Eastern State Penitentiary has a rich and fascinating history. Built in the 1820s as a place to reform criminals, it saw an increase in violence over the decades before finally

Continue readingEastern State Penitentiary w/ Paul Kahan

In April of 1830, Joseph White, an aged, wealthy and despised resident of Salem, Massachusetts, was discovered murdered in his bedroom by servants. The city – still suffering from the

Continue readingThe Murder of Salem Slave Trader Joseph White w/ Edward Renehen Jr.

In late November of 1912, a schooner named the Rouse Simmons, heavily laden with Christmas trees, made its way across Lake Michigan with Chicago as its final destination. Once there,

Continue readingThe Wreck of the Christmas Tree Ship w/ Cris Kohl & Joan Forsberg

In November of 1971 a man who would come to be known as D.B. Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Flight 305, ultimately parachuting out of the Boeing 727 in spectacular fashion,

Continue readingDB Cooper & the Hijacking of Northwest Flight 305 w/ Darren Schaefer & George McKeon

On November 2nd, 1892 a ten-year-old boy named Anton Woode led a hunter to a secluded area of woods a few miles north of Denver, Colorado and shot him dead.

Continue readingDenver’s “Boy Murderer” Anton Woode w/ Dick Kreck

Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky lived a fascinating and turbulent life. He served a sentence in a Siberian prison camp and suffered from depression and a gambling addiction that kept him

Continue readingDostoevsky & the Murderer Who Inspired Crime & Punishment w/ Kevin Birmingham

One of the most powerful secret societies in 1880s Chicago was the mysterious Clan na Gael, run by Irish-American kingpin Alexander Sullivan. When Dr. Patrick Cronin questioned Sullivan’s management of

Continue readingChicago’s 1889 Murder of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin w/ Gillian O’Brien

New York City in the mid to late 19th century was host to some of the most colorful criminals in American history – and equally colorful policemen who battled them.

Continue readingRogues’ Gallery: Crooks, Cops and Crime in New York City’s Gilded Age w/ John Oller

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