Unhinged History

Latest Episodes:

Episode 187 | Caught the Hazard Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

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 Ship.”

Angie keeps the nautical theme going with the tale of Gráinne O’Malley, aka Grace O’Malley, the pirate queen herself. Gráinne is born to Irish chieftains, well-educated, and thrives on the water. This combination would make her quite the pain in the arse for the English.

This story pairs well with:

Nakahama Manjiro aka John Mung (one of the times Matthew Perry appears)

Jeanne de Clisson

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Episode 186 | A Taco in a Habit Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

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 origins of Vancouver, Washington, and follows the handiwork of a six-foot-tall nun named Mother Joseph. This absolute badass would build over 30 hospitals, schools, and orphanages throughout her career in the PWN and establish the Providence Medical system, still in operation today.
This story pairs well with:
The Mysterious Disappearance of Agatha Christie
The Woman Who Founded Vancouver, Washington: Esther Short
The Weird Case of the Meowing Nuns
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Episode 185 | Framing the Voodoo Lawsuit Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

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. That’s right. Buckle up for the British heavy hitter. Boudica, who was already outspoken against the Roman overloads, develops a burning rage after getting flogged and witnessing her daughters’ sexual assaults. So she does what any reasonable person does: rouses a rabble of up to 100k countrymen and burns the Roman world to the ground.
This story pairs well with:
John Brown
Artemesia
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Episode 184 | Like an Amish Cowboy Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

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 and seemingly anachronistic from time to time, and so are the stories that make up our history.
Theresa starts with one such story, sharing the story of John Batman, the founding father of Melbourne, Australia. She relishes getting to expose the dirt on this man, his syphilis, the fact that he originally named Melbourne “Batmania,” and was carried around in a wicker batmobile. Just know if she ever tells a story about a founding father, it will always go like this.
Meanwhile, Angie tells a wildly different tale, and she shares the 1950s heist of the Stone of Destiny, or that time a group of Scottish college students broke into Westminster Abby and stole the rock upon which all Scottish kings were crowned since 1249. This story pairs well with:
Ona Judge
Irish Crown Jewel Heist
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Episode 183 | Gelato with Knives Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

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 replacement dug up Pope Formosus and tried him again. It was a whole thing.
Then, Theresa tells us the story of Petrus Gonsalvus, the historical basis of Beauty and the Beast. This poor guy was born as a slave, with werewolf syndrome (hypertrichosis). This genetic rarity resulted in him being given as a gift to France’s King Henry II at his coronation. Henry decides to see if this beast can be educated. Henry’s wife, Cathrine de Medici, ups the ante and wants to see if he can procreate. So she arranges his marriage to an unwitting woman.
When four of their children also experience hypertrichosis, they are taken from the family and given away to nobles as pets.
In a bid to improve the tone of the podcast, Angie shares the life of Theresa’s favorite name, Dick Gorgeous. Gorgeous is the man who stole the Irish Crown Jewels, and when you listen to his background, you can really understand how his whole life led to this event.
This story pairs well with:
The pope who wrote the dirty book
Mulan
The Irish Crown Jewel Heist
Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/UnhingedHistory. Email us: Unhinged.HistoryPod@gmail.com
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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.

Episode 182 | Let's Not Research Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

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 his own country in what is now Louisiana. He beats this charge, making it the FOURTH time he was charged with treason and got acquitted. What can you say he has a talent for it?
Seemingly on the same wavelength, Theresa presents a rather apologetic retelling of Benedict Arnold. Hear the whole retelling of his life and how he supported the patriots for win after win, only to deal with the worst co-worker/boss of his, Horatio Gates. Between the animosity toward Gates and his desire to earn more money, he switches sides. But, according to Theresa, if Benedict Arnold had died in a previous battle, he would be revered as a founding father.
This story pairs well with:
Aaron Burr’s Ex-wife: Eliza Jumel
The Boston Tea Party
Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/UnhingedHistory Email us: Unhinged.HistoryPod@gmail.com
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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.

Episode 181 | She Narc'd. Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

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 Elie, the woman who launched a gang war in France. She was kinda the modern equivalent to Helen of Troy, but with French gangs of the Victorian era.
This story pairs well with:
The Black Panther Party's Free Breakfast Program
Alice "Diamond Annie" and the Forty Elephants - London girl gang
Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/UnhingedHistory Email us: Unhinged.HistoryPod@gmail.com
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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.

Episode 180 | Shenanigans Do Indeed Occur Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

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 Efron. This story pairs well with:
Tootsie Rolls at the Chosin Reservoir
Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/UnhingedHistory Email us: Unhinged.HistoryPod@gmail.com
Head to Social Media and be Social With Us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unhinged.history
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unhingedhistory 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.

Episode 179 | Tagged as Terrorists. Move On. Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

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 The Pink Triangles
Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/UnhingedHistory Email us: Unhinged.HistoryPod@gmail.com
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unhingedhistory
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.

Episode 178 | “Hey, I’m 'the Unready.' Have Ya Met Me?” Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

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 indeed refer to this man as “Big Daddy Cnut.”
This episode pairs well with: Ona Judge
Battle Of Hastings
Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/UnhingedHistory Email us: Unhinged.HistoryPod@gmail.com
Head to Social Media and be Social With Us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unhinged.history
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unhinged.historypod
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unhingedhistory
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.

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