie Tucker. “Reuben Rag.” www.pixabay.com/music.
• “Cleveland Skyline (49770201387)”; Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.

On this podcast I've covered the assassinations of four different United States Presidents. It's about time I cover the time someone tried to assassinate Teddy Roosevelt during his run for the office. But, since that wasn't the only event making headlines that day, I'll share three fascinating additional history stories with you from the same date.

SOURCES

(See full list of sources for this episode on the accompanying YouTube video.)

Today's episode date (April 3, 1860) will take you back to the days of the Wild West and the inauguration of the Pony Express. What else was being reported in newspapers the day the mail got a whole lot faster?

SOURCES

(See a full list of sources on the YouTube video of this episode.)

Today's episode is a mini episode that takes us back 49 years to June 18, 1977, and the mysterious death of Charles Morgan. Was he a government spy or someone suffering from a mental breakdown? You don't want to miss this story with twist after twist after twist.

SOURCES

(See a full list of sources on the YouTube video of this episode.)

On December 6, 1917, a tragic explosion in Halifax, Nova Scotia, ended the lives of many hundreds of people and injured thousands more. How did it happen? And, what else was making top headlines around the country and world on the exact same day?

SOURCES

(See full list of sources on YouTube video of this episode.)

On April 12, 1955, someone--and something--made headlines all over the world. Newspapers printed page after page after page of stories about this event that is rarely talked about these days. On that day, the polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was approved, ushering in the end of worldwide suffering. What else was being printed in newspapers the day families around the world received some good news?

SOURCES

See full list of sources on YouTube version of this episode.

In this episode, I'll take you back in time more than 200 years for a look at an unsolved mystery involving a very famous person. In 1812, Theodosia Burr, daughter of politician Aaron Burr, vanished while sailing to visit her infamous father. Was her ship caught in a storm, sunk by the British, taken over by pirates, or something even worse? And what about the mysterious painting believed to be of Theodosia that showed up years later?

SOURCES

“Aaron Burr.” Wikipedia, September 19, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Burr.

Berry, C. B. “Is Woman In Portrait Theodosia Burr?” The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina), July 22, 2004. www.newspapers.com.

Burkheimer, Eloise. “Historical Sketch and the Nag’s Head Portrait of Theodosia Burr Alston.” The Charlotte News (Charlotte, North Carolina), September 15, 1912. www.newspapers.com.

Ellison, Virginia. “December, 1812: Theodosia Burr Alston Is Lost at Sea.” South Carolina Historical Society, December 3, 2021. https://schistory.org/december-1812-theodosia-burr-alston-is-lost-at-sea/.

“Mystery of the Death of Beautiful Theodosia Burr Solved.” Buffalo Sunday Morning News (Buffalo, New York), November 16, 1902. www.newspapers.com.

“The Portrait of Theodosia Burr.” North Carolina Ghosts. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://northcarolinaghosts.com/coast/the-portrait-of-theodosia-burr/.

Rennie, Daniel. “Aaron Burr’s Daughter Vanished in 1812 - and No One Knows Why.” All That’s Interesting, October 9, 2022.https://allthatsinteresting.com/theodosia-burr-alston.

“Theodosia Burr Alston.” Wikipedia, September 18, 2025.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodosia_Burr_Alston.

Thomas, Heather. “The Unsolved Mystery of Aaron Burr’s Daughter: Headlines & Heroes.” The Library of Congress, January 22, 2019. https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2019/01/the-unsolved-mystery-of-aaron-burrs-daughter/.

SOUND SOURCES

Al Jolson. “I’ll Say She Does.” www.pixabay.com/music.

Lucille Hegamin and The Dixie Daisies. “Cold Winter Blues.” www.pixabay.com/music.

Sophie Tucker. “Reuben Rag.” www.pixabay.com/music.

Eight years before the tragedy of 9/11, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City for the first time. It was scary and chaotic. What else was being reported in newspapers on that same day?

SOURCES

• “Advertisement: Windsor Beacon Instant Mail (Page 16).” Windsor Beacon (Windsor, Colorado), February 26, 1993. www.newspapers.com.
• Associated Press. “Accused Murderers: Boys Next Door.” Bonner County Daily Bee (Sandpoint, Idaho), February 26, 1993. www.newspapers.com.
• Associated Press. “Train Station Caves In; Dozens Hurt.” The Buffalo News (Buffalo, New York), February 26, 1993. www.newspapers.com.
• Ballard, Kimberly. “New Documentary: Betty Wilson Wrongly Convicted in Death of Husband, Dr. Jack Wilson.” 256 Today, July 26, 2022. https://256today.com/new-documentary-claims-betty-wilson-was-wrongly-convicted-of-the-murder-of-her-husband-30-years-ago/.
• Coleman, Jenny. “Who Was James Bulger and What Happened to His Killers?” BBC News, March 16, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4vx0gwe77o.
• “Dolores Fisher.” WDHOF. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.wdhof.org/members/dolores-fisher.
• Examiner News Services. “Huge Blast Rips N. Y. Trade Center.” The San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, California), February 26, 1993. www.newspapers.com.
• Kenney, Jerry. “Loot Diver Becoming a Wreck.” Daily News (New York, New York), February 26, 1993.
• “The Mel Fisher Story.” MFST. Accessed October 1, 2025.https://store.melfisher.com/blogs/news/the-mel-fisher-story?srsltid=AfmBOorIQ9Hf3FA7ZHJhRtyVfDrF3TYgMIycy7p_VH3DFb2xp6FVgcFJ.
• “Mel Fisher.” Wikipedia, July 3, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Fisher.
• “Murder of James Bulger.” Wikipedia, September 29, 2025.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Bulger.
• Newberry, Paul. “Wife, Twin Sister Accused in Murder of Wealthy Doctor.” Concord Monitor (Concord, New Hampshire), February 26, 1993. www.newspapers.com.
• “Nuestra Señora de Atocha Treasure.” Thomas Numismatics, July 27, 2023. https://thomasnumismatics.com/en/blog/nuestra-senora-atocha-treasure/?srsltid=AfmBOop9T8y-k5Q4r4MyiNlkMVKmXcRBYveHynzRfnRYPZXuG0L12anc
• “Nuestra Señora de Atocha.” Wikipedia, September 9, 2025.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuestra_Se%C3%B1ora_de_Atocha.
• “Putting Together the Fragments: The Investigation of the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing.” Putting Together the Fragments: The Investigation of the 1993 World TradeCenter Bombing | National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/putting-together-fragments-investigation-1993-world-trade-center-bombing.
• Schunn, Caitlin. “How Twins Ended up on Trial for Murder of an Alabama Doctor - but Only One Was Convicted.” Oxygen, July 19, 2024. https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/crime-news/betty-wilson-convicted-in-doctor-husbands-alabama-murder.
• This Morning News. “James Bulger: 30 Years On From The Murder That Shook Britain.” YouTube. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7OWspyONp8.
• World trade center bombing 1993. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/world-trade-center-bombing-1993.
• “‘The Wounds Don’t Ever Heal’: 30 Years after James Bulger’s Murder, Bootle Cannot Forget.” The Guardian, February 10, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/10/30-years-after-james-bulger-murder-strand-bootle-youth-justice.
• SOUND SOURCES
• Al Jolson. “I’ll Say She Does.” www.pixabay.com/music.
• Lucille Hegamin and The Dixie Daisies. “Cold Winter Blues.” www.pixabay.com/music.
• Sophie Tucker. “Reuben Rag.” www.pixabay.com/music.