In the 1890’s a group of Australian socialists attempted to establish a worker’s colony in Paraguay.  It was envisioned as a socialist utopia but it soon fell apart over disagreements about the consumption of alcohol and fraternizing with the local women, among other things.   Today we tell the story of New Australia. You can subscribe to the Untold History podcast at our website, theuntoldhistory.com, at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, RadioPublic and more. Thanks for listening! (Photo by State... Read More Read More

Cats are often seen as tools of the devil, or as bad luck, particularly if they are black.  Today we tell how they got that reputation, way back in the Middle Ages, along with how that itself led to massive death across the European continent.   The Untold History podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn and on many other podcast apps.  Thanks for listening.

In 1892 a young woman named Mercy Lena Brown died of tuberculosis in Rhode Island. Her mother and sister had also died of the disease and two months later her brother was about to die from it as well. What do you do in a situation like that? Why, you dig up Lena’s grave to see if she’s a vampire, of course! Today we tell the story of one of the last “vampires” in New England, where two centuries of... Read More Read More

Snake handling as a religious practice has been associated with the backwoods of Appalachia for over a hundred years. While it’s true that the handling of poisonous snakes as a way of proving one’s faith has and still does occur, it has generally been fairly rare. Today we tell the story of the man who began the practice, George Went Hensley, from Virginia. You can subscribe to the Untold History podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic, Anchor FM, and on... Read More Read More

Despite the efforts of anti-alcohol crusaders in the 1920’s, including passage of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning the sale of alcohol, people continued to drink. They drank so much the sale of alcoholic products increased by 300 percent! Today we tell how the Federal Government dealt with that problem. You can subscribe to the Untold History at Anchor FM, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play and on many other podcast apps. Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our... Read More Read More

An argument between a black settler and a Native American led, eventually, to several laws that banned African-Americans from Oregon. Today we tell you the untold history of Oregon’s exclusion laws of the 19th century. You can subscribe to the Untold History at our website: www.theuntoldhistory.com; also on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Tune In, Anchor FM, and on most other podcast apps. Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our stories of the lesser known bits of history.

Today we tell the story of Ed Kemper, also known as the Co-ed Killer, who terrorized college campuses in California in the early 1970s with a string of brutal murders, rapes and dismemberments. He is still held in custody in the state and has helped psychiatrists to understand serial killers, saving lives in the process. He also is known for recording audiobooks for the blind. Another bit of Untold History. We hope you enjoy! The Untold History is available on... Read More Read More

In 1925 a Harlan County, Kentucky, taxi driver named Condy Dabney got caught up in a murder case and was convicted…but that’s not the end of this story. You can subscribe to the Untold History podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your own favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening and sharing us with your friends.

What does the author of the Star Spangled Banner have to do with the insanity defense in America?  Well, nothing, to be honest, but his son does. Today we tell that bit of untold history. You can subscribe to the Untold History podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening!

Today we tell the story of a former slave who, through hard work and luck, managed to enter the world of the wealthy aristocrats of Virginia.  His relationship with Thomas Jefferson gave him access to the Founding Fathers, but his attempts at using that access, it seems, were rebuffed by McPherson’s odd ideas about the end of the world and his role in it.   You can subscribe to the Untold History podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher as well as... Read More Read More