Unhinged History

This week's roundup of stories is a happy accident. Today Angie and Theresa bring you two very different stories from WWII. Theresa kicks it off with the Night Witches, the only female combat pilots from WWII. These badasses are from Russia and you're going to love them. 

Angie starts by sharing the history of the US paying its soldiers with booze, then explains how the attitude toward alcohol shifted. Somehow she ends up telling the story of the United States retrofiting a cement barge into an ice cream flotilla. 

Today's roundup of history stories you didn't know starts when Angie tells the story of General Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, or as you know him, General Marquis de Lafayette. This man was part of so many plot points of history your head will spin. 

To keep up with the craziness, Theresa shares the many Defenestrations of Prague, kicking off the Hussite Wars, the Thirty Years War, and beyond. For some reason, the people of Prague keep yeeting people out of windows and it's bananas. 

We hope you have handfuls of sweet snacks this week as Theresa and Angie share their stories. Theresa starts with The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 – an incident that would forever coat Boston in a sweet smell. 

Angie must have intuited Theresa's story because she tells the story of Tootsie Rolls at the Chosin Reservoir. Her story occurred during the Korean War when a group of Marines known as the "Chosin Few" needed to figure out how to survive subzero temperatures. It was so cold that the radiators cracked. Thankfully the Marines had $13,547.80 in Tootsie Rolls (or $176,613.28 in today's money). They used the candy to plug holes and retreat. 

This episode pairs well with: 

Whew. What a week! Angie starts us out by sharing Gabriel's Conspiracy. This is the story of a slave living in the late 1700s and his attempt to gain his freedom. To elevate the mood, Angie also touches on Guion Buford Jr, the first Black astronaut. 

Theresa takes a sharp left turn and shares the story of the Harlem Hellfighters, the 369th regimen made of primarily Black soldiers who saw more combat than any other unit of American soldiers during WWI. 

Look we've all said some things in the past. Sometimes it's Theresa saying stuff like there was a Children's Crusade in 1212. And other times it's Angie regaling us with Count Victor Lustig's cons like a money box or selling the Eiffel Tower. 

Either way, this week's tales are unhinged. 

Sometimes we learn about someone so delightfully unhinged it makes Angie think that Theresa is the modern incarnation of that human. Today, Angie shares the story of Theodore Roosevelt's daughter, Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth. And listeners, you'll have to tell us if she and Theresa are the person. 

Theresa turns around and shares the story of Elisabetta Sirani, an Italian Baroque painter during the 1600s who created some fantastically violent paintings.

The Parthenon has lived her life, honey. Little did you know what a varied life she's led. But don't worry, Theresa jumps on and shares how the iconic temple of Athena only recently fell into ruin. 

Angie moves in and shares the story of Tycho Brahe. This old-timey astronomer seemed to live a rock star-esque life even dueling over "who's the better mathematician." 

Join us in an unhinged selection of stories. Angie kicks things off with the antics of Specialist Skippy Schwarz and shares the myriad of things he's banned from doing. Some of these exploits include wearing a kilt made of fruit roll-ups, allowing sock puppets to take over his watch, and having the right to a strip search when detained by MPs. 

Theresa brings up the intellectual tenor when she shares the historical background of Pocahontas. Because apparently Disney lied to us, Theresa uses her real name, Matoaka. 

This week's stories are about as opposite as you can get. Theresa starts by sharing that time during WWII when the Japanese bombed Brookings, Oregon. It doesn't stop there. The pilot who flew the mission returns 20 years later and you won't guess what happens then. 

Angie shares one of the darkest stories she ever has on the podcast. She dives into the theories on who Jack the Ripper really was. 

You want to know the history of war elephants? What are we kidding, of course you do and Angie is here to give you what you want. She brings us back to 1100 BCE to their first recorded use. She shares how they fought against Alexander the Great. They helped in both World Wars. They were used even in 2017 by Burmese rebels in Myanmar.

Theresa closes us out by sharing the Godmother of Rock 'N' Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. This woman combined so many musical influences to give us the genre we all love.

...and Angie keeps bringing up Elvis. Because, Elvis.