Well, I Laughed

To catch a criminal, sometimes you have to pretend to be a criminal. That was the thought process behind "Operation Sting" the very first organized sting operation in the United States lead by Lt Detective Bob Arscott of the DC Metro Police. The operation was "successful" at capturing criminals, less successful at coming up with their fake names. But in the aftermath of the operation some sticky questions remain. Did the operation ...

These stories are good... lawfully good even (maybe?). And they come from you! Sandi writes in with her own story about the work of Judy Heumann and how it has shaped her own life. Next, Blair and her fellow teenage, rural Canadians brave the big city and become crime fighters. Shannon learns a few lessons by going the wrong way. And Rosie & Natasha shines bright on a night out with friends. All that and more, this week on Well...

Do you know your neighbors? Do you want to? François Clemmons is one of America's iconic examples of neighborly love. Through the combination of the love of his neighbors and his own love of music, we meet history's best neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers. A powerful advocate for educational television, Mister Rogers taught American children it was okay to feel and how to process big emotions. But his legacy extends to his friends and co...

Bass Reeves' adult life started with a crime: he ran away from the white man enslaving him. In his quest for freedom he made his way to the state of Oklahoma, learned several languages, and became the toughest man west of the Mississippi. All traits he would need when he became the first Black US Marshal in the west. A life that began with a crime would be defined by it’s lawfulness. Meet your favorite Lone Ranger, this week ...

Most of these stories are righteous, one might be a crime, but they all came from you! Lauren talks resistance movements in daycare. Liv survives and thrives in off-air reality television. Laura is fully prepared for all but one thing on her way to an interview. Hazel bounds over how crappy her brother is. And Michelle "bears" a lesson learned while canoeing. All that and more, this week on Well, I Laughed!

00:00:00 Catch-Up
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In the 1970s the campers at Camp Jened in upstate New York all shared two things in common. First, that they were all living with some kind of disability. And second, they would help launch a movement that would change the world. The United States looked very different 50 years ago for individuals with disabilities - it was closed to them. Our modern world is filled with physical proof - from elevators to curb cuts - of the advocac...

Women are expected to be quiet and complacent. Where such an expectation would limit most women, a few have managed to use it for the greater good. When the NAZIs occupied the Netherlands during the second World War, resistance took many forms. For these ladies of liberty, it took on a violent and righteous resistance. Hannie Schaft, Freddie and Truus Oversteegen were known to on occasion to use their beauty to lure NAZI soldiers t...

This week it's YOUR episode! It's the listener episode! Some of these stories maybe should have stayed In the Dark because we have several Prime Time Crimes on deck for you as well! First, Jaime's friend helps an old woman wrestle a trout in the dark. Jamal breaks the law and some skin all in the quest to impress a girl. Danica spills the beans on jury duty (Maia is jealous). And "Ashley" discovers church and state don't have to be...

Some crimes are crimes of passion. And sometimes those crimes can leave us In the Dark as to what to do. When one intruder can't get enough of the treasures locked inside the homes of local residents, law enforcement is left with an impossible question: how do you get a bear to stop craving Doritos? In bucolic Lake Tahoe the bears are making a mess of things, if only the clean up was so simple. This week on Well, I Laughed learn ab...

On the night of April 15th, 1912 a ship sank in the waters of the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage. Titanic's tragedy made her infamous. But a second ship was involved that fateful evening, lurking in the dark. The efforts of her crew, her passengers, and one intrepid young wireless operator would ensure that this deeply unremarkable ship would also sail into the history books that night. As the Carpethia steamed towards Titanic...

These listeners are very cool, and not just because they are connected to some Prime Time Crime's! Kate is a little too cool in high school and suffers the consequences of her actions. Alicia's sister poses a threat to national security. Kassidee builds the setting for the perfect crime only to be saved by a sick dog. And Suzannah learns that sometimes the only way to find out what your sibling has been up to is for the FBI to tell...

When is political violence justified? Is it ever? In a period of rapid industrialization, social strife, and weak democratic institutions one man will choose to take political change into his own hand and in the course of one afternoon change the course of history forever. Gavrilo Princip’s decision to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdiand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire turned the world upside down. A world that was intentional...

The case is infamous, but the details and the controversy surrounding the OJ Simpson trial are less well known. This week, Maia unpacks the horrific murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. We build a timeline of both the crime and the subsequent investigation and trial. There will be blood, a hero dog, a surprisingly slow car chase, and, of course, gloves. Unpacking how a case that seemed so clear cut could go so disastrously wrong...

These people are famous, because they've made it to the pod! This theme's listener episode includes a story from Kara, who commits a group robbery and does not regret it. Cass who has to send her roommate more than a few hints. Ashley survives an awful date with an awful man that makes a story funny than he was. Finally, Grant's friend Ryan writes in about what a good liar he was in high school and asks an important question... sho...

Have you ever looked someone up online to get a better sense of who they are? What data did you use? Americans have thousands of data points about themselves floating online, and some companies are more than happy to collect that data and use it however they see fit. Cambridge Analytica used it to try to influence elections all over the world. The scandal shocked the world when it came to light, but how illegal was their data colle...

The company's name has become synonymous with lies and fraud, but what happened to Enron is a beautiful web of malice and mischief. The Enron scandal came to reshape expectations around corporate behavior and oversight. The lies were big, the money was bigger, and after climbing the mountain there is only one way to go - bankruptcy. Listener beware! This week we are "Entering Enron".

00:00:00 Catch-Up
00:30:14 Entering Enron

Stories from the Well, I Laughed listener-verse! This week Jenni shares her brief stint living a life of crime. Amanda gets understandably nervous about passing a drug test. Bella tries to become an actor and it's a tragedy. Madison cares for nature which does not care for her. All that and more, this week on Well, I Laughed!

00:00:00 Catch-Up
00:25:27 Jenni's Five Finger Discount
00:37:52 Amanda Combination IBS-Drug Test<...

If man's best friend is a dog, his second best friend might just be a beer. But there was a time in our history when the government tried to cut the bond... prohibition! And while most have heard of prohibition, few truly appreciation it's unique place in American history. The only amendment in US history to ever be taken back, how we banned it and what it did to us is still misunderstood. Grab a drink and enjoy as we get to how Am...

Call him Smoky the bandit because he is going to steal your heart. When Bill Wynne was fighting for the US in the Pacific during World War 2 he was prepared for whatever the enemy might throw at him, he did not expect a tiny Yorkshire Terrier named Smoky. Bill and Smoky were inseparable and (obviously) popular. What started as an unlikely meeting in the least hospitable of places quickly turned into magic. As Smoky raised spirits a...