Comedy

Strange Country Ep. 50: AC/DC Live Show at Auburn Public Theater

Strange Country's first-ever live show features the War of the Currents, Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse's fight for electric domination. One of its major battles took place in Auburn, NY over which current would power the first electrocution. Thanks to Auburn Public Theater for hosting us.

Cite Your Sources:

Barry, Dan. “A Specter of Past Executions Resurfaces in Tennesee.” The New York Times, 23 May 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/05/24/us/a-specter-of-past-executions-resurfaces-in-tennessee.html.

Brandon, Craig. The Electric Chair: an Unnatural American History. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2009.

Clary, Mike. “Bloody Florida Execution Spurs Questions.” Los Angeles Times, 9 July 1999, articles.latimes.com/1999/jul/09/news/mn-54315.

Clendinen, Dudley. “Editorial Observer; The Long Search for a Civilized Way to Kill.” The New York Times, 7 Nov. 1999, www.nytimes.com/1999/11/07/opinion/editorial-observer-the-long-search-for-a-civilized-way-to-kill.html.

Collins, Jeffrey. “South Carolina Senate Empowers State to Use Electric Chair.” U.S. News & World Report, 7 Mar. 2018, www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2018-03-07/south-carolina-senate-approves-electric-chair-for-executions.

“First Execution by Electric Chair.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-execution-by-electric-chair.

Galvin, Anthony. Old Sparky: the Electric Chair and the History of the Death Penalty. Carrel Books, 2015.

Gurstelle, William. “The Most Gruesome Government Report Ever Written Evaluates 34 Ways to Execute a Man.” Popular Mechanics, 16 Mar. 2017, www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a25689/gerry-commission-report-methods-of-execution/.

King, Gilbert. “Cruel and Unusual History.” The New York Times, 23 Apr. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/opinion/23king.html.

King, Gilbert. “Edison vs. Westinghouse: A Shocking Rivalry.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 11 Oct. 2011, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/edison-vs-westinghouse-a-shocking-rivalry-102146036/.

“The Last Electrocution.” The New York Times, 2005, www.nytimes.com/1995/03/07/nyregion/the-last-electrocution.html.

Long, Tony. “Aug. 6, 1890: Kemmler First to Ride 'The LIghtning'.” Wired, 5 Aug. 2008, www.wired.com/2008/08/aug-6-1890-kemmler-first-to-ride-the-lightning/.

“Methods of Execution.” Battle Scars: Military Veterans and the Death Penalty | Death Penalty Information Center, deathpenaltyinfo.org/methods-execution.

Newman, Andy. “BLOGOSPHERE A DARK MOMENT; The Last Man Hanged by New York State: Was He Guilty?” The New York Times, 6 Dec. 2009, archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9D01E7DB1531F935A35751C1A96F9C8B63.html.

Strange Country Ep. 49: SS Morro Castle

Ever get the creeps from someone? Trust that instinct because sometimes that guy is the one who sets a ship on fire, makes a bomb and murders. In Ep. 49 Strange Country explores the life of George White Rogers, a radio operator who was deemed a hero in the Morro Castle disaster. But was he really? More a zero than a hero.

Cite your sources:

Blake, Sarah. “When the Wreckage of a Horrific Ship Disaster Became a Tourist Destination.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 10 Sept. 2013, www.atlasobscura.com/articles/morro-castle-disaster.

Hicks, Brian. When the Dancing Stopped The Real Story of the Morro Castle Disaster and Its Deadly Wake. Free Press, 2008.

Larson, Erik. “The Horror of Morro Castle Lives On.” Asbury Park Press, 8 Sept. 2016, www.app.com/story/news/history/erik-larsen/2016/09/08/horror-morro-castle-lives/89597224/.

Schmidt, Margaret. “About Bayonne: 75th Anniversary of Morro Castle Disaster Sparks Memories of Bayonne 'Hero'-Turned-Murderer.” The Jersey Journal, 9 Sept. 2009, www.nj.com/bayonne/index.ssf/2009/09/about_bayonne_75th_anniversary.html.

Strange Country Ep. 48: Spirit Photography

Spiritualism meets photography in episode 48 of Strange Country. William Mumler found a way to connect people with their loved ones by staging live/dead photoshoots. Some skeptics cried fraud while others lined up for the spirit camera.

Strange Country Ep. 47: Zombie Apocalypse

Are you ready for the zombie apocalypse? The United States is. CONPLAN 8888-11 has all the know-how for defeating eight different type of zombies. Strange Country explores this plan and various scenarios of "what would you do" if you and some repulsive man were the last people on Earth.

Cite your sou--BRAIINNSSSSSSSSSS

Brown, Jennings. “Florida City Has Been Accidentally Sending Out Zombie Alert Messages Since Hurricane Irma.” Gizmodo, Gizmodo.com, 22 May 2018, gizmodo.com/florida-city-has-been-accidentally-sending-out-zombie-a-1826223898.

Del Guercio, Gino. “The Secret's of Haiti's Living Dead.” Harvard Magazine, 31 Oct. 2017, harvardmagazine.com/2017/10/are-zombies-real.

England, Charlotte. “Scientists Have Worked out How Long Humans Would Survive in a Zombie Apocalypse.” The Independent, 7 Jan. 2017, www.independent.co.uk/news/science/how-long-humans-survive-zombie-apocalypse-scientists-a7513941.html.

Friend, Tad. “Superior Intelligence: Do the Perils of A.I. Exceed Its Promise?” The New Yorker, 14 May 2018, pp. 44–51.

Herbert, Geoff. “Zombie Drugs? Florida Man Stabs Couple, Eats Dead Man's Face in Random Attack.” The Post Standard, 7 Aug. 2016, www.syracuse.com/us-news/index.ssf/2016/08/florida_zombie_attack_austin_harrouff_flakka.html.

Loria, Kevin. "Bill Gates thinks a coming disease could kill 30 million people within 6 months — and says we should prepare for it as we do for war." Business Insider, 27 Apr. 2018, www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-warns-the-next-pandemic-disease-is-coming-2018-4. Accessed 20 June 2018.

McCall, Rosie. “If The Zombie Apocalypse Happens, This Is Where Scientists Say You Should Go.” IFLScience, IFLScience, 30 May 2018, www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/if-the-zombie-apocalypse-happens-this-is-where-scientists-say-you-should-go/.

Mooney, Chris. "Hurricanes are Moving More Slowly--Which Makes Them Even More Dangerous." The Washington Post, 6 June 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/06/06/hurricanes-are-traveling-more-slowly-which-makes-them-even-more-dangerous/?utm_term=.898e3342a4c4. Accessed 20 June 2018.

Morgan, Thad. “Are You Prepared for a Zombie Apocalypse? The U.S. Government Is.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 31 Oct. 2017, www.history.com/news/are-you-prepared-for-a-zombie-apocalypse-the-u-s-government-is.

Morris, Hamilton. "I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE." Harper's Magazine, vol. 323, no. 1938, 11, 2011, pp. 52-61. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/910121144?accountid=36036.

“Rudy Eugene's Toxicology Report: Experts Speculate on What Caused 'Face-Chewing' Attack.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 28 June 2012, www.cbsnews.com/news/rudy-eugenes-toxicology-report-experts-speculate-on-what-caused-face-chewing-attack/.

Sloth, TE, and David Wong. “5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen.” Cracked.com, 9 Oct. 2007, www.cracked.com/article_15643_5-scientific-reasons-zombie-apocalypse-could-actually-happen.html.

Sturt, David, and Todd Nordstrum. “A U.S. Government 'Zombie' Plan?” Forbes, 29 May 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/davidsturt/2014/05/29/a-u-s-government-zombie-plan/#728e01564dce.

United States, Congress, Joint Operational Planning and Execution System . “CDRUSSTRATCOM COMPLAN 8888-11 ‘COUNTER-ZOMBIE DOMINANCE’.” Intellipedia, 30 Apr. 2011. i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2014/images/05/16/dod.zombie.apocalypse.plan.pdf.

“'Zombie Chickens' Causing Debate Over Fate of Older Chickens in California.” Fox News, FOX News Network, www.foxnews.com/story/2006/12/05/zombie-chickens-causing-debate-over-fate-older-chickens-in-california.html.

Strange Country Ep. 46: Elmer McCurdy

Elmer McCurdy died in 1911 but wasn't put to rest until 1977. What was he doing all that time? In our shortest episode to date, Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about this outlaw's after life all the while trying to prepare the best mac and cheese ever.

Cite your sources:

Engel, Matthew. “More than 100 Bodies Found as US Crematorium Gives up Grisly Secret.” The Guardian, 17 Feb. 2002, www.theguardian.com/world/2002/feb/18/matthewengel.

"Grave of Elmer McCurdy the Sideshow Mummy." Roadside America, www.roadsideamerica.com/story/14196.

Sutter, Ellie. “Guthrie Cemetery Tours Stir Claims of Devil Worship.” The Oklahoman, 14 June 1991, newsok.com/article/2360005/guthrie-cemetery-tours-stir-claims-of-devil-worship.

Sutter, Ellie. “‘Squabble’ Ridiculous.” The Oklahoman, 15 July 1991, newsok.com/article/2362895/squabble-ridiculous.

Svenvold, Mark. Elmer McCurdy: The Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw. Basic

Books, 2002.

Traxel, David. "Where's Elmer?" The New York Times, 26 Jan. 2003. The New York Times,

www.nytimes.com/2003/01/26/books/where-s-elmer.html. Accessed 7 June 2016.

Washington, Glynn, producer. "The Long, Strange, 60-Year Trip of Elmer McCurdy." Snap Judgment, NPR,

9 Jan. 2015, www.npr.org/2015/01/09/376097471/the-long-strange-60-year-trip-of-elmer-mccurdy.

Accessed 7 June 2018.

Strange Country Ep. 45: Robert the Doll

There's really no telling when you will learn the next disturbing thing about love, life, or one of the cohosts of Strange Country when you listen in each week. This week we look into the world that surrounds Robert The Doll, a fixture in Key West, FL lore that still haunts drunken tourists, and accident-prone women. But Robert isn't all we talk about in this episode. In fact, we brought our own special guests to sit in and listen while we recorded. They didn't have much to say, but they left a lasting impression. Find out who still breastfeeds her babydoll in SC #45!

Strange Country Ep. 44: Witch of Lime Street

If there's something strange in your seance room. Who you gonna call? No, not ghostbusters. Harry Houdini. Houdini, the great escape artist, made it his mission to unmask fake mediums, and his abilities were put to the ultimate test in a WWE-style showdown with America's most famous medium. Have any idea who that might be? You probably figured out who won then. Strange Country Ep. 44 is all about the witch of lime street, and features a symphony of sound effects by DJ. Jazzy Kelly. Or is it a spirit ringing your bell box?!?

Cite your sources:

Conliffe, Ciaran. “Mina Crandon, Psychic Fraudster.” Headstuff, 6 Apr. 2015, www.headstuff.org/culture/history/mina-crandon-psychic-fraudster/.

“Houdini's Greatest Trick: Debunking Medium Mina Crandon.” Mental Floss, 1 Nov. 2013, mentalfloss.com/article/53424/houdinis-greatest-trick-debunking-medium-mina-crandon.

Jaher, David. The Witch of Lime Street: séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World. Broadway Books, 2016.

“Mina Crandon & Harry Houdini: The Medium and The Magician.” HistoryNet, 24 Jan. 2018, www.historynet.com/mina-crandon-harry-houdini-the-medium-and-the-magician.htm.

“Photographs from a Séance with Eva Carrière (1913).” The Public Domain Review, publicdomainreview.org/collections/photographs-from-a-seance-with-eva-carriere-1913/.

Strange Country Ep. 43: Cult of the Great Eleven

May Otis Blackburn and her daughter Ruth were going to write the book that would knock the world's socks off in the 1920s. The Angel Gabriel dictated it to them and in return, he would give them the lost measurements to gold, diamond and oil deposits. Did it matter that their book made no sense or that it never was a book, but more of a scam? Not to their followers who willingly signed over deeds and life savings to follow The Divine Order of the Royal Arms of the Great Eleven. Strange Country Episode 43 is culterrific and includes plans for our very own Strange Country cult. Send us your cash ASAP. 

Big shout-out to Samuel Fort for his book Cult of the Great Eleven that was used in this podcast.

Cite your sources:

Fort, Samuel. Cult of the Great Eleven. Nisirtu Publishing, 2015.

Rassmussen, Cecilia. “Divine Order's Tale Smacks of Cult Fiction.” Los Angeles Times, 23 May 1999, articles.latimes.com/1999/may/23/local/me-40217.

“Who Was King Solomon in the Bible?” What Christians Want To Know RSS, www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/who-was-king-solomon-in-the-bible/.

Strange Country Ep. 42: Karl Tanzler


Springtime is in full bloom and we feel it is time for a lov...a glove story. On this episode of Strange Country, join Kelly and Beth down a path of discovery on what truly is real love and what is just plain messed up. Count Carl von Cosol was a radiologist in Key West Florida in the 1930's when he met what he thought was his true love, a beautiful young married Cuban woman named Maria Elena Milagro del Hoyos. The only problem is that the love was not returned and sadly she died. This is where the story should end. But in Strange Country stories you know better Dash Hounds! It has only just begun. Listen in and see if we can get through the gory details.

Cite Your Sources:

Meek, Miki. Dr. Stranglove, This American Life. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/610/grand-gesture/act-one

Swicegood, Thomas. VonCosol. https://www.amazon.com/Von-Cosel-Tom-Swicegood/dp/0595656897

Harrison, Ben. Undying Love: The True Story of A Passion the Defied Death

http://www.flkeysnews.com/entertainment/article195067579.html

http://www.theatre-news.com/news/UK/55019/Wade-McCollum-to-star-in-world-premiere-of-It-Happened-in-Key-West

Machlaclan, Sarah. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.

Nelson, Brad, Sarah Maclachlan Fumbling Towards Ecstatsy. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/sarah-mclachlan-fumbling-towards-ecstasy/

Strange Country Ep. 41: Shirley Mason

Before the book Sybil, there were only a handful of cases of Multiple Personality Disorder. After the book, the number exploded. But was Sybil's story all it was said to be? Her mother's orgies in the woods with teenage girls, her mother defecating on the lawns of neighbors, giving Sybil ice-water enemas? Or was it all suggested by a therapist while the patient was hopped up on a variety of barbiturates and methamphetamine? In Strange Country Ep. 41, co-hosts Beth and Kelly look into the debunking the story of Sybil whose real name was Shirley Mason and the behavior of her beloved therapist Dr. Cornelia Wilbur.

Make Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case by Debbie Nathan your book club selection and then meet Beth at Cazenovia Bagels to talk about

As always, give credit where credit is due:

Inglis-Arkell, Esther. “What Truths Does ‘Truth Serum’ Sodium Pentothal Actually Reveal?” io9, io9.Gizmodo.com, 19 Apr. 2012, io9.gizmodo.com/5902559/what-truths-does-truth-serum-actually-reveal.

Nathan, Debbie. Sybil Exposed: the Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case. Free Press, 2012.

RetroReport. Sybil: A Brilliant Hysteric? The New York Times, 24 Nov. 2014, www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000003250377/sybil-a-brilliant-hysteric.html.

“Tapes Raise New Doubts About 'Sybil' Personalities.” The New York Times, 19 Aug. 1998, www.nytimes.com/1998/08/19/us/tapes-raise-new-doubts-about-sybil-personalities.html?action=click&contentCollection=Magazine&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=Marginalia&pgtype=article.

“Vitamin Deficiency Anemia.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 9 Nov. 2016, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vitamin-deficiency-anemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355025.

Strange Country Ep. 39: Cat Spies

Project Acoustic Kitty is not the name of a 1990s band, but a CIA surveillance program involving cats as spies. . . until CIA researchers realized that they were working with cats and cats never do what humans want. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about this failed experiment and wonder if hermit crabs would have been the better choice. And if you feel your pet is watching you...it is. For the C.I.A.

Cite your sources!

Bruel, Nick. Bad Kitty Takes the Test. Square Fish, an Imprint of Macmillian Publishing Group, LLC, 2018.

Eschner, Kat. “The CIA Experimented On Animals in the 1960s Too. Just Ask 'Acoustic Kitty'.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 8 Aug. 2017, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cia-experimented-animals-1960s-too-just-ask-acoustic-kitty-180964313/.

King, Bart. The Big Book of Spy Stuff. G. Smith, 2011.

LaFrance, Adrienne. “That Time the CIA Bugged a Cat to Spy on the Soviets.” The Atlantic, 24 June 2015, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/acoustic-kitty-technological-history-of-american-espionage/396728/.

Scoccia, Tom. “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier. . . Illusionist?” Boston Globe, 1 Nov. 2009, archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/11/01/when_the_cia_tried_its_hand_at_magic/.

Soniak, Matt. “The CIA Plan to Use Cats as Spies (and the Taxi That Ruined It).” Mental Floss, 21 May 2011, mentalfloss.com/article/27790/cia-plan-use-cats-spies-and-taxi-ruined-it.

Vanderbilt, Tom. “The CIA's Most Highly-Trained Spies Weren't Even Human.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-cias-most-highly-trained-spies-werent-even-human-20149/.

Wallace, Robert, et al. Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, From Communism to Al-Qaeda. Bantam, 2010.

Waxman, Olivia B. “That Time the CIA Tried to Train Cats to Be Spies.” Time, 26 July 2017, time.com/4868642/cia-anniversary-national-security-act-cats/.

Strange Country Ep. 38: Cardiff Giant

Strange Country digs deep into the muck and mire and humbuggery that was the Cardiff Giant. Co-hosts Beth and Kelly discuss how people were hoodwinked by the 10-foot tall petrified naked dude and perhaps why people like to be fooled. And did we mention the statue was naked?

Cite Your Sources:

Andrews, Evan. The Cardiff Giant Fools the Nation 145 Years Ago. History.com, October 16, 2014.

Bhattacharjee, Yudhijit. Why We Lie. National Geographic, March 2017.

Gypsum- Wikipedia!!!

Luther, Roger. Treasures in the Tier, Giants in the Industry. http://nyslandmarks.com/treasures/12jul.htm, accessed April 2018.

Strange Country Ep. 36: Morgellons disease

Is Morgellons disease real or is it one of those women diseases caused by our wandering uteri? Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly look into this alleged condition and the many ways women are dismissed by the medical community.

Cite Your Sources:

“Borrelia Burgdorferi.” Bay Area Lyme Foundation, www.bayarealyme.org/about-lyme/what-causes-lyme-disease/borrelia-burgdorferi/.

Brown, Frederick M. “The Bizarre Backstory of Joni Mitchell's Chronic Illness.” The Cut, 3 Apr. 2015, www.thecut.com/2015/04/joni-mitchells-bizarre-medical-mystery.html.

Cara, Ed. “Morgellons Skin Disease Isn't Real Doctors Say, But Its Sufferers Haven't Gone Away.” Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2016, www.newsweek.com/2016/08/12/morgellons-skin-disease-485638.html.

Dusenbery, Maya. Doing Harm: the Truth about How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick. HarperOne, 2018.

Engelhardt, Katie. NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, www.nbcnews.com/leftfield/video/does-lyme-disease-cause-morgellons-1097342531585.

Harlan, Chico. “Mom Fights for Answers on What's Wrong with Her Son.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 23 July 2006, www.post-gazette.com/local/2006/07/23/Mom-fights-for-answers-on-what-s-wrong-with-her-son/stories/200607230221.

“History of Lyme Disease.” Bay Area Lyme Foundation, www.bayarealyme.org/about-lyme/history-lyme-disease/.

Levy, Sara Gaynes. “Another Reason We Need More Female Doctors: Their Patients Live Longer.” Glamour, 20 Dec. 2016, www.glamour.com/story/study-finds-patients-with-female-doctors-live-longer.

McFadden, Cynthia. “Nightline.” Morgellons' Mystery, ABC, 16 Jan. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOjgOJ6csPU.

“Morgellons Disease: Managing a Mysterious Skin Condition.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 1 Apr. 2015, www.mayoclinic.org/morgellons-disease/art-20044996.

“The Morgellons Mystery.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 9 June 2016, www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200703/the-morgellons-mystery.

Nedelman, Michael. “For Decades, Women Had Heart Attacks in Silence.” CNN, 14 Feb. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/02/10/health/women-heart-attack-research/index.html.

Nelson, Jeff. “Joni Mitchell Says Battle with Rare Morgellons Disease Makes Her Feel Like She's Being 'Eaten Alive'.” People, 12 Oct. 2017, people.com/music/joni-mitchell-morgellons-syndrome-mysterious-disease-eaten-alive/.

Schopen, Fay. “ The Healthcare Gender Bias: Do Men Get Better Medical Treatment?” The Guardian, 20 Nov. 2017, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/nov/20/healthcare-gender-bias-women-pain.

Storr, Will. “Morgellons: A Hidden Epidemic or Mass Hysteria?” The Guardian, 6 May 2011, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/07/morgellons-mysterious-illness.

Thorpe, JR. “Women Who Defied Gender Roles Were Once Imprisoned In Asylums.” Bustle, Bustle, 20 Mar. 2018, www.bustle.com/p/women-who-defied-gender-roles-were-once-imprisoned-in-asylums-55320

What Is Morgellons? | The CEHF, www.thecehf.org/what-is-morgellons.html.

Women's Health Research: Problems, Pitfalls, and Promise. Institute Of Medicine, 2010, www.nap.edu/resource/12908/Womens-Health-Research-2010-Report-Brief.pdf.

Strange Country Ep. 35: Ghost Stories from Wells College

Breakout your switchblades and grab a fire extinguisher, it's time for ghost stories from Wells College. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly share some creepy tales from the once all-women's college in picturesque Aurora, NY, compiled by Wells College librarians no less!

Strange Country Ep. 33: Victoria Woodhull

Victoria Woodhull is probably best known as the first woman to run for president, but her life encompassed so much more at a time when ladies were told to do less. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly explore this unusual life as well as their shoddy memory, tonsil gas-lighting, and the swinger lifestyle.

Strange Country Ep. 32: The ABCs of Ladydom

Do you ever wish you could find the perfect rule book to guide your behavior as a young lady that happened to be in perfect alphabetical order? Well look no further than Charles Varle exceedingly long titled book mentioned in the podcast because it's way too long to type here. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly go through this list although many of the rules involve not talking so get ready for some awkward silences and weird stuff about holes.

Sources cited:

Boydston, Jeanne. “Cult of True Womanhood.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/resources/index.html?body=culthood.html. Accessed 28 Aug. 2017.

“Charles Varlé plan of Philadelphia (1796) - Rare & Antique Maps.” Boston Rare Maps, bostonraremaps.com/inventory/charles-varle-philadelphia-1796/. Accessed 19 Aug. 2017.

“Philadelphia, Varle, Charles P. 1802.” Philadelphia. / Varle, Charles P. / 1802, www.davidrumsey.com/maps5482.html. Accessed 19 Aug. 2017.

Varle, Charles. Moral Encyclopaedia Or Varle's Self Instructor No. 3. New York, NY, M'Elrath & Bangs, 1831, books.google.com/books?id=-fMTAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP10&lpg=PP10&dq=charles varle&source=bl&ots=EiqOxeJ80F&sig=5DAE9eXOPCc4sfz4YMifEuq6zDA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjavOHA6ePVAhVq4YMKHXV5AFs4ChDoAQg_MAc#v=onepage&q=charles%20varle&f=false. Accessed 25 Aug. 2017.

Weeks, Linton. “18 Rules Of Behavior For Young Ladies In 1831.” NPR, NPR, 20 Nov. 2015, www.npr.org/sections/npr-history-dept/2015/11/20/456224571/18-rules-of-behavior-for-young-ladies-in-1831. Accessed 28 Aug. 2017.

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Strange Country Ep. 31: Boston Corbett


You likely can easily name the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, but what about the guy who killed John Wilkes Booth? Strange Country Ep. 31 focuses on the strange, mercury-filled life of Boston Corbett, the hatter, who fired that fatal shot. Much credit to Scott Martelle's fascinating book, Madman and the Assassin.

Cite your sources:

“Boston Corbett Hopelessly Insane.” The New York Times, 6 Oct. 1887, www.nytimes.com/1887/10/06/archives/boston-corbett-hopelessly-insane.html.

“Boston Corbett – The Mad Hatter who Killed John Wilkes Booth.” New England Historical Society, 2 Sept. 2016, www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/boston-corbett-mad-hatter-killed-john-wilkes-booth/.

Corbett, Boston. “The Manner of Booth's Death Letter from Boston Corbett.” The New York Times, 15 May 1865, www.nytimes.com/1865/05/15/archives/the-manner-of-booths-death-letter-from-boston-corbett.html.

Furgurson, Ernest B. “The Man Who Shot the Man Who Shot Lincoln.” The American Scholar, 30 Jan. 2018, theamericanscholar.org/the-man-who-shot-the-man-who-shot-lincoln/#.WonLExPwZAZ.\

Greenspan, Jesse. “The Other Targets of Booth's Murder Conspiracy.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 15 Apr. 2015, www.history.com/news/the-other-targets-of-booths-murder-conspiracy.

Halvorsen, Richard. Dr Richard Halvorsen, www.drhalvorsen.co.uk/mad_hatter_mercury.html.

“He Killed Lincoln's Killer, Then Lived In A Hole, Concordia, Kansas.” RoadsideAmerica.com, www.roadsideamerica.com/story/16178.

History.com Staff. “Abraham Lincoln's Assassination.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/abraham-lincoln-assassination.

History.com Staff. “Andersonville.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/andersonville.

Jensen, Bill. “The Insane Story of the Guy Who Killed the Guy Who Killed Lincoln.” Washingtonian, 21 Oct. 2016, www.washingtonian.com/2015/04/12/the-man-who-killed-john-wilkes-booth/.

Kang, Lydia, and Nate Pedersen. Quackery: a brief history of the worst ways to cure everything. Workman Publishing, 2017.

Mae, Janice Rachael Dr. “Mad Hatter Disease.” HealthGuidance.org, www.healthguidance.org/entry/17695/1/Mad-Hatter-Disease.html.

Martelle, Scott. Madman and the assassin: the strange life of boston corbett, the man who killed john wilkes ... booth. Chicago Review, 2017.

Swanson, James L. “The Final Hours of John Wilkes Booth.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 8 Apr. 2015, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/final-hours-john-wilkes-booth-180954853/.

Wadja, Shirley. “Ending the Danbury Shakes: A Story of Workers Rights and Corporate Responsibility.” ConnecticutHistoryorg, connecticuthistory.org/ending-the-danbury-shakes-a-story-of-workers-rights-and-corporate-responsibility/.

Strange Country Ep. 30: Centralia

Strange Country Ep. 29: Maria Halpin


Grover Cleveland was one of those nondescript walrus-mustached presidents that everyone forgets about, but he made an impact on the life of Maria Halpin. Strange Country co-hosts explore Cleveland's shady past and shed light on a woman's story more people should know.

Sources used:

“Cleveland signs devastating Dawes Act into law.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cleveland-signs-devastating-dawes-act-into-law.

Dotinga, Randy. “A Presidential Sex Scandal, 1884-Style.” The Christian Science Monitor, 29 July 2011, www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2011/0729/A-presidential-sex-scandal-1884-style.

History.com Staff. “Grover Cleveland.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/grover-cleveland.

Keiles, Jamie Lauren. “Grover Cleveland, a Rapist President.” Broadly, 26 Aug. 2015, broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/wjeeyx/grover-cleveland-a-rapist-president.

Lachman, Charles. “Grover Cleveland's Sex Scandal: The Most Despicable in American Political History.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 23 May 2011, www.thedailybeast.com/grover-clevelands-sex-scandal-the-most-despicable-in-american-political-history.

Lachman, Charles. Secret life: The lies and scandals of president Grover Cleveland. Skyhorse Publishing, 2012.

Schupman, Edwin. “Boarding Schools: Struggling with Cultural Repression.” Native Words Native Warriors, National Museum of the American Indian, www.nmai.si.edu/education/codetalkers/html/chapter3.html.

Schlossberg, Tatiana. “Love Christmas Lights? Thank the 22nd President.” The New York Times, 16 Dec. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/12/16/us/the-history-of-christmas-lights.html.

Serratore, Angela. “President Cleveland's Problem Child.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 26 Sept. 2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/president-clevelands-problem-child-100800/.

Strange Country Ep. 28: Mike the Chicken

Maybe listening to this podcast makes you feel like a chicken with its head cut off. But that means you're likely in line to make some serious cash unlike the cohosts of Strange Country. Listen to them discuss the infamous headless Mike and maybe finally give an answer to the infernal question: what came first the headless chicken or the deformed egg?

Cite your source for the love of chicken:

“Common Chicken Sayings Idioms Other Funny Things We Say.” BackYard Chickens, www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-chicken-sayings-idioms-other-funny-things-we-say.47662/.

Frauenfelder, Mark. The World's Worst: A Guide to the Most Disgusting, Hideous, Inept, and Dangerous People, Places, and Things on Earth , May 5, 2005.

“Making Money From a Headless Chicken. Plucking Oppoertunity in the US” Sept. 12, 2015. The Island. http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=131629. Accessed Feb. 2018.

Silverman , Steve. “Einsteins refrigerator : And other stories|EINSTEINS REFRIGERATOR - KYMQFPDWWLI VQ.” Google Sites, sites.google.com/site/kymqfpdwwlivq/einsteins-refrigerator-and-other-stories-einsteins-refrigerator.

“The Chicken that Lived Without a Head for 18 Months.” September 2015. The BBC