Coffee With Jeff

You can find my first show here! 
https://share.transistor.fm/s/549c839a

A machine was created in the early 1960s, that for a few coins, could create a toy right before a child’s eyes. They were coin-operated machines that would mold out of plastic, things like little dinosaurs, dolphins, alligators, NASA’s Space Lab,  a space capsule, and even presidential busts. It was called Mold-A-Rama, created by a man who originally wanted nothing more than a replacement for a Christmas decoration. On this show, I have the story of the Mold-a-Rama, as well as vending machines and pinball.

Links to the sources I used to write this story:

Mold-A-Rama
A Brief History of Mold-A-Rama - Mental Floss
The Story of Mold-A-Rama, Chicago’s Very Own Souvenir Machine - WTTW
Mold-A-Rama and its Quincy connection — Herald-Wing
Replication Devices - Miniaturized Plastic Injection Factories

Vending Machines
Old World, High Tech - Smithsonian
The History of Book Vending Machines - Atlantic Vending
The great vending machine book by Colmer, Michael
Hugh Moore Dixie Cup Company Collection

Pinball
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SILVER BALL
Brief History of Pinball - Princeton University

There once was a man who was part of a secret government experiment that involved mind-altering drugs. He wrote two classic novels before he was thirty. But of all the things he did, he said the thing he was most proud of was a bus. He took a group of friends across the country and back. They were known as the Merry Pranksters, and they went on a quest to freak out American and introduce it to LSD, Today I have the story of the amazing Ken Kesey.

Links to the sources I used to write this short tale:
Merry Pranksters - Wikipedia
Ken Kesey - Wikipedia
The Oregon Experience - Ken Kesey (PBS)
Tripping (1999 Ken Kesey / Merry Pranksters documentary)
University of Virginia Library - Ken Kesey

Here are the links to the sources I used to write today's story.

Kitty Genovese
The Murder of Kitty Genovese - Wikipedia 
Psychology Today - Bystander Effect
The History Channel - Kitty Genovese
Biography - Kitty Genovese
Winston Moseley, Who Killed Kitty Genovese, Dies in Prison at 81

Princess Ann
How I took 3 bullets for Princess Anne  (YouTube)
The Bloody Attempt to Kidnap a British Princess - Smithsonian
Anne, Princess Royal - Wikipedia
Princess Anne kidnap attempt, 1974 (vimeo)
Daily Mail - Crazed gunman who tried to kidnap Princess Anne

There once was a man who, in the early 19th century, spent the last 19 years of his life living in a cave-like a hermit, only contacting other humans when it was only necessary. The man had given up on the world due to personal tragedy. It was a strange, almost too weird to be true story tale. An unmarried woman convicted of murdering her own children and the brother who fought to prove her innocence. This is the story of The Pennsylvania Hermit!

Links to the sources I used to write this episode!
William "Amos" Wilson - Wikipedia
The Pennsylvania hermit. A narrative of the extraordinary life of Amos Wilson
The Hanging and the Hermit: The Tragic Timing of William Wilson
The Pennsylvania Hermit: The Woeful Tale of a Grieving Brother’s Broken-hearted Hermitage

There once was a talented 4-year-old that became a star in the movies. He could sing and act and looked cute as a button. But as he grew into adulthood, he has issues with relationships, authorities, and drugs. The story is about Scotty Beckett, who started on the Our Gang shorts and went on to play a character named Winky before….

Links to the Sources I used to write this thrilling episode:
Scotty Beckett - Wikipedia
Most of the information came from looking through old newspapers from newspapers.com

In this episode, I have three stories of incredible women.  Story one is about Susanna M. Salter, the first Mayor in the USA, the second, Helen Hulick, a lady who defied a court order for her own ideals, and the third, Juliane Koepcke’s amazing story of survival. I hope you enjoy it!

Sources for the Susanna M. Salter Story
The American Women's Rights Movement by Paul D. Buchanan
Woman’s Christian Temperance Union - History.com
Susanna Madora Salter - Kansapedia
Susanna Madora Salter First Woman Mayor - Kansas Historical Society

Sources for the Helen Hulick Story
Helen Beebe - Wikipedia
Women in Pants - Seamwork
Kindergarten teacher jailed for wearing pants to court in 1938

Sources for the Juliane Koepcke Story
Juliane Koepcke - Wikipedia
Juliane Koepcke: How I survived a plane crash - BBC
Juliane Koepcke Who Survived For 11 Days (Herzog Doc)
Survivor still haunted by 1971 air crash - CNN

And for all three of these stories, I used Newspapers.com

There once was a man who was strained on a deserted island for a long, long, time. Every day his beard grew longer, and his clothes deteriorated. His only friends were the goats and cats that shared who he sang and danced to.

He lived alone with his thoughts for four and a half years, every day watching the sea looking for rescue. The year was 1704 and one man would be left by a privateering ship and, for over four years would learn to be a better person, Today I have the story of Scottish sailor and castaway Alexander Selkirk.

Link to the Sources I used to write this exciting, true tale:
Alexander Selkirk - Wikipedia
War of the Spanish Succession -  Britannica
An 18th Century Voyage of Discovery
The Real Robinson Crusoe - Video
Who was Alexander Selkirk?: Survivor on a Desert Island by Amanda Mitchison
A Cruising Voyage Round the World by Woodes Rogers
The Life and Adventures of Alexander Selkirk by John Howell

There once was a man who became The King of Western Swing. He was a fiddle player with his own band who was starring in movies, had his own radio and television shows, had a beautiful young wife and three children. But he also had a dark side. He drank and was known to have angry outbursts. In 1961, his demons got the best of him and it resulted in a tragedy. It was murder! Today I bring you the dark story of a fiddle player named Spade Cooley. 

Links to the sources I used to write today's story
The Jazz of the Southwest: An Oral History of Western Swing By Jean A. Boyd
Spade Cooley: Western Swing’s Killer Cowboy
Forgotten Hollywood Scandals That Would Still Stun the World Today
Bakersfield's trial of the century: The talented and tormented Spade Cooley
MOOD SWING by Steve Gerkin
People v. Cooley
Spade Cooley BY David Krajicek
Spade Cooley - Wikipedia

There is a small nation about 7 and a half miles off the coast of England that has survived for more than 50 years. It has a normal population of around 2, about sometimes as many as 50 have lived there. This is the story of an unrecognized country on a World War Two anti-aircraft platform off the coast of Suffolk, England. It was created by an ex-pirate radio owner. Today I bring you episode 226, the astonishing story of the Principality of Sealand.

The Sources I used to Write this Wonderful story
Pirate radio in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia
Knock John ... A Brief History
NBR - The Pirate Prince Of Sealand, Remembered
The Atlantic - THE PINT-SIZE NATION OFF THE ENGLISH COAST
Off Shore Radio - The Radio Essex Story
Business Insider - Welcome to Sealand
The San Diego Union-Tribune ‘Prince Roy of Sealand’ Roy Bates dead at 91
East Anglian Daily Times - Sealand, sovereign state off Suffolk coastline, to mark its 50th anniversary with Essex dinner
The Principality of Sealand - Wikipedia