51. A Million Dollar Mermaid & Mexico's Vigilante Mom on a Mission: Annette Kellermann & Miriam Rodriguez

Listen, we get it. These are stressful times. Sometimes we need to break up the doom and gloom with some #GOODCRIMES. This week, Rachel tells the story of the Million Dollar Mermaid, Annette Kellermann. Annette was born in Australia in the late 1800's. As a child, she suffered from polio. Her father got her to start swimming as a way to build up her strength. By the time she was a teenager, Annette was winning swimming competitions. She became a famous professional swimmer and film actress. One day when Annette showed up to Revere Beach in Boston, Massachusetts she was arrested for wearing a (gasp) one piece swimsuit?! Next, Nathalie tells us the story of Miriam Rodriguez. Miriam's daughter was kidnapped by the cartel. Miriam did everything she could to pay the ransom, including borrowing money from friends and family. Unfortunately, she would never see her daughter alive again. Miriam made it her life's passion to track down the men involved in her daughter's murder. She used fake IDs and disguises to spy on the men, she would then turn them into the police. Miriam helped other families with missing children until she was killed by the cartel on the day Mexico celebrates Mother's Day. Rachel's Sources: https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/kellerman-annette-1886-1975 https://www.boston.com/news/history/2015/07/02/this-womans-one-piece-bathing-suit-got-her-arrested-in-1907 https://www.garnethill.com/threadsbygarnethill/2017/05/12/century-swim-evolution-swimsuit/ https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/18081/body-odor-through-ages-brief-history-deodorant https://www.ishof.org/assets/1907-the-arrest-of-annette-kellerman.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Dollar_Mermaid Nathalie's Sources https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/13/world/americas/miriam-rodriguez-san-fernando.html https://www.insider.com/mexico-mother-took-down-the-drug-cartel-who-murdered-her-daughter-2020-12