An Old Timey Podcast

An Old Timey Podcast

History class just got hilariously inappropriate. Kristin Caruso, co-host of the true crime comedy podcast, Let’s Go To Court (16M+ downloads), and Norman Caruso, creator of the Gaming Historian YouTube channel (1M+ subscribers), team up to deliver a history podcast that is well researched, wide-ranging, and deeply silly. In other words, this is a podcast for intellectuals. Intellectuals who make fart jokes.

Episodes

July 16, 2025 101 mins
It was unspeakable. Unthinkable. In 1927, a school board member set off a series of explosions that killed 38 children, 6 adults, and injured at least 58 others. That act of domestic terrorism became known as the Bath School disaster. It rocked the small farming community of Bath Township, Michigan, and left people wondering how a seemingly “normal” man like Andrew Kehoe could have done something so terrible.

Remember...
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In the late 70s, disco was everywhere. Songs like “Disco Inferno,” “I Will Survive” and “Brick House” topped the charts. Disco had been created and embraced by Black people, Latino people, LGBT+ people, and women. It was fun and funky. It was freeing and empowering.

…but *some* folks didn’t like having disco balls shoved in their faces. So, when a 24-year-old Chicago shock jock began hosting “death to disco” rallies ...
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In 1981, American Airlines offered an incredible deal. For just $250k, people could purchase a lifetime pass that entitled them to unlimited first class travel, anywhere the airline flew, for the rest of their lives. People could also purchase a companion pass that would allow anyone to fly with them.

They called it the AAirpass. It didn’t take long for the airline to discover that they’d priced the AAirpass too low....
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Here’s a true story: In 1848, an iron rod shot through a man’s head. It smashed up under his cheekbone and came out the top of his skull.

Ready for the wild part? Despite the fact that the iron rod destroyed much of his brain’s left frontal lobe, he survived. Phineas Gage’s story baffled the medical community. His injury became one of the most talked-about medical events of the 19th century.

Remember, kids, ...
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Back in their day, the seven Sutherland sisters were a household name. They were celebrated for their outrageously long, thick hair. For years, audiences gathered ‘round to watch the sisters undo their updos. Audiences gasped as the sisters’ hair tumbled, in unison, to the floor. Soon, money poured in. The sisters spent every cent of it.

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristi...
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Alan Abel was driving down a Texas highway when traffic came to a sudden stop. As it turned out, a herd of cattle was crossing the road. How annoying! Then – shock of all shocks – a cow and a bull started mating, right there, in the middle of the road, IN FRONT OF GOD AND EVERYBODY.

Some motorists giggled. Some averted their eyes. Some were shocked. 

Alan couldn’t believe what was happening. Didn’t those ani...
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Picture it. Ontario. 1953. It was Robert and Phyllis Kearns’ wedding night. Bob did his best to open the champagne, but the cork shot out and smacked him square in the eye. He screamed! Phyllis screamed! There was blood everywhere!

Bob ultimately went blind in that eye, but the experience got him thinking about eyes and how they work. So, years later, when he was driving in the rain and his one-speed windshield wiper...
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The Great Depression hit James Cash Penney hard. It decimated his finances. It worried him. It humbled him. After some soul searching, he came to realize that he could make a comeback.

JC Penney the man proved to himself, and the world, that he still had something to offer. But the story didn’t end quite as sweetly for JCPenney the store.

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episo...
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James Cash Penney had an ambitious dream. He wanted to own 50 Golden Rule stores. Over the course of just a few years, he achieved that dream and then some. But tough lessons in his personal life taught him that financial success wasn’t everything. So, he pulled back. He reevaluated his life. He travelled. He sought counsel from his pastor. He even bought a ticket on the Titanic!

Remember, kids, history hoes always c...
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Say what you will about James Cash Penney Jr. Just don’t say he didn’t work his booty off. After he left his hometown, James tried desperately to succeed as a businessman. He found work as a sales person. He bought a struggling butcher shop/bakery. With each effort came failure.

Then he discovered a new kind of business. It was called the Golden Rule Dry Goods Store. The store featured low-priced goods in a clean env...
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Normie C starts this series with a bold claim: That JCPenney is the best department store ever. This raises a lot of questions. Questions like… Really? Has Norm been to other department stores? Also, really??

In Part 1, Norm loads us up with all the context we’ll ever need about James Cash Penney Jr. A poor farm boy from Missouri, Penney would eventually create a chain of department stores with more than 2,000 locatio...
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Mother’s Day. When Anna Jarvis founded the holiday, she envisioned it as a day for everyone to honor and thank their mothers. She worked tirelessly to promote the holiday. She hoped it would be celebrated around the globe.

But after a few years, Anna noticed that Mother’s Day was becoming… commercialized. Anna was incensed. She went to war against florists, greeting card makers and anyone else who might make a profit...
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In his final episode on Daylight Saving Time, Norm tells us that America has flip flopped on Daylight Saving Time for decades. We love it! We hate it! We implement it; we rescind it. Will the battle ever end? Probably not! Will Norm survive the disease known as the flu? We sure hope so!

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from:
Austermuhle, Martin. “A History Of D...
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“OMG, the sun is up! Shouldn’t you be awake, doing productive things?” … that’s essentially what Benjamin Franklin shouted when he advocated to change the hours of human activity to take advantage of daylight.

That idea later evolved into Daylight Saving Time. Since its inception, Daylight Saving Time has had its fans and critics. In this series, Norm refers to the critics as Sun Cynics. The fans? Sun Sluts. Where wi...
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In the summer of 1974, the Cleveland Indians had a big problem. Hardly anyone showed up for their games. It was embarrassing! So, the team’s management brainstormed ways to get butts in seats. Ultimately, they opted to host a handful of 10-cent beer nights. They hoped that the cheap beer would draw people to the stadium.

The good news? The plan worked! The bad news? It was pandemonium!

Remember, kids, histor...
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April 2, 2025 76 mins
In the year of our Lord 1953, the city of Springfield, Missouri, had a terrible problem. Deadly cobras kept popping up in people’s yards! What were cobras doing in Missouri? They weren’t native to the area. Who the hell had rolled out the welcome mat??  

For the local police, the sudden presence of cobras wasn’t nearly as mysterious as it sounded. A local store, the Mowrer Animal Company, sold all kinds of exotic anim...
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March 26, 2025 112 mins
In this *very special* episode of an Old Timey Podcast, we got DP’d.

Ahem. By that, we mean that Kristin’s dad (aka DP) took over. He renamed the podcast. He accused Norm of having a dirty mind. Worst of all, he tricked us. (On our own podcast! In our own home! Is nothing sacred??)

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, DP pulled from:
“Small Town, Big Con” episode of ...
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The final chapter of Robert Smalls’ life was eventful, and, at times, frustrating. He gained and lost government appointments. He won and lost political races. He weathered attacks on his character and attacks on his constituents. Through it all, he used his intelligence and agility to battle a system that tried – and failed – to take him down.

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, ...
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Brace yourselves. This episode is chock-full of post-reconstruction politics. Boy, is it grim! And also a little… relevant? (Ew!)

As South Carolina politics turned on its head, Robert Smalls emerged as one of the few Republican politicians still able to hold his seat. Unfortunately, Smalls’ influence and popularity put a target on his back. Soon, his political opponents ensured that he was charged with bribery. The tr...
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After the American Civil War, Robert Smalls navigated the complicated waters of Reconstruction. Black people struggled for basic rights against the White planter class, who refused to accept the end of slavery.

In this difficult time, Robert Smalls rose to the occasion and became a leader in his community. He fought for public education, equality, suffrage, and protection against violent terrorist groups. But accusat...
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