Don Bolles' Quest for the Truth, Stanley's Snake Oil, The Northfield Raid

Bonnie and Clyde Gun, Space Suit, Deep Sea Alien: A weapon that helped spark the legend of America’s most notorious criminal duo. Inside the National Museum of the US Air Force a primitive space suit worn by a forgotten pioneer of the skies paved the way for the exploration of man's final frontier. At San Diego's prestigious Scripps Institution Marine biologists show us a deep sea alien that survives Earth's last uncharted frontier, the Abyss. by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

French Connection, Shipwrecked Gold, Area 51 Plane Crash: In the collection of the Drug Enforcement Agency Museum in Arlington, Virginia, is a dossier of black and white photographs. It comes from the files of the police officers who brought down a powerful drug syndicate known as the French Connection. How did they do it? A gold ingot is on display at the Museum of American Finance in New York. How did it end up on the bottom of the ocean, and how was it recovered? A dusty metal plate lies in the vaults of the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas. It's a fragment from a mysterious aircraft that was the focus of a massive cover-up. What was the government hiding? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Dr. Crippen, Shoe Bomber, The Salton Sea, The Donner Party, FDR's Cane: Preserved on a glass microscope slide at Michigan State University's Forensic Science department is a small sample of skin, the key piece of evidence, from an infamous 20th century homicide. Whose tissue is it...and who was responsible for their murder? In the archives of California's San Diego Natural History Museum is a collection of 52 birds, all victims of a mysterious epidemic. What killed these creatures? The Sharpsteen Museum in Calistoga, California houses a simple black cooking pot carried by intrepid pioneers on a long and desperate journey. What grisly stew was prepared in this kettle? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

LA Raid, Bioterror, and Automaton: On display at the Oakland Museum of California is the marble statue of a girl who was once named the most beautiful woman in the state. What happened to her, and how did her crowning achievement also lead to her downfall? The Oregon Historical Society is home to an ordinary-looking tire cover that boasts a very unusual printed message. What warning does it provide against a power-hungry religious cult? A massive steel robot sits in the State Museum of Pennsylvania. What role did it play in the worst nuclear crisis in American history? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Outlaw Shoes, Astrochimp, Message in a Bottle: At the Carbon County Museum in Wyoming is a pair of men's Oxford shoes. What role did they play in one of the most gruesome tales of the Wild West? The National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio is home to one object that cannot fly: a miniature spacesuit. What happened to the unconventional space pioneer who wore it? In the archives of The Museum of the Confederacy in Virginia is a coded wartime message, found inside a glass bottle. What does this message in a bottle say, and who wrote it? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

A Secret Society, An Old Pot, Weapons of WWII: This episode was narrated by Jay Thomas. The chance discovery of an old letter buried in Yale University's archives for nearly a century threatens to expose a heinous crime allegedly committed by members of Skull and Bones, America's most powerful secret society. In Seattle's Museum of History and Industry one surprising artifact, a 120 year-old pot, utterly transformed Seattle forever. At New York City's The Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum these are 4 mysterious objects. At first glance, they look like mere mechanical debris, but these are actually the remains of one of the most dreaded weapons of World War Two. by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Radithor, U-Boat, Ransom Note: In Albuquerque's National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, there's a small antique vial that once contained a wildly popular drug called Radithor. How did this doctor-approved "cure-all" end up destroying countless lives? Inside Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry there's a giant World War Two Submarine. It's a German "U-Boat", known by its infamous number, 5-0-5. But during the war U-505 mysteriously vanished. How did U-505 end up in Chicago, and how did its sudden disappearance from battle nearly 70 years ago help bring Germany's invincible U-Boat fleet to its knees? Secured in the archives of the New Jersey State Police Museum is a faded piece of paper inscribed with sloppy handwriting and a curious insignia. It's a ransom note from what's been called "The Crime of the Century." by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Introducing: Mysteries at the Museum: Join Don Wildman as he embarks on an epic quest to solve history’s greatest mysteries. From historical institutions to unexplored archives, Don unearths extraordinary relics and sinister artifacts. Featuring direct audio from the hit Travel Channel show, uncover the secrets behind these incredible objects and learn about the history of civilization, war, technology, and everything in between. by Mysteries at the Museum

2 min listen

Infamous Kidnapping, Sea Creatures, Earthquakes: A vintage fire engine survived one of the nation's worst natural disasters, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. But what cataclysmic series of events really destroyed San Francisco on that fateful day? A semi-automatic rifle was used by one of America's most infamous criminals in a notorious bank robbery. But this was no ordinary villain. To her friends and family she was an innocent 20-year-old student named Patty Hearst. A majestic skeleton of a 10,000 year-old mastodon on display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History tells a shocking story of ambition, greed, and murder, inside one of nation's most esteemed universities. by Mysteries at the Museum

48 min listen

Siamese Twins, Assassin Umbrella, Capone Haunted Cell: The Mutter Museum in Philadelphia PA is home to the Death Cast of Change and Eng, the original Siamese twins. These celebrated brothers desperately wanted to live apart. But would a surgery to separate them cut their lives short? A simple black umbrella is on display at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC. What role did this object play in the bizarre assassination of a BBC journalist? During his sentence at Eastern State Penitentiary, mobster Al Capone suffered unstoppable bouts of anguish. Was the cell of this legendary criminal haunted? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

The Spruce Goose, T-Rex named Sue, The Slinky: The largest aircraft to be built almost entirely from wood. It is the “H‐4 Hercules”, better known as “The Spruce Goose” in McMinnville, Oregon at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. On display at Chicago's Field Museum the remains of "Sue", the largest T-Rex ever discovered, reveal answers to the question; what was life like for the king of the prehistoric food chain? In upstate New York, in Rochester's Strong National Museum of Play we discover how one of the world's most popular toys was a failed invention from World War Two. by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Boston Molasses Disaster, D.B. Cooper, Buddy Holly Curse: Parked inside the Boston Fire Museum in Boston, Massachusetts is an antique steam engine. It was once called upon to battle a devastating event that no firefighter had ever trained for. So what was this bizarre and deadly disaster? The Northwest Museum of Legends and Lore in Seattle, Washington is home to an oddly life-like wax sculpture -- modeled after the man who committed what may be the most notorious airplane hijacking in U.S. history. Who was this criminal? And how did he get away with his dastardly plot? On display at Historic Auto Attractions in Roscoe, Illinois is a seemingly ordinary pair of sunglasses. But these spectacles belonged to a rock-and-roll legend who died at the height of his fame. Why did his early death prompt rumors of a curse? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Prison Ploy, Enigma Machine, Mona Lisa: Alcatraz. Once America's most notorious prison now houses four makeshift, dummy heads. Painstakingly crafted and topped with real human hair; how did these masks help destroy the reputation of America's most formidable prison? The Enigma Machine is among the many guns, planes and chilling machines of war at the National Museum of the Navy. How did this machine help to win World War Two? And is Walter's Museum of Art in Baltimore, Maryland the actual home of the Mona Lisa? by Mysteries at the Museum

40 min listen

Saving Teddy Roosevelt, Eliot Ness, Bigfoot: A manuscript and an eyeglass case both pierced by a curious hole. How did these two artifacts save Theodore Roosevelt from an assassin's bullet? In Cleveland, five strange postcards taunt one of America's most legendary crime fighters, Eliot Ness. Are these the deranged musings of a serial killer that eluded Ness? A 1912 wireless message received by a doomed ship warns of icebergs ahead. Could this very memo have saved the Titanic from her tragic fate? In a small Northern California museum, a large primate tooth may just prove the long standing legend of Bigfoot is real. by Mysteries at the Museum

44 min listen

Theremin - A Spy Instrument, Accidental Mummies, Military Supply Box: Secured in the archives of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is one of the first electronic instruments ever made. But this piece of outdated technology is more than just a footnote in musical history. How did this bizarre instrument play a part in triggering one of the biggest spy scandals of the century? At the Detroit Science Center, 36 bodies arranged in a chilling display are mysteriously preserved - and they aren't the carefully prepared bodies of Egyptian royalty. For decades, their discovery has baffled scientists... until now. At the Mariners' Museum in Newport News Virginia, an ordinary military supply box has a shocking past. It's the only piece of cargo from the USS Cyclops, a ship from the First World War which dropped off the face of the earth. What happened to the ship... and does this box hold the clue? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Houdini, The First Flight to the North Pole, Balloon Bomb: In Appleton, Wisconsin, the birthplace of magician Harry Houdini, there's a life-like bust of the world's greatest illusionist. But this bust is said to be haunted by the spirit of a man that many believe could not die. The first airplane, The Josephine Ford, to have supposedly been piloted to The North Pole by Bennett and Byrd. Along the rugged central coast of Oregon, in archives of the Coos Bay Historical Society there's a strange metal ring that resembles an old piece of farm equipment. It's actually a weapon of mass destruction invented by the Japanese during World War Two to wreak havoc on the US mainland. by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Anthrax, Marilyn Monroe, Hunley Submarine: On display at the Centers for Disease Control Museum in Atlanta is a seemingly simple cardboard box. Once, its contents were tied to a deadly outbreak that left the nation paralyzed with fear. So what exactly did this box carry? Among the glitzy treasures at the Hollywood Museum in California is one item that looks decidedly ordinary. It's a small plastic pill bottle, and on its faded label is the name, Marilyn Monroe. What does this bottle have to do with the icon's untimely death? The Warren Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston, South Carolina houses a groundbreaking Civil War submarine. During its maiden voyage, it vanished without a trace. What happened to the sub and its crew? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Death of Edgar Allan Poe, Liberty Bell 7 and Dr. Linda Hazzard: Carefully preserved at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland is a lock of hair belonging to one of America's most celebrated authors - Edgar Allan Poe. What insight do these brown strands provide into his bizarre and tragic death? At the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kansas is a capsule that flew into space before sinking to the bottom of the ocean, almost taking an astronaut with it. How did it happen? The Harbor History Museum in Washington State possesses a medical book that played a central role in the deaths of dozens of ill people. Who wrote it? And what happened to the author's patients? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Buried Alive, Mauve, Crash at Crush: Tucked away in the Big Sandy Heritage Center in Pikeville, Kentucky is a cotton-stuffed doll tied to a horrific incident that defies belief. On display at The Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia is a vibrant silk swatch that forever changed the world of fashion. And The Katy Depot Museum in West, Texas is home to an artifact linked to one of the most spectacular publicity stunts of all time. by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

American Spy, Belle Gunness, Oarfish: In the collection of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, is a standard-issue US Postal Service mailbox. It's tied to one of the biggest spy cases of the Cold War. But how did something so ordinary become a tool of deception? The LaPorte County Historical Society Museum in Indiana is home to an antique wheelbarrow. This battered piece of farm equipment wasn't used to work the land - but to carry out a gruesome crime spree. What grisly secret does it hold? The monstrous head preserved at the Scripts Institution of Oceanography in San Diego once belonged to an enormous creature. But can it really prove the existence of a legendary monster of the deep? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

First Frisbee, Empire State Building Plane Crash, Futuristic Car: This episode was narrated by Jay Thomas. No news story has been bigger than the attacks of September 11, 2001. But 9/11 wasn't the first time that an airplane flew into a New York City skyscraper. Within the Museum of the City of New York one artifact tells the incredible story of a US B-25 crashing into the Empire State Building on July 28,1945. The Thomas Flyer automobile and George Shuster win the world’s first round the world automobile race. The 1908 NY to Paris race proved to be more than just an epic adventure. It’s the arena in which George Shuster and the Thomas Flyer prove the automobile is the future of transportation. And at Yale University an old tin pie plate tells the tale of a pie maker, a UFO fanatic, and some Yale students and their collaboration to create one of the most used and most loved toys of all time. by Mysteries at the Museum

42 min listen

Prison Experiment, Butch Cassidy Manuscript, Dueling Mammoths: On display at the University of Akron's Center for the History of Psychology is a simple khaki uniform. It played a pivotal role in one of the most controversial science experiments ever conducted. But did a costume really bring out the worst in a group of volunteers? The story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - and how they died in a South American shootout -- is one of the most enduring tales of the Wild West. But is it true? The answer may lie in a 200-page manuscript at the American Heritage Center in Wyoming. The tangled remains of two Ice Age mammoths are found locked together in a death grip. But why would these otherwise peaceful creatures, now on display at the Trailside Museum in Nebraska, engage in a fatal battle? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Prehistoric Monster, Bockscar Plane, UFOs: One plane sealed the fate of thousands. In the National Museum of the United States sits Kennedy's Air Force One and some of the fastest planes on the planet. But how did the "Bockscar" seal the fate of thousands? How did ornate light brackets that would have adorned the walls of the first class Pullman cars of the Great Northern's passenger trains wind up 4000ft up in the Cascade Mountains and what tragic story has the answer? Does the wooden man at the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico answer the question, "Do aliens exist?" by Mysteries at the Museum

42 min listen

Hitchcock's Birds, Hope Diamond and Phineas Gage: Stored in a glass jar at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, CA is a strange cluster of preserved sea creatures that may unlock a mystery linked to the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcok. But how exactly did these tiny organisms help spawn one of the scariest horror films of all time? The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. houses one of the most viewed objects in the world - the Hope Diamond. But this spectacular jewel is best known not for its beauty, but a deadly curse. So what is the truth behind the so-called "Curse of the Hope Diamond"? On display at the Warren Anatomical Museum in Boston, Massachusetts is the skull of a 19th-century railroad worker who suffered an unimaginable accident. How did his case forever change what we understand about the human brain? by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Edison's Electric Pen, Vanishing Carroll Deering, Lizard Man: The Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange New Jersey displays a failed gadget of the famed inventor that went on to leave a surprising and permanent mark. At the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, visitors can discover a bell recovered from a ship whose crew mysteriously vanished without a trace. And at the South Carolina Cotton Museum an unusual cast footprint tells the tale of a mutant creature that left a community paralyzed by fear. by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

MGM Fire, UFO Car, Prophecy Sword: At the Clark County Heritage Museum in Las Vegas is a simple poker chip, salvaged from one of Las Vegas's most opulent hotels. This piece of plastic played a huge conflagration that bore witness to one of the city's greatest atrocities. Stationed at the Marshall County History Museum in Warren, Minnesota is a damaged 1970s police cruiser with a past, that some claim, is out of this world. Encased at the Confederate Relic Room in Columbia, South Carolina is a battered sword that was carried by a Civil War general. by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Black Dahlia, French Angel, Sterling Hall Bombing: Inside a small museum dedicated to the history and legacy of law enforcement in Los Angeles, California, is a small, innocuous cardboardbox. It's filled with cards bearing names, locations, and other evidence related to a still-unsolved murder that gripped the nation in the middle of the last century. Does this box still contain any clues that could solve this sensational case? Among the grotesque anatomical oddities and strange medical tools at the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago, IL is the strange bust of a figure more monster than man. But although the features seem out of proportion, this sculpture was modeled on a real person. Who was he, and what is the explanation for his seemingly incongruous nickname, the French Angel? The State Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin contains one twisted piece of cast iron that on first glance looks like nothing more than a rusted hunk of junk. But it's a crucial piec by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Shrunken Heads, Greeley Expedition, Broken Arrow: Host Don Wildman examines what appears to be a miniature human head, brought back from the jungles of South America. In the pages of a handwritten journal, he discovers the harrowing details of an Arctic expedition that ended in disaster. He surveys the dented casing of the hydrogen bomb that sat at the center of a horrifying nuclear accident. by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Little Trunk of Horrors, Russian Roswell, Coney Island Baby Incubators: Hidden in The Haggin Museum in California's Central Valley is a vintage trunk which tells a gruesome story of love and betrayal. On display at The National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas are strange pieces of debris that defy all earthly explanation. And the Koreshan State Historic Site in Estero, Florida is home to a sphere which speaks to the bizarre beliefs that once bound an unusual cult together. by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Prophet of Oak Ridge, Human Scalp, Mothman: Stored at the Furnace Creak Visitor Center in Death Valley National Park is an antique weathered trunk discovered in the unforgiving desert landscape. Some believe it is evidence of a legendary cross-country journey. On display at the Chicago History Museum are group of bricks that were the key to one of the largest prison breaks of the Civil War. And the Omaha Public Library is home to a gruesome relic from Nebraska's rough and tumble frontier past: a preserved human scalp. by Mysteries at the Museum

43 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Don Bolles' Quest for the Truth, Stanley's Snake Oil, The Northfield Raid

Don Bolles' Quest for the Truth, Stanley's Snake Oil, The Northfield Raid

Description

Titles in the series (99)

More Episodes from Mysteries at the Museum

Related podcast episodes