The Random Intellectual

The Benders were a family of serial killers who lived and killed in Kansas in the 1870’s. In fact, they weren’t really a family at all and killed at least 10 people including one child that was allegedly buried alive. How did they do it? Did they get away with it? Well, you’ll just have to listen to this week’s episode to find out. We promise, you’re going to want to hear all about this unconventional and murderous family.

Benjamin and Erika Sifrit were young and in love. When they met another couple on the bus on the way to a popular club called Seacrets in Ocean City, MA, it seemed like just another night of fun and partying. What actually ends up happening is that the other couple turn up missing and Benjamin and Erika Sifrit are the main suspects. How did all of this happen? And does the restaurant Hooters play a part in this?

Strange events occurred in room 1046 in the President Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri on January 3-4, 1935. A man, with an alias, was found tortured, stabbed, and strangled in that room. He died shortly afterwards and with him died what actually happened. There’s been a lot of theories but after almost 90 years the case is still unsolved. We’ll break it all down for you on this week’s episode.

The Tunguska Event is the largest impact event on Earth ever recorded. On January 30, 1908, something hit the Earth’s atmosphere or ground with a force 185 times greater than that of the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima. Problem is, it was in such a remote area that nobody could get there to study it until almost 30 years later. What really happened in that forest in Siberia remains a mystery but we have a few theories of what we think happened.

Elmendorf is a tiny town right outside of San Antonio, where this podcast is based. A dangerous man by the name of Joe Ball, lived in this town and caused quite a scandal in the early 1900s. With the bootlegging, the missing people, the murders, oh, and an alligator, there was lots of drama surrounding this man. We can't wait to tell you this crazy story.

There once was a man named Tarrare who lived in France from roughly 1772 to 1798. He had a literal insatiable appetite and would eat anything, and we mean ANYTHING. Cats, dogs, snakes, eels, body parts off the dead, forks, watches….ANYTHING.

A dead man appears on the beach in Australia in the late 40s and no one can identify him. Turns out he is completely unidentifiable and only one tiny clue can lead investigators to his identity the Persian phrase “Tamám shud”. Find out more and hear all the theories on this week's episode!

Are you a stoic and don’t even know it? If all you know about Stoicism is that a lot of guys in ancient Greece were stoics and were strong and never showed emotion you’re way off. Turns out Modern Stoicism probably isn’t what you think it is and chances are you’re already one. Interested? We’ll explain in this week’s episode.

The Yuba County 5 is the strange story of 5 mentally disabled men who went to a basketball game one night in 1978 and vanished on a mountain road. Months later, 4 of the 5 bodies were found, with the 5th one never to be seen again. How did they get there and why?

The Romanov family was the last royal family to rule imperial Russia. We say last because they were executed because of civil unrest aka the Bolshevik Revolution. But were they all killed? There is lots of lore about what really happened to at least some members of the Romanov family and we are here to tell you all about it.