America The Bizarre: Recent Episodes
Jordan Rausch
Dive into the weirdness of American history each week with Jordan & Jeremy Rausch as they explore the crazy stories that shaped America into the beautiful weirdo she is today.
We discuss the life story of Norma McCorvey, the woman famously known as Jane Roe in the historic Roe v. Wade case, and her journey of becoming the face of the pro-choice movement and then her switch to becoming a prominent activist for pro-life groups.
Gordon Hirabayashi refused to comply with America's Japanese Relocation order to an internment camp. Instead, he fought all the way to the Supreme Court and when ordered to prison, hitchhiked all the way from Seattle to Tucson because the government didn't have the money to send him.
America the Bizarre will return with new episodes on March 11th. Until then, answer this week's presidential trivia for a chance to win a free t-shirt. Submit your answer to bizarreusa@gmail.com or through the contact form at americathebizarre.com
An enslaved man named Onesimus gave Cotton Mather information to create America's first smallpox inoculation, however, it was immediately met with push back and conspiracy theories.
In 1839, a group of slave captives revolted against the slave ship's crew in an effort to secure their freedom which ultimately led to a fight in the Supreme Court.
A 19th-century spiritualist believed that he could trap the second-coming of christ in a machine in order to save humanity.
The Willie Dee had the worst luck of any battleship during WWII that led to them almost blowing up FDR.
During World War II, some conscientious objectors chose to serve their country by signing up as human guinea pigs in scientific trials that starved them, infested them with lice, and gave them hepatitis.
Colonel Duckworth bet a bunch of British pilots that he could fly his single-engine plane in and out of a hurricane. The loser had to buy the winner a cocktail.
David S. Terry was a judge that had a reputation for having a hot temper and occasionally slashing at witnesses with his bowie knife. His second wife liked to do the same with a loaded pistol and they got into some trouble with US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Fields.
We discuss Dr. Lytle S. Adams, a dentist and part-time inventor that was inspired by his New Mexico vacation to use bats in his revenge plot against Japan for Pearl Harbor.
In this episode, we go back to the time that America tried to both bomb the moon and then store nuclear weapons on the moon.
John Colter was a true American mountain man. One day he found himself caught by 800 Blackfeet warriors and had to run for his life. Oh, and he was completely naked.
Professor Buettner-Janusch was one of the first Americans to study lemurs and was very successful until he started using his research lab to make party drugs.
We discuss the history of Squanto, why he spoke perfect English when the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth, and his continuing relationship with the Pilgrims.
Martha "Mouth of the South" Mitchell was taken hostage and drugged in order to keep her quiet about Nixon's involvement with Watergate.
Victoria Woodhull was a clairvoyant and the first woman to run for president in the United States.
The reason America doesn't use the metric system is a combination of pirates and the French snubbing us.
Major Rathbone failed to save Lincoln's life during his assassination. Rathbone carried the guilt with him until it took over with lethal consequences.
Join us during our 1 year birthday to discuss how the pledge of allegiance was written by a socialist nationalist in order to sell flags to children.
In April of 1815, the volcano Mount Tambora erupted and caused a massive ash cloud that cooled the entire Earth. Americans dealt with snowstorms that occured all throughout 1816 and struggled to grow crops and keep their animals alive.
During prohibition, people still drank a lot. In order to combat this, the government began to poison industrial alcohol that ended up killing around 50,000 Americans.
Guam was never aware that the Spanish-American War was happening until America showed up to take over.
At the turn of the 20th century, America was facing a massive meat shortage. The solution? Hippo farms in Louisiana
General Patton once threatened to level Phenix City, Alabama which was once dubbed "The Wickedest City in America"
Premature babies had extremely high mortality rates until a showman doctor opened up his incubator baby exhibit on Coney Island, attracting visitors and desperate parents from all over the world to marvel at this new technology.
President John Tyler threw a huge party on the USS Princeton to celebrate the future annexation of Texas. Then tragedy struck.
Carl Akeley revolutionized taxidermy while also becoming a prolific inventor, hunter, and conservationist. There was also that time he killed a leopard with his bare hands.
In 1914, Rockefeller ordered to have strikers in his mining company shot and their homes burned to the ground.
When the Sultana steamboat exploded on the Mississippi River, it killed around 1,800 people. In comparison, 1,500 people died when the Titanic sank 47 years later.
Lou Pearlman created both Backstreet Boy and NSYNC, while also swindling hundreds out of their life savings.
Patty Cannon made a living kidnapping freed black Americans and selling them into slavery in the South, a system that is now known as the reverse underground railroad.
Joe Medicine Crow completed all four tasks to become a Crow War Chief during World War II, including stealing some Nazi's horses.
In 1949, MIT fed students in a school for mentally-disabled children oatmeal covered in radioactive tracers.
When MacArthur returned from the Phillippines to become the Army Chief of Staff, he brought home a mistress, 16-year-old Isabel "Dimples" Cooper.
There is a stereotype that Southerners are dumb and lazy. One scientist went on a mission to discover why.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
Patrick Murphy was hired by Mexican rebels to bomb Mexican federal forces. The problem was he ended up bombing Arizona instead.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
We discuss the day that a wagon-full of meat mysteriously rained down on a farm in Kentucky.
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It's Jeremy's turn to tell the story this week and he chose the history of the black buffalo soldiers that formed the Army's first bicycle corps.
America The Bizarre: https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
Cassius M. Clay was an outspoken abolitionist and won several gunfights with a bowie knife. Learn about the man that Muhammad Ali was originally named after.
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In the second part of this story, Dr. Brinkley starts the biggest radio station in the world and uses it to advertise his goat testicle surgery, speak about his love for Nazis, and make country music popular.
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Dr. John R. Brinkley became famous and rich in the 1920's for sewing goat testicles into men's bodies. But was he even a real doctor?
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
In 1969, 3,000 college students came to party in the tiny town of Zap, North Dakota. Then the town ran out of beer, the students rioted, and the National Guard had to be called in.
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When Ruth Norman's husband died, she took over his space cult and turned into a glittery fashion public access tv show.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
In 1955, the largest department store in Portland, Oregon was bombed. The detectives only had one suspect, Clarence Peddicord. The only problem was that Clarence was blind.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
Robert E. Lee was Montgomery Meigs's friend and idol until Lee became a traitor to the Union. Meigs decided the best revenge was to bury a bunch of soldiers around Lee's house.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
Flying was way nicer in the 60's than it is now, the food was amazing and there was tons of legroom. There was also a lot of hijackings. Between 1968 and 1972, 130 American planes were hijacked and many of them ended up in Havana, Cuba.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
This story has it all: jetpacks, Nazis, James Bond, Michael Jackson, murder, kidnapping and more. It doesn't get cooler or crazier than jetpacks.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
We discuss the white race riot of Wilmington, also known as the Wilmington coup of 1898 and the Wilmington massacre. After the Civil War, Wilmington, North Carolina was a mecca for newly freed slaves who found financial freedom and political power there until white supremacists were tired of seeing them succeed.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
Joe Exotic is a bigger-than-life personality that bred tigers, started his own television studio, and has what some would call an eccentric fashion taste. He was living the high life as "The Tiger King" until he was finally taken down.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
In 1911, the Wyoming State Penitentiary put together their own baseball team. If the team won, they could get time taken off of their sentence. If they lost, time would be added or worse, they could be executed.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
In 1982, Larry Walters attached 42 weather balloons to his lawn chair and took off from his girlfriend's LA home. That's when the adventure really began.
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Sources & Merchandise: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
John Colter was a true American mountain man. One day he found himself caught by 800 Blackfeet warriors and had to run for his life. Oh, and he was completely naked.
Support: https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources & Merch: https://www.americathebizarre.com/
We discuss the very real story of the grave robbers that tried to steal Abraham Lincoln's bones and use them for ransom. We also think this story would make a great plot for National Treasure 3 just in case Nicholas Cage is listening.
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Sources & Merch: http://americathebizarre.com/
Charles Bedaux became a successful businessman in America and then used his money to go on grand adventures. His most notable expedition was through the Canadian wilderness, where he brought supplies of champagne, caviar, and truffles. There is also speculation that he was a Nazi spy.
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Sources & Merch: http://americathebizarre.com/
Carry A. Nation grew up with a passion for preaching and a hate for alcohol. She joined the temperance movement and began to go on a saloon smashing spree using her hatchet that she believed was a mission given to her by God.
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Sources and Merch: http://americathebizarre.com/
Douglas Hegdahl memorized the names of 256 POWs at the Hanoi Hilton all while making his Viet Cong captors believe that he was incredibly stupid. Listen to this great American hero's story!
Project Recover: https://www.projectrecover.org/
Support America the Bizarre: https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources can be found at http://americathebizarre.com/
Eng and Chang Bunker were the original Siamese twins that were taken from the home in Siam in the 1800's and brought to America to perform as a freak show exhibit. They became rich men, settled down, bought a plantation, owned slaves, and then lost all of their money after the Civil War. Their lives are a real rollercoaster of emotions.
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Sources can be found at https://www.americathebizarre.com/shownotes
We discuss how mini-golf started because women weren't allowed to play regular golf, the miniature golf boom during the Great Depression, and how mini-golf got its's bad-boy reputation.
Support America The Bizarre: https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources:
“How Did Sports Begin? A Look At The Origins Of Man At Play” by Rudolph Brasch
“Club History” by St. Andrews Ladies’ Putting Club
“The Origin of Miniature Golf and ‘Thistle Dhu’” by Chris Boznos
“Birthplace of Miniature Golf in Chattanooga” by Offbeat Tennessee
“Trump Shows N.Y. Art Of The Putt In Mini Golf” by New York Times
“Nutters with Putters” by Tim Davies and John McIver
“Bear Down, There, You Golfers” by the Southeast Missourian
Fritz Kuhn created and led the German American Bund, using Nazi symbology and methods to form his political party in the United States. On February 20, 1939, Kuhn and 22,000 Bund members held a Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden.
Night At The Garden: https://anightatthegarden.com/
Support: https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources:
“Total Espionage” by Curt Riess
“The Pledge of Allegiance” an article on USHistory.org
“When Nazis Filled Madison Square Garden” by Gordon F. Sander
“Americans Hold a Nazi Rally in Madison Square Garden” an article on History.com
“When Nazis Took Manhattan” by Sarah Kate Kramer
“A Night At The Garden” Short Documentary by Marshall Curry
“When the Bund Strutted in Yaphank” by Hugh O’Haire
“Fritz Kuhn, Former Bund Chief, Ordered Back to Germany” an article in The Evening Indpendent
“Swastika Nation” by Arnie Bernstein
“The Night Thousands of Nazis Packed Madison Square Garden For A Rally – And Violence Erupted” by
Diane Bernard
“Recounting a day of rage, hate, violence and death” by Joe Heim
We discuss Dr. Lytle S. Adams, a dentist and part-time inventor that was inspired by his New Mexico vacation to use bats in his revenge plot against Japan for Pearl Harbor.
Support us at https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources:
“Bat Bomb: World War II’s Other Secret Weapon” by Jack Couffer
“Old, Weird Tech: The Bat Bombs of World War II” by Alexis C. Madrigal
“’Bat Bombs’: WWII’s Project X-Ray” by Allan T. Duffin
“The Bat Bombers” by C.V. Glines
“A Batman to the Rescue” by Dr. Patrick Drumm and Christopher Ovre
“Bats and Balloon Bombs: The Weird Weapons That Could Have Won WWII” by Danny Lewis
“Pearl Harbor Bombed” a History.com article
“May 5, 1945: Japanese Balloon Bomb Kills 6 in Oregon” by David Kravets
We discuss the origins of snake oil, how it was brought to America by Chinese Immigrants in the 1800's, and then how snake oil tradesmen created their own concoctions.
Support: https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources:
“Chinese in the Post-Civil War South: A People Without History” by Lucy M. Cohen
“The Chinese-American Heritage” by David M. Brownstone
“The Use of Black Powder Nitroglycerine on the Transcontinental Railroad” from the Transcontinental
Railroad resources from the Linda Hall Library
“The Army of Canton in the High Sierra” by Alexander Saxton
“The History of Snake Oil” by Andrew Haynes in the Pharmaceutical Journal
“The Rattlesnake King” an excerpt from “Natural Causes: Death, Lies, and Politics in America’s Vitamin
and Herbal Supplement Industry” by Dan Hurley
“A History of ‘Snake Oil Salesman’” by Lakshmi Gandhi
Jordan and Jeremy discuss the history of West Point and what happened when the cadets couldn't hold their egg nog.
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Sources:
“When Eggnog Sparked a Riot at West Point” by Christopher Klein
“A Brief History of West Point” by the United States Military Academy
“Egg Nog: It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Starts a Holiday Riot” by Natasha Geiling
“The Eggnog Riot” by Michelle Legro
“The Eggnog Riot” by Carol S. Funck
“U.S. Military Academy Established” an article on History.com
“The Boozy and Violent Story Behind America’s Eggnog Riot” by Matt Davis
“Ridiculous History: Here’s Why West Point Cadets Rioted Over Eggnog in 1826” by Laurie L. Dove
We talk about the history of how alcatraz went from just and island, to a military prison, to a federal prison, and then a cultural center for native americans that established an occupation on the island.
Support: https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources:
“Alcatraz Origins” by the Federal Bureau of Prisons
“The Rock” Volume I by the Improvement Fund, Pacific Branch United States Disciplinary Barracks
“Alcatraz-World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary” by National Park Services
“Boarding School Seasons” by Brenda J. Child
“Full History” and “Alcatraz Escape Attempts” by the Alcatraz History website
“Alcatraz” by the History.com website
“Alcatraz! Alcatraz! The Indian Occupation of 1969-1971” by Adam Fortunate Eagle
“The Occupation of Alcatraz” by Troy Johnson
Jordan and Jeremy discuss the Honey War, the civil war between the state of Missouri and the territory of Iowa, all because a surveyor got a little sloppy while determining the border between the two.
Support: https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources:
“The Honey War” by Craig Hill
“One Sloppy Land Surveyor Almost Caused a War Between Missouri and Iowa” by Sarah Laskow
“What Are The Differences Between True North, Grid North, and Magnetic North?” by John Miaschi
“The History of Missouri” by David D. March
“The Honey War” by Erik McKinley Erickson
“Iowa Through Time” by Cyrenus Cole
“The Heritage of Missouri: A History” by Duane Meyer
“A New History of Missouri” by Frederick Arthur Culmer
“Iowa Inside Out” by Herbert V. Hake
Happy Thanksgiving! Welcome to our first Thanksgiving episode. This week, Jordan and Jeremy talk about the history of the presidential turkey pardon and Rebecca, the raccoon that President Calvin Coolidge pardoned from his Thanksgiving table.
Support: https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources:
"Where Pardoned Turkeys Go To Die” by Dan Merica
“The Thanksgiving Raccoon That Became A Presidential pet” by Christopher Klein
“The Turkey: An American Story” by Andrew F. Smith
“Calvin Coolidge Renovation: 1927” on the White House Museum website
“Turkey Pardons, The Stuffing of Historic Legend” by Monica Hesse
“Calvin Coolidge’s Pet Raccoon Rebecca” by Presidential Pet Museum
“First Lady Grace Coolidge Loved Her Raccoon, Rebecca” by Rebecca Onion
“Wombats and Such” by David Pietrusza
Warren G. Harding is consistently rated as one of America's worst presidents. Why? Jordan and Jeremy discuss Harding's life including presidential scandals and his many, many affairs.
Support us at:
https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources:
“A President of the Peephole” by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
“The Most Scandalous President” by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
“Warren G. Harding” by John W. Dean
“The Strange Death of Warren G. Harding” by Dr. Howard Markel
“The Ohio Gang” by Tom Lutz
“Hidden History: For Scandal, You Can’t Top Harding” by Robert Watson
History.com article “Warren G. Harding”
“America’s Horniest President” by Jordan Michael Smith
The Independent article “Warren G Harding”
Jordan and Jeremy Rausch talk about when the Baltimore Colts left Baltimore under the cover of night and became the Indianapolis Colts the next morning.
Support the Podcast: Patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources:
"The Birth of the National Football League" by Christopher Klein
"The NFL-AFL Merger and the Birth of the Super Bowl" by Jim Weathersby
"Kiss 'em Goodbye: An ESPN Treasury of Failed, Forgotten, and Departed Teams" by Dennis Purdy
"A Mad, Mad, Mad Super Bowl" by Bill McGrane
"Colts Win 'Blunder Bowl'" by Larry Schwartz
Jordan Rausch describes the time that America tried to both bomb the moon and then store nuclear weapons on the moon.
Support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/americathebizarre
Sources:
“This is the Story of How America Once Thought About Nuking the Moon” by Robin Andrews
The Unclassified Project Horizon Report by the United States Army
HistoryChannel.com article “The Space Race”
NASA’s website article “Brief History of Rockets”
“Hidden History: Project Horizon, the American Military Base on the Moon” by Lenny Flank
“That Time the U.S. Was Going to Build A Massive, Death Ray Equipped, Military Moon Base” by Daven
Hiskey
“U.S. Reveals Secret Plans for ‘60s Moon Base” by Ben Brumfield
With an impeachment inquiry ongoing and the length of Trump's presidency in question, we ask ourselves, what would a Mike Pence presidency look like? This week, we dive into Pence's life and imagine what an America under President Pence might be like.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/americathebizarre
Sources:
“Mike Pence: Everything You Need to Know” by Ines De La Cuetara and Chris Good
“Trump’s VP: 11 Things to Know About Mike Pence” by the Indy Star
“God’s Plan for Mike Pence” by McKay Coppins
“Mike Pence’s Journey: Catholic Democrat to Evangelical Republican” by Jonathan Mahler and Dirk Johnson
“Here’s What You Should Know About Mike Pence” by Mollie Reilly and others
Cracked Podcast “12 Bizarre Mike Pence Stories Nobody Ever Brings Up”
“Mike Pence used campaign funds to pay his mortgage – and it cost him an election” by Rosalind S. Helderman and others
“Karen Pence is the vice president’s ‘prayer warrior’, gut check and shield” by Ashley Parker
“Mike Pence and ‘Conversion Therapy’: A History” by Liam Stack
“Karen Pence to teach at school that bans LGBTQ employees, students” by Brooke Sopelsa and Vaughn Hillyard
The modern Olympics started in 1896 and St. Louis held the third Olympic games in 1904 concurrently with the World Fair and it was a hot mess.
Sources:
“Much Wenlock” by Ben Johnson
“8 Unusual Facts about the 1904 St. Louis Olympics” by Evan Andrews
Britannica “St. Louis 1904 Olympic Games”
“Remembering the Anthropology Days at the 1904 Olympics” by Nate Dimeo
“The 1904 Olympic Marathon May Have Been the Strangest Ever” by Karen Abbott
What would you say is one of the most polarizing political conversations of today? Climate change?Abortion? The wall? “The Wall” has been a major talking point for President Trump and one of his favorite go-to chants at rallies. Trump most recently made headlines for diverting billions of dollars intended for military construction projects in order to finance this wall. But Americans didn’t always care so much about Mexicans crossing the border. Both sides used to cross willy nilly without much of a care. In today’s episode, we’ll explore the beginnings of our history with the Mexican border.
If you would like to know more, David Dorado Romo wrote a great book titled “Ringside Seat to A Revolution: An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juarez, 1893-1923” where he details how his
great Aunt lived through the baths at the border.
Other resources used were NPR’s article titled “The Bath Riots: Indignity Along the Mexican Border” and History Channel’s article “The Violent History of the U.S. – Mexico Border” on their website.
Jordan Rausch explores the history of JFK and his white house drug dealer Dr. Max Jacobson aka Dr. Feelgood. JFK grew up sickly and in pain. By the time that he was campaigning for president, he could barely manage the fatigue and muscle pain that plagued him daily. Dr. Max Jacobson offers JFK a mysterious drug concoction. The Secret Service and Robert Kennedy are very suspicious of Jacobson, but JFK keeps him close by in case the need of another shot arrives.
Sources:
The New York Post "The Kennedy meth"
https://nypost.com/2013/04/21/the-kennedy-meth/
The New York Magazine "The Strange Saga of JFK and the Original 'Dr. Feelgood'"
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2013/11/strange-saga-of-jfk-and-dr-feelgood.html