The Missing Chapter Podcast

Have you ever wondered about walking over something and had absolutely no idea what was underneath your feet? Maybe finding out about an old battlefield, tunnels, or maybe a subway? Maybe that one mystery smell in the city you’re visiting emanating from that sewer grate underneath your feet? Now imagine this: You’re walking across one of the most famous landmarks in America…The Brooklyn Bridge. Cars passing. People taking selfies. Totally normal, except there is something hiding within the foundation of the bridge that no one really knew about until fairly recently.  What is it?  What’s inside?  Well, in order to find out, you are going to have to coffee up and volume up.  Welcome to the Missing Chapter.

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I don’t know about you, but I rarely have cash on me anymore.  And even more rare is when I carry change.  But you might have had an experience like I have had when you pull out some change in your pocket, and realize there is a coin that feels different from the rest.  And I’m not talking about the now rare, obsolete penny, but maybe the occasional Canadian coin that seems a bit lighter than your typical quarter.  Well, for a young boy in the 1950s, there was one coin in his hand that was different…very different.  At first glance it looks real, but things changed once he dropped it.  The sound of the coin rang an alarm in his ears and when he saw what happened when it dropped, it then raised a bigger red flag in his eyes.  Something is wrong.  And what happens following this experience will trigger a cascading effect that only the Missing Chapters of history could create.  Grab your coffees and keep your wits about you, because as today’s episode describes, some secrets hide in plain sight.  Welcome to the Missing Chapter.

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Let me start today’s episode with a question - What does a goat, a small child, a giant orange fuzzy creature… and a billion-dollar marketing strategy all have in common? …They’re all mascots - you know, those chaotic, dancing, slightly terrifying creatures running around at games -  hugging children, doing acrobats, and mocking their opponents.  They are the entertainers of the game!  But they didn’t start that way. Yet somehow, over time, they changed from fan favorites to cultural icons. So today on The Missing Chapter, we’re diving into the wild progression of mascots…from superstition…to spectacle. And by the end of this episode, you might not ever look at that oversized foam head the same way again.  Pour some of your coffee into that Missing Chapter mug of yours and get ready for another great episode.

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Humans have innate instincts, just like animals do. We can go to a zoo on vacation and observe mother tigers snuggling their cubs or baby elephants sidling next to their parents for warmth and comfort. That same night, what are my wife and I doing with our boys, while we’re watching a movie? You guessed it… the same parental, natural impulse to “snuggle.” There are few feelings more comforting than cozying up next to a loved one and doctors have recognized the scientific benefits to this, as well. On The Missing the Chapter Podcast today, learn about the history behind “snuggling,” the babies whose lives depend on it, and the man who recognized it first. A “rollercoaster” of a story that you’ve come to expect from The Phil’s and the drink that drives us to bring it to you.

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Let me start with a quick question: What do coffee, gossip, war and your group chat all have in common? That sounds like the setup to a terrible joke, but it’s not because all of them are connected by the words we use every single day - words that didn’t start in classrooms or offices.  They started in battle. Words like skedaddle, blockbuster, jamoke - they sound harmless and funny. But their origins? Eh, not so much. We use them all the time, but were we aware that many of these words have military, battle, and war backgrounds?  Probably not.  We just picked them up, passed them along, and now we use them without thinking. That’s where The Missing Chapter comes in because on today’s episode, we’re uncovering the hidden military history behind everyday language.  And by the end of this episode, you might start thinking like us and asking others, “Hey, did you know where that came from?”  And you will know because you now know the history of the terms, and where you heard about it…The Missing Chapter.

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In 6 seasons and nearly 300 episodes, Phil and I have brought you countless stories “forgotten” or “lost” in the bowels of history. We’ve shed light on names, faces, and lives that you have never known about; people who have shaped not only our history, but the lifestyles we live every day. But what about the people you have heard of? What about the names that are familiar to you? What could we possibly tell you about them that you don’t already know? Well, how about the people from history that led double-lives? The secret personas and aliases that redefine your opinion on people you THINK… you already know. Enter an author who created wildly imaginative characters and settings for their readers, but played a much more crucial role during a time period where global freedom and independence hung in the balance.

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Welcome to The Missing Chapter—the podcast where we uncover the stories that history somehow forgot to highlight. Today’s Missing Chapter Profile is about a man who helped light up the modern world—in the most literal sense—and yet somehow, most people have never heard his name. We’re heading to Queens, New York, to a house that doesn’t just preserve history—it protects a legacy. Inside that home lived an inventor, a draftsman, a problem-solver… and honestly, kind of a behind-the-scenes genius. This is the story of how someone can shape the future—and still almost disappear from it. It’s a Missing Chapter Profile, and it’s time for the coffee pour.

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There are certain sounds that instantly trigger memories. A school bell.  The startup noise of an old computer on dial up.  The click of a cassette tape. And for decades, one sound meant the same thing for almost everyone on Earth. Today on The Missing Chapter, we’re talking about the hidden story of a sound that started billions of conversations that technically isn’t even necessary anymore.  It’s a sound that adults would recognize, but a sound that probably won’t spark nostalgia in the next generation.  What is it?  I guess you’ll have to stay dialed in to find out.  Welcome to the Missing Chapter.

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Well, everyone, we’re back with another Top 5. That’s right, back by popular demand, our Top 5 today focuses on something that we haven’t heard much about - the worst military blunders in human history. So let’s take a deep look into what we would consider our Top 5 Worst Military decisions of all time. This episode might be filled with bad decisions, but not on your part.  You made the right decision choosing the Missing Chapter. And we’re choosing a heavy dose of coffee to go with it.  

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“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is a beloved children's book by Judi Barrett about the town of Chewandswallow, where food falls from the sky for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, until the weather turns bad and giant food storms threaten the town, forcing the residents to find a new way to live. The story, first published in 1978, is known for its imaginative concept and inspired the popular animated film adaptation, though the movie changes the plot to involve a food-making machine. Crazy, right? Completely fictionalized, right? What if I were to tell you that in 1876, a small family farm in Kentucky experienced a phenomena eerily similar to this children’s book plot… Would you believe me? Check your calendar because it’s not April Fool’s Day, but it is Saturday and this is another “you cannot be serious” episode of your favorite podcast. So, brew another pot because coffee goes with everything…. including meat. Welcome to Missing Chapter!

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