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
Mar 16, 2022 • 28min
The Show Must Go On - Even Outdoors
Outdoor theater. Beautiful for the audience. Challenges galore for the staff. One operation has been at it for 37 straight summers. The actors and director share their tales about the challenges, mishaps, and pure satisfaction of outdoor theater.
Mar 10, 2022 • 32min
Keeping The Grange Alive in the 21st Century
They're an institution. Grange Halls are where agricultural communities gather to socialize and swap farming tips. As farming continues to cease in the northeast, the future of The Grange faces challenges. Their evolution into providing broad community support may be the key to their future.
Mar 3, 2022 • 17min
The World is His Oyster
It's been a primary U.S. food source for centuries. Native Americans cultivated the Eastern Oyster from Long Island Sound. European settlers did the same. New Haven, Connecticut was once the Oyster Capital of the World. Today, oyster harvesting is challenged by pollution, but aqua-culture is making inroads.
Feb 24, 2022 • 25min
She Put the Alice in Alice’s Restaurant
Arlo Guthrie's ballad Alice's Restaurant. The anti-Vietnam War folk song focused on a Massachusetts restaurant owner named Alice, and the arrest of Guthrie and a friend for littering after throwing debris from her house in a ravine on Thanksgiving Day. In this episode, an interview with the late Alice Brock.
Feb 17, 2022 • 20min
Hippies, Zealots or Entrepreneurs - The Odd Sandemanian Religion
The Sandemanian religious order was active for 200 years in Europe and the U.S., before going extinct. Congregants were known as “kissites” for their nearly hippie-like practices at services. Yet, they produced many successful businessmen during the 1700-1800s.
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.
