Unhinged History

Unhinged History

Unhinged History is a history podcast combining humor and the crazy stories you never learned in school. Theresa and Angie explore antics and hijinks throughout history. Each week they come together and share the bizarre stories they’ve only recently learned. Uncover facts like Napoleon getting attacked by bunnies or details of the Beer Flood of 1814. Their favorite topics cover historical hoaxes, random war stories, unsolved mysteries, spies, and stories that make you question everything you thought you knew.

Episodes

Episode 180 | Shenanigans Do Indeed Occur

July 3, 2026 • 52 mins
Angie steals the entire episode to share a story of friendship in a time of war that you are not prepared for. In 1967, John "Chickie" Donohue, a merchant marine and Marine veteran, took up the mission to leave the safety of New York City by himself, with a dufflebag of Pabst beer, and deliver it to friends fighting in the Vietnam War. This impossible tale is apparently now a movie starring Zac Efron.   This story pairs well...
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Episode 179 | Tagged as Terrorists. Move On.

June 26, 2026 • 50 mins
This week, Angie and Theresa share some incredible stories. Angie kicks things off with the story of Stormé DeLarverie. She is credited with throwing the first punch at the Stonewall Uprising, but did she? Theresa pivots and takes us to South Africa to tell the story of Simon Nkoli, the gay activist who campaigned for gay rights and against Apartheid. This episode pairs well with: Stonewall The Pink Triangles Join Patreon: h...
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Episode 178 | “Hey, I’m 'the Unready.' Have Ya Met Me?”

June 19, 2026 • 62 mins
Sometimes Theresa and Angie venture into the deep past. Today, Theresa tells us about Thomas(ine) Hall, the intersex individual from Colonial America who spent the majority of their life swapping between sexes to live life. Then, to remind us about Father’s Day, Angie shares the story of “Big Daddy Cnut,” the Viking ruler whose empire spanned England, Norway, and Denmark. And yes, Angie does indeed refer to th...
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Episode 177 | Pigeons in Her Handbag

June 12, 2026 • 64 mins
We are in the middle of Pride Month and celebrating with some brilliant heroes. Angie kicks things off with the story of Dora Richter, a German woman who was the first known person to undergo a complete transformation from male to female via surgery. Theresa moves into more well-known territory by sharing the life and background of the historic Sylvia Rivera. You might have heard of her, as she was credited with throwing the se...
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Episode 176 | Trash Dad With Whimsy

June 5, 2026 • 72 mins
Some members of the LGBTQIA+ community are more well-known than others. One proponent of equal rights in the movement was Marsha P. Johnson. This week, Theresa shares how Marsha was assigned male at birth and later moved to New York, where she could live into her full identity. There she was, present at the Stonewall Uprising, established a program to help homeless street youth, and tirelessly worked to make life better. Angie sh...
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Episode 175 | Drag Queen Run Waffle House

May 29, 2026 • 56 mins
You are not prepared for this week’s mashup. Theresa tells us the story of the Compton Cafeteria Riot, that nearly forgotten time in San Francisco when a group of queens stood up against police discrimination. While this occurred three years before Stonewall, it isn’t well-known or credited with kicking off Pride Month. However, it was this event, and events like it, that paved the way for the tipping point for the St...
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Episode 174 | I’m Going to be a Giant Jerk

May 22, 2026 • 60 mins
It’s a wild week. Angie kicks things off by telling the story of D’Artagnan and really fleshes out the whole story. Come for this guy’s quick rise to power and his ability to stay one step ahead of all the palace intrigue. Listen for the point where Angie shatters Theresa’s thoughts when she tells her that D’Artagnan actually outranked Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Theresa veers off in a different di...
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Episode 173 | A Machine Gun is a Great Equalizer

May 15, 2026 • 61 mins
Theresa celebrates a full-circle moment as she shares how a Frenchman, Jules Brunet, attempted to stop the fall of the Shogunate in Japan. Podcast favorite character, arms-dealing Matthew Perry, makes a cameo as Theresa connects many dots to previous episodes. Angie reminds us all to call our moms this Sunday as she regales us with the story of Atossa, Queen Mother of Persia. This woman made more kings than Catherine de' Medici, ...
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Episode 172 | The Louis Vuitton of Survival

May 8, 2026 • 58 mins
Unhinged History strives to bring you the stories you’ve never heard of in your history class, and this week is no exception. Angie kicks off this week by exploring the Silk Road and the heist that liberated silkworms and opened the door for countries other than China to produce this incredibly luxurious textile. Theresa veers off in a wildly different direction as she shares the story of Nakahama Manjiro, also known as J...
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Episode 171 | Negative Survivability

May 1, 2026 • 54 mins
Look at Unhinged History, we are known for a couple of things. A love of the National Parks Service content, stories you’ve never heard, and banter. This episode is basically more of the same. Theresa takes the entire episode to share the story of Paul Nobuo Tatsuguchi and the Battle of Attu. For most of us, we never realized that the Battle of Attu was the only time since the War of 1812 that the United States lost ground to...
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Episode 170 | Just a Nun with AuDHD, ‘Tism’ing

April 24, 2026 • 57 mins
Angie and Theresa have quite a set of stories to share with you. Kicking things off, Angie shares the wild story of Saladin. This man held it down as the Sultan of Egypt and Syria during the Crusades. Getting his position after a ...ahem series of deaths, he proves to be an incredible ruler, who would give away his vast fortune throughout his life. Theresa veers wildly from this story, as she shares the time a convent in medieval...
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Episode 169 | Welcome to the Family, Darling

April 17, 2026 • 68 mins
What a week where Angie and Theresa do exactly what they do best. Convinced she might run out of spies to cover, Theresa shares the story of Krystyna Skarbek, also known as Christine Granville. Born a literal Polish countess, Krystyna cycles through husbands and lovers before seeing her country invaded by Nazi Germany. Convinced she can fight for her homeland, she becomes the first female spy for MI6 during the war and serves Bri...
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Episode 168 | In This Story There is No Good Guy featuring Jenny Chan

April 10, 2026 • 56 mins
Today we have a very special guest. The Unhinged History podcast welcomes Jenny Chan, author and podcaster, exploring the atrocities of the Pacific theater during World War II. In this episode, we explore her in-depth study of Chinese comfort women, Unit 731, and so much more. Website: https://www.pacificatrocities.org/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PacificFrontUntold
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Episode 167 | It’s the New Jersey of Hamilton

April 3, 2026 • 63 mins
Ever get stuck in front of the TV watching the bizarre shows labeled as history? This episode is just like that, but only for your ears. We offer nothing for your eyes. Angie kicks things off with the Beale Papers. This story takes us on a journey through history, where we attempt to crack codes and locate a large amount of buried gold, silver, and jewels in Bedford County, Virginia. Theresa is skeptical from the start, but mostl...
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Episode 166 | Get the Red String Ready

March 27, 2026 • 59 mins
This week’s unhinged stories feature two women largely forgotten by history. Starting off strong, Theresa tells the story of Madame Montour, the interpreter who spoke English, German, and several Native American languages. Her work as an interpreter brokered several treaties. We have one small problem with Madame Montour – she is history’s most unreliable narrator. Follow along as Theresa lays out a myriad of co...
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Episode 165 | Making a Murder Board in My Kitchen

March 20, 2026 • 87 mins
This week’s Unhinged History features two women with outrageous stories. Angie kicks things off with the story of Elizabeth Bathory, you know, the Blood Countess. She’s rumored to have murdered over 600 virgins to bathe in their blood in hopes of maintaining her youth and beauty. But what if all of that was created by the men in her life who owed her money? Angie pulls back the rumors and shares what we know and can p...
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Episode 164 | Painting the Town Red, Literally

March 13, 2026 • 67 mins
Some stories just warm you up inside like a Hot Toddy. Today, Theresa starts us off with a story from her comfort era: World War II, as she shares the tale of Soviet sniper, Lyudmila Pavlichenko. This badass earns a sniper diploma before graduating from college, which proves beneficial as she ends up fighting as one of only 2,000 female snipers. While only 500 of these women would survive the war, Lyudmila thrives, racking up 309 c...
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Episode 163 | LKGFO

March 6, 2026 • 58 mins
Listen to this week’s episode as Angie tells a story about a man Theresa’s already learned about. She shares the story of Anders Lassen, the incredible Danish man who joined Colin Gubbins’ Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and made the SOE what it was known for. This episode pairs well with: Paddy Mayne Colin Gubbins Odette Samson The SAS Train Raid You Never Heard of...
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Episode 162 | I Found Freedom Instead

February 27, 2026 • 70 mins
What a strange and wonderful mashup of unhinged history stories we have for you today. When we think of Tudor England, we often overlook the individuals of African descent who lived and worked there. Today, Angie corrects that. Come learn about the various people historians uncovered. Theresa takes a different route as she shares the story of Darius McCollum. Darius loves one thing more than anything else in the world: trains. Hi...
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Episode 161 | In Europia...

February 20, 2026 • 57 mins
What an episode of two indomitable people! Today, Theresa kicks things off by telling the story of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. Dr. Dan is credited with completing the first open-heart surgery. This was in the mid-1800s, before the creation of rib spreaders, bypass machines, or any other devices that would make his life easier. Even better, his patient survives. To further boost his creds, this incredible human created the first rac...
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