This week, Isaac and Demetria unpack the career of the firebrand revolutionary playwright Olympe de Gouges. Along the way, we tackle such important questions as: what was the French Revolution about? What even is feminism? And why is Isaac’s French accent so bad?
This week, we’re talking about Fred Korematsu, whose great crime was… being in the place where he was born. How did America get to the point of incarcerating its own citizens in the 1940s? And what does that story have to tell us about today?
Nannie Doss told police interrogators she was just looking for love–but the string of dead husbands she left in her wake didn’t meet her standards. This is the sad, strange story of the “Giggling Grandma,” a serial killer who captured America’s attention in the 1950s but faded from the public’s memory after her sensational trial.
This week, Isaac and Demetria discuss an infamous blood libel trial: the story of St. Simon of Trent, and the Jews who were tortured and executed after the city authorities blamed them for the boy’s murder.
Was Robin Hood a real guy? Almost certainly not! But his ever-changing story is a fascinating reflection of the time periods he passed through. Let Demetria and Isaac take you on a journey through time, from the far past… to the distant future.
This week: what do painted clothing, fake coins, and dildoes have in common? All of them factor into the career of one of England’s most fascinating conmen, the forger William Chaloner!
Amanda Jean of the Red Pen Podcast joins Demetria for the story of France’s most notorious criminal turned cop. If you enjoy fiction about crime today, you’re probably reading something inspired by Vidocq’s legacy.
This week, Isaac tortures Demetria by forcing her to listen to him talk about baseball. But really, baseball is fun so we should all take joy in her learning about it.
This week, Isaac and Demetria make use of a tale of revenge from 1820s Japan to discuss one of the most interesting legal practices we’ve ever seen: kataki-uchi, the system of legally permitted revenge of Japan’s samurai era. Why turn revenge into something akin to getting your license renewed at the DMV? What are the rules? And what can we learn about the nature of justice from thinking about this?
This week, Isaac and Demetria investigate the case that grabbed headlines across 1920s America. We’ll talk about the intersection of xenophobia, violent anarchism, and the American legal system, and how all of them manifested in a bungled case that remains divisive to this day.