Criminal Records Podcast is a true crime show about history’s weirdest criminal cases. Co-hosts Isaac Meyer and Demetria Spinrad profile criminal cases throughout history. Our philosophy behind the show is that students of history can learn a lot about a society by what it chooses to criminalize, and studying criminal records as primary sources can reveal crucial information about the lives of people who might otherwise have been left out of the historical record entirely. Many of the criminals in our episodes weren’t bad people–in fact, some deserve to be remembered as heroes for their courage in breaking unjust laws.
Where to Listen
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Who We Are
Isaac Meyer is a historian, high school teacher, and podcaster. He started The History of Japan Podcast in 2013. Isaac believes that history should be accessible for everyone, both because it is important for us to know our common past and because really, who doesn’t love a good story?
Demetria Spinrad is an author and digital marketing professional. As a storyteller and a true crime fanatic, Demetria likes to use criminal records to help show you the humanity behind the history.
Isaac Meyer
Demetria Spinrad
Episodes Listen in your web browser
Recent Episodes Find out more about these historic figures in our show notes
The Holy Roller Murders
A Salvation Army-inspired preacher decided to turn a small Oregon town into a new Eden. His method for achieving this:…
Jacques Le Gris
What if a legal trial was also a battle to the death? In this episode, we look at the strange…
Shi Jianqiao
We’ve talked about cultures that had a formalized, bureaucratic process for getting revenge. But what do you do when you’re…
Jonathan Wild, The Thief-Taker General
London’s greatest thief-taker had a secret: he was also the leader of its best-organized gang of thieves. For years, Wild…
Marie Antoinette
Is it a crime to be well-dressed? In this week’s episode, we return to the French revolution to find out…