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
Apr 17, 2025 • 21min
His Trove of Letters Document Bloody Civil War Battles, Prisons, and Conditions
Captain Andrew Upson wrote up to 2-letters-a-day from the front lines of the Civil War to his wife and children. The 200+ letters, a rare collection that still exists, paint a vivid picture of life in the war, including as a captive.
Apr 10, 2025 • 27min
He was the Last Person Executed in CT - She Knew Him Best, 'Til the Day He Died
Michael Ross was the last person executed in CT. He raped and murdered 8 women. His doctors said he was mentally ill and shouldn’t have been executed. A journalist got to know him well for his final 10 years and shares her insights.
Apr 3, 2025 • 20min
The Tiny Worm Behind an Enormous Industry
The Cheney brothers invented a process for mastering nature’s magical creation of silk, driving their business to the #1 position globally. They made the parachutes used on D-Day. They also introduced corporate paternalism, providing employees with housing, schools, and more.
Mar 27, 2025 • 23min
John Hancock: The Giant Signature that Fanned the Flames of Revolution
Three families, from the same town. Did they start the American Revolution? John Hancock and his friends (the Adams and Quincy’s) fanned the flames. Hancock, meanwhile, married childhood sweetheart Dolly Quincy, after a love triangle involving Aaron Burr
Mar 20, 2025 • 19min
This Hero Stayed on a Sinking Sub to Save a Man
He could have abandoned ship, just like everyone else. After all, the sub sank in just one minute. Everyone was scrambling. But he didn’t. A fellow submariner was still onboard.
Mar 13, 2025 • 19min
What's Hiding Behind That White Cross on the Hill?
Many people see the large white cross as they drive by, shining atop a hill overlooking the downtown. But not everyone has checked out what's hiding behind it. It's an unusual and unique complex that once drew tens of thousands a year to see it.
Mar 6, 2025 • 20min
Tracking Down the First Christmas Tree
Where was the first Christmas tree? Proof is hard to come by. It seems that Windsor Locks, CT is among the very first – at least in legend; a stone monument lays claim to the first decorated tree in 1777. Researching this case turned up other very interesting side stories: German prisoners-of-war, Native American attacks, and even the Wizard of Oz.
Feb 27, 2025 • 22min
The Illegal Pirate Radio Station at the Largest Rock Concert, Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen; world’s largest concert. 600,000 attendees. Six teenagers broadcast with an illegal pirate radio station they brought to the site, interviewing the Grateful Dead, broadcasting traffic and weather reports, and playing records. Attendees loved it. One of the broadcasters tells the crazy story.
Feb 20, 2025 • 20min
You Used to Have to Pay to Use a Library
Access to knowledge for the masses. For many years in the United States, you had to pay a membership fee to a subscription library if you wanted access to books and information. That all changed in the early 1800s when the first publicly funded library opened in CT.
Feb 13, 2025 • 20min
A Religious Group Pinpoints the End of the World
The end of the world was supposed to be on a Wednesday in November of 1873. One hundred religious believers gathered on an island in a New England river to ascend into heaven, even climbing trees to be among the first to rise up.
