PODCAST · history
Yesterday's Chip Paper
by Lord Jones is Dead
Incredible, macabre and bizarre stories from historic newspapers. Whether it's true crime, unusual reporting of famous events, or global headline-making stories completely forgotten today, it's always guaranteed to be downright bonkers.
Episodes
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YCP Extra! Monkeys in court, spying chefs and DIY wine
With crime-stopping old ladies, fortune-telling dogs and professional walkers-on-heads, it's all go in the first mini episode for 2019. Join your hosts, Jim and Violet, as they unravel the most surreal, ridiculous, and utter nonsense shorter stories from the historical newspaper archives. HEALTH...
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41. Under an Evil Star: The Wild Adventures of the Animal King
"Born and brought up through childhood with wild animals for playmates", Frank C. Bostock was no ordinary child. From the age of 15, he became the "Boy Trainer" for his parents' travelling menagerie, and went on to become a pioneers of showbiz across Britain - before monopolising the prime real...
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40. Genille Cave-Browne-Cave: The most interesting man who ever lived
In this episode of Yesterday's Chip Paper, join Violet and Jim and hear the story of the Bronco Bustin' Baronet, AKA Sir Genille Cave-Browne-Cave, a man who did every possible job on earth, fought in every nearest convenient war and survived things that should have killed a moose. Plus, a letter...
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YCP Extra! Halloween II: More ghosts, more murder, and a haunted penny
With ghosts solving their own murders, ghosts murdering innocent victims, and other stories that involve neither ghosts nor murder, things are getting SPOOKY for this mini episode. Such as the lady haunted by a… penny? Join your hosts, Jim and Violet, as they prove that truth is truly stranger…
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39. Bringing up the bodies: Murder in Panther Branch
This week, we check in with a man of many names who commits the most heinous of crime, then disappears...or does he? Plus, Jim reads a letter from a 130-year-old Facebook troll and possibly the best poem we've found to date. Yesterday's Chip Paper is the podcast where your hosts, Jim and Violet,...
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38. Malcolm Gillespie: Scourge of the Smugglers...and Horses
In the wilds of 1800s Scotland, one man stood alone against those who sought to subvert the law by smuggling and distilling their own, tax-free booze. Using violence, guile, violence and a hardiness that is rare in a human being (plus violence), Malcolm Gillespie became a hero to some, a curse to...
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YCP Extra! Eagle-punching, dangerous film fans and history's worst watchman
In this edition of Yesterday's Chip Paper Extra!, Jim and Violet explore desperate fights between boys and eagles, incompetent night watchmen, the dangerous world of overenthusiastic film buffs, and a cantankerous character from Jim's past. Yesterday's Chip Paper is the podcast where your hosts,...
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37. "Old Kill-Devil" and the Bushwhackers: The Tale of Sam Hildebrand
With the help of his gun "Old Kill-Devil", Sam Hildebrand became a figure revered by the entire state of Missouri, including the infamous Jesse James. This episode, we're going to the wilderness of Doe Run in St Francis County, for the tale of a notorious bushwhacker during the Civil War. With…
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36. The 100 Wives of the Lightning Bridegroom
George A. Witzhoff was born in Switzerland in the 1860s. Following the death of his father, he moved to the US to become proficient in the art of dentistry. Teeth didn't cut it for George, however. In fact, George had a particular talent for con-artistry, theft and escape. Join Jim and Violet as…
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35. Ida Lewis and Nancy Rose: The Bravest Women in America
Ida Lewis and Nancy Rose were two of a kind - women who tended lighthouses after their father and husband respectively could no longer enact their duties. Ida would go on to win worldwide fame and be dubbed the "Bravest Woman in America". Nancy… would not. This episode, Violet tells the story…
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34. Maybe a Murderer. Definitely a Disaster: The Story of Charles Parton
Charles Parton was born around 1870 into a hard world. Raised in a public house owned by his pugilist father, his future would be no easier. Join Violet and Jim as we follow Charles to the ring, to the floor, around the world and on a tour of prison cells as we discover the often-surreal,...
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YCP Extra! Lightning Flowers, Errant Hats and Real Fake Names
In this edition of Yesterday's Chip Paper Extra!, Violet and Jim read each other's stories from across the centuries, ranging from an unfortunate Scotsman to a monkey who may well write questionable novels. Join us as we delve into the historical newspaper archives and dig up the stories that…
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33. Three* Barn-Burnings outside Chemung, New York
*There were more, but we liked this title. The Elliot family was one of the preeminent farming families of 1870s Chemung County, NY. Until, one fateful day, one brother sold another brother some inadequate horses and caused a rift that lasted a generation. Join Violet and Jim for a tale of...
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32. Samuel Bissett's Sapient Pig
Scotland-born Samuel Bissett was a man of many talents; shoemaking, brokering and, more famously, making all sorts of animals do all sorts of things that animals don't normally do in front of adoring crowds around the country. Join Jim and Violet as we discover the incredibly fun story of Samuel...
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YCP Extra! Pressgangs, Overly-Curious Canadians and Extreme Overreactions
In this episode of Yesterday's Chip Paper Extra! Violet and Jim read some stories for the first time, featuring a nonsense and angering riddle, lots of people reacting to situations in the worst possible way and a load of Canadian guys who just cannot keep their noses out of people's business. If...
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31. Happy Ned: Elizabeth Taylor at sea
In honour of International Women's Day, Violet tells the story of Elizabeth Taylor (also known as Happy Ned) who spent most of her life dressing and working as a man. Having spent many years as a common labourer, she set sail in 1862 to the southern states during the American Civil War. After...
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30. Ernest Welsh and the Sceptical Experts
Ernest William Welsh invented a lot of stuff. Maybe. Possibly. From creating instruments of death to starting feuds with fellow inventors, there's nothing Ernest can't do. Join Jim and Violet as we explore the life of a man with a laundry list of inventions accredited to him and who really…
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29. Kids and Grownups Love It so, the Poisoned World of Harry Beno
1890s Indiana, a state in the midst of a boom. A character appears in the newspapers with a talent so strange he becomes a star. He went by the name of Harry Beno, and everything he did should realistically have killed him, from drinking neat poison to jamming spikes in his head for the...
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YCP Extra! Pole-squatting, Violet Day and shaving mishaps
In this episode of Yesterday's Chip Paper Extra! Violet and Jim read out stories from historical newspapers, covering topics ranging from sorcery to the untimely death of a previously featured figure. Join us as we each host sees their stories for the first time and go on a wild ride through...
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28. An Old, Wet Man and a Turtle. The Lies and Times of Louis de Rougemont
Sent packing by his mother with 7000 Francs to "have an adventure", Louis de Rougemont would not disappoint. But his fantastical story soon took a nasty turn, as he journeyed to Australasia only to get stranded on a remote island for two and a half years, before living - and leading among...
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27. The Ballad of Rocky Christ
One of Hull's most revered fighters both in and out of the ring, Albert Shakesby was the last person you'd want to get on the wrong side of. While he had reportedly saved 30 lives from "violent death" by the age of 29, he also constantly thirsted for a row, whether squaring up to the nation's…
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YCP Extra! The Death of Santa Claus and a Terrible Tasmanian Christmas
Honey, fascists and the death of Santa Claus - just some of the topics covered in this special Christmas edition of Yesterday's Chip Paper Extra! - the very best of the shorter stories from the world's historic newspaper archives. Learn all about the traditional festive season in Violet's home...
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YCP Extra! Policing Mishaps and Tremendous Cross Buttocks
In this edition of Yesterday's Chip Paper Extra! We read to each other about incompetent police, errant livestock, insanity-inspired murders on the high seas and more. As with all of our mini-episodes, the stories we read out have been sourced by the other host, and haven't been shared in…
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26. The Gruesome Crimes of Anton Probst
Anton Probst was a carpenter's son from (probably) Wiesbaden, Germany. After being deservedly dumped by his betrothed, he embarked upon a criminal escapade with a not-too-bright friend that put the friend in prison and sent Anton on the run. Eventually, in 1863, Anton arrived in the US, and…
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25. Who Killed Franklin Voorhees? A Chicago Murder Mystery
When a war munitions broker is shot on the steps of his front porch, it causes chaos in the affluent area of Hyde Park, Chicago. For over three weeks the police hunt for his mysterious killer, throwing up dozens of theories and suspects, until a man hands himself in to authorities over 200 miles...
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YCP Extra! Halloween stories: Ghosts, murder and a haunted ping pong box
A man hires a ghost to kill his wife, a hanging hand haunts a thriving hotel, and a shrunken head is causing trouble from a ping pong box. It's a rapid fire round-up of the best Halloween stories from the historic newspaper archives! In this second mini episode from Yesterday's Chip Paper, we'll...
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YCP Extra! Pugilism, mapes and mild Canadian animals
Should man mate with apes? How do you survive a bear attack? And what exactly is dibbling a man's clay? All of these questions are answered in the first ever mini episode from Yesterday's Chip Paper. As well as this, there are tales of unbelievable bravery, saving mail trains and novel tactics…
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24. 'Jane Cakebread Again': The Tale of History's Drunkennest Woman
In episode 24, Jim covers the story of Jane Cakebread, a woman once known internationally and now almost completely forgotten. Jane was a likeable character known throughout Victorian Britain and beyond, a woman who got herself in trouble so many times that she broke records for the number of her...
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23. The "Bride" and the Body
"Atlanta woman announced her marriage, went to New York to buy her trousseau, and came home with unknown corpse." - The Vicksburg Herald, 14 Nov 1915 Violet tells the story of Julia Choate Crumley, and 'the tiny lie that grew into a monster that threatened her destruction' as the Chicago Tribune...
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22. Religious Mania and Murder; The Tale of Euphrasie Mercier
Euphrasie Mercier and her siblings were set for life, until a revolution left them penniless. Years of trying to make ends meet, spells in asylums and failed businesses followed until, one fateful day, Euphrasie crossed paths with Elodie Menetret, a kind and generous woman followed by the faint...
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21. The Sausage King of London
Described as a "vulgar, industrious, shrewd" character worthy of Charles Dickens or Chris Reade, this is the story of, arguably, the most brilliant and bonkers businessman of Victorian London. William Harris, the Sausage King, built his string of sausage shops from the murky misery of Newgate...
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20. The Ireland's Eye Murder
A handsome young couple go to an island off the coast of Ireland to paint, bathe and...murder? In episode 20 of Yesterday's Chip Paper, Jim tells the story of the Ireland's Eye Murder, also known as the Kirwan Case. This true crime story has every element of a classic Victorian scandal: the...
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19. The Titanic Disaster: "All Passengers Safe"
Just before midnight on the 14th of April 1912, the RMS Titanic, branded "unsinkable" by the White Star Line, struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage. The ship, which was the largest vessel in the world at the time, was transporting 2,208 passengers and crew from Southampton to New York. Everyone...
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18. Selected Tales from Criminal History. And a Potato.
In this episode, Jim goes a little off piste and takes liberties with what is and isn't a newspaper, but nonetheless unearths squalid stories of a half-hanged man and the most lavish con man who ever conned. In our letters to the editor, we have mystery vegetables that are probably hilarious and…
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17. Hokum or Broken? Debunking Dr. Death Ray
Ingenious inventor or crackpot fraud? This is the question on everyone's mind with this edition of Yesterday's Chip Paper. When an English inventor lights up the world's imaginations with claims of his invisible Death Ray, the War Office is quick to try and validate it. So is Harry Grindell...
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16. Terror in Tasmania: the Alexander Pearce story
On episode 16 of Yesterday's Chip Paper, Jim regales Violet with the terrible tale of Alexander Pearce, an Irishman sentenced to transportation in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) in the early 19th century. A repeated escape artist, Pearce and his companions took off one fine day and made good their...
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15. Murder and the Magician
Morritt was one of the most famous magicians of his time, Monson was a notorious criminal let off scot-free. What could possibly go wrong when these two household names join forces for a tour? In 1893, Charles Morritt was running highly successful nights at the Prince's Theatre in London's...
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14. Robert Smalls: Slavery to the Senate
One balmy, Charleston night in May of 1862, an act of such bravery was carried out that it would turn the perpetrator into a propaganda sensation and a national celebrity (depending on whose side you were on). This is the story of Robert Smalls, a man who went from slavery to the senate in the…
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13. Unlucky Captain Bill and the luckiest fox alive
In 1932, an Englishman, an Australian and an American walk into a house in Florida. One of them wouldn't leave alive. This is the story of Englishman Captain Bill Lancaster and Australian "Chubbie" Miller, who met at a party in London, a chance encounter that would spark the most bizarre five…
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12. Giovanni Succi's Fast Friends
This is the story of Giovanni Succi, once the most famous name in Paris completely forgotten today. Succi was a hunger artist, a name given to people from across the world who took part in great feats of fasting. Some cited science as their motive, others entertainment, but the one thing they all...
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11. Dr. Wiley's Poison Squad and Hitler in Penzance
In the basement kitchen of the Department of Agriculture, 12 young men sat down to a meal laced with poison, an event that would occur three times a day for the next 18 months. This is the incredible story of Dr Harvey Washington Wiley and the Poison Squad, tasked with the experiment of finding…
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10. Ikey Solomon and the Asbestos Heart
This week Jim unravels the true story of the criminal who inspired Charles Dickens' Fagin. Ikey Solomon was a notorious criminal of the early 19th century, a pickpocket turned international star thanks to his incredible plots to plunder his fellow men of their goods. His unbelievable story leads…
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9. Love, Bombs, and a Pennsylvanian Witch Murder
It's witchcraft and murder in small town America in this episode of Yesterday's Chip Paper. In 1928, 60-year-old Nelson Rehmeyer is beaten to death and set on fire in his home in York, Pennsylvania. The culprit? A self-proclaimed witch doctor and his two (very) young accomplices. Plus, a scornful...
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8. Violet's Leap and the Welsh Cliff Mystery
In this episode of the Yesterday's Chip Paper podcast, Jim tells the story of a mystery that swept the nation, as wealthy socialite Violet Gordon Charlesworth dies in a car accident that sees her thrown into the sea near Conway, from a cliff still known as 'Violet's leap'. The case had the nation…
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7. The Halifax Slasher and a Town Gone Rogue
After several random attacks, there's a manhunt in Yorkshire for the Halifax Slasher. The whole town's in turmoil, people stay indoors and locals go rogue in vigilante groups - but no-one can track him down. The twist in this tale is unbelievable. Meanwhile, a letter to the editor in the defence…
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6. Mad Captain Stewart and the Mutiny Murders
Captain Stewart saw mutiny in a dream. This is the unreal story of what happened next, except it's oh so very real. Jim and Violet are in the same studio for the very first episode of 2017, bringing you the story of murder at sea, plus some great poetical advice to kick start your new year's...
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5. Six Youthful Desperadoes and the Folsom Prison Riot
Violet covers the unbelievable story of the six youthful desperadoes and the Thanksgiving Day riot at Folsom Prison in 1927. Meanwhile, Jim discovers a man desperately trying to get a moral across through a murderous apple metaphor, and "Old Fashioned" letter writer who really hates these...
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4. Psycho Sallie and the Worst Family in History
This week, Jim goes back to 1726 and finds one of the most unbelievably messed-up stories published in any newspaper ever. Meanwhile, Violet deals with a psychotic girl from Kentucky who thinks she can save the souls of Thanksgiving turkeys. British Newspaper Archive...
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3. Election Scandals and Rhyme Time with Reagan
For this election special, Jim and Violet uncover political scandals, lonely prime ministers and rarely-read poetry from Ronald Reagan. British Newspaper Archive http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ Trove (National Library of Australia) http://trove.nla.gov.au/
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2. Life with Mother's Mummy and Potatoes in the Dark
In this Halloween special, Jim and Violet find some horrifying true stories in the historic newspapers, including the three spinster sisters in the skeleton house and dangerous mashed potato. British Newspaper Archive http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au/...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Incredible, macabre and bizarre stories from historic newspapers. Whether it's true crime, unusual reporting of famous events, or global headline-making stories completely forgotten today, it's always guaranteed to be downright bonkers.
HOSTED BY
Lord Jones is Dead
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Yesterday's Chip Paper have?
Yesterday's Chip Paper currently has 51 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Yesterday's Chip Paper about?
Incredible, macabre and bizarre stories from historic newspapers. Whether it's true crime, unusual reporting of famous events, or global headline-making stories completely forgotten today, it's always guaranteed to be downright bonkers.
How often does Yesterday's Chip Paper release new episodes?
Yesterday's Chip Paper has 51 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Yesterday's Chip Paper?
You can listen to Yesterday's Chip Paper 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 Yesterday's Chip Paper?
Yesterday's Chip Paper is created and hosted by Lord Jones is Dead.
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