In 1911, the employees of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory were practically working in a tinderbox. And that was on top of being overworked, underpaid and disrespected. The tragic fire took dozens of lives and brought attention to their plight.

Cholera is a waterborne bacterial illness but don’t bother telling that to the medical community of the 1830s. The disease confounded doctors for decades while pandemics raged across the world, killing millions. It remains deadly in some parts of the world today.

A mysterious illness spreads through a family, killing one. Years later, it reappears at a place of business and two more die. Is the culprit food poisoning? Radiation sickness? Or could it be the young man involved in both?

Times were hard for the pioneers who traveled westward across North America in the 1840’s. For the Donner Party, a series of unfortunate events and bad advice turned very fatal. The snowbound people resorted to extreme measures to stay alive and almost half of them died.

This collection of stories is brought to you by the Freedom of Information Act. Thanks to Florida's high degree of transparency regarding public records, everyone can learn about crimes involving alligators, small swords, nudity, and more!

The riot rages on this episode as we get an account of the violence inside the New Mexico State Penitentiary. As the siege continues, there will be demands, confusion, and eventually the retaking of the prison by law enforcement. Not for the faint of heart.

Antemortem begins the grisly tale of the New Mexico Penitentiary riot in this episode. We’ll first look at the precipitating incidents and poor conditions that led to the uprising. Then, we’ll move on to the events at the beginning of the riot.

There was a time when everyone thought of molasses as a slow and harmless product for making rum but that all changed in Boston in 1919. On that fateful day, a tank holding 2.3 million gallons of molasses burst its seams and spewed through the North End. The ensuing chaos was both deadly and sticky.

Between 1973 and 1983, Robert Hansen killed at least 17 people. Operating in and around Anchorage, Alaska, he used his wild surroundings to his benefit. Antemortem explores his life, victims, and many crimes.

What has 80 electrons and will destroy your brain? Mercury. It's in your fish, your fluorescent light bulbs, and your old-timey hats. Find out more about this deadly element on today's episode of Antemortem.