History on Trial

It's 1900, and Roland Molineux's murder trial is coming to a close. The prosecution has used some unorthodox methods to prove their case. Will their tactics secure them a conviction? Or will the defense manage to argue their way out? What happens next will create a precedent that still matters today. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1898, two fatal poisonings horrified New Yorkers. When it emerged that both victims were connected to one person, a wealthy young chemist named Roland Molineux, the police thought they had their man. But proving their suspicions was easier said than done, and convicting Molineux would require creativity on the part of the police and the district attorney. Would their legal tricks succeed...or get their case thrown out?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1859, Abraham Lincoln walked into a courtroom in Springfield, Illinois, ready to defend his client. No one knew it then, but this would be Lincoln's last murder trial; fourteen months later, he would be elected president. Lincoln's defense of 22-year-old Quinn Harrison, accused of killing another young man in a fight, highlights the future president's brilliance. But would Lincoln's legal skills be enough to free Quinn Harrison?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1638, four English indentured servants attacked and robbed Penowanyanquis, a member of the Nipmuc tribe. Once the killers were caught, colonial authorities decided to put the men on trial. The case seemed clear enough. But with tensions rising between colonists and indigenous peoples, not to mention a makeshift court system, could the Plymouth colonists find a path to justice and prevent further violence?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1919, the murder of three Chinese diplomats stunned Washington, D.C. When a young Chinese man, Ziang Sung Wan, confessed to the crime, it seemed like an open and shut case. But at the trial, Wan's lawyers would claim that police had coerced Wan into confessing. What happened next would change the nature of police work and the rights of suspects, forever.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1918, teenager Nina McCall was detained, forcibly examined for an STI, and then imprisoned in a hospital for three months. Nina's story is horrifying, but it is not unique: throughout the 20th century, thousands of women endured similar ordeals, all thanks to an STI prevention program known as "The American Plan." Like many other women, Nina fought back, suing the officials responsible for her treatment. Could her lawsuit stop the Plan -- or at least get her justice?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1842, three Navy men plotted to seize control of the USS Somers and turn it into a pirate ship. When the Somers' captain, Commander Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, learned of the plot, he had the three men executed. But when the Somers arrived back in America, questions started to emerge. Were the executions justified? Was the mutiny plot even real? These questions would be explored at the commander's 1843 court-martial.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1972, a grizzly bear killed twenty-five year old Harry Walker in Yellowstone National Park. His family thought it was a tragic, random death. But the Walkers soon learned that Harry's death was part of a larger conversation about how to manage bears in national parks. Could suing the National Park Service for Harry's death change policies and save lives -- both human and bear?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1934, a custody battle between members of one of America's wealthiest families proved that money truly can't buy happiness. At the case's heart was Gloria Vanderbilt, dubbed "Poor Little Rich Girl" by the press. Her mother, Gloria, and her aunt, Gertrude, both claimed that they just wanted what was best for the girl. But was a courtroom the best place to decide little Gloria's future?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1933, a populist uprising in Jackson County, Oregon, threatened to overthrow the county government. The escalating violence reached its peak when one of the group's leaders, Llewellyn Banks, shot a police officer who had come to arrest him for election interference. Would Banks's murder trial extinguish the burning ember of insurrection in Jackson County…or fan the flames into an inferno? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.