Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: History Unhinged

At the dawn of the 20th century, radium was not feared. It was celebrated. Marketed as a miracle of modern science, this newly discovered element promised vitality, beauty, and better health. Companies sold radioactive clocks, cosmetics, medical devices, and even drinking water, all proudly glowing with progress.

In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, Shea sits down with the creator behind Radiant Radium, a collector and histori...

“Here are the first toilet preparations to embody actual radium, an astonishing new force for betterment, applied as an aid to beauty.”

The early 20th century was a strange and optimistic time. In the years following Marie and Pierre Curie’s discovery of radium, the world became obsessed with this mysterious, glowing element—and before long, that obsession made its way into everyday life.

During the height of...

What happens when a city decides kindness is better than cruelty?

In this special crossover episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, we’re joined by the incredible gals from PNW Haunts & Homicides to explore one of the strangest—and most unexpectedly heartwarming—stories in American history: Joshua Abraham Norton, the self‑declared Emperor of the United States.

Today’s episode is a special feature from Dark History: Where the Darkness Sees the Light, a podcast that’s part of our Umbrella Podcast Collective.

Hosted by Rob Bradley, Dark History explores the uncomfortable, often unsettling stories we like to believe are safely buried in the past—and then shows how they still shape the world we live in.

In this episode, Rob takes a deep dive into the history of snake oil: the miracle cures, the...

In this collaborative episode, Rainy Day Rabbit Holes joins forces with Caitlyn and Cassie from PNW Haunts and Homicides to explore one of the strangest modern treasure hunts in history: Forrest Fenn’s hidden chest.

Presented by Caitlyn, the story follows art dealer and Vietnam veteran Forrest Fenn, who in 2010 announced that he had hidden a bronze treasure chest somewhere in the Rocky Mountains—worth millions—and released a cryptic...

This week on 5 Minute Friday, we’re still joined by Caitlyn and Cassie from PNW Haunts and Homicides, but this time the chaos is airborne.

Shea reads a truly unbelievable—but very real—news story out of China, where a farmer attempted to transport a pig using a drone… and accidentally knocked out power to an entire village. The pig became tangled in high‑voltage power lines, leaving it suspended midair and thousands of residents wit...

Claudette Colvin: The Teenager Who Refused to Move

Before Rosa Parks became a household name, a 15‑year‑old girl in Montgomery, Alabama, made a decision that helped crack the foundation of Jim Crow segregation.

In this episode, Jody dives into the story of Claudette Colvin, a courageous teenager who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in March of 1955—nine months before Rosa Parks’ more widely recognized protest. Colvin’s...

⚠️ Not Safe for Work / Adult Content Warning ⚠️

Sometimes history refuses to stay in the past. And sometimes… it shows up in an emergency room.

This Five Minute Friday dives into a truly unbelievable modern news story involving a World War I artillery shell, one very bad decision, and a French hospital that suddenly had to take explosive history very seriously. It’s a reminder that just because something is old doesn’t mean it’s safe...

In the chaos of World War I, one unlikely soldier refused to stay behind. He didn’t carry a rifle, didn’t understand borders or politics, and technically wasn’t allowed to enlist—but he charged into danger anyway.

In this episode, we tell the true story of Sergeant Stubby, a Boston Terrier mix who became one of the most decorated heroes of World War I. From smuggling himself onto a troop ship, to warning soldiers of mustard gas atta...

Before we get into today’s rabbit hole, we wanted to share an exciting update — and a little behind‑the‑scenes honesty.

🛸 Join Us Live: Before Roswell – Tacoma’s Maury Island Incident

On June 3rd, 2026, Jody and Shea will be part of a McMenamins History Pub event in Tacoma, Washington, held at McMenamins Elks Temple in the historic Spanish Ballroom.

The program, Before Roswell: Tacoma’s Maury Island Incident, explores the st...

This week, Rainy Day Rabbit Holes is stepping a little off our usual path of unhinged history and strange stories—and doing so for a cause that means a lot to us.

In honor of Podcastathon, a global event where podcasters shine a light on causes that matter, Shea and Jody are dedicating this special episode to PACK (People for Animal Care and Kindness)—a volunteer‑driven nonprofit right here in our community that helps pets and the p...

Last week we shared a strange little Victorian love poem about a cannibal bride.

This week… things escalate.

In this Five Minute Friday episode, Shea reads another cannibal-themed poem from the archives: “How Three Were Made One,” published in The White Pine News in 1891.

The poem features a love triangle, a violent rivalry, and a punchline that only Victorian newspaper readers could find amusing.

But it also reveals something interest...

Part 2 of 2

Alfred Packer should have been hanged.

The verdict was clear. The sentence was delivered with venom. The public was ready to watch justice swing from a rope. And then—everything fell apart.

In Part Two of the Colorado Cannibal story, the horror leaves the mountains and enters the courtroom, where legal loopholes, jurisdictional chaos, and a stunning legislative mistake derail what seemed like an open-and-shut case. As ...

While researching our recent episode on Alferd Packer, the Colorado Cannibal, Shea stumbled across something unexpected while digging through nineteenth-century newspapers: romantic poetry… about cannibals.

Yes, really.

In this Five—okay, probably Fifteen—Minute Friday, Shea reads a bizarre little poem from the San Antonio Daily Light (April 1, 1889) titled “Love and Theology.” It’s a Victorian-era love story involving a missionary, ...

Part 1 of 2

In the winter-shadowed mountains of 1870s Colorado, people disappeared with unsettling regularity. Most were claimed by weather, terrain, or bad luck. This story is different. Five men entered the high country chasing gold. Only one came back.

What followed was not a simple tale of survival. It was a cascade of contradictions, shifting confessions, scattered bones, and a discovery so disturbing it permanently renamed ...

This 5 Minute Friday episode takes one strange headline and follows it all the way to the edge of the map.

In 2021, a small coastal town in Japan made international news after using COVID-19 relief funds to build a giant pink squid statue. Critics scoffed. The internet laughed. Headlines spread far beyond the town itself—including this BBC report that first caught our attention:

👉 BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-5697...

In this episode, Jody tackles what may be the most unhinged athletic event ever sanctioned by adults with clipboards: the 1904 Olympic Marathon. Held in brutal heat, on dusty roads, with questionable medical advice and competitors who probably should not have been left unattended, this race quickly devolved into a survival experiment disguised as sport.

What unfolds is a parade of bad decisions—athletes collapsing, hallucinating, hi...

Did wealthy Wall Street elites try to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934?

In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, we dive into one of the strangest and least-taught chapters in American history: The Business Plot, an alleged fascist coup attempt against FDR during the Great Depression.

In 1934, decorated Marine Corps Major General Smedley Darlington Butler—a two-time Medal of Honor recipient and one of the most resp...

Bonus Sample from our Patreon Bonus Episode!

Today, Shea brings you the history of the Nakasendo trail, a 400 year old road that stretches from Kyoto to Tokyo. Sections of this trail, and the towns that were built up along it to provide services to the feudal lords and samurai who used it, are perfectly preserved. Hiking through Tsumago-juku and Magome-juku is like time travel. In this episode, walk along with Shea as she and ...