Why New York’s Smallest Private Island Was a Secret Spy Base | Rat Island
It’s History23 Elo 2025

Why New York’s Smallest Private Island Was a Secret Spy Base | Rat Island

When you hear “Rat Island,” your mind might jump to something grim—but the truth is far more fascinating. Tucked between City Island and Hart Island in the Bronx, this rocky outcrop has quietly witnessed some of the strangest chapters in New York City history. From Revolutionary War espionage to yellow fever quarantines, it’s been a hideout for spies, a prison for the sick, and a retreat for artists and outcasts. In this episode, we uncover the hidden story of Rat Island—New York’s only privately owned island. You’ll learn how a lone seaman lived in isolation for years, why Broadway actors gathered here in the 1930s, and how a Swiss statue wound up watching over the waves. Rat Island may be small, but its legacy is larger than life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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"NOTHING COULD HAVE SAVED HER" | Titanic account #2 Commander Lightoller

"NOTHING COULD HAVE SAVED HER" | Titanic account #2 Commander Lightoller

Charles Herbert Lightoller, DSC & Bar, RD, RNR (30 March 1874 - 8 December 1952) was a British Royal Navy officer and the second officer on board the RMS Titanic. He was the most senior member of the ...

5 Tammi 202124min

Plague Doctor Costumes, A Terrifying Sight

Plague Doctor Costumes, A Terrifying Sight

One of the most intriguing of the plague doctor images we've found is a painted coat of arms belonging to Theodore Zwinger III (1658-1724), a Swiss doctor and descendant of Theodore Zwinger I (1533-15...

1 Tammi 20215min

When Animals Were Punished in Court

When Animals Were Punished in Court

In legal history, an animal trial was the criminal trial of a non-human animal. Such trials are recorded as having taken place in Europe from the thirteenth century until the eighteenth. In modern tim...

28 Joulu 20209min

When Chocolate was a Drug

When Chocolate was a Drug

Discovering American Heritage Through Tales of Urban Decay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Joulu 20207min

The Lost Street Cars of New York City | The Story of American trolleys

The Lost Street Cars of New York City | The Story of American trolleys

The story of New York's lost trolley network, a great American crime! Welcome to Tales of Urban Decay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Joulu 202013min

CENTRALIA 🔥 Exploring The Burning Ghost Town

CENTRALIA 🔥 Exploring The Burning Ghost Town

Long history shot = Centralia is a borough and near-ghost town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its population has dwindled from more than 1,000 residents in 1980 to 63 by 1990, to onl...

8 Joulu 202015min

Forgotten Tunnels Under Chicago - EXPLORING The History of Chicago Tunnels

Forgotten Tunnels Under Chicago - EXPLORING The History of Chicago Tunnels

Below the sewers and subways of Chicago, are over 60-miles of forgotten 19th and 20th century train tunnels. This mysterious labyrinth, once connecting the majority of the city's most prominent buildi...

4 Joulu 202021min

BATTLE OF AGER FALERNUS - remarkable Hannibal's victory

BATTLE OF AGER FALERNUS - remarkable Hannibal's victory

Today you will hear about how Hannibal with his army fell into an ambush and how in unusual way they got out. Will Fabius Maximus - a Roman dictator stop his plan? The Second Punic War is also full of...

30 Tammi 20195min

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