The SS Waratah: The Titanic of the South That Vanished Without a Trace
In July 1909, the luxury liner SS Waratah disappeared off the volatile coast of South Africa with 211 people aboard, leaving no wreckage, no lifeboats, and no bodies. This episode traces the brief lif...
30 Jun 21min
The Flagellants: When Pain Became a Formula for Salvation
In the 14th century, thousands of volunteers in matching white robes marched through plague-stricken towns whipping themselves until they bled, believing their pain could save the world. This episode ...
30 Jun 22min
The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders: A Mother, an Imposter, and a Corrupt LAPD
In 1928, the LAPD reunited a grieving mother with a boy they claimed was her missing son, then committed her to a psychiatric ward when she insisted he was an imposter. This episode unpacks the Winevi...
30 Jun 22min
Cat Island: How a Dying Fishing Village Became Overrun by Cats
A tiny 1.6-kilometer island in Japan's Seto Inland Sea went from a fishing village of 900 people to an internet sensation where cats once outnumbered humans by up to 36 to 1. But beneath the viral pho...
30 Jun 11min
Snake Island: Brazil's Forbidden Refuge of the Golden Lancehead
Off the coast of Sao Paulo lies Ilha da Queimada Grande, an island so dangerous the Brazilian Navy forbids anyone from setting foot on it. Known as Snake Island, this 106-acre rock is ruled by the gol...
30 Jun 23min
Voyager 2: The 1970s Probe Still Texting Us From Interstellar Space
Built in the 1970s and now over 13 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 2 runs on a tape recorder holding just 64 megabytes yet remains the only object to visit Uranus and Neptune. This episode tells the...
30 Jun 20min
Rosie Ruiz: The Boston Marathon Cheat Who Fooled the World
On April 21, 1980, Rosie Ruiz crossed the Boston Marathon finish line with a record-shattering 2:31:56, the fastest female time in race history at that point. Yet she wasn't panting, barely sweating, ...
30 Jun 21min
Lewis Latimer: The Self-Taught Genius Who Made the Light Bulb Last
History credits Edison and Bell for the modern illuminated world, but a self-taught draftsman made many of those ideas practical, patentable, and durable. This episode explores the life of Lewis Howar...
30 Jun 17min
