The Cryptanalyst (Part 2) – Podcast #183 Published on November 3, 2022 Posted in: Fraud & Deception, Law & Order, Podcast In this second installment, 93-year-old Marvin Lautzenheiser discusses his time as an FBI field agent, how his team finally deciphered the hollow nickel message, and offers up his opinion on the Steven Spielberg movie Bridge of Spies.Click to Read More...
The Cryptanalyst (Part 1) – Podcast #182 Published on October 21, 2022 Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Law & Order, Podcast An interview with 93-year-old Marvin Lautzenheiser, who was the lead cryptanalyst for the FBI team that deciphered the microfilm message contained in the Hollow Nickel (Podcast #168).Click to Read More...
Footnote – 1956: Driver Grabs At Bird, Hits New Police Car Published on June 27, 2022 Posted in: Footnotes to History, Law & Order A parakeet was blamed for a car accident that destroyed a brand-new police car.Click to Read More...
1949 – Theater Popcorn Ban Proposed Published on June 13, 2022 Posted in: Law & Order, Tidbits A bill was introduced in the Oregon State Senate that called for the banning of popcorn and peanuts in movie theaters. Click to Read More...
The Case of the Hollow Nickel – Podcast #168 Published on March 15, 2022 Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Law & Order, Podcast In 1953, paperboy Jimmy Bozart was counting his subscription money. He dropped the coins and one nickel split open, revealing a piece of microfilm. This led to the arrest of a high-ranking Soviet spy. Click to Read More...
Mother Jailed for Cooking Woodpecker Published on December 3, 2021 Posted in: Animals & Pets, Crime & Punishment, Law & Order, Tidbits In 1914, a mother of two was arrested for cooking a woodpecker. Unable to pay the fine, she was sentenced to twenty days in jail.Click to Read More...
Proud Father Kidnaps Baby Published on November 23, 2021 Posted in: Law & Order, Love & Marriage, Tidbits On February 22, 1911, staff at the Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Home and Hospital in Brooklyn, NY frantically searched for newborn Evelyn Erickson.Click to Read More...
The Forgotten Man – Archibald Herron – Podcast #159 Published on October 28, 2021 Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Death and Murder, Law & Order, Podcast A New Jersey man was caught in a Catch-22 situation: As long as he remained on death row, he could live. If he attempted to get off of death row by challenging his sentence in court, he would likely die. Can you guess which option he chose?Click to Read More...
Don’t Mess With Minerva Miller – Podcast #157 Published on September 29, 2021 Posted in: Forgotten History, Law & Order, Podcast In 1911, Mrs. Minerva Miller went to The Paterson Show in Paterson, NJ to watch a movie. A standard ticket cost 5 cents, but Mrs. Miller was told that she would have to pay 25 cents because she was black. She decided to challenge the theater's racist policy.Click to Read More...
16-Year-Old Girl Jailed for Cursing Published on September 28, 2021 Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Law & Order, Tidbits On Friday, January 30, 1953, 16-year-old Yvonne D. Fonda was jailed for cursing while skating at the Flushing Park Skating Rink in Queens, NY.Click to Read More...
Footnote – 1928: Husband Refuses to Buy His Wife False Teeth Published on September 24, 2021 Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Footnotes to History, Law & Order, Love & Marriage, Tidbits In 1928, Mathias Blau was in a Chicago courtroom because he had his wife's teeth pulled and refused to purchase dentures for her.Click to Read More...
Mother Loans Her Son to a Stranger Published on August 27, 2021 Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Law & Order, Tidbits Mrs. Florence Parker made the mistake of loaning her son Billy to a woman who had lost her son. Mrs. Parker would not see Billy for five months...Click to Read More...
Footnote – 1914: Helps Indict Himself Published on July 13, 2021 Posted in: Footnotes to History, Law & Order, Tidbits On January 24, 1914, James Severn had to sit on a grand jury and deliberate over his own indictment. Is that really legal?Click to Read More...
A Blind Eye – Helen Vasco – Podcast #151 Published on June 28, 2021 Posted in: Forgotten History, Law & Order, Love & Marriage, Podcast, Science, Technology & Medicine In 1933, Helen Vasko was diagnosed with a malignant eye tumor that threatened her life. Her parents would not consent to surgery and the case ended up in court. Find out which side won this landmark case.Click to Read More...
Penned Will on Ladder Published on June 12, 2021 Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Death and Murder, Law & Order, Money & Financial, Tidbits Hermann Strathmann, of Los Angeles, wrote his will on a step-ladder shortly before he passed away. Eight other wills were found. Which would be the accepted one?Click to Read More...