Ridiculous Crime

When a pastor went missing after giving a series of talks about the devil, everyone who knew him was certain Satanists were to blame. But what if the devil in this story was actually the little devil on that pastor's shoulder urging him to find a new life? Guess what...it was.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sen. Estes Kefauver was outraged by a crime: the poisoning of the minds of American children. He spied a vile new threat introduced by Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman –– to him, the superheroes were secretly agents of fascism. The lawmaker knew the best way to fight back and save America's children was to call the press and form... a Senate Subcommittee! (Cue the moral panic in 3, 2, 1..)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Antarctica is cold. Very cold. And there's not much to do other than research and maintenance. Or listen to Metallica. What happens when you mix a limited library, a bully, and a whole lot of booze? Something ridiculous, for sure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was an idea so crazy it just might work: what if a middle-aged scientist invited 10 young, sexy strangers to live aboard a raft with him for 3 – 6 months and together they’d solve the question of world peace. Who knows? (Every one knows.)  Warning: adult themesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diamonds and gems scattered about the dry earth just waiting to be gathered and sold. Little to no work involved. Easy money. Sounds to good to be true, right? Not for the titans of industry, experts, and investors who fell for this ridiculous con.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Garrett Brock Trapnell was a criminal Swiss Army knife; he ran guns for Fidel Castro, he rented dogs to Hollywood stars, later he became a skyjacker –– and he became so famous from it that a mother and daughter tried to free him from prison.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you get when you put a fearless woman behind the wheel of a truck filled with illicit booze on a winding country road with the feds in hot pursuit? You get the brazen capers of Willie Carter Sharpe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One was a man of action, an incredible athlete who was always ready with an outsized proposition bet, like wagering if he could throw a peanut across Times Square; the other man was a walking calculator of odds and angles, a master gambler, but one who preferred it when the game was rigged — they called themselves Titanic and The Brain. One of them is still remembered as the man who fixed the World Series, at least that’s the rumor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edgar Laplante tried it all: pretending to be a Native American chief, pretending to be a famous athlete, pretending to be a war hero, pretending to be in love with a noblewoman. While not always a very convincing imposter, he was weirdly successful in his relentless career of cons and fraud.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It hits every American 80s movie trope: parents go out of town, teen boy throws party, party gets out of control. Except this time it became a global sensation and wound up inspiring its own movie. And in the tradition of Succulent Chinese Meal Man, this Australian teen is unapologetically larger than life and, well, ridiculous.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.