Everyone loves a good "rags to riches" story - but how about a "rejection to riches" story?  On this Missing Chapter Short, we tell the unknown, yet very poetic beginnings of one of the most famous authors of all-time.  Would rejection stop him?  It almost did - but a very chance encounter with a college buddy stopped him from setting his dreams ablaze.  Find out more about this story and who this person was on this Missing Chapter Short.

Have you ever wondered how far man can dig? Or maybe you have wondered how far down the Earth’s mantle is. From 1958 to 1990 there have been multiple attempts to get to the Earth’s mantle, or the closest layer to the crust. With temperatures increasing upwards of 356 degrees and thick liquid like rock wreaking havoc on equipment, this is no easy task. On this episode of the Missing Chapter podcast, we describe attempts that man has made to get to the Earth's crust, and how successful they have been.

As the Christmas season of 1938 came to Chicago, Illinois, Bob May was not feeling much in the holiday spirit and for good reason.  The 34-year old father of one, who penned ads for retail giant Montgomery Ward, was exhausted and nearly broke.  Worse yet, his wife, Evelyn, was bedridden and fighting valiantly against a cancer that had already stolen 2-years of her young life.  One night, Bob’s daughter, Barbara, asked her father: “Why isn’t my mommy like everybody else’s mommy?”  This devastated Bob May and as he struggled to answer her heart-wrenching question, he turned to his own personal experience of growing up and decided to spin a tail for Barbara that would help ease her pain and explain their family’s hardships.  Little did he know, that his tale would transform the story of Christmas forever and come to entertain the world over.

Thank you for joining us on this very special, very blessed Christmas Day.  Gather the family together, give thanks, and enjoy an episode of The Missing Chapter Podcast that will explain the origins of one of our most time-honored stories.

The Empire State Building is known throughout the world as one of the icons of freedom, democracy, and the culmination of diverse people working together to accomplish something bigger and greater than themselves. It’s a destination for tourists around the world to come visit, it’s a sight to behold for those who’ve never seen it before, and it’s the million dollar view for observers in neighboring apartment buildings and skyscrapers.  Its sheer size creates wonderment, and the speed at which it was built only expounds that amazement.  We know you probably have heard and maybe have seen the Empire State Building, but I bet you’ve never heard of a plane crashing into it in 1945.  Nope, we’re not talking about the horrifying day on 9/11 when 2 planes crashed into the World Trade Centers, we’re talking about a B-25 accidentally crashing into the Empire State Building.  Join us today as we talk about this accident and one of the most unbelievable survival story twists on this episode of the Missing Chapter.

Imagine being in a war zone, frigid temperatures, explosions happening all around you, ammo is diminishing, food is in short supply.  You scurry to get to a radio and call in air support.  You need more ammunition.  You make the call, and the call sign is given to drop as many mortar rounds as possible so we have a fighting chance against the enemy.  We hear a helicopter hover over us, and thank God, here comes more supply.  The doors open and parachuting down, pallets of 60 mm mortar ammo come into our perimeter and we open  up the boxes and to our surprise, it’s not ammo.  Find out what was inside and how this mishap saved the lives of thousands on this episode of the Missing Chapter.

Albert Einstein, born in Germany in 1879, became a theoretical physicist and is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest scientists of all time. Einstein is best remembered for developing the theory of relativity, but he also made important contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics.  In life, people marveled at Einstein’s brilliance and his name quickly became synonymous with the term ‘genius.’  His pioneering work opened doors that scientists didn’t even realize needed opening in the areas of math, science, and engineering.  The mystery that surrounded him after his death was equally as intriguing.  Find out more on this episode of the Missing Chapter.

There is a verse in the book of Proverbs that says “where there is no vision, people perish.”  Upon reading that, someone might wonder if that is describing literal vision, or a metaphorical way of understanding goals, dreams, aspirations.  Well, we know that blind people aren’t limited by their lack of physical vision, and quite often, the opposite is true...they’re able to operate with a heightened awareness of their surroundings, and they’re able to see things people with vision might not.  On this episode of the Missing Chapter, we discuss a remarkable man, who lived the majority of his life with no sight, but was a profound visionary.  As we discuss the circumstances surrounding his life, he will prove to those that are willing to learn from him, that sometimes it’s the people with sight that have become blinded, not those without.

Mildred Fish-Harnack was a Wisconsin-born woman on a mission...an Anti-Nazi resistance mission.  And the road to success wasn't easy as one can imagine, nor was it met with support by even the United States.  During WWII, she and her husband led the largest underground resistance movement in Berlin.  She risked her life for 10 years with incredible courage and heroism, yet not many people know of this woman and her resistance group, "The Red Orchestra."  Find out more about this woman, who she was, and why we know little about her with our friend and special guest, Tim Field, on this episode of the Missing Chapter.  

It is one of the most iconic images in American History.  A photograph so powerful, it captured the essence of despair that gripped an entire nation, over an entire time period.  A woman holding a baby, 2 small children huddled by her side; shielding their faces over her shoulders.  The woman stares into the distance, a single hand drawn to her cheek.  Her expression, one of hopelessness and desolation; anxiety etched deep in the lines on her face.

But who was this woman and what was her story?  How did this picture of her come to capture an entire generation’s struggle through the worst economic depression the country and the world, had ever experienced?  Like a book cover without a story, the chapters of her life will astound you, and her feelings toward that famous image, might just surprise you… in this revealing episode of The Missing Chapter Podcast.

“The British are coming, the British are coming” - Paul Revere’s famous ride, right?  Well of course, but the problem with that is he never said that, even though he did manage to warn all of Lexington about the British invasion, it was hours before he spurred a horse toward Concord.  But that’s not where the Missing Chapter is going here...we’re going to the unknown story of a person who did almost the exact same thing, but not at age 41 like Revere was, this person was a teenage girl!  Find out more about who this girl was and what she did for Americans in the revolution on this episode of the Missing Chapter.