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Fascinating True Stories From the Flip Side of History

On the Web Since 1994

Podcasting Since January 2008

The Broken Record: A Search for Lost Treasure (1911)

Published on April 4, 2023

Posted in: Death and Murder, Law & Order, Money & Financial, Tidbits

Just what happens when a man records the location of a buried treasure on a phonograph record and the record shatters before anyone listens to it?

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1949 – Boy Wishes for Stone for Mother’s Grave (Footnote)

Published on December 20, 2022

Posted in: Death and Murder, Footnotes to History, Holidays & Celebrations

All 11-year-old Bobby Lovell wanted for Christmas was a stone for his mother's grave. Would his wish come true?

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Russell Sage: The Meanest Miser in the Land – Podcast #178

Published on August 15, 2022

Posted in: Death and Murder, Money & Financial, Podcast

Russell Sage was once one of the world's wealthiest men. After his death, his wife Olivia got even by gave his fortune away to the causes that Sage despised. Historian Kathy Sheehan joins me tell the true story of Russell Sage.

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1922 – Dead Woman Sits Up in Coffin

Published on August 4, 2022

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Death and Murder, Tidbits

Everyone was certain that Rebacca Senst had died. That was until she sat up in her coffin...

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1927 – Unidentified Body Found by Hartford Police

Published on July 11, 2022

Posted in: Animals & Pets, Crime & Punishment, Death and Murder, Tidbits

A man told police that he had witnessed someone being murdered. Investigators raced to the scene, saw the blood, and then discovered a very unusual corpse.

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Footnote – 1947: Doctor Wins Bet but Client Dies After Paying Off

Published on June 24, 2022

Posted in: Death and Murder, Footnotes to History

Imagine losing a bet with a doctor and then dropping dead minutes after settling the bet. That happened to Allan Sharp.

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Footnote – 1950: Dog Saves Lives of 60 Men College Students

Published on May 10, 2022

Posted in: Animals & Pets, Death and Murder, Escape and Survival, Footnotes to History, Tidbits

The lives of 60 dormitory residents were endangered by carbon monoxide poisoning. A pooch named Piedmont was credited with saving their lives.

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1964: A Painful Mourning

Published on March 29, 2022

Posted in: Death and Murder, Tidbits

Twenty-two people died after eating koliva, a traditional dish in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Clearly, something was wrong with the koliva...

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Anti-Roach Flour

Published on January 28, 2022

Posted in: Death and Murder, Tidbits

On December 11, 1957, Finis Kittinger accidentally used roach poison instead of flour to make fried chicken.

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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?

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Footnote – 1899: 4 Cows Killed by Lightning

Published on August 18, 2021

Posted in: Animals & Pets, Death and Murder, Footnotes to History

In July 1899, farmer Charles Hulse had four of his cows killed at the same time by a bolt of lightning.

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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?

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Wrote Will on Petticoat

Published on June 5, 2021

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Death and Murder, Money & Financial, Tidbits

In 1925, George W. Hazeltine was near death and wrote his will on the petticoat of one of his nurses. Would it hold up in court?

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Isabel McHie – A Fortune to the Dogs – Podcast #150

Published on May 29, 2021

Posted in: Death and Murder, Love & Marriage, Money & Financial, Podcast

When Isabel McHie was pulled off of a train in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1935, she confirmed to the world that she truly was eccentric. It was a reputation that continued long after she died.

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Badman Billy Cook – Podcast #148

Published on April 28, 2021

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Death and Murder, Podcast

There's a killer on the road. His brain is squirmin' like a toad. The mostly forgotten true story of the manhunt for mass murderer Billy Cook in 1951. His crime spree was the inspiration for a verse in one of classic rock's most famous songs.

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