On this special Halloween-themed episode of Most Notorious, my guests – professors Lester Friedman and Allison Kavey – talk about Mary Shelley’s early 19th-century literary classic, Frankenstein. They explore Shelley’s

Continue readingMary Shelley’s Frankenstein w/ Allison B. Kavey & Lester D. Friedman

My guest, Western author and historian G.R. Williamson, appeared on Most Notorious a couple of years ago to talk about gunfighters Ben Thompson and King Fisher. He joins me again,

Continue readingNotorious Gamblers of the Old West w/ G.R. Williamson

October 8th, 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the legendary disaster that destroyed a third of Chicago and made 90,000 residents homeless. While Mrs. O’Leary and

Continue readingThe Great Chicago Fire of 1871 w/ Carl Smith

We’re back again to the Hundred Years War in this episode of Most Notorious – this time in England. Sir William Cantilupe, a battle-hardened knight who had recently been acquitted

Continue readingThe 1375 Murder of William Cantilupe in Medieval England w/ Melissa Julian-Jones

On November 1st, 1843, a dejected servant named Amelia Norman followed her former beau Henry Ballard to the steps of the Astor House Hotel in New York City. There she

Continue readingThe 1843 Stabbing of Henry Ballard by Amelia Norman w/ Julie Miller

On April 24th, 1891, a Bowery prostitute named Carrie Brown (known locally as “Old Shakespeare”) was found murdered and mutilated in the seedy East River Hotel. With the Jack the

Continue readingThe 1891 East River Ripper Murder of Old Shakespeare w/ George R. Dekle Sr.

In the spring of 1853 the ill-fated William and Mary, an American sailing ship captained by the incompetent Timothy Stinson, departed from England carrying over 200 Dutch, Scotch, Irish and

Continue readingThe 1853 Shipwreck of the Ill-Fated William & Mary with Gill Hoffs

Of all of the Jack the Ripper suspects, Montague Druitt is the most maligned in modern times, my guests argue, despite the fact that many of his contemporaries believed him

Continue readingWas Montague Druitt Jack the Ripper? w/ Jonathan Hainsworth & Christine Ward-Agius

The Cherry Mine in Cherry, Illinois was built to be one of the safest in the United States. However on November 13th, 1909, it caught fire, killing 259 boys and

Continue readingIllinois’ 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster w/ Karen Tintori