One Year: 1986 | 5. Herschel vs. the Blubber Busters
In Seattle, a pack of voracious sea lions decimates the local fish population. When fireworks and an underwater air horn don’t scare away the whisker-y mammals, bureaucrats and scientists are faced wi...
15 Sep 202246min
One Year: 1986 | 4. A Boycott in Mississippi
Black residents of Indianola, Mississippi, were fed up with decades of separate-and-unequal classrooms. When a white outsider got hired as school superintendent, they decided to take a stand. This wee...
8 Sep 202254min
One Year: 1986 | 3. The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults
Rumors about the legendary gangster Al Capone’s buried treasure transform an abandoned Chicago hotel into the center of the entertainment universe. Will Geraldo Rivera’s excavation on live TV turn up ...
1 Sep 202258min
One Year: 1986 | 2. The Ultimate Field Trip
This week, Evan Chung tells the story of the American teachers who competed for an unprecedented prize: a spot on the January 1986 launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Three of the finalists descri...
25 Aug 202255min
Slow Burn presents... One Year: 1986 | 1. No Crime Day
Basketball star Isiah Thomas had an audacious plan to transform Detroit: asking criminals to stay on the good side of the law for 24 hours. Would “No Crime Day” set the city on a new path, or was it a...
18 Aug 202250min
Decoder Ring: The “Sex” Scandal That Made Mae West
In the early 1930s, Mae West’s dirty talk and hip swiveling walk made her one of the biggest movie stars in America. But before West hit the big-screen, she was prosecuted for staging not one, but two...
16 Aug 202241min
Decoder Ring: The First Alien Abductees
When you think of an alien abduction, what do you picture? Humanoid creatures, medical experiments, lost memories retrieved through hypnosis? That narrative was largely unknown until Betty and Barney ...
9 Aug 202236min
Decoder Ring: The Most Famous Poet No One Remembers
Rod McKuen sold multiple millions of poetry books in the 60s and 70s. He released dozens of albums, was a regular on late night, and was even nominated for an Oscar. So, how did the most salable poet ...
2 Aug 202243min
