Unhinged History
Unhinged History is a history podcast that blends humor with the wild stories you never learned in school. Hosts Theresa and Angie explore antics and hijinks throughout history, sharing bizarre tales like Napoleon being attacked by bunnies or the Beer Flood of 1814. Their favorite topics include historical hoaxes, random war stories, unsolved mysteries, spies, and stories that make you question everything you thought you knew.
Episodes
Episode 194 | Glossing Over the Cannibalism
Sometimes Angie and Theresa share a special mind-meld where the topics have a surprising theme. This week, the theme is "sorta/kinda." Theresa starts off by telling the tale of Frederick Thomas Lynwood, the Muffin Man, London's first serial killer. In typical Theresa fashion, she catches down facts and ruins this delightful clickbait. Come for the creepy tale, and stay for all of the ways it could
Episode 193 | Be Okay With Morally Grey
Angie takes over the whole episode this week, with the tale of Roberto Cofresí. This part is Robin Hood, mostly a pirate, hailing from Puerto Rico. He’d start his career after the golden age of pirates, but doesn’t let that stop him. Sit back and learn his historical basis before delving into his ghost stories persisting to this day.This story pairs well with:Jean LafitteJoin Patreon: https://www.
Episode 192 | Walk Home Whistling featuring Jason Bell
Sometimes, instead of finding resources and ignoring pronunciation guides, Theresa and Angie interview some really awesome people who do the work for them.This week, they interview Jason Bell, a Fulbright professor and historian. Jason's new book, titled Operation Sparrow, covers the little-known mission of sending three commandos behind enemy lines in Hungary during WWII, with the express mission
Episode 191 | Jokes on You. I Don’t Know What to Expect
This week is full of DYK sidebars, and we are not sorry even a little bit. Theresa kicks things off with the story of Mexico’s first Black president, Vicente Guerrero. Did she mention he was the second president in the country’s history?! Buckle in as she shares the very short presidency of Guerrero, who would still make his mark when he abolished slavery and established the possibility for a seco
Episode 190 | We’re Talking About a Gym-Bro Here
Sometimes the two unhinged hosts bring you stories you’ve never heard. Other times, we tell you stories you've likely heard. Today, we’re probably doing both. Angie kicks things off with her retelling of a very chaotic year in Rome. It’s the year the empire had five emperors and held an auction… for the emperorship? Throne? It was a whole thing. Meanwhile, Theresa is still on her survivor kick. La
Episode 189 | Aside From Being First Cousins
Another week, another set of stories that would never normally be told side by side. This week, Theresa kicks things off with the story of Tsutomu Yamaguchi – the only (recognized) man who survived both the Nagasaki and Hiroshima atomic bombings. Learn more about how someone who finds himself within two miles of the blast radius, twice, and lives to tell the tale. Theresa also covers why, even tho
Episode 188 | It’s Going to Get so Much Worse
Welcome back to another week of unhinged stories. Angie kicks things off by sharing the origins of high school football and cheerleading. She knew how much eye-rolling Theresa would do, and did it anyway. She does, at least, mention that football started in China as a form of soccer. Then she shares the nonsensical cheers of the first cheerleaders.Theresa veers off in a wildly different direction
Episode 187 | Caught the Hazard
This week, Angie and Theresa share a secret mind-meld, and both tell seafaring stories.Theresa kicks things off by telling the story of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. Oliver Perry is the brother of Commodore Matthew Perry, who has been involved in several episodes. It’s Oliver Perry who would fight in the naval battle of Lake Erie, in the War of 1812, and raise a flag saying, “Don’t Give Up the Sh
Episode 186 | A Taco in a Habit
This week, Angie kicks things off with Judge Crater's disappearance. Now, for those of us playing at home, this was the old-timey scandal. Judge Crater had links to presidential candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt and had cashed out a ton of money. He was dubbed "the missingest man in New York.”
Warning: this is a cold case, and it annoyed Theresa.
Pivoting sharply, Theresa heads back to the o
Episode 185 | Framing the Voodoo Lawsuit
This week, Theresa and Angie do what they do best.
Theresa kicks things off with the story of Mary Ellen Pleasant. This incredible capitalist, becomes a millionaire in 1800s San Francisco, invests heavily in Black communities, all while fighting lawsuits accusing her of fraud, theft, and even voodoo. Of course, Theresa is a huge fan.
Angie takes things up a notch by sharing the tale of Boudica
Episode 184 | Like an Amish Cowboy
Edit: In this episode, Theresa uses a term for indigenous Australians that is both outdated and harmful. At the time, she was unaware of this. Since this episode went live, we've been made aware of this. Moving forward, we will not be using that language and have donated to SharingStoriesFoundations.org. This group works with First Nations communities to keep the languages alive.
Life is weird a
Episode 183 | Gelato with Knives
We have a special guest for our listeners this week. Nikki from the History Unlocked with Nikki podcast joins us and kicks things off by telling us one unhinged story.
She tells us about the Cadaver Synod, which is the posthumous trial of Pope Formosus. This dude was dug up and tried by the current pope, who was deposed. The next pope condemned the affair, but he didn’t last long, and his replac
Episode 182 | Let's Not Research
Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe. As a small, independent podcast, we rely heavily on those small actions to help. They’re free, and so are you. Hopefully. This week, both of the unhinged storytellers seemed to share a theme neither of them knew about.
Angie starts off by telling us about Aaron Burr. Specifically about the time when Burr attempted to wage war against the US and create
Episode 181 | She Narc'd.
You want tough women?! This week, Angie and Theresa share some absolute baddies.
Theresa kicks things off with Diane Nash, who led the Freedom Rides. You know, those integrated bus rides in the deep south, where a bus was firebombed, the victims were arrested (after getting beaten by angry mobs).
Angie pivots the episode into a wildly different direction when she shares the story of Amelie Eli
Episode 180 | Shenanigans Do Indeed Occur
Angie steals the entire episode to share a story of friendship in a time of war that you are not prepared for.
In 1967, John "Chickie" Donohue, a merchant marine and Marine veteran, took up the mission to leave the safety of New York City by himself, with a dufflebag of Pabst beer, and deliver it to friends fighting in the Vietnam War.
This impossible tale is apparently now a movie starring Zac
Episode 179 | Tagged as Terrorists. Move On.
This week, Angie and Theresa share some incredible stories.
Angie kicks things off with the story of Stormé DeLarverie. She is credited with throwing the first punch at the Stonewall Uprising, but did she?
Theresa pivots and takes us to South Africa to tell the story of Simon Nkoli, the gay activist who campaigned for gay rights and against Apartheid.
This episode pairs well with:
Stonewall
Episode 178 | “Hey, I’m 'the Unready.' Have Ya Met Me?”
Sometimes Theresa and Angie venture into the deep past.
Today, Theresa tells us about Thomas(ine) Hall, the intersex individual from Colonial America who spent the majority of their life swapping between sexes to live life.
Then, to remind us about Father’s Day, Angie shares the story of “Big Daddy Cnut,” the Viking ruler whose empire spanned England, Norway, and Denmark. And yes, Angie does i
Episode 177 | Pigeons in Her Handbag
We are in the middle of Pride Month and celebrating with some brilliant heroes.
Angie kicks things off with the story of Dora Richter, a German woman who was the first known person to undergo a complete transformation from male to female via surgery.
Theresa moves into more well-known territory by sharing the life and background of the historic Sylvia Rivera. You might have heard of her, as sh
Episode 176 | Trash Dad With Whimsy
Some members of the LGBTQIA+ community are more well-known than others. One proponent of equal rights in the movement was Marsha P. Johnson. This week, Theresa shares how Marsha was assigned male at birth and later moved to New York, where she could live into her full identity. There she was, present at the Stonewall Uprising, established a program to help homeless street youth, and tirelessly wor
Episode 175 | Drag Queen Run Waffle House
You are not prepared for this week’s mashup.
Theresa tells us the story of the Compton Cafeteria Riot, that nearly forgotten time in San Francisco when a group of queens stood up against police discrimination. While this occurred three years before Stonewall, it isn’t well-known or credited with kicking off Pride Month. However, it was this event, and events like it, that paved the way for the t
Episode 174 | I’m Going to be a Giant Jerk
It’s a wild week.
Angie kicks things off by telling the story of D’Artagnan and really fleshes out the whole story. Come for this guy’s quick rise to power and his ability to stay one step ahead of all the palace intrigue. Listen for the point where Angie shatters Theresa’s thoughts when she tells her that D’Artagnan actually outranked Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.
Theresa veers off in a differe
Episode 173 | A Machine Gun is a Great Equalizer
Theresa celebrates a full-circle moment as she shares how a Frenchman, Jules Brunet, attempted to stop the fall of the Shogunate in Japan. Podcast favorite character, arms-dealing Matthew Perry, makes a cameo as Theresa connects many dots to previous episodes.
Angie reminds us all to call our moms this Sunday as she regales us with the story of Atossa, Queen Mother of Persia. This woman made mor
Episode 172 | The Louis Vuitton of Survival
Unhinged History strives to bring you the stories you’ve never heard of in your history class, and this week is no exception.
Angie kicks off this week by exploring the Silk Road and the heist that liberated silkworms and opened the door for countries other than China to produce this incredibly luxurious textile.
Theresa veers off in a wildly different direction as she shares the story of Naka
Episode 171 | Negative Survivability
Look at Unhinged History, we are known for a couple of things. A love of the National Parks Service content, stories you’ve never heard, and banter. This episode is basically more of the same.
Theresa takes the entire episode to share the story of Paul Nobuo Tatsuguchi and the Battle of Attu. For most of us, we never realized that the Battle of Attu was the only time since the War of 1812 that the
Episode 170 | Just a Nun with AuDHD, ‘Tism’ing
Angie and Theresa have quite a set of stories to share with you. Kicking things off, Angie shares the wild story of Saladin. This man held it down as the Sultan of Egypt and Syria during the Crusades. Getting his position after a ...ahem series of deaths, he proves to be an incredible ruler, who would give away his vast fortune throughout his life.
Theresa veers wildly from this story, as she sh
Episode 169 | Welcome to the Family, Darling
What a week where Angie and Theresa do exactly what they do best.
Convinced she might run out of spies to cover, Theresa shares the story of Krystyna Skarbek, also known as Christine Granville. Born a literal Polish countess, Krystyna cycles through husbands and lovers before seeing her country invaded by Nazi Germany. Convinced she can fight for her homeland, she becomes the first female spy fo
Episode 168 | In This Story There is No Good Guy featuring Jenny Chan
Today we have a very special guest. The Unhinged History podcast welcomes Jenny Chan, author and podcaster, exploring the atrocities of the Pacific theater during World War II. In this episode, we explore her in-depth study of Chinese comfort women, Unit 731, and so much more.
Website: https://www.pacificatrocities.org/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PacificFrontUntold
Episode 167 | It’s the New Jersey of Hamilton
Ever get stuck in front of the TV watching the bizarre shows labeled as history? This episode is just like that, but only for your ears. We offer nothing for your eyes.
Angie kicks things off with the Beale Papers. This story takes us on a journey through history, where we attempt to crack codes and locate a large amount of buried gold, silver, and jewels in Bedford County, Virginia. Theresa is
Episode 166 | Get the Red String Ready
This week’s unhinged stories feature two women largely forgotten by history.
Starting off strong, Theresa tells the story of Madame Montour, the interpreter who spoke English, German, and several Native American languages. Her work as an interpreter brokered several treaties. We have one small problem with Madame Montour – she is history’s most unreliable narrator. Follow along as Theresa lays o
Episode 165 | Making a Murder Board in My Kitchen
This week’s Unhinged History features two women with outrageous stories.
Angie kicks things off with the story of Elizabeth Bathory, you know, the Blood Countess. She’s rumored to have murdered over 600 virgins to bathe in their blood in hopes of maintaining her youth and beauty. But what if all of that was created by the men in her life who owed her money? Angie pulls back the rumors and shares
Episode 164 | Painting the Town Red, Literally
Some stories just warm you up inside like a Hot Toddy. Today, Theresa starts us off with a story from her comfort era: World War II, as she shares the tale of Soviet sniper, Lyudmila Pavlichenko. This badass earns a sniper diploma before graduating from college, which proves beneficial as she ends up fighting as one of only 2,000 female snipers. While only 500 of these women would survive the war,
Episode 163 | LKGFO
Listen to this week’s episode as Angie tells a story about a man Theresa’s already learned about. She shares the story of Anders Lassen, the incredible Danish man who joined Colin Gubbins’ Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and made the SOE what it was known for.
This episode pairs well with:
Paddy Mayne
Colin Gubbins
Odette Samson
The SAS Train Raid You Never Heard of...
Episode 162 | I Found Freedom Instead
What a strange and wonderful mashup of unhinged history stories we have for you today.
When we think of Tudor England, we often overlook the individuals of African descent who lived and worked there. Today, Angie corrects that. Come learn about the various people historians uncovered.
Theresa takes a different route as she shares the story of Darius McCollum. Darius loves one thing more than any
Episode 161 | In Europia...
What an episode of two indomitable people!
Today, Theresa kicks things off by telling the story of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. Dr. Dan is credited with completing the first open-heart surgery. This was in the mid-1800s, before the creation of rib spreaders, bypass machines, or any other devices that would make his life easier. Even better, his patient survives. To further boost his creds, this inc
Episode 160 | An Ad for the National Parks Service
Today’s mash-up of stories leads to some very unexpected places as Angie shares the story of Belle da Costa Greene. Belle ends up being the first Black female librarian of Mr. J. P. Morgan. This woman ends up being the Pepper Potts to Morgan, as she controls art and literature that gets bought and added to his personal collection.
Then, surprising no one, Theresa takes us in a very different dir
Episode 159 | They Haven’t Repo’ed the Couch Yet
Few white dudes of history have ever earn so much respect from the Black community does, and for good reason.
This week, Theresa takes over the entire episode and shares the unhinged life of John Brown. Starting with his early years, raised in a home that was both steeped in religion and abolitionism, John Brown’s path led him to campaign to end slavery.
During his life, he would earn the respec
Episode 158 | Just Looking for a Fist Fight
The stories we tell here at Unhinged History are predictable, and today offers no variation from the trend.
Theresa begins by telling the story of Elijah Parish Lovejoy. This abolitionist would believe two things in this life: that slavery is wrong, and as a journalist, he had the freedom of speech. These convictions would result in four printing presses getting destroyed by mobs and him getting
Episode 157 | Those Are Fighting Words
Sometimes the events covered in Unhinged History are as zany as they are unexpected. Other times, things get dark.
This week, Theresa shares the life of Charles Sumner, the senator who was beaten for giving an abolitionist speech. This attack would polarize the country and start it on the path toward the Civil War.
Angie apparently didn’t get the memo that Theresa was telling such a tale, beca
Episode 156 | Sorta Super Sucks
Have you ever heard about the enduring mystery surrounding the fate of the Amber Room? You know that massive room crafted with walls of solid amber, gold leaf, and mirrors?
Angie starts by sharing the room’s inception and how King Frederick I commissioned it. She talks about how it was gifted to Russia, where it sat in boxes for years before getting reassembled and improved upon. Then Angie goes
Episode 155 | A Strip Bar for Scientists
Whatever you were expecting, this ain’t it. Theresa brings us an unsettling tale about a group of scientists in the 1970s who placed Felicia, a ferret, in a particle accelerator for scientific purposes. Apparently, they needed to clean out the four miles of tubes, and what better way than a diaper-wearing ferret?
Angie struggles to find a transition to her story when she pivots to recap the 1527
Episode 154 | Unbothered By Law
Buckle up, kids. Today, for no explainable reason, Angie and Theresa swap stories. Angie jumpstarts the episode by telling everyone about the role in the Dutch resistance that Audrey Hepburn played.
Theresa takes to the skies when she shares the story about Thomas Fitzpatrick, the man who was drunk and on a bet stole and landed a plane on the streets of the Washington Heights neighborhood in NYC –
Episode 153 | And Dad Discovered Therapy
In another week of unexpected history, Theresa kicks things off with a story from Brazil. Meet Antonio Conselheiro, a man crushed by life who turns to following God. He wanders the back country of Brazil, preaching the Good News and fixing churches. He ends up building a community with recently freed Black people who have nowhere else to turn.
Because no good deed goes unpunished, farmers who los
Episode 152 | 3 Elephants in Cheese
First off, did you know there is a black market for luxury cheeses? Angie shatters Theresa’s understanding of things when she shares the “Grate Cheese Heist of 2024.” Listen to how a massive amount of artisanal cheese is stolen and unaccounted for.
Then Theresa shifts gears and shares the WWII story of Agent Zigzag. This British citizen, Eddie Chapman, moves from criminal to German spy to Britis
Episode 151 | Gertrude – Keep Your Hands to Yourself
Old-timey history has tons of greats. Previously, Theresa and Angie lamented not having modern greats, until today. Theresa shares the Great Madison Butter Fire of 1991.
Join us as she regales Angie with the tale of 12,500 tons of dairy products going up in flames, releasing a river of cream and melted butter. This blaze took eight days to put out and was quite the event.
Angie shifts the episod
Episode 150 | Pull a Helms Deep
This week, Angie shares many of the factors that excite her about history. She shares an overview of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed II’s rise to power, and how his path crosses with a young Wallachian prince, Vlad Tepes.
Once you add in the socio-political stances of the European kingdoms and the fear of Muslim takeovers, you now see how Pope Pius II funded the military campaigns of Vlad Tepes, who
Episode 149 | Thicker Than Dog Snot
Whatever you were expecting for today’s episode, this ain’t it.
Theresa jumps right into the podcast, telling the story of Cherokee Beloved Woman, Nanyihe (aka Nancy Ward). This woman, from the age of 17, commands respect from her people as she attempts to help them navigate a world of English settlers moving in. Some say she’s the hero, while others view her as a traitor.
Angie takes a sharp
Episode 148 | We’re in the Middle of Our Disaster Year
Each week, we come up with some absolutely bonkers stories, and this week is no different.
Angie shares how Holland dealt with an unpopular Grand Pensionary (think prime minister). Johan de Witt sparked such anger among the crowd that on August 20, 1672, they tore him apart and ate his remains.
Theresa gingerly side-steps the cannibalism and shares how Cherokee Chief Sequoyah fell in love with t
Episode 147 | Google, Help a Sister Out
This week, Unhinged History honors the achievements of native Americans and their history.
We hear a lot about the Navajo codetalkers of WWII, but how much do you know about the Choctaw codetalkers of WWI that inspired the Second World War version? If you’re like most of the world, you don’t know much. This week, Theresa takes Angie on a romp through history as she shares the origins of the Unit
Episode 146 | I Speak Menu
Apparently, Angie can’t stop thinking about the fall of the Berlin Wall, and today tackles the specific incidents that directly led to its collapse. So if you want to hear how Russian middle managers muff the punt and how that triggers some real drama...
Theresa shifts the focus of history in a dramatic way when she shares the story of Apache warrior, healer, and holy woman, Lozen. She shares he
Episode 145 | Are You Missing a Body Part?
This week, these two unhinged ladies wrap up the final week of Spooky Season with two perfect stories for the time of year. Theresa kicks off with the story of Wild Bill Hickock and how he was haunted by the death of one of the men he killed in a gun fight, and how his final hand of poker became known as the “Deadman’s Hand.”
Angie digs up a great tale when she regales us with the story of Edgar
Episode 144 | We Shouldn’t Worry About My Story
Way back when King James II was attempting to bring his bride to England, her voyage hit some bad weather. So he blamed witches. Angie shares the North Berwick Witch Trials and how the king later regrets them.
Theresa takes things down a dark path as she wades into some true crime, telling the story of the Lady of Crescent Lake. Come for the terrible relationship where the wife goes missing. Sta
Episode 143 | We’ve Got Legs to Lose
We’re deep in Spooky Season, as Angie and Theresa share some tales to get us in the spirit.
Theresa starts things off when she covers the sinking of the Andelana. This four-mast ship was safely anchored in Tacoma, Washington, when a storm hit, sinking the vessel in minutes without witnesses. All 17 men aboard were drowned. Then we have to unpack the tragedies that happen after it sinks...
Angi
Episode 142 | He’s Built His Retirement Hut
This week, Angie explores the adventures of Pyotr Kozlov, a traveler from Russia/Soviet Union who explored large portions of Asia and was falsely reported to have found the tomb of Genghis Khan.
Kozlov led several expeditions uncovering several royal burials and was surprisingly appreciated by the countries in which he worked.
This episode pairs well with:
Rear Admiral Robert Byrd
Mary Kingsle
Episode 141 | I’m “Questionable Boundaries”
Join us as Theresa kicks off the spooky season by sharing the origins of her favorite book, Frankenstein. She takes us through all the scientific advancements leading to the creation of the favorite creature. From resuscitating drowning victims to using electricity to generate muscle spasms in corpses, science hinted that reanimating the dead was just around the corner.
Theresa also shares some o
Episode 140 | He *IS* the Shed
Join us this week as we tackle some sketchy history.
Angie starts us with the story of (not quite a founding mother) Eliza Bowen Jumel. She’s born in a brothel, and eventually becomes the wealthiest woman in America. This fascinating woman ends up marrying Aaron Burr later in life and divorces him, using Alexander Hamilton Jr. as her lawyer.
Theresa takes us to Japan in the 1100s and regales u
Episode 139 | Coordinating Their Chaos
Theresa is back at it. This story has a little bit of everything you expect from one of her stories. WWII. Female spies. A missing leg.
Join us as she shares the tale of Virginia Hall. This renowned spy has an incredible story, and there is so much to unpack.
This story pairs well with:
Odette Samson and Peter Churchill
Episode 138 | They’re Formal. Classy.
Angie continues with her love affair with SAS member Paddy Mayne. Join us as she takes us through his work during WWII. Paddy is quite the hero. While demurely accepting medals for his valor, our favorite Irishman is leading his troops miles behind enemy lines and making the lives of the Axis powers rough.
This story pairs well with:
Paddy Mane’s Intro to the SAS
Episode 137 | Another Missing Leg Story
Angie is riding her Paddy Mane trip for the second week. This week, she covered Paddy Mane's tumultuous start to military service and how he met the founders of the SAS.
Theresa takes us in a wildly different direction as she circles back on a previous story. Before she'd covered William Riker, the cult-founder of Holy City in episode 132. Today she covers William Riker's lawyer, Melvin Belli. Th
Episode 136 | Kill Squad in Your Back Pocket
History is strange and weird. Today's mash-up of stories proves it.
Theresa picks up where she left off last week. (Last week, she shared about that time North Korea sent 31 commandos into South Korea to take out their president.) This week, South Korea responds by forming its own squad, only spoiler alert: things go fantastically awry.
Angie collects her bearings before sharing the early years of
Episode 135 | A Renaissance Garden Gnome
History is jam-packed with stories you've never heard, and today's episode brings together two such tales. Angie starts with sharing Josef Mencik – the last knight, or the Knight of Strakonice. This Czech man of noble standing starts to enter the historical narrative by buying a castle, a suit of armour, and then stands up to a Nazi tank division.
Theresa takes the rest of the episode in a wildly
Episode 134 | Best Kept Open Secret
Do you remember how, in the past, Theresa and Angie explained the start of WWI as that time a Serbian shot an Austrian, so Britain declared war on Germany?
Well today, Theresa does a deep dive and explains how a secretive organization within the Serbian government referred to as The Black Hand is the group that trained the assassins who killed Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie.
This episode
Episode 133 | Your Butter Stinkith
It isn't every week Angie brings the pain, yet here we are. This week Angie shares the Lebensborn program. During this 9-year program, the Third Reich attempted to breed more soldiers. It starts with unwed Aryan mothers going to country estates to give birth and ends with the SS kidnapping children who looked the part.
Theresa offers a palate cleanser by sharing Harvard's Bad Butter Rebellion. Lis
Episode 132 | God Forbid a Man Have a Hobby
Angie and Theresa bring you another set of bizarrely wonderful stories to prove that yet again, people are unpredictable.
Angie shares the wildly unhinged tale of the Emu War, or that time Australian farmers waged war against birds, and lost so so badly. It's hard to imagine pitting a machine gun against a flock of birds and losing, but here we are.
Refusing to leave well enough alone, Theresa sha
Episode 131 | Butter That’s Not Butter, Doesn’t Taste Like Butter
It's been a while since Theresa tortured Angie and the listeners. This episode is another opportunity to remind yourself that she gets off of curdling stomachs.
Join us and give Angie moral support, and Theresa forces her to learn about Dr. Harvey Wiley and his volunteers who formed the Poison Squad and built the foundations of the FDA.
This episode pairs well with:
Tarrare's Terrible No Good
Episode 130 | By God, the Lady Knows How to Die
Angie serves up a story so piping hot it consumes the entire episode. Come join us as she regales us with the story of Mata Hari. Whatever you think you know of this WWI spy, this wasn't it.
Angie serves up all the tea and she turns us all into fan girls as she shares her execution.
This episode pairs well with:
WWII's Most Decorated Spy: Odette Samson
The Outrageous Sarah Bernhardt
Episode 129 | Ovaries Can’t Ride on Trains
We're back to exploring the gritty unhinged history of WWII spies this week as Theresa shares the story of the war's most decorated spy, Odette Samson. This French-born woman left her three young girls in Britain and joined the war effort, as a courier (the fatality rate of couriers was over 40%). During this mission, she fell in love, got tortured, sent to Ravensbruck, and survived without giving
Episode 128 | Team Mafia Boss
This episode has it all. Today, Angie takes center stage when she shares the correlation between sliced bread, the Normandy, and WWII.
Come for Theresa losing her mind at how sliced bread relates to anything. Stay for a thorough retelling of Operation Underworld, or how the Italian mafia helped protect Americans, as the first line of defense from Axis U-boats.
This episode pairs well with:
C
Episode 127 | Anything But Therapy
You haven't heard it all until you've encountered the chaos of Tallulah Bankhead. This stage actress struggled to break into Hollywood while racking up over 500 lovers of both genders. Come for the unhinged antics of a starlet. Stay for her surprising activism.
This episode pairs well with:
Tallulah's Ex-Girlfriend and WWII Spy: Toto Koopman
Episode 126 | These are Some Beige Names
There is nothing Angie loves more than the drama, pomp, and circumstance of Charlie Two's court (Charles II). Today's story is another instance of royal gossip as she shares a possible love triangle between Queen Anne, Sarah Churchill, and Abigail Marshem.
This episode pairs well with:
Another juicy moment from Charlie Two's Court: Nell Gwyn
Episode 125 | This Girl Used Her Honey Pot
There are certain things you can expect from this podcast and today's episode is no deviation.
Theresa shares the story of Toto Koopman, the first famous biracial model and WWII spy. Her list of lovers runs from Tallulah Bankhead to Winston Churchill's son. Because she was a hell of a lot more than her black book, she served the Italian resistance faithfully and survived the Ravensbrück concentra
Episode 124 | Can I Just Lay Down Now?
Happy Pride Month! We're kicking off June with stories that are meant to be told. Angie starts with Lucicus Beebe. This dandy of a gentleman did everything with the utmost panache. He toured the US and Europe in his own decked-out train car and remained fashionable, even when reporting on fires that broke out.
Theresa brings in the tragic story of the pink triangle, which started in concentration
Episode 123 | 3 Type-A Raccoons in a Trenchcoat
This episode is yet another shiny example of something you never expected. Theresa starts off sharing the story of Wong Kim Ark, the US citizen you likely never heard of. He is the man who challenged the government, had his case heard by the Supreme Court, and established himself as the first person named as a recipient of birthright citizenship. Oh, this was back in 1898.
Angie, as flabbergasted
Episode 122 | Retirement Sounds Great After That
Grab your weighted blanket and settle in with a mug of calming tea. You'll need it. Angie kicks things into high gear when she shares the story of the legendary female samurai, Tomoe Gozen. Listen along to Theresa thinking she knows more of the story than she actually does.
Theresa takes a sharp left turn by sharing the story of the Lone Fir Cemetery and the Chinese Immigrants who built Portland,
Episode 121 | It’s Either This or Literal Violence
Since Angie took the entire episode last week, Theresa brought a hell of a story this week. Grab your popcorn and hunker down because she's sharing the story of the 442nd. This heroic group of Japanese-American soldiers in WWII bravely fought for five days and nights through freezing rain and dense fog to rescue 211 Texans pinned down by German troops.
This episode pairs well with:
The Joshigu
Episode 120 | Lemme Keep the Cook
Dude. Brace yourself. Angie found a whopper of a story. Buckle up for her telling of Yoshiko Kawashima, a member of the Qing dynasty who was a gender-fluid spy for the Japanese in the early 1900s. Whatever you're expecting, this ain't it.
This episode pairs well with:
Aline Griffith
Episode 119 | Going on Vibes Alone
Woowwee. This week is a crazy mashup of stories.
First off, Angie shares a Japanese festival called Nakizumo, where sumo wrestlers attempt to make babies cry, on purpose.
Theresa overcomes her feelings about this to share the story of Richard Sakakida, a Nisei (a first-generation Japanese American) sent to spy on the Japanese in Manilla before the US's entrance to WWII. She shares his capture, tor
Episode 118 | Thanks for Translating Past Theresa
Join your favorite unhinged historians as they bring you some crazy stories. Today Theresa shares the tale of Molly Williams, the first female firefighter, who was also the first Black woman firefighter. Oh, and she did it at the age of 71.
Not to be outdone, Angie regales us with Lilian Wyles, the first female inspector of Scotland Yard. This barrier-breaking woman paved the way for women in the
Episode 117 | Suckers for Resistance Stories
At Unhinged History, we are nothing if not consistent. To prove that, Angie shares a solid resistance story from WWII. In this unbelievable tale, Major Cary Elwes, not that Cary Elwes, along with fellow SAS sneak behind enemy lines, steal a train, and rescue POWs.
Theresa presses all the buttons triggering outrage as she shares the Mexican Repatriation Act, that time the United States deported up
Episode 116 | The Tea of the Time
No matter what you expected, you never guessed this week's stories.
Theresa kicks things off with the tale of Hazel Scott, the Black musician who seamlessly blended classical and jazz. She was the first Black woman to have her show on national TV in the 1950s.
Angie refuses to be chill with her choice of stories when she shares the story of Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalhami, the Persian pirate prince. T
Episode 115 | I’m So Glad You Didn’t Ask
In celebration of April Fool's Day, Angie and Theresa are at it again.
Angie starts off with the tale of the Cardiff Giant. George Hull and his cousin William Newell created this elaborate hoax to convince people that they found a giant petrified man – then the showman Barnum gets involved.
Theresa then shares the story of the Fox sisters. These renowned mediums ushered in the Spiritualist Movemen
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