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
Jun 6, 2024 • 25min
Inside New England's Stonewalls
Stonewalls. Beautiful rows of rocks piled in lines along fields or through the woods. Yet, the 240,000 miles of New England stonewalls hide a more scientific purpose – namely, classifying them in ways similar to wetlands to make future land use decisions.
May 30, 2024 • 24min
Among the Worst Naval Loses in U.S. History
More than 2 dozen American ships sunk in one night. The British did it during the War of 1812 near Long Island Sound. It was the worst loss of ships in a single military event, until Pearl Harbor.
May 23, 2024 • 20min
The Hanging of Witches in the 1600s
The hanging of witches started in Connecticut in the 1600s. Decades later, the more famous Salem Witch Trials occurred. At the beginning, nearly a dozen women and men were hanged for witchcraft, until young Colony Governor John Winthrop used his political expertise to get the state to end executions entirely.
May 16, 2024 • 22min
Parts of This Important Early Dirt Path Still Survive
The "Old Woodbury Path" connected some of America's earliest farms with one of its earliest and nearly forgotten ports. Most of it is paved over now, but if you know where to look, parts of this 350-year-old cart path can still be hiked.
May 9, 2024 • 21min
Who Put the Ivory in Ivoryton?
Ivory. It meant quality, class, and refinement. And, it put the town of Ivorytown on the map. That's where 90% of the material was imported into the U.S. and manufactured into piano keys, combs and buttons, taking advantage of huge demand for its smooth, glassy touch.
May 2, 2024 • 23min
A Top-Secret World War II Project: "PO Box 1142"
American soldiers held in German during WW II made many prison escapes largely thanks to a top-secret project: Post Office Box 1142. Coded info and hidden devices were mailed to prisoners in ingenious ways that got past prison guards.
Apr 25, 2024 • 24min
Who Really Killed Seymour's First Selectman?
About 100 years ago, a town's top leader was shot to death in his Town Hall office. Ray Gilliard telephoned the operator, said he had been shot, described his assailants, and asked for police and a doctor to be dispatched. Then, the line went dead. The investigation's outcome shocked everyone.
Apr 18, 2024 • 21min
The Very First Robot
The "father of robotics," Joseph Engelberger, created the very first industrial robot in the 1980s. It was installed on a car manufacturing production line. His ingenuity led to other advances, including a robot that delivered food trays from a hospital kitchen to a patient's bedside.
Apr 11, 2024 • 21min
One of the Biggest Construction Disasters - the L'Ambiance Collapse
In 1987, a novel construction technique failed, causing a multi-story concrete structure to collapse onto and kill 28 workers. Each floor fell, pancake style, on top of the one below it until the tons of concrete from the L'Ambiance apartment building project trapped the crew. Thomas Bucci was the Mayor who had to manage the disaster.
Apr 4, 2024 • 20min
Benedict Arnold's Most Grizzly Attack
It was a complete mismatch that ended in a Revolutionary War slaughter. 1,600 British soldiers attacked Fort Griswold, where just 165 Patriot defenders gave fight. They surrendered, but the British killed them anyway in a battle directed by Benedict Arnold.
