Notorious Narratives

Sometimes a story is so unbelievable that it must be true. That is the case for the legend of Mike Malloy. Times were tough in NYC during The Great Depression and people thought of all sorts of schemes to make money, even murder. In this episode, Jen introduces you to a band of hapless criminals and one tough Irishman who became known as The Rasputin of the Bronx.

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The Dust Bowl is one of the worst manmade ecologic disasters in human history. As the Depression took hold, many Americans began fleeing the overcrowded cities of the east coast looking for a lucrative future in farming. The American Dream. But what awaited them was far more sinister. In this episode, Robin takes a look at the decade that literally changed the American landscape: The Dirty Thirties.

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Today we know that it is necessary to wash your hands. Most of us know what a disease carrier is. But in the early 20th century these concepts were high science and for one Irish immigrant cook they were impossible to understand. It this episode, Jen tells you how peach ice cream became a killer dessert.

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Most of us have seen the beautiful pink facades of the city of Petra. One of the new seven wonders of the world the ancient city of Petra is Jordans most popular tourist destinations but few know the true story of it's past, present and future. In this episode, Robin takes us through the winding canyons of this mysterious ancient location.

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You may not know who the most kissed woman in history is, and it may surprise you to hear that she is a corpse. In this special Valentine's Day episode Jen will change the way you think about what it means to be kissed.

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Frankenstein, the amazing novel by Mary Shelley was published over 200 years ago and it changed the world. But many of the ideas in her novel were inspired by real science, and her novel also managed to inspire scientific experimentation for years to come. In this episode, Jen explains the scientific experimentation that can be linked directly to Frankenstein.

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We can learn a lot about how a civilization lived by how they treat their dead. From pyramids, to sky burials to being buried in a ship, there are so many different ways we can leave this Earth. In this episode, Robin digs her way through centuries of tales of how the Viking civilization buried their dead.

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What do masturbation and enemas have to do with Corn Flakes? Well, in this episode Jen will tell you about the health craze that inspired the sanitarium system and the fight that started in Battle Creek and ended on your breakfast table. 

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For most of us the thought of human sacrifice does one of two things, either you cringe or you think of Indiana Jones. We clearly think about Indiana Jones. In this episode, Robin explores the reasons, process and necessity of human sacrifice in the Maya culture. 

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Of all the things to fear in this world you may have overlooked the diabolical villain that sits quietly upon your pantry shelf: molasses. Well the people of Boston will never forget. On this day exactly one hundred years ago a sticky wall of molasses travelled at speeds of up to 35 mph, killing 21 and injuring 150. In this episode, Robin tells the legendary tale of this sticky situation.

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