Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about the assassination of LGBT+ Icon Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Milk and Moscone were both San Francisco politicians and civil rights leaders whose lives were cut short by their former colleague. Milk was a veteran, Wall Street statistician, and hippie who became one of the first openly gay elected official in America. Both men were dealing with a city and country that was bursting with political tension, clashes between the gay rights movement and the fundamentalist anti-gay movement, and violence against the LGBT+ community, sometimes from the very people sworn to protect them. Both new that the more they fought for inclusion and progress, the more their lives were in danger. They fought anyway. 

How did Milk grow into one of the most well-known activists in America? What happened to make Supervisor Dan White turn on his former friend Milk and “the people’s mayor” Moscone? How was he protected after he committed an assassination? What legacy did these men leave behind? Let’s talk about it. 

**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, suicide, LGBT hate crimes, police brutality, sexual content). Listener discretion is advised.**

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

If you are a member of the LGBT+ community and are looking for resources: https://www.hrc.org/resources/direct-online-and-phone-support-services-for-lgbtq-youth
https://www.glaad.org/resourcelist 

You can contact me at [email protected] Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout. Music by: Zoliborz

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Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about the crazy fan murder of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. 

**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, murder, sexual violence, suicide). Listener discretion is advised.**

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez has gone by many titles: the Queen of Tejano music, the Queen of Latin Music, the Queen of Tex-Mex, the Mexican Madonna, the Chicana Elvis, the Hispanic Marilyn Monroe, and the Queen of Corpus Christi. But to her family, her friends, and her millions of fans, she will forever be known by just one name: Selena. She was on the path to becoming one of the most famous musical artists in history and crossing over from Spanish-language music to the English-music and bilingual market. But one of her biggest fans and most trusted confidants would be the one who would take all of that away.  Let's talk about it.

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Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].

Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.

Music by: Zoliborz

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Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about the Perilous Fate of the American Space Pioneers. Last episode covered the accidents and tragedies of the early Soviet space program, our rivals in the space race and partners in space exploration today. This episode is going to cover the disasters of the American Space program. What would have happened if Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin got stuck on the moon?  How did the Apollo 1 fire start? Who was the first American casualty of the space race?  Did NASA know Challenger was going to explode? Who was Christa McAuliffe? Could the Columbia disaster have been avoided? Let's talk about it. 

**This episode includes sensitive content including real audio and graphic descriptions of deadly accidents. Listener discretion is advised.**

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected]. Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History. Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.

Music by: Zoliborz

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Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about the fate of some of the early Soviet space pioneers, including the first death in any space program, Valentin Bondarenko, the failed mission of Soyuz 1, the amazing achievement of Yuri Gagarin, the chilling death of Vladimir Komarov, and the conspiracy theory about the lost cosmonauts.  The space race was full of incredible milestones in human history, but it also came with intense danger. Next episode we'll cover the sacrifices of the early American space program, but today we'll go over the terrible losses of the team at Star City, the stories the Soviets hid for decades, and some of the most interesting rumors and theories about what secrets might still be hidden. Why did the Soviets edit out men from official photos? Were trainees really wiped from history? Who were the early martyrs of the space program? Is there any truth behind the stories of the lost cosmonauts? Let's talk about it.

**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, severe injury, suicide, war, aviation and other accidents). Listener discretion is advised. **

I've been wanting to do this episode since I've started the podcast and this is definitely the one that has taken the most work but I'm so excited to share it with you. Thank you for all your support so far!

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.
Music by: Zoliborz

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Come gather around the campfire and hear about one of the most puzzling missing person's cases in U.S. history.
It seemed to be a regular winter day when heiress Dorothy Arnold left home for a shopping trip. She was just going to buy a new dress. She was well-known, walking on packed New York City streets, wearing especially eye-catching clothing. Nothing seemed to be dangerous about it, and she assured her family she would be back in time for dinner. And then Dorothy vanished. What happened to her? Did she go missing by choice, escaping to a new life across the country or even across the Atlantic? Was she snatched off the street by a stranger? Did she perish in an underground medical procedure gone wrong? Whatever the truth really was, the case of Dorothy Arnold gripped international attention from the moment it was announced that she was gone.

**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, suicide, medical malpractice, pregnancy, abortion). Listener discretion is advised.**

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.
Music by: Zoliborz

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Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you a story about some of the smartest military teams you've never heard of. Today we’re going to be talking about the code-breakers  of World War II. Part 1 discussed Native American code-talkers. Part 2 will discuss Allied code-cracking teams including the stories of the Enigma, Alan Turing, Marian Rejewski, Elizabeth Friedman, and the Venona project.

Most code-breaking departments of the time started with a few civilian staff members, including mathematicians, college students, and even a high school principal. How did these rag-tag teams turn into massive agencies? Who were these geniuses, many of whom never got the chance to discuss their heroic work during their lifetimes? How did these teams crack the most infamous Nazi code machine of all time, the Enigma? In the end, Allied code-crackers may have shortened World War II by as much as two years, potentially saving millions of lives. Come hear about how they did it.

**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, war, suicide, antisemitism, homophobia). Listener discretion is advised.**

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.
Music by: Zoliborz

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Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you a story about the American heroes you may not have heard about. Today we’re going to be talking about the code-breakers and code-talkers of World War II. This episode actually turned out longer than I thought, so I’m going to be splitting it into two parts. Today, we'll discuss the  Native American code-talkers, including the Navajo and Comanche who used their language skills to help the U.S. to victory. 
It also includes a special side story about the last Crow war chief Joe Medicine Crow.

**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, war, child abuse). Listener discretion is advised.**

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.
Music by: Zoliborz

Native American Organizations to Support:
Native American Rights Fund
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women USA
Association on American Indian Affairs
Adopt-A-Native-Elder
First Nations Development Institute
National Indian Child Care Association
Redhawk Arts Council
Native Partnerships
Native American Heritage Association
American Indian College Fund
Native Wellness Institute 

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Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about the great mystery of the high-seas: ghost ships. Hear about the history of the legend of these mysterious vessels, some legendary and some true stories that have puzzled sailors, scholars, and scientists for centuries.  The Flying Dutchman  is one of the most infamous ships that's ever been said to set sail, captained by a man destined never to step foot on land. The Mary Celeste  was found adrift with no crew, little damage, and a missing lifeboat. The Carroll A. Deering  was found crashed in the "Graveyard of the Atlantic", abandoned, but with food in the middle of being prepared in the kitchen. We'll even talk about the ghost ships that still wash up today by the dozens on the shores of Japan from North Korea. Did they fall victim to pirates? Mutiny? Foul weather? Foolish captains? Supernatural forces? The curse of the Bermuda Triangle? A giant squid? Let's talk it over together and see if we can decide what may have sent these crews to their watery graves.

**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death). Listener discretion is advised.**

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.
Music by: Zoliborz

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Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about the creepy urban legend that has held fast throughout history. Is there any truth to the idea of strangers slipping poison or sharp objects to unsuspecting trick-or-treaters? Where did this idea come from? Why did your parents make you dump out your pillowcases and sort your candy haul every year? Let me walk you through the history of this idea and a few important cases related to it: an 1858 mix-up with deadly consequences, a Long Island housewife with a bitter grudge, the reason your Tylenol has a tamper-proof seal, a Japanese criminal organization with some vacation plans, and of course, the man who killed Halloween.

**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, murder, child abuse). Listener discretion is advised.**

Safety tips for Halloween: https://www.safekids.org/tip/halloween-safety-tips

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.
Music by: Zoliborz

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Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about two incredible stories of survival. Juliane Koepcke and Ada Blackjack Johnson lived 50 years and 7,000 miles apart. One of them fell two miles into the Amazon rainforest after her plane was struck by lighting. The other survived multiple years in the remote icy tundra of an uninhabited Siberian island as part of an ill-fated Canadian expedition. Both were driven to survive by their deep love for their families. And both of them used every bit of their strength, smarts, and grit to make it through these terrible tests.

**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, aviation crash, insects, domestic abuse). Listener discretion is advised.**

Support Panguana Research Station: https://panguana.de/foundation/support/?lang=en

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.
Music by: Zoliborz

Support the show