Fantastic History – Details, episodes & analysis

The story of Timothy Dexter shows that one does not have to be intelligent to become successful. Sometimes, a fool and his money are not soon parted.

Sources:

• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Timothy-Dexter
• https://www.amusingplanet.com/2025/05/timothy-dexters-curious-business.html
• https://historycollection.com/how-timothy-dexter-turned-ridiculous-ventures-into-riches
• https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/timothy-dexter-ridiculous-millionaire-sold-coals-newcastle/

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How did a bandit get shot dead in 1911 and then show up in an amusement park funhouse 60 years later?

Sources:

• https://www.npr.org/2015/01/09/376097471/the-long-strange-60-year-trip-of-elmer-mccurdy
• https://www.history.com/articles/elmer-mccurdy-mummy-dead-outlaw

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Email us with questions/suggestions at FantasticHistoryPod@gmail.com (mailto:FantasticHistoryPod@gmail.com)

Fantastic History merch is available Here (https://www.etsy.com/shop/RainyDayCornerstore)!

Music: Order by ComaStudio (http://pixabay.com/users/comastudio-26079283/) (royalty free)

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Since the dawn of time, humans have dreamed of flight. This feat was finally achieved in France in 1783 by Jean-François de Rozier when he piloted the first untethered hot air balloon flight. The first woman pilot, Sophie Blanchard, began her solo flights in 1805. What else do these two intrepid explorers have in common? Tune in this week to find out!

Sources:

• https://www.amusingplanet.com/2021/05/pilatre-de-rozier-and-worlds-first.html
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/sophie-blanchard-the-high-flying-frenchwoman-who-revealed-the-thrill-and-danger-of-ballooning-89106237/

Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fantastichpod/) , TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@fantastichistorypodcast) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeGGchirsGO1bMzKxosclpw) for extra content and updates!

Email us with questions/suggestions at FantasticHistoryPod@gmail.com (mailto:FantasticHistoryPod@gmail.com)

Fantastic History merch is available Here (https://www.etsy.com/shop/RainyDayCornerstore)!

Music: Order by ComaStudio (http://pixabay.com/users/comastudio-26079283/) (royalty free)

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Near the end of the Wars of the Roses, a battle for the crown of England erupts with Richard III fighting for control after his brother's death. The late king's two sons are shut away in the Tower of London, never to be seen again. What happened to the boys in the tower is a mystery that has gripped England for centuries. Join us as we talk about this scandal and the repercussions Richard III's fight for the throne had on English history.

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Sources:

• Real Royalty, 2020. Royal Murder: The Princes In The Tower | Wars Of The Roses. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwzuHGMHx1I
• https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/new-theory-suggests-richard-iii-saved-the-boy-king-he-replaced-170335/
• https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-princes-in-the-tower/

Music: Order by ComaStudio (royalty free)

Jump in the wayback machine and travel with us to the swinging fifteenth century to learn more about the true events that inspired George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series! While we won’t be discussing any direwolves or white walkers, there is plenty of intrigue, double crossing, and dudes named Edward.

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Source:

Captivating History. The Wars of the Roses: A Captivating Guide to the English Civil Wars That Brought down the Plantagenet Dynasty and Put the Tudors on the Throne. Audible Audiobook, 2018

Music: Order by ComaStudio (royalty free)

When Police Sergeant Lonnie Zamora went to investigate an explosion just outside the small town of Socorro, New Mexico, he never expected that he would bear witness to what the head of Project Blue Book would later call "the best documented [UFO] case on record". Join us as we discuss this bizarre story of what Zamora saw and the intense investigation that followed.

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Sources:

• https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/fbi-files-on-the-socorro-ufo-landing-april-24-1964/
• http://socorro-history.org/HISTORY/PH_History/200808_socorro_ufo.pdf
• https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Lonnie_Zamora_UFO_Sighting
• https://archive.org/stream/ufos-an-air-force-dilemma/quintanilla_djvu.txt

Music: Order by ComaStudio (royalty free)

Picture it: Romania, 1988. The country is struggling through its final years of Communist rule, and nobody has it worse than the ethnic Hungarians living in Transylvania. One young man, Attila Ambrus, dreamed of a better life for himself - of fame, glory, and riches. After a daring escape across the Hungarian border, he finds a way to achieve the greatness and notoriety he’s always craved.

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Source: Rubenstein, Julian. Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts. Back Bay Books, 2005

Music: Order by ComaStudio (royalty free)

In 1976, the residents of the small town of Circleville began receiving salacious and threatening letters from an unknown writer. These anonymous letters would eventually number in the thousands and would lead to cover-ups, attempted murder and death. Let Clay tell you all about the infamous Circleville Letters. 

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Email us with questions/suggestions at FantasticHistoryPod@gmail.com

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Sources:

• https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Circleville_Writer
• https://www.historicmysteries.com/circleville-letters-mystery/
• https://unsolved.com/gallery/poison-pen-murder/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/rrh499/who_was_the_circleville_letter_writer/
• https://circlevilleletters.wordpress.com/
• https://invisibleshipspodcast.com/circleville-letters-case-files/
• https://www.trailwentcold.com/2018/02/21/the-trail-went-cold-episode-60-the-circleville-letters-case/

Music: Order by ComaStudio (royalty free)

After being released from a Nazi prison in the spring of 1942, a group of Polish soldiers traded some of their rations to an Iranian shepherd boy in exchange for his pet, a Syrian brown bear cub. The newly christened Wojtek became the mascot of Poland’s 22nd General Transport Company and considered himself to be just one of the boys. Tune in to learn more about his incredible rise from ursine orphan to decorated Army officer!

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Email us with questions/suggestions at FantasticHistoryPod@gmail.com

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Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlp5K5T91jo
• https://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/wojtek-the-bear-that-joined-the-polish-army-and-fought-the-nazis-a-844056.html

Music: Order by ComaStudio (royalty free)

In 2003, thieves robbed one of the most secure and well-guarded places in the world - the Antwerp diamond district in Belgium. It was the largest diamond heist of all time and earned the name 'the heist of the century'. But how did they accomplish it and were they able to get away? Tune in to find out!

Follow us on Instagram & Twitter for extra content and updates! We're @FantasticHPod

Email us with questions/suggestions at FantasticHistoryPod@gmail.com

Please subscribe and leave a review!

Sources:

• https://www.wired.com/2009/03/ff-diamonds-2/
• https://www.history101.com/how-trash-foiled-the-worlds-biggest-diamond-heist/
• https://turmsegler.net/the-untold-story/

Music: Order by ComaStudio (royalty free)