Unhinged History

Episode 69 | And Then the Kamchatka...

We all have bad days at work, but never, and I mean never have we struggled as hard as Rear Admiral Zinovy “Mad Dog” Rozhestvensky as he led the Russian Second Pacific Squadron from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean to do his part in the Russo-Japanese War. 
Theresa has way too much fun sharing what could only be the real-life basis for Mchale's Navy. This episode pairs well with: Why Czar Nicky 2 hated Japan so much (he was attacked by a samurai) 106

Episode 68 | Nothing is More Annoying Than a Dead Wife

You ever learn about a guy so bold and self-assured *and* keeps winning?! Angie tells us the story of the Norwegian Hans Solo, Peter Wessel Tordenskjold. At one point he goes in for a court martial and comes out with a raise instead. Theresa then shares the Dancing Plague of 1518. You know, that time everyone just compulsively danced until they dropped dead? That one. This episode pairs well with: The crazy death of Saint Lawrence The badass adventures of Lorenc Peter Elfred Freuchen 

Episode 67 | Blood Soaked Battle Angel

Grab a juice box and settle in. Theresa is telling the story of Nakano Takeko, her joshigun (women's army), and the battle at Aizu-Wakamatsu. Takeko leads this group of 20-30 trained female warriors, think samurai, into battle and shows everyone just what an alpha female looks like. This episode pairs well with: Yasuke, the Black Samurai The saber saint Miyamoto Musashi 

Episode 66 | Algorithms Favor Syphilis

Okay, some sets of stories are so delightfully unhinged they will be shared in public, without warning. These are two of those tales. Angie sets things off with the retelling of the Ghost Army, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops from WWII. These men used inflatable tanks, set design, and everything theater instructors had ever taught to fool the Axis Powers. 
Then Theresa tells the bizarre tale of Pope Pius II. She shares his spy mission, the dirty book he wrote (The Tale of Two Lovers), and how he funded Vlad the Impaler's campaign against Mehmed II. This episode pairs well with: Nancy Wake Natalie Clifford Barney - American writer 

Episode 65 | Wing-to-Wing Combat

This episode has it all. The plague. Trebuchets. WWII. Ducks. Theresa starts us off with a rollicking tale of how the Golden Horde allegedly flung their plague-ridden corpses into the city of Caffa around 1345–1347 because Khan Jani Beg had some big feelings about losing. Thank goodness Angie takes it upon herself to lighten the load, so to speak. She shares the story of Marine Sergeant Jack “Siwash” Cornelius, the duck that fought in several amphibious assaults in the Pacific Theater during WWII. This episode pairs well with: The Children Crusade of 1212Sargent Stubby, the stray dog who served in WWI 

Episode 64 | M’am This is a Library

Journey through the pages of medieval writing with Angie and Theresa as we learn about the Voynich Manuscript. Angie unpacks what we know about this unreadable text. She shares theories and touches on aliens. Yup. Aliens. This episode pairs well with: Battle of Hastings and Bayeux Tapestry 

Episode 63 | Spicy Catholicism

Come for the myth of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Stay for Theresa sharing the facts around what we really know about the Voudou Queen of New Orleans. If you're like us, the truth is far more compelling. This episode pairs well with: Julia Brown – the Voodoo Queen The Tignon Law of 1876 

Episode 62 | On the Old Google

This last week of Women's History Month hits hard. Theresa shares the story of Grunya Efimovna Sukhareva, the Russian researcher who discovered Autism decades before Hans Asperger. Angie makes Theresa cry when she shares the story of Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman to make it to space. This episode pairs well with: NASA Astronaut – Sally Ride The Immortal Henrietta Lacks