Ill-Equipped History

By illequippedhistory

Two non-historians with a passion for history tell stories of the past in a way that will make you laugh.... more

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FAQs about Ill-Equipped History:

How many episodes does Ill-Equipped History have?

The podcast currently has 154 episodes available.

Ill-Equipped History episodes:

December 19, 2025 138: The Santa Claus Bank Robbery
It was a peaceful day for the citizens of Cisco, Texas, a few days before Christmas in 1927. Suddenly, four men, one dressed as Santa Claus, draw their weapons in the First National Bank of Cisco and demand money. What follows is a series of hijinks and tragedies that will forever mark this small town.

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https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo

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https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory

Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory

Sources
Santa Claus Bank Robbery: A True Crime Saga in Texas by Tui Snider (2019)

“The Cisco Santa Robbery”
https://member.texasbankers.com/Magazine/magazine/Vault/22-01-The-Cisco-Santa-Robbery.aspx

“The Infamous Santa Claus Bank Robbery of 1927” by Walter F. Pilcher
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/santa-claus-bank-robbery

Sound Credits

Music by music_for_video from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/music/christmas-deck-the-halls-christmas-piano-background-music-12202/

Music by Luis Humanoide from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/music/modern-country-western-theme-162884/

woman screaming of fear .wav by The_Sound_Side -- https://freesound.org/s/319258/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

market people bells NL 01 160319_00.wav by klankbeeld -- https://freesound.org/s/537846/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Gunshot_01.sse.wav by snapssound -- https://freesound.org/s/536630/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Layered Gunshot 9.wav by Xenonn -- https://freesound.org/s/128301/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

R22-10-Constant Explosions Battle Scene.wav by craigsmith -- https://freesound.org/s/479570/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

G29-54-Men Yell Riot.wav by craigsmith -- https://freesound.org/s/438414/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Sota, rintama, tulitaistelu / War, gunfight, shooting at a front, various guns, handguns, weapons banging, mix by YleArkisto -- https://freesound.org/s/320133/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
...more
1h 6min
December 11, 2025 136: Tycho Brahe: The Last Great Astronomer Before the Telecope
Emileigh and Morgan discover the life of the last great astronomer before the invention of the telescope. And the planets might be the most boring thing about his life!

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Email us!
[email protected]

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https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo

Find us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory

Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory

Sources:
https://www.space.com/19623-tycho-brahe-biography.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paa5GLCR280
Tycho Brahe Youtube
https://smarthistory.org/written-in-the-stars-astronomy-and-astrology-in-medieval-manuscripts/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tycho_Brahe

...more
1h 25min
December 04, 2025 136: The Lufthansa Heist
In 1978, the headlines were filled with the news about the Lufthansa cargo bay robbery at JFK International Airport. The culprits? A group of guys tied to the New York mafia families. Join Morgan and Emileigh as they talk about the execution of the biggest airport robbery in US soil, and some unfortunate folks afterwards.

Follow us on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/

Join our Facebook group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory

Email us!
[email protected]

Check us out on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo

Find us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory

Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory

Sources

“James Burke”
https://www.alcatrazeast.com/crime-library/organized-crime/james-burke/

“Henry Hill” (updated Jun 24 2020)
https://www.biography.com/crime/henry-hill

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodfellas

“Lufthansa heist” by Pat Bauer (Oct 18 2025)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Lufthansa-heist

“The Lufthansa Heist” episode, History’s Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan. Aired Feb 28 2023 on The History Channel

“How the 1978 Lufthansa Heist Let to a Trail of Dead Bodies” by Iván Román (Jan 20 2023, updated May 28 2025)
https://www.history.com/articles/1978-lufthansa-heist-jfk-henry-hill-goodfellas

“Lufthansa Heist Murders: How Paranoia and Greed Led to the Deaths of 6 Mobsters and Associates” by Adam Janos (Dec 10 2018; updated Aug 21 2025)
https://www.aetv.com/articles/lufthansa-heist-murders-mafia-mobsters

“The Lufthansa Heist: The Mafia’s Greatest Robbery” by Lawrence Lease (Mar 9 2023)
https://discover.hubpages.com/politics/The-Lufthansa-Heist-The-American-Mafias-Greatest-Heist

“The Massive Real-Life Heist that Inspired ‘Goodfellas’” by Sammy Tran (May 5
https://www.factinate.com/things/biggest-cash-heist-history

“The Lufthansa Mafia Heist Trial”
https://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/lufthansa-mafia-heist-trial

Sound Credits:

Shaken, Not Stirred - GLBML: Music by Geoffrey Burch from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/music/sneaky-shaken-not-stirred-glbml-22220/
...more
1h 1min
November 27, 2025 135: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Emileigh and Morgan look into how one of the most famous shipwrecks on Lake Superior went down.

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory

Email us!
[email protected]

Check us out on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo

Find us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory

Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory

Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2f0tZBSByI

https://ssedmundfitzgerald.org/fitz-timeline

https://upsupply.co/journal/the-wreck-of-the-edmund-fitzgerald

...more
1h 36min
November 20, 2025 134: Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette married into the French royal family when she was 15 years old. Unfortunately, from the beginning she faced prejudice from the royal court and distrust from the common people. Marie would eventually become the scapegoat for the worsening economy in France, even after she and her family met their tragic end during the French Revolution. Join Morgan and Emileigh as they discuss the truth behind her life, both the good and the bad, and how this queen of France would live on in infamy.

Follow us on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/

Join our Facebook group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory

Email us!
[email protected]

Check us out on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo

Find us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory

Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory

Sources
“Marie Antoinette”
https://guides.loc.gov/women-in-the-french-revolution/marie-antoinette
“Marie Antoinette” by biography.com editors & Barbara Maranzani (Jul 11 2023)
https://www.biography.com/royalty/marie-antoinette
“Marie Antoinette”, published by the Château de Versailles
https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/great-characters/marie-antoinette#a-queen-at-the-court
“Marie Antoinette: From Queen to Guillotine” by the Real Royalty channel on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C1pnLRAe0E
“Marie-Antoinette” by history.com editors (Nov 9 2009, updated May 28 2025)
https://www.history.com/articles/marie-antoinette

Sound Credits:
[Re-Creation] Hells Bells, Tolling, 12 O Clock, Processed by NoahBangs -- https://freesound.org/s/706896/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
To_Be_Booed2_ses1.wav by freesound -- https://freesound.org/s/25270/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
G52-05-Ox Cart.wav by craigsmith -- https://freesound.org/s/437078/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
fly 4 horse steps_03.wav by gastonsaenz -- https://freesound.org/s/362958/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
...more
1h 8min
November 13, 2025 133: Julia Child: From GI to Celebrity Chef
Few people are as memorable as the amazing Julia Child. She started her life with no real plan and in her 50s became the first Television Chef. Emileigh and Morgan explore how her life and shows continue to inspire our country to make good food and have fun doing it.

Follow us on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/

Join our Facebook group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory

Email us!
[email protected]

Check us out on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
Find us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory

Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory

Sources:
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/julia-child

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B7DHD2MB/ref=atv_sr_fle_c_srfd6f9a_5_1_3?sr=1-3&pageTypeIdSource=ASIN&pageTypeId=B0B7DF8GGW&qid=1762873149762

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Cushing_Child
...more
1h 29min
November 06, 2025 132: The Cuban Missile Crisis
For 13 terrifying days in 1962, the world was on the precipice of nuclear war. The United States, Cuba, and the Soviet Union were in a standoff regarding missiles stationed on the island, only 90 miles from US soil. Listen to find out how President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev negotiated for the continuance of humanity.

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Join our Facebook group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory

Email us!
[email protected]

Check us out on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo
Find us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory

Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory

Sources
“Cold War” (Oct 27 2025)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Cold-War
“Nikita Khrushchev” (Jun 11 2020)
https://www.biography.com/political-figures/nikita-khrushchev
“The Bay of Pigs Invasion” (Apr 18 2016)
https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/the-bay-of-pigs-invasion/
“Cuban Missile Crisis” by History.com editors (updated May 28 2025)
https://www.history.com/articles/cuban-missile-crisis
“Cuban Missile Crisis”
https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/cuban-missile-crisis
“The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962”, U.S. Office of the Historian
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/cuban-missile-crisis
“The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zyt42p3/revision/5
“Cuban missile crisis: 13 stormy days in Oct 1962 when US, USSR came to brink of nuclear conflict” by Ankita Thakur (Oct 18 2025)
https://theprint.in/world/cuban-missile-crisis-13-stormy-days-in-oct-1962-when-us-ussr-came-to-brink-of-nuclear-conflict/2766198/
Sound Credits:
John F. Kennedy Speech, October 22, 1962, published on 1962-10-22 00:00:00. Uploaded on 2004-05-19 17:12:28 by mdg
https://archive.org/details/jfks19621022
Breaking news intro music by humanoide9000 -- https://freesound.org/s/760770/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
Laugh Group of Children.wav by FunWithSound -- https://freesound.org/s/416703/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

...more
53min
October 30, 2025 131: The Greenbrier Ghost: How Zona Heaster Shue Helped Solved Her Own Murder
When Zona Heaster eloped with Erasmus Shue, she had hoped it would be the start of a
long wonderful life. Those dreams were dashed when, in the following January, she was found unresponsive in her home. Emileigh and Morgan find out how her own ghostly testimony was used in a court of law to convict the person behind her death.

Follow us on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/

Join our Facebook group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory

Email us!
[email protected]

Check us out on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo

Find us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory

Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory

Sources:
https://greenbrierwv.com/editorials/the-greenbrier-ghost

https://wvexplorer.com/2024/01/20/greenbrier-ghost-zona-heaster-shue-west-virginia-wv/

https://dannyechase.com/blog/greenbrier/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40813714/erasmus_stribbling-shue

...more
1h 12min
October 23, 2025 130: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Today's episode is about Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, one of the most prolific authors of all time. She is considered the mother of science fiction and wrote Frankenstein, which would go on to inspire the movie monster imbedded into pop culture today. From the beginning, her life was steeped in tragedy, betrayal, and loss, which would influence her writings and give us what we have today.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: SUICIDE, INFANT/CHILD MORTALITY/DEATH, MISCARRIAGE, ADULTERY

If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call or text the Suicide Hotline at 988.

Follow us on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/

Join our Facebook group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory

Email us!
[email protected]

Check us out on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo

Find us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory

Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory

Sources
"Mary Shelley" (May 6 2021)
https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/mary-shelley

"10 Facts About Mary Shelley" by Michele Debczak (Aug 26 2022)
www.mentalfloss.com/posts/mary-shelley-author-facts

“Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley” by Kathleen Kuiper (Oct 14 2025)
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Wollstonecraft-Shelley

“Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley”
https://knarf.english.upenn.edu/MShelley/bio.html

“A Biographical Sketch of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851)” by Charlotte Pabst-Kastner (Dec 30 2015)
https://victorianweb.org/previctorian/mshelley/bio.html

Sound Credits:

rain_medium_thunders.aif by loopbasedmusic -- https://freesound.org/s/157485/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Heavy_Rain_UK_Cambridge_2.wav by alexkandrell -- https://freesound.org/s/316893/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

NYC Rain 4 G- lightening crack.wav by bmlake -- https://freesound.org/s/251635/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Birds_Tweeting.wav by ken788 -- https://freesound.org/s/386732/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Music by Liam Brooks from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-tense-horror-background-4235
...more
1h 16min
October 16, 2025 129: The Winchester House
Sarah Winchester was the heir to the massive Winchester fortune after her husband died. Not only was she a kind philanthropist and environmentalist, but she built one of the most famous structures in North America: The Winchester House of Mystery. Join Emileigh and Morgan as they wind through stairs that go to nowhere as they unwind the legends surrounding the Winchester mansion.

Follow us on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/illequippedhistory/

Join our Facebook group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illequippedhistory

Email us!
[email protected]

Check us out on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@illequipped.histo

Find us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@Ill-EquippedHistory

Donate to our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/illequippedhistory

Sources:
https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/timeline/

https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/history/

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+winchester+house+documentary&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS1087US1087&oq=the+winchester+house+documentary+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCggAEEUYFhgeGDkyCAgBEAAYFhgeMggIAhAAGBYYHjIICAMQABgWGB4yCAgEEAAYFhgeMggIBRAAGBYYHjIICAYQABgWGB4yCAgHEAAYFhgeMggICBAAGBYYHjIKCAkQABiABBiiBNIBCDU0ODlqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:731b8d7b,vid:RVbxOWZFI5w,st:0

https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/a27481666/winchester-mystery-house/

https://www.history.com/articles/winchester-house-haunted

https://www.google.com/search?q=winchester+house+doc+&sca_esv=da19ebeccc14b1b9&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS1087US1087&sxsrf=AE3TifMRquxBO2hEfaKP_13DBzD6rT6YqA%3A1760495353389&ei=-QbvaN-7F8HAp84Pw66i6QM&ved=0ahUKEwifnKuhlKWQAxVB4MkDHUOXKD0Q4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=winchester+house+doc+&gs_lp=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-UGwgcJMi0xLjMuMi4yyAfDAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5c96a739,vid:5DVEPBlZknk,st:0

Sound Credits:

Keys Jingling Car House by deleted_user_7146007 -- https://freesound.org/s/383765/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

FootstepsOnaDock.wav by mmaruska -- https://freesound.org/s/180650/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Silent Spooky Halloween by SOUND_GARAGE: https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-silent-spooky-halloween-395467/
...more
1h 2min

FAQs about Ill-Equipped History:

How many episodes does Ill-Equipped History have?

The podcast currently has 154 episodes available.