Criminal

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John & Trooper Feb 01, 2023

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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