1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast
byJon Hagadorn Podcast Host
HistorySocietyCulture
Where History Comes Alive! A fast-paced, well-researched weekly podcast covering a wide range of historical events, persons, places, legends, and mysteries, Hosted by Jon Hagadorn, the selection of stories and interviews includes 'Found In The Footnotes" 5-10 minutes history shorts, lost treasure, unsolved mysteries, unexplained phenomenon, WWII stories, biographies, disasters, legends of the Old West, American Revolutionary history, urban legends, movie backstories, author interviews and much more. Available wherever podcasts are found, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Comcast, & others. Episodes air Sundays at 12pm ET and Thursdays at 6am ET. Follow us at www.Facebook.com/1001Heroes and Twitter @1001podcast. All...
Episodes(40 episodes)
DR. PEMBERTON'S CURE FOR WHATEVER AILS YOU
Dr. John Pemberton's "cure" wqas a patent medicine created in 1886 to treat morhine addiction, nerve pain, headaches, and hangovers. His remedy consisted of Bordeaux wine mixed with coca leaves and kola nuts, with the coca leaves providing 6mg of cociane. His cure and his company went through a number of changes through the years becoming one of the most recognized brands in the world= this is the story-which was "Found In The Footnotes" JH 1001 Heoes, Legends, Histories & Mystyeries Podcast every Wednesday at 4pm ET.
Published: Mar 25, 2026Duration: 8m 19s
MK-ULTRA THE DEADLY CIA BRAIN CONTROL PROGRAM THAT FUELED THE 60'S LSD COUNTERCULTURE (PT 1) HOW THEY WERE CAUGHT
Beginning in the late 1950's our government's CIA, feeling that our enemies were leading us in the science of mind control, began a program of experimentation on both volunteer and unknowing subjects using the hallucinatory drug LSD. The program grew out of control quickly, one result being their manufacturing and distributing free LSD throughout San Francisco and other cities , using CIA safehouses as distribution points, performing experimentts on unknowing prisoners and soldiers and on their own people. Some died and the deaths were covered up. In San Francisco and New York the "hippie" counterculture bloomed with the drug craze as...
Published: Mar 22, 2026Duration: 46m 46s
BIGFOOT: THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SEARCH
Does Bigfoot really exist? We'll give you all the known science and let you decide! Stop by our new website where you can browse all 12 1001 shows and enjoy over 1,500 stories at www.bestof1001stories.com and leave a review after signing up for our monthly newsletter-Thanks!
Published: Mar 20, 2026Duration: 33m 15s
BORN ON A MOUNTAINTOP IN...FRANKLIN?
The Ballad of Davy Crockett begins this way "Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, Greenest state in the land of the free...", but Tennessee wasn't always Tennessee... actually it was named Franklin when the independent thinking people there decided that Carolina didnt even know they existed. So they got together and named their own state with its own boundaries. This is their story... My footnote: I grew up in Pasadena CA and in my neighborhood Mrs Tobin always held a big back yard Christmas show where the kids were invited to perform.I was 5 or 6 and when m...
Published: Mar 18, 2026Duration: 6m 16s
THE TRUE STORY THAT INSPIRED 'THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO'
The True Story That Inspired 'The Count of Monte Cristo' — A Four‑Part Special at 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Fresh off our full narration of Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo at 1001 Stories for the Road, we turn to the true story behind the novel — a story every bit as dramatic, heroic, and heartbreaking as the fiction it inspired. And with PBS MASTERPIECE releasing its sweeping new eight‑episode adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo starring Sam Claflin as Edmond Dantès and Jeremy Irons as Abbé Faria, there has never been a better moment to explore...
Published: Mar 15, 2026Duration: 31m 24s
UFO FILES: THE BETTY AND BARNEY HILL INCIDENT
⭐ Summary: The Betty and Barney Hill Incident On the night of September 19, 1961, Betty and Barney Hill—an interracial, middle‑class couple from Portsmouth, New Hampshire—were driving home from a vacation in Canada when they noticed a bright light in the sky that seemed to follow their car. As the object drew closer, Betty became convinced it was a craft; Barney, more skeptical, stopped the car to get a better look. Through binoculars he saw what he later described as a structured, disc‑shaped craft with humanoid figures inside. Terrified, the couple fled down the highway. What...
Published: Mar 13, 2026Duration: 57m 9s
THE GREAT MOLASSES FLOOD OF BOSTON 1919
DROWNING IN MOLASSES — SHOW NOTES Overview On January 15, 1919, Boston's North End was shattered by one of the strangest and most devastating industrial disasters in American history: the Great Molasses Flood. A massive steel tank—poorly built, poorly maintained, and filled to the brim with fermenting molasses—exploded without warning. A tidal wave of sticky, suffocating syrup tore through the neighborhood at nearly 35 miles per hour, killing 21 people, injuring more than 150, and leaving a path of destruction that took years to fully repair. Key Themes • Corporate negligence — The tank's owners ignored repeated warnings, comp...
Published: Mar 11, 2026Duration: 7m 37s
THE 1899 CENTRAL PARK KIDNAPPING THAT SHOOK NEW YORK CITY
THE CENTRAL PARK KIDNAPPING EDWARD H.SMITH There are stories in American history that arrive like a thunderclap—stories that seize the public imagination, shake a city to its core, and leave behind a permanent change in how people live their daily lives. In the spring of 1899, New York City was gripped by exactly such a story. It began in the most peaceful place imaginable: a sunny afternoon in Central Park, where mothers pushed prams beneath the elms, nurses chatted on benches, and children played within sight of the great stone arches. Sound cue: a sud...
Published: Mar 8, 2026Duration: 37m 39s
A CURIOUS VANISHING: AGATHA CHRISTIE'S 11 DAY DISAPPEARANCE IN DEC 1926
When the most famous writer of crime fiction mysteriously disappeared in December of 1926, leaving behind her parked car with headlights on and her personal items, the public and the press feared the worst. An intensive search began and lasted for 11 days until...... Join us at 1001 Stories For the Road for my narration of the classic Christie mystery "The Seven Dials Mystery'", and you can also catch up on 'The Count of Monte Cristo', , which I recently completed there. Link to 1001 Stories For The Road: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-stories-for-the-road/id1227478901 <p...
Published: Mar 4, 2026Duration: 8m 53s
REMEMBERING MERRILL'S MARAUDERS: THE JUNGLE RAIDERS OF WWII
REMEMBERING MERRILL'S MARAUDERS THE JUNGLE RAIDERS OF WWII This episode explores the extraordinary story of Merrill's Marauders, an elite American long-range penetration unit that operated in the treacherous jungles of Burma during World War II. Known officially as the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), these soldiers endured brutal conditions, intense combat, and relentless terrain to disrupt Japanese forces in Southeast Asia. Key highlights include: The formation and unique mission of Merrill's Marauders as a specialized jungle warfare unit. Their grueling march through dense jungle and mountainous terrain, covering over 1,000 miles. T...
Published: Mar 1, 2026Duration: 14m 26s
PEG ENTWHISTLE AND THE GHOST OF THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN
Episode 2 — Peg Entwistle & the Ghost of the Hollywood Sign ⭐ EPISODE SUMMARY PEG ENTWHISTLE AND THE GHOST OF THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN In 1932, a young actress named Peg Entwistle climbed the ladder behind the Hollywood Sign and jumped to her death. Her tragic story became one of Hollywood's most enduring legends — and for nearly a century, hikers, rangers, and tourists have reported seeing her ghost wandering the hills, smelling her gardenia perfume, or hearing her footsteps near the "H." This episode explores Peg's early success, her heartbreaking decline, the pressures of the studio system, and the cascading disappo...
Published: Feb 27, 2026Duration: 13m 14s
THE MAN WHO SURVIVED TWO ATOMIC BOMBS
This is the true story of the only man who suvived two atomic bombs, one in Nagasaki, and the the other in Hiroshima,, His name wqas Tsotumo Yamaguchi. -Found In The Footnotes JH website: www.bestof1001stories.com
Published: Feb 25, 2026Duration: 8m 43s
THE CURSE OF GRIFFITH PARK: A CHILLING CALIFORNIA LEGEND
⭐ EPISODE SUMMARY THE CURSE OF GRIFFITH PARK (CALI LEGENDS #1) Griffith Park is one of Los Angeles' most beloved landmarks — 4,300 acres of hiking trails, wildlife, and postcard views. But beneath the sunshine lies a darker history: a land dispute soaked in betrayal, a dying woman's curse, a string of mysterious deaths, killer trees, decapitated remains, rampaging ostriches, and unsolved murders beneath the Hollywood Sign. In this episode, Jon explores the chilling legend of Dona Petronilla's curse, the violent downfall of Griffith J. Griffith, the catastrophic 1933 fire, the eerie mysteries of Grizzly Flats, and the strange, often forgotten stori...
Published: Feb 22, 2026Duration: 16m 48s
WHO KILLED SUPERMAN? A HOLLYWOOD TRUE CRIME STORY
"Who Killed Superman?" is a gripping investigation into the tragic end of George Reeves, the actor who became a 1950s icon as the Man of Steel but found himself trapped in a real-life noir drama. The Incident: Time, Place, and Date Date: June 16, 1959. Time: Between 1:30 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.. Place: The upstairs bedroom of his home at 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive, Los Angeles. The Scene: Reeves was found naked, sprawled across his bed, dead from a single gunshot wound to his right temple from a .30 caliber Luger pistol found at his feet. Rise to...
Published: Feb 21, 2026Duration: 45m 36s
THE BATTLE OF THE BUNNIES: NAPOLEAN'S SECOND WATERLOO
This story was inspired by by sharing 'The Count of Monte Cristo' in its entirety recently at 1001 Stories For The Road Podcast. If you want a great cllassic romance/adventure story- this is it! THE BATTLE OF THE BUNNIES It sounds like a tall tale, but this actually happened! In July 1807, after signing the Treaties of Tilsit, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to celebrate with a grand imperial rabbit hunt. The event didn't go exactly as planned: The Setup: Napoleon's chief of staff, Alexandre Berthier, was in charge of the festivities. To ensure a "successful" h...
Published: Feb 18, 2026Duration: 7m 28s
THE C-47 DOUGLAS SKY-TRAIN AND THE SPHINX
Featured with Podcast (hopefully); The iconic image of a Douglas C-47 Skytrain (or "Dakota") soaring over the Giza Pyramids in 1943 is a masterpiece of the U.S. Signal Corps. This moment captured the meeting of two worlds: the pinnacle of WWII aviation technology and the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Story Behind the Photo • The Mission: In 1943, this C-47 was part of the U.S. Air Transport Command, a global lifeline ferrying urgent war supplies and materials across the Atlantic and through Africa to reach strategic battle zones...
Published: Feb 15, 2026Duration: 15m 56s
CAPT. JACK TUELLER AND HIS TRUMPET
We have two stories about Capt. Jack Tueller, who was a highly decorated US Army pilot who served in three wars. The first is a legend which goes hand in hand with Valentine's Day,which, by the way,is this Saturday (2026). The second is the true story that inspired the legend. In both, Capt Jack is at D-Day + 12 in Normandy, he is very good with his trumpet, and his trumpet gets results in both stories. Check out all our stories at www.bestof1001stories.com and help all our Found In The Footnotes to go viral on so...
Published: Feb 11, 2026Duration: 10m 38s
THE GHOSTS OF ROME ARE EVERYWHERE
Like it or not- ancient Rome is everywhere in our lives- in our language, our laws, our structures, our holidays, and even our calendar, in the days of the week and the months of the year. It seems strange that after 1500 years since Roman civilization dumped its many gods in favor of one that we still live with them every day. Join us for a look at just how much we depend on a long-crashed civilization in our daily lives. Visit our new website and browse over 2,000 stories at 12 1001 shows www.bestof1001stories.com Enjoy...
Published: Feb 8, 2026Duration: 22m 11s
THE RUSSIAN FISHING EXPEDITION & OTHER URBAN LEGENDS (URBAN LEGENDS #11)
The Beast of Bodmin Moor- Something's been killing livestock in Cornwall and residents think its a panther, but one local went a little too far to instigate an investigation The Russian Fishing Expedition- Two buds purchase a new truck to take their fishing trip at a remote Siberian lake to the next level but it really wasn't their best day.... The 27 Club- It seems that more than the usual number of rock and rollers have died at age 27- and when Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse died that started people looking.... The Deadly...
Published: Feb 6, 2026Duration: 48m 59s
ON A TRAIN PLATFORM IN JERSEY CITY
We celebrate Abrham Lincoln's birthday this Thursday FEB 12th- In late 1864, a young man was waiting for a train in Jersey City, New Jersey. The platform was crowded, with passengers standing close to the edge as trains arrived and departed. It was an ordinary scene—busy, noisy, and unremarkable. At some point, the young man lost his footing. Accounts differ on exactly how it happened, but what's consistent is the result: he slipped into the narrow space between the platform and a moving train. It was the kind of accident that, in the 19th century, often ended ba...
Published: Feb 4, 2026Duration: 6m 37s