At the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the number of skilled and unskilled sailors needed to staff sea-going vessels fell short. Innocent men were forced to serve as seamen under conditions that were little better than serfdom. This cunning practice happened through a secret underground in one part of the Pacific northwest.…
On June 9, 1909, as rained poured down on New York City, a young, poncho-cloaked woman got behind the wheel of a touring car that was a bit tricky to maneuver. Back then, paved roads were far and few between, and there was no air conditioning or roadside service to save the day. But these…
Centuries before the devil reached mainstream popularity, at a time when he was eternally feared and considered a looming threat on humanity, he made a strange appearance in a remarkable book. Have you ever heard of the Devil’s Bible? DOWNLOAD NOW Credit: For this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Hugh Houghton,…
There’s a hidden world running rampant under the streets of St. Louis. Buried deep within the earth, it’s so secret even residents of the Gateway City have no idea it exists. Carved by Mother Nature, this majestic limestone wonderland has provided shelter to Native Americans and Civil War soldiers, helped the brewing industry prosper, and…
The United States conducted its last nuclear test on September 23, 1992 at the Nevada Test Site, just 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. By official count, more than one thousand tests were performed between 1945 and 1992. History depicts these tests as having taken place in the center of a vast, uninhabited plain. But as…
Death is a topic that makes most of us uncomfortable. But back in ancient times, some civilizations not only embraced death, they honored the recently deceased with athletic competitions and contests. Have you ever heard of the funeral games? DOWNLOAD NOW Credit: I’d like to give a special thanks to Dave Lunt, a history professor…
Outside of the home, Colonial America was a man’s world. Women were mostly excluded from power in the church and could not take part in town meetings, which meant they could not vote. But one woman defied the norms. Have you ever heard of Margaret Brent? DOWNLOAD NOW Credit: A huge thanks to Dr. Henry…
Although the origin of witchcraft remains unknown, from a colonial perspective it was carried to the New World from England. The colony’s English settlers brought with them a strong belief in Satan’s power and a deep hostility toward those who did not strictly conform to the community’s harsh social and personal norms. While Salem, Massachusetts often…
Lake Okeechobee, also known as Florida’s Inland Sea, or as the locals like to call it, Lake O, is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida and the third largest freshwater lake wholly within the country. Resting at the northern edge of the Everglades and rimming the western edge of Palm Beach County,…
Just 30 miles south of Boston lies the mysterious “Bridgewater Triangle,” a 200-square mile “vortex” that has been rumored to be both haunted and cursed. Although skeptics shrug off the unexplainable, the bloody and disturbing history of this part of Massachusetts might make you question what’s real and what’s false. Have you ever heard of the…
