The Growth Time Machine with Daniel Curtis

For more than a century, the man who discovered Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols in Buck’s Row was little more than a footnote in the story of the Whitechapel murders. Today, Charles Allen Lechmere – who gave his name as Charles Cross at the Nichols inquest – has become one of the most debated suspects in the case.Edward Stow has spent years investigating Lechmere and the surviving evidence surrounding him. What makes his research particularly interesting is that he says he initially approached the theory intending to disprove it. Instead, the deeper he went into the records, timings, geography and witness testimony, the more compelling he found the case.In this conversation, we go back to Buck’s Row on the morning of 31 August 1888 and examine what we actually know. We discuss Lechmere’s discovery of Nichols, the arrival of Robert Paul, the disputed timings, the evidence given at the inquest, his use of the name Cross, his work as a carman and the routes that took him through the East End.From there, we explore the wider case: the geography of the Whitechapel murders, Lechmere’s addresses and family connections, the surviving documentary record, and the circumstances that have led researchers to ask whether his presence at Buck’s Row was as innocent as it first appeared.But this is also a conversation about the limits of historical investigation. More than 130 years later, where does evidence end and inference begin? Which apparent coincidences genuinely deserve attention, and which risk becoming significant only because we already know what happened?Ed is the creator of House of Lechmere, where his research extends beyond Charles Lechmere into Jack the Ripper, the Whitechapel murders and the wider history of Victorian crime.The identity of Jack the Ripper remains unknown. This conversation does not pretend otherwise. It is an opportunity to examine one of the most intriguing modern theories surrounding the case, follow the evidence and arguments in detail, and reach your own conclusion.Was Charles Allen Lechmere simply the man who found Polly Nichols – or does his story deserve far greater scrutiny?Subscribe to Ed's channel: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=house+of+lechmere0:00 Uncovering the Lechmere Theory0:55 Early Fascination with the East End5:03 A Surprising Family Connection6:48 The Evolution of the Lechmere Theory11:21 The Intellectual Debate of Suspects14:09 The Bethnal Green Tube Disaster18:36 Balancing Suspects and Human Empathy26:19 The Prosecution Case Against Lechmere47:13 The Mystery of the Police Discrepancies1:06:08 Analyzing the Blood Evidence#JackTheRipper #CharlesLechmere #EdwardStow #HouseOfLechmere #CharlesCross #WhitechapelMurders #Ripperology #PollyNichols #VictorianLondon #TrueCrime

Steve Blomer returns to The Growth Time Machine for a wide-ranging and evidence-led conversation about the enduring mystery of Jack the Ripper.Drawing on years of research into the Whitechapel murders, Steve tackles some of the biggest questions surrounding the case: were the famous Ripper letters genuine, or were many of them hoaxes? Could the Goulston Street graffito really have been written by the killer? Was the Lusk kidney authentic? And how much confidence should we place in Victorian estimates of time of death?The conversation also explores the canonical five murders, the type of knife that may have been used, the reliability of eyewitnesses, George Hutchinson’s controversial description, Joseph Barnett and the murder of Mary Jane Kelly, and the question of how the killer may have entered and left Miller’s Court.Charles Lechmere is examined too. Was he simply the man who discovered Mary Ann Nichols in Buck’s Row, or is there anything in the timings and witness evidence that deserves closer scrutiny? Steve discusses Robert Paul, the police evidence, possible escape routes from Buck’s Row, Wood’s Buildings, Court Street, the Board School and just how quickly the killer may have been able to disappear into Whitechapel.There is also a broader look at the killer’s behaviour. Did Jack the Ripper go out intending to murder, or was he an opportunistic killer who acted when circumstances presented themselves?Could he have known some of the women through local streets, pubs, lodging houses or prostitution? And how much of what is repeated today is genuine evidence, rather than theory hardened into accepted fact?This is a detailed discussion of Jack the Ripper, the Whitechapel murders, Buck’s Row, Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, Mary Jane Kelly, Charles Lechmere, George Hutchinson, Joseph Barnett, the Ripper letters, the Goulston Street graffito, the Lusk letter, Victorian London, Ripperology, historical true crime and one of the world’s most famous unsolved mysteries.#JackTheRipper #SteveBlomer #WhitechapelMurders #Ripperology #BucksRow #CharlesLechmere #MaryAnnNichols #MaryJaneKelly #VictorianLondon #TrueCrime #HistoricalTrueCrime #UnsolvedMysteries #TheGrowthTimeMachine

On 8 March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing with 239 people on board: 227 passengers and 12 crew. Less than 40 minutes after take-off, routine contact with air traffic control ended. Subsequent radar and satellite communications indicated that the aircraft had travelled far from its planned route, towards the southern Indian Ocean. They have helped investigators identify possible search areas, but they have not established what happened or where the main wreckage lies. Debris believed to be from the aircraft has been found, but the plane itself has not. Among the passengers was Chandrika Sharma, K.S. Narendran’s wife, travelling to Mongolia for a conference. In this deeply personal conversation, Naren shares more than the story of MH370. He talks about growing up in Chennai, his early dreams, his work as an organisational consultant, and the family life he and Chandrika built together.Naren remembers their last phone call, when they were discussing plans for a house in the hills, and the morning he learned that the flight was missing. He reflects on the long wait for reliable information, the impact on their daughter and family, the support that was—and wasn’t—available, and what it means to live with loss when there are still so many unanswered questions. He also speaks about Chandrika herself and his efforts to advocate for the families who continue to wait for answers.Naren is the author of Life After MH370: Journeying Through a Void, his personal account of grief, family and life after Chandrika’s disappearance. Find the book here:https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/life-after-mh370-9789386432148/The latest search effort ended on 23 January 2026 without locating the aircraft. Malaysia has extended its agreement with Ocean Infinity to continue the search through 30 June 2027. Thank you to K.S. Narendran for sharing his story and remembering Chandrika with us.0:00 The Disappearance of MH3701:53 Roots and Early Life4:48 Childhood Dreams and Aspirations8:05 The Facts of the Tragedy12:49 The Morning Everything Changed24:00 Navigating the Lack of Support35:03 The Long Search for Answers59:49 Remembering a Life of Purpose1:07:25 Finding Meaning in the Aftermath#MH370 #KSNarendran #ChandrikaSharma #TheGrowthTimeMachine

Could a map help answer the question: where did Jack the Ripper live?Dr. Kim Rossmo spent more than twenty years with the Vancouver Police Department, where he became Detective Inspector in charge of its Geographic Profiling Section. He now teaches at Texas State University. In this conversation, he explains how geographic profiling uses the locations of linked crimes to estimate where an offender may be based—and why it is a way to focus an investigation, not an “X marks the spot.”Using historic maps of Whitechapel and the five canonical murders, Rossmo’s analysis placed the profile’s peak near Flower and Dean Street and Thrawl Street. He explains why he used those five cases, what happened when he added Martha Tabram to the analysis, and why the result can suggest an area without proving Jack’s address or identity.We also examine the disputed shawl DNA claim, the case against Charles Lechmere, what the evidence can tell us about the 1888 investigation, and how sensational theories can distract from the facts. Rossmo reflects on what the Ripper case can teach us about investigative judgment—and why lessons from unsolved history may matter more than claiming to have solved it.About Dr. Kim Rossmo:https://faculty.txst.edu/profile/1921046Kim Rossmo’s books and further reading:Geographic Profiling, second edition:https://www.routledge.com/Geographic-Profiling/Rossmo/p/book/9781032347394Criminal Investigative Failures:https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.1201/9781420047523/criminal-investigative-failures-kim-rossmoTexas Crime Atlas, co-authored by Lawrence E. Estaville, Kristine Egan and D. Kim Rossmo:https://www.txst.edu/cssw/publications/crime-atlas.htmlJack the Ripper chapter excerpt from Geographic Profiling:https://docs.gato.txst.edu/744419/Jack%20the%20Ripper_Accessible.pdfSubscribe to The Growth Time Machine for weekly conversations about the people and evidence behind extraordinary events. #JackTheRipper #KimRossmo #GeographicProfiling #TrueCrime #ColdCases #TheGrowthTimeMachine

Tom Lange, one of the lead LAPD detectives in the O.J. Simpson murder investigation, takes us inside the O.J. Simpson case—and describes speaking with O.J. Simpson by phone during the infamous Bronco chase.At the crime scene, Lange discusses the bloodied footwear impressions, five blood droplets along their path, and the knit cap and left glove found near the victims. He explains what those details suggested to him as an investigator, and shares his perspective on the evidence that became central to the O.J. Simpson case.We revisit the O.J. Simpson investigation, the glove evidence and the trial, including Johnnie Cochran and the defence team known as the Dream Team. Tom reflects on the courtroom battle and the questions that still surround the O.J. Simpson case. He also explains his perspective in *Evidence Dismissed*.At the heart of this story are Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. We remember Nicole and Ron with respect—as people whose lives were taken, not just names in one of America’s most famous criminal cases.Tom also reflects on his path to the LAPD, his homicide career, the Bobby Joe Maxwell stabbing murders and a separate unsolved 1978 killing at Schaber’s Cafeteria. He wondered whether Maxwell could have been connected, but that link was never established. Tom says the DNA evidence had been destroyed, so he could not know.Tom Lange’s books:Evidence Dismissed — https://geni.us/NXPVkmMalice in Wonderland: The Laurel Canyon Murders — https://geni.us/uylPC3FThe Dirty Business of Murder — https://geni.us/Uy5x4For anyone interested in O.J. Simpson, the O.J. Simpson case, the Bronco chase, the glove evidence, Johnnie Cochran, the Dream Team, LAPD detectives and unsolved murder cases, this is a first-hand conversation with one of the investigators at the centre of the O.J. Simpson investigation.#OJSImpson #OJSImpsonCase #TomLange #NicoleBrownSimpson #RonaldGoldman #BroncoChase #JohnnieCochran #DreamTeam #TrueCrime #ColdCases

Bertrand Piccard helped achieve the first non-stop balloon flight around the world and the first global circumnavigation in a solar-powered aircraft without fuel. But behind those records is a deeply human story of uncertainty, failure, courage and purpose.In this conversation with Daniel Curtis, the explorer, psychiatrist and clean technology pioneer reflects on growing up in an extraordinary family, feeling lost as a teenager and finding his own path. He shares why we should follow our own dreams, how a crisis can become an adventure, and what separates carefully prepared exploration from reckless risk.We also discuss family, compassion and his ambition to make environmental protection attractive and economically viable through the Solar Impulse Foundation, alongside Climate Impulse’s goal of a non-stop round-the-world flight powered by green hydrogen.A conversation about the explorer’s mind—and what becomes possible when we question our limits.Bertrand Piccard: https://bertrandpiccard.com/Solar Impulse Foundation: https://impulse-foundation.com/Climate Impulse: https://climateimpulse.org/Solar Impulse: https://bertrandpiccard.com/explorati...Breitling Orbiter: https://bertrandpiccard.com/explorati...#BertrandPiccard #HumanPotential #SolarImpulse

The world knows how George Floyd died. His aunt, Angela Harrelson, wants us to understand how he lived.On Monday, 25 May 2020, George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. His final moments were seen across the world. His death led to protests in cities and countries thousands of miles apart, and his name became known to millions.But before the headlines, the protests and the murals, he was Perry.That was the name used by the family who knew and loved him. Angela remembers a charismatic young man with enormous dreams: a talented basketball player who once imagined becoming a professional athlete or even a Supreme Court judge. She also speaks honestly about the wrong turns in his life, his struggle with addiction and the effort he was making to recover, work and build a better future.Angela takes us inside the moment her family’s world changed. She describes receiving a call from a reporter before she even knew that her nephew had been killed, turning on the television and discovering that the man at the centre of a global story was Perry.What followed was not private grief. Angela and her family mourned while the world watched, while communities demanded justice and while they faced intense public attention, threats and pressure. She explains why there was almost no time to stop and grieve—and how the support of the local community helped carry her through it.This conversation is also Angela’s story. She reflects on growing up as one of thirteen children in North Carolina, the racism her family lived through, the strength of her mother and her own 35-year career in nursing, including years spent caring for people living with addiction.This is not an argument about a symbol. It is the story of a human being, told by the aunt who knew him long before the rest of the world knew his name.The world knew George Floyd. His family knew Perry.#GeorgeFloyd #AngelaHarrelson #RememberingGeorgeFloyd #GeorgeFloydLegacy #BlackLivesMatter #TheGrowthTimeMachine

Lisa Swan was warned about Frank Calabrese Jr.’s family before their relationship had even really begun.She married him anyway.What followed was a life she could never have imagined.Lisa found herself caught inside the world surrounding Frank Calabrese Sr. and his family — a world of control, fear, drugs, prison, FBI investigations and secrets she says she knew nothing about at the time.She remembers being called into a basement for her own “mob sit-down.” She remembers the morning the FBI arrived at her home and began arresting members of the family. And she remembers eventually discovering the true scale of the violence connected to the people who had once sat around her dinner table.But this conversation is about far more than organised crime.Lisa talks openly about falling in love, marriage, motherhood, divorce, fear, losing friends, protecting her children and reaching some of the darkest moments of her life.Now 64, she describes herself very differently.She protects her peace.This is Lisa Swan’s extraordinary story.#LisaSwan #FrankCalabreseJr #FrankCalabreseSr #ChicagoOutfit #ChicagoMob #OrganizedCrime #Mafia #TrueCrime #FBI #MobStories #CrimeHistory #TheGrowthTimeMachine

Her 1947 murder became one of the most famous unsolved cases in American history. In the decades since, Elizabeth Short’s life has been buried beneath rumours, competing theories, dramatic “solutions” and a mythology that has often become more famous than the woman herself.In this episode of The Growth Time Machine, Daniel Curtis speaks with Larry Harnisch, a longtime journalist and former Los Angeles Times copy editor who has spent around three decades researching the Black Dahlia case. His investigation began with a Los Angeles Times anniversary story and grew into years of archival research, interviews with people directly connected to the case, and relationships with members of Elizabeth Short’s family.Larry takes us beyond the legend and back to the evidence. Who was Elizabeth Short? What do we actually know about the final months of her life? Why are six days before her death still unaccounted for? And how much of what people think they know about the Black Dahlia is simply wrong?We examine some of the case’s most persistent claims — including alleged police cover-ups, the idea that Elizabeth was an aspiring Hollywood actress desperate for fame, claims that her body was moved, and the endless attempts to force the murder into a neat serial-killer or film-noir narrative. Larry’s position is simple: where the evidence ends, we have to be willing to say we don’t know.The conversation also ranges far beyond the case itself: Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Josephine Tey, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, the British fascination with murder mysteries, tabloid crime culture, memory, myth-making and why unsolved cases can become almost impossible for us to leave alone.Most importantly, this is not another attempt to turn Elizabeth Short into a puzzle. It is an attempt to separate fact from myth and put the person back at the centre of the story.Find Larry Harnisch:YouTube: LMHarnisch — including his Black Dahlia Book ClubBlog: L.A. Daily MirrorSubscribe to The Growth Time Machine for conversations about extraordinary people, history, mystery, identity and the stories that refuse to disappear.#BlackDahlia #ElizabethShort #TrueCrime #UnsolvedMysteries #ColdCase #LosAngelesHistory #TheGrowthTimeMachine

Who was Jack the Ripper — and how much of what we think we know about the Whitechapel murders is actually supported by the evidence?In this in-depth conversation, I’m joined by historian, author and long-time Jack the Ripper researcher Richard Jones to examine the history behind one of the world’s most famous unsolved murder cases.Rather than beginning with a favourite suspect and working backwards, we go back to the evidence, contemporary newspaper reports, inquests, police accounts and the streets of Victorian Whitechapel itself.Richard has spent decades researching the Jack the Ripper case and the social history of London. In this conversation, we explore whether it is really possible to profile the Whitechapel murderer, what witnesses may actually tell us about his age and appearance, whether the killer needed detailed knowledge of the East End, and the long-running debate over anatomical and surgical knowledge.We also examine one of the biggest questions in Ripper history: how many victims were there?Were there really only the so-called “Canonical Five” — Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly — or could Martha Tabram, Alice McKenzie and others also have been victims? Richard explains why he believes the idea of a fixed “Canonical Five” needs to be treated with caution and discusses the historical origins of that concept.Then we turn to the suspects.Charles Allen Lechmere — also known as Charles Cross — has become one of the most debated modern Jack the Ripper suspects. Richard examines what the surviving evidence actually tells us about the discovery of Mary Ann Nichols in Buck’s Row, Robert Paul’s testimony, Cross/Lechmere’s appearance at the inquest, his use of the name Charles Cross, and the difference between documented evidence and later speculation.We also discuss Aaron Kosminski, Walter Sickert, Montague John Druitt and Thomas Cutbush — including why Richard believes Cutbush deserves more historical attention and why the identification of Aaron Kosminski is not as straightforward as it is sometimes presented.And what if Jack the Ripper is not one of the famous suspects at all?Richard explains why he believes the Whitechapel murderer may have been someone whose name is completely absent from the familiar suspect lists — an ordinary-looking man who moved through the East End without attracting attention and may even have been questioned by police without ever becoming a serious suspect.We also investigate some of the most famous pieces of Jack the Ripper lore: the “Dear Boss” letter, the “From Hell” or Lusk letter, the Goulston Street graffito and Catherine Eddowes’ apron. Were any of the famous Ripper communications actually written by the murderer, or did journalism, publicity and public fascination help create the character history remembers as “Jack the Ripper”?Later, our conversation turns to something increasingly important in historical research: misinformation.Richard describes discovering an apparently historical 1888 murder suggested by AI which, when he searched the contemporary newspaper archive, appeared never to have happened at all. We discuss AI-generated history videos, fabricated information, the danger of repeating claims without checking their sources, and why researchers should continue to return to original evidence.But this conversation is ultimately about more than identifying a murderer.We talk about the women who lost their lives, poverty and alcoholism in Victorian London, the common lodging houses, the reality of Whitechapel beyond its modern image as a universal slum, and the importance of remembering that these were real people living in a real community — not simply characters in one of history’s most famous mysteries.Richard’s central message throughout the conversation is simple: question everything, distinguish evidence from speculation, and go back to the source.