Amazing Tales About History
Mike Allen
Marilyn Monroe, PT Barnum, American history, and Revolutionary War insights ... Dive deep into the hidden corners of history with mysteries, fascinating inventions, secret military operations, magical islands, ancient trails, forgotten roadways, Native Americans, supernatural activity, UFOs. 20-minute episodes. Memorable stories. Great guests. We present history as it should be – accurate, engaging, and told with a touch of magic. New episodes every Thursday.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 10, 2022 • 28min
The Gruesome Woodchipper Murder Case
It was one of the most gruesome murder stories in history. The movie Fargo based its notorious murder scene on the case. A Connecticut man murdered his wife and then placed her body through a wood chipper. The case was solved with meticulous forensic work and a dedicated private eye.
Feb 3, 2022 • 25min
PART 2: A Trail Like No Other - It Brought Us Freedom
French Commander Rochambeau marched 680 miles from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia with his 5,000-troop army to help America win its revolution. Along the way, George Washington had to make an unbelievably important military decision – without sufficient information – that literally changed the course of history.
Jan 27, 2022 • 24min
PART 1: A Trail Like No Other - It Brought Us Freedom
It’s called The Rochambeau Trail. 680 miles from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia. French General Rochambeau marched his 5,000 troops to help George Washington's Patriot Army beat the British in the Revolutionary War. The logistics of this march were complex, as were France's reasons for helping America.
Jan 20, 2022 • 18min
The Mad Hatters and Their Major Supreme Court Case
Monopolies. Under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, they're supposed to be illegal. What about unions? Do they monopolize the labor they represent? This novel legal argument went to the Supreme Court in the early 1900s. A hat factory owner said he should be able to sue the union for damages.
Jan 13, 2022 • 15min
What Would Polio Vaccine Inventor Jonas Salk Think About COVID?
Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine. What would he think about today's arguments over vaccines? His nephew, Eric Salk, is an emergency room doctor. He knew his uncle and shares his recollections of him, his famous family, and thoughts on the anti-vaccine movement.
Jan 5, 2022 • 21min
The Incredible Trail of the Whispering Giants
It’s a fairy tale type of story. An artist spent 20 years carving gigantic wood sculptures of Native Americans – one for each of the 50 states. Peter Toth's Trail of the Whispering Giants was to pay homage to Native Americans for injustices they faced from European settlers.
Dec 29, 2021 • 18min
The Erie Canal's Eastern Cousin
New York's Erie Canal inspired New Haven, Connecticut industrialists to build their own canal - from Long Island Sound into Massachusetts, completing bisecting the state. The Farming Canal project caused concerns with competing businessmen in Hartford, who developed their own canal.
Dec 20, 2021 • 19min
PART 2: The Weekend the British Burned Danbury
It was supposed to be a relatively simple military operation. The British would march from Long Island Sound to Danbury, Connecticut and destroy the Revolutionary War Patriot supply depot. As we hear in part two of this part-two series, things didn't go exactly as planned.
Dec 16, 2021 • 18min
PART 1: The Weekend the British Burned Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut was a Patriot supply depot during the Revolutionary War. The British wanted to destroy it. In part one of this two-part series, we hear about the mismatched military engagement when the dominant British marched inland, but how they made a crucial tactical error in planning.
Dec 9, 2021 • 21min
The Magic of Flying Two-Seater Planes
It’s a totally different life style: flying a 2-seater airplane, with just 1 or 2 propellers. Beautiful views, but dangerous. Paved airstrips and grass ones. Sharing the sky with 747s. We hear from representatives of two of the oldest airplane clubs in the country.
