Cats on catnip can be kind of cute, like playful kitties. Hundreds of cats on catnip can be terrifying! One enterprising young man found that out in 1909 in New York City, and today we tell you that story. You can subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Twitter @UHPodcast. If you like our stories, please share them with your friends. Thanks for listening!

It's Halloween, so today we tell the story of how the holiday came to be, as well as the origin of the jack o'lantern. We're on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening, and have a Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween, so today we tell the story of how the holiday came to be, as well as the origin of the jack o'lantern.  

We're on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app.

Thanks for listening, and have a Happy Halloween!

Robert Smalls was born in South Carolina, near Beaufort, to a Gullah-speaking slave mother. Smalls was a hard worker, and was ambitious, too, and soon mastered many trades, including that of a wheelman on a ship. And it was that last skill that changed his life. Today, Steve and Gena tell his amazing story. You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening!

There was once an entertainer who was handsome, charming, a talented singer who had his own radio show. In fact, his show was a direct competitor to Bing Crosby's own show, and the radio networks actively promoted a rivalry between the two men. Likely, though, that while you know who Crosby is, as well as Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, you've probably never heard of Russ Columbo. Today we tell you the story of Russ Columbo, and what happened to make him a footnote in entertainment history instead of a superstar. You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening!

Ever hear of the Butterfly Effect? That's a popular science fiction device, in which someone travels into the past and makes one minor change in history, like stepping on a small insect, then returns to the future to find that everything is completely different. Couldn't happen in real life, you say. Bet you're wrong. Henry Tandy was a British soldier during World War I, and on today's podcast we'll tell about how one small decision he made had repercussions that still reverberate today. Because of Mr. Tandy, you live in a world that is very, very different than the one that might have been. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or your very own podcast app. We're at theuntoldhistory.com on the web and we're also on Twitter @UHPodcast; be sure to follow us for more untold stories.

Prior to the Civil War, showman P. T. Barnum was best known not as a circus owner/operator but as the proprietor of Barnum's American Museum in New York City. The museum housed natural oddities and curiosities, a sideshow with such performers as Tom Thumb and Zip the Pinhead, a menagerie of animals from around the world known as the "Happy Family" and even two live whales. In July, 1865, shortly after the end of the war, a terrible fire broke out and destroyed the museum. Today, Steve and Gena tell that story. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Twitter @UHPodcast, be sure to follow us for other bits of history and more. Thanks for listening...be sure to share us with your friends!

You've heard about the Southern states seceding from the Union to form the Confederacy, leading to the American Civil War. But it wasn't only states declaring their independence, for in some cases, counties also sought their freedom and established themselves as independent nations. Today we tell you stories of two of those, the Independent State of Dade and the Free State of Van Zandt. You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Podbean, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app, if you're so inclined. Thanks for listening...be sure to tell your friends about us.

Nowadays many of you probably order your shoes online, or you take the kids into Walmart or the shoe store and have them try on shoes while you check them for size with your fingers. Did you know that at one time you had another, "scientific" way to fit shoes? It was the shoe-fitting flouroscope, which not only let you see the insides of the shoe to make sure little Johnny's feet fit, but gave him, you, and the shoe salesman, a dose of x-ray radiation. High tech, indeed. Today we tell the Untold History of the shoe-fitting flouroscope. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. Check out our website for even more untold stories from history: www.theuntoldhistory.com We're on Twitter as well, @UHPodcast. Thanks for lending us your ears!

History records that Sergeant Boston Corbett of the U.S. Army was the man who shot John Wilkes Booth as the barn he was holding out in was burning to the ground. But Sergeant Corbett's story was much more than that. In fact, this man lived the lives of 10 men. Today, Steve and Gena tell the Untold History of Boston Corbett, and it's one not to miss. You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. We have other bits of untold history for you at our website, theuntoldhistory.com, and we're on Twitter @UHPodcast. Thanks for listening!