Unhinged History

Latest Episodes:

Episode 157 | Those Are Fighting Words Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

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, because she takes us further into the darkness when she covers the Theresienstadt Ghetto. This WWII camp was established by the Nazis and, at one point, camouflaged as a “spa town” for older Jewish citizens.
This episode pairs with:
The Wide Awakes: How fashion led to Civil War
Josef Mencik – The Knight of Strakonice

Episode 156 | Sorta Super Sucks Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

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 into how Hitler wanted the Amber Room and was salty it ever left Germany, where upon it disappears.
Don’t worry, she shares the leading theories of what happened. This episode pairs well with:
The Potato King – Frederick II

Episode 155 | A Strip Bar for Scientists Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

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 Sack of Rome. She ends up naming all of the famous people alive during this time as they all enter the chat.
This episode pairs well with:
Siwash, the duck that fought in the Marines
Mehmed II

Episode 154 | Unbothered By Law Jan 03, 2026

Show notes

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 – twice. Apparently, the second time, the fellow bar patron didn’t believe him, so he had to show him. This episode pairs well with:
Resistance Fighter: Toto Koopman
The Doomed Second Pacific Squadron

Episode 153 | And Dad Discovered Therapy Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

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 lost their laborers raise an army, and history does its thing.

Angie, shocked by this tale, pivots sharply and takes us into the Gilded Age by telling us the story of Mamie Fish. This socialite surprised and delighted the upper crust with her antics. Come for her elaborate dinner parties. Stay for the monkey dressed as a prince.

This episode pairs well with:
Seneca Village: Andrew Williams
Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth

Episode 152 | 3 Elephants in Cheese Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

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 British double-agent. There are love affairs, blowing up factories, and lies. This story has it all.
This episode pairs well with:
The great butter and cheese fire of 1991
Great Maple Syrup Heist
The SAS raid no one knew about
Odette Samson

Episode 151 | Gertrude – Keep Your Hands to Yourself Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

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 episode's tone dramatically as she tells us the story of how JFK was saved by a coconut. During this episode, Angie makes Theresa crack up when she admits to not realizing he served in WWII.
This episode pairs with:
The NW Butter Crimes
Bad Butter Rebellion
The bonkers story of the Second Pacific Squadron
Josef Mencik – the WWII Knight

Episode 150 | Pull a Helms Deep Dec 05, 2025

Show notes

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 would go on to earn the spot in history as Dracula.
This episode pairs well with:
Pope Pius II Funds Dracula’s War

Episode 149 | Thicker Than Dog Snot Nov 28, 2025

Show notes

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 left turn in the storytelling to share the tale of The War of Jenkins’ Ear. If you love missing body parts and pointless wars, this story is for you. It takes place between Great Britain and Spain from 1739 to 1748 and kicks off over an ear.
This episode pairs well with: Sacagawea
The Theft of the Irish Crown Jewels -
Santa Anna’s Missing Leg
The Barataria Pirates

Episode 148 | We’re in the Middle of Our Disaster Year Nov 21, 2025

Show notes

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 the concept of written language and created the first written version of a Native American language. The Cherokee Syllabary remains in use to this day.

This episode pairs well with:
"Lord" Timothy Dexter
Tarrare
Sacagawea

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