Criminal

Pappy, Another Round Feb 06, 2023

When it comes to Kentucky bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle is among the most exclusive. You can’t get it unless you’re exceptionally lucky, exceptionally wealthy, or willing to break the law. The Pappy frenzy has the police, bartenders, and even the Van Winkle family themselves wringing their hands.

According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, sales of the most expensive American whiskeys have basically doubled since 2016, when we first looked into Pappy Van Winkle. We decided to find out what's happening now.

Breaking in to the FBI Feb 06, 2023

In 1971, a woman visited an F.B.I. office in Pennsylvania. She identified herself as a college student interested in learning about opportunities for women in the F.B.I. None of that was true. She was there “to see whether there were security alarms before we could decide if we could break in.”

The Feather Lady Feb 05, 2023

On October 4, 1960, Eastern Airlines Flight 375 took off from Boston’s Logan airport, and then, two minutes later, it crashed. 62 people died. Investigators couldn't figure out what had happened, and they decided to ask a scientist working at the Smithsonian for help. Roxie Laybourne's investigation helped launch a whole new field of science that changed aviation and forensics.

The Untold TRUTH of Papa John's Feb 05, 2023

The Papa John’s story really began when a young 15-year-old kid by the name of John H. Schnatter got his first job washing dishes at a small Italian pizzeria known as Rocky’s Sub Pub. But John wasn’t content with just dish washing and set his sights on making pizzas from his first day. After months of hard work, the Fondrisi family who owned the restaurant allowed John to start occasionally preparing the pizza dough and tomato sauce, but they adamantly kept the honor of baking pizzas within the family.

Ransom Feb 04, 2023

Miles Hargrove was in his sophomore year of college when he got a phone call that his father had been kidnapped.

The Disturbing Story of Coco Chanel ! Feb 03, 2023

The history of Coco Chanel - the INSANE full story of Chanel. How did a poor girl from an orphanage become the most famous fashion-designer of the 20th century, and build a business that is today worth billions of dollars? And how did Coco Chanel profit from two world wars and still survive, despite being labelled a secret Nazi spy? Welcome to the controversial life of Coco Chanel - and the rise, fall, and rise again, of a fashion empire.

The Magpie Feb 03, 2023

When Shigeru Yabu was 9 years old, he and his family were incarcerated at Heart Mountain Internment Camp, along with thousands of other Japanese and Japanese American families. One day, Shigeru discovered a baby magpie that had fallen out of its nest. He named her Maggie. “That bird walked up my arm all the way to my shoulder, and we looked at each other, eye to eye.”

The Princess Feb 02, 2023

One night in 1817, a woman appeared in the village of Almondsbury, in England. No one could figure out who she was. But everyone wanted to solve the mystery.

427 Emails Feb 02, 2023

Pontiac Correctional Center is a maximum security prison in the small town of Pontiac, Illinois. It’s the oldest in the state - founded in 1871 - and has a reputation for being one of the most violent. There is a guard at Pontiac who some staff praise for being tough and having their backs.

The Doctor's Feb 01, 2023

In 2018, we talked with three of America’s most experienced trauma surgeons about what happens when someone is shot. We wanted to spend some time with that conversation again this week.

Special thanks to Dr. Amy Goldberg, Dr. David Spain, and Dr. Ronald Stewart.

John & Trooper Feb 01, 2023

For 10 years, Detective John Reilly and his horse Trooper were the only mounted team assigned to Central Park. They rode the same route every day. John says Trooper didn’t like change. “If you changed the route, he got mad.” And then in 2019, they both retired at the same time.

Day In, Day Out Feb 01, 2023

When Laura Coates decided to become a prosecutor in Washington, D.C., she was told that the job would be “human misery.” She says she remembers thinking, “If there's one person in the justice system who could do something about human misery, surely, it's the powerful prosecutor.” After four years, she quit.

Colonel Sanders Hates KFC Jan 31, 2023

The history of KFC is pretty crazy, as it starts out as an inspiring underdog business success story, as Colonel Sanders starts from nothing to then selling chicken out of a gas station to then becoming a millionaire! Harland Sanders ends up building a giant global franchise in his late 60's. KFC is clearly an extremely successful company that makes a huge amount of money through its franchises today - but the KFC story takes a twist when Colonel Sanders sells his company.

Ponzi: The Financial Idiot Who Scammed the World Jan 31, 2023

The history of the Ponzi scheme, and the story of Charles Ponzi, the financial fraudster who became rich and infamous with his Ponzi scam that claimed people could get rich quick thanks to the arbitrage of IRCs. Ponzi promised very high returns to investors and soon millions of dollars were being invested by those looking to get rich as fast as possible. Imagine doubling your money with an investment in 90 days, and making money with no work. Well, it sounds too good to be true, because it was...

The Sailor's Teeth Jan 31, 2023

In 1982, forensic dentists examined the teeth of thousands of sailors stationed on an aircraft carrier called the USS Carl Vinson in Newport News, Virginia. It’s been called “the largest dental dragnet likely in U.S. history.”

The Devil’s Hole Pupfish Jan 30, 2023

There is a cave in the middle of the Mojave Desert called Devil's Hole. It's home to a small iridescent blue fish, called the Devil's Hole pupfish - and you can't find them anywhere else in the world. There are fences, cameras, and motion sensors for security. In 2016, three men rammed the fences and broke in.

A Ring and a Bottle Jan 28, 2023

In 1895, Blanche Chesebrough moved into a small apartment in Gramercy Park, in New York City. She brought a portrait of her parents, a vase for flowers, and her piano. She later said, “music had been my one absorbing interest,” and that she wasn’t interested in getting married. But eventually, she agreed to anyway. When she returned home from her honeymoon, she learned her husband was suspected of murder.

The Divorce Colony Jan 25, 2023

Blanche Molineux visited her husband while he was in prison for murder to keep up what she called the “ghastly pretense.” But eventually, she couldn’t keep it up anymore, and bought a train ticket to a place called "The Divorce Colony."

The Procedure Jan 25, 2023

In 1967, a very unlikely group of individuals gathered to quietly break the law and help facilitate abortions. They established a phone number. When you called it, a recording of a woman's voice would tell you what to do next.

Who was behind this number? The Clergy Consultation Service, an underground network of ministers and rabbis who wanted to help people access safe abortions in a time before it was legal. We first aired our conversations with some of them in 2017. And after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this year, we decided to call some of them back.

Hungryland Jan 24, 2023

In March of this year, a biologist working in a nature preserve in Florida saw an alligator swimming along a canal with something in its mouth. When she looked closer, she realized it was a human arm.

Mantrap Jan 24, 2023

Ed and Bertha Briney’s unoccupied farmhouse was reportedly broken into 50 times over 10 years. They put up “No Trespassing” signs, repeatedly complained to sheriffs in two different counties, nailed doors shut, and boarded up windows - but nothing worked. So they decided to try something else.

The Hammersmith Ghost Jan 24, 2023

In the winter of 1803, residents outside of London reported strange encounters with a ghost. Some said it looked like Napoleon Bonaparte, or a horse without a head. Others said the ghost breathed fire and smoke. By Christmas, there was a “full-scale phantom panic.” Shortly after the New Year, one man decided he’d stop the ghost once and for all.

We Interrupt This Program Jan 23, 2023

On a Saturday night, in February 1949, the music programming on one of the most popular radio stations in Quito, Ecuador, was interrupted with an urgent news bulletin: strange objects in the sky that looked like large disks with bright lights were using a powerful ray to destroy a nearby city. And they were heading right for Quito.

Across the Atlantic Jan 23, 2023

In February of 1910, members of the Music Hall Ladies Guild in London received a strange letter from their treasurer – a singer who went by the name Belle Elmore. It said that she suddenly had to travel to the United States, and that she was resigning from her position.

Several weeks later, at the Music Hall Ladies Guild fundraising ball, Belle's husband arrived with a date. And she was wearing Belle's brooch.

Dog in the Bed, Cat in the Bag, Camel on the Golf Course Jan 22, 2023

Stories of animals really going for it.

They Came for the Judges Jan 22, 2023

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August of 2021, they unlocked the prisons and freed prisoners, some of whom sought revenge on the women judges who convicted them. We speak with some of the judges in today’s episode.

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