PODCAST · history
Fantastic Footnotes Podcast
by History is weird, especially if you read the fine print.
A podcast digging up the weird, wild, and occasionally spooky stories you only find in the footnotes of history. fantasticfootnotes.substack.com
Episodes
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Note Stack 7-28-26
This month on The Note Stack we talk about the Bayeux Tapestry, a ritual cave, the discovery of plane wreckage, and a Maya signature. We also have a discussion about historical sources and why we do (or do not) believe what they say. Then, of course, we share our Substack picks and what we are...
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The U.S. Army's Great Camel Experiment
In the 1850s, the United States government came up with an unusual solution to the challenges of crossing the deserts of the American Southwest: camels. In this episode, we explore the strange but true story of the U.S. Camel Corps. We’ll follow the USS Supply across the ocean in search of…
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UFO in the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
There has been a lot of talk lately about disclosure with a capital “D.” The big one... the disclosure that would shift our entire worldview. Yes, I’m talking about the disclosure where the government affirms the existence of extraterrestrial (or extradimensional, depending on your persuasion)...
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The Boatmen's Bank Murder
I am the absolute queen of rabbit holes, and this story is no exception. I grew up in Kansas City and vividly remember a bank called Boatmen’s Bank. The bank had a big steamboat as its logo, and I was recently reminded of it when I saw the logo on some memorial bricks outside the City Market in...
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The Note Stack: 6.30.26
This month on The Note Stack we talk about some new research on Homo naledi burials, a Japanese Hell Ship, a mystery cave painting, and the reconstruction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Instead of Listener Comments Chris tells us the tale of the WWII Devil Duck (yes, she was a real duck) and…
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The History Behind Some of World Cup's Most Famous Games
Soccer is truly a worldwide sport, which sometimes comes with worldwide issues. Today we’re going to talk a little bit about how politics affects international soccer. From outright bans and boycotts to contentious, and potentially contentious, games, let’s see how the World Cup has been shaped…
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The Plane Crash That Claimed a Generation of Football Talent
At 3:04 p.m. on Feb. 6, 1958, a disaster occurred that still ranks among the greatest disasters in sports. As the Manchester United team was returning from a game in Yugoslavia, their plane crashed, killing 23 people. Manchester United is an English football team (soccer for you Yanks). They were...
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The Greatest Women's Soccer Team You've Never Heard Of
During WWI, as men left for the front, women stepped up to do all the things that needed to be done on the home front. They took care of the family, worked the farm, built the bombs, and some of them played soccer. As men left to go fight the war, many women started working in factories. During...
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The Note Stack: 5.26.26
Housekeeping Thank you all so much! We are up to 1.28K downloads on the podcast so thanks to each and every one of you! Also, if you want to give us a little boost, we would love a review, rating, FB Share, restack, etc. Anything to help us get to the top of that algorithm! Also, June is WORLD…
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The Accident that Nearly Killed Mark Twain
In today’s episode we talk about the explosion on board the Steamboat Pennsylvania and its connection to Mark Twain. If you are a frequent listener you know I generally go into more detail here, but time got away from us here this week, so I will post a longer article about the Pennsylvania in…
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The Other Brown v. the Other Board - An earlier fight for school desegregation
The sleepy little suburb of Merriam, Kansas actually has quite a history. This little suburb of Kansas City has hosted two historic amusement parks (one was George Kessler’s first project), an early Quaker mission, was the site of a plane crash in WWII and a spur of the Santa Fe Trail in the...
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From the Margins: Glowing Cats and the Atomic Priesthood
While perusing my Facebook feed I came across a Bored Panda Article that asked an interesting question. “What are real life instances of still working booby traps that have been set off at historical sites that may have killed or seriously injured archeologists or their workers?” Well, of course,...
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From the Margins: Tornado vs Steamboat
By some estimates, over 3,000 steamboats sank on America’s waterways between 1820 and 1860. Even more were lost into the early 1900s after the heyday of steamboats had already started to fade. Most of those sinkings were due to the usual reasons such as snags, collisions, fire, and explosions.…
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Introducing "The Note Stack"
This week, we’re introducing two new series on Fantastic Footnotes.This is the first episode of one of them—The Note Stack. The Note Stack is our space to talk about new research and news stories in history and archaeology, make corrections or add-ons to past episodes, and just share what Chris…
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The Shroud of Turin: What the Evidence Actually Says
The Shroud of Turin is one of the most studied—and most debated—objects in history. Believed by some to be the burial cloth of Jesus, the linen measures roughly 14 feet long and bears the faint image of a man who appears to have been crucified. But is it authentic… or a medieval creation? In this...
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The Real-Life Train Wreck That Haunted Charles Dickens
On June 9, 1865, Charles Dickens’ life changed forever. He was involved in a train crash that killed 10 people, injured 49, and stuck with him the rest of his life. In this episode we tell the story of the Staplehurst Train Crash, explain what happened to Dickens after the tragedy, and share…
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BONUS: 5 Ship Disasters More Shocking than the Edmund Fitzgerald
This week was the 50th Anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and this tragic story has been highlighted on news stories and podcasts across the country. If you haven’t heard the story, on November 9, 1975, the “Big Fitz” headed out from Superior, Wisconsin on its way to Detroit,...
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Accident or Arson (Short Version)
On September 8, 1934, the Morro Castle caught fire on its return trip from Havana to New York. The disaster was a potpourri of startling circumstances, from the captain dying to the ship being caught between two storms. Ultimately at least 137 people were killed and the ship was left as a burning...
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Arson or Accident
On September 8, 1934, the Morro Castle caught fire on its return trip from Havana to New York. The disaster was a potpourri of startling circumstances, from the captain dying to the ship being caught between two storms. Ultimately at least 137 people were killed and the ship was left as a burning...
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The Haunted History of Bardstown, Kentucky
Bardstown: Hospitality, History, and Bourbon by Dixie Hibbs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardstown,_Kentucky https://talbotttavern.com/ https://www.invent.org/inductees/john-fitch https://www.hauntingsaroundamerica.com/post/my-old-kentucky-home-kentucky...
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Dr. Livingstone, I presume (Part 2)
Here we are, back with Part 2. When last we left our intrepid explorers, David Livingstone was “lost” in Africa and Henry Morton Stanley had convinced a newspaper to finance a search for the good doctor. If you haven’t yet listened to Part 1, I would go back and do that before you listen to this....
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Dr. Livingstone, I presume? (Part 1)
Here we are for the second episode of Fantastic Footnotes! This week we tackle a saying that many of us have heard, but few of us know the origins of. This story will follow two men, both with different, but very interesting lives. It will take us to the heart of Africa, the the American Civil…
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The real story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin
Well, after months of researching, recording, and making ready, I finally present our very first episode of Fantastic Footnotes! In this episode we talk about the story of the Pied Piper, some of the different variations of that story, and finally, what we think it means. This “fairy tale” is...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Fantastic Footnotes Podcast have?
Fantastic Footnotes Podcast currently has 23 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Fantastic Footnotes Podcast about?
A podcast digging up the weird, wild, and occasionally spooky stories you only find in the footnotes of history. fantasticfootnotes.substack.com
How often does Fantastic Footnotes Podcast release new episodes?
Fantastic Footnotes Podcast has 23 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Fantastic Footnotes Podcast?
You can listen to Fantastic Footnotes Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Fantastic Footnotes Podcast?
Fantastic Footnotes Podcast is created and hosted by History is weird, especially if you read the fine print..
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