Help Is Not On The Way

Emperor Norton and Fraudster Gallerist

Hardtail Media — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 04:30:00 -0600

In 1859, in San Francisco, Joshua Abraham Norton, declared himself "Emperor of the United States", and eventually "Protector of Mexico".

$1.6 million in rare photographs disappear. An owner of one of the oldest photographic galleries in the country is accused of defrauding artists, collectors, and friends in the case.

Emperor Norton

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist says he was conned in dealer’s $1.6m art fraud scheme
A Michigan Art Dealer Accused of Defrauding Collectors Out of $1.6 Million Is Expected to Strike a Plea Deal
A Michigan Photography Dealer Allegedly Bilked Elderly Clients Out of More Than $1.6 Million by Pretending to Be in a Coma
Michigan photography dealer Tom Halsted passed away...

John R. Brinkley and Forrest Fenn's Treasure

Hardtail Media — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 05:30:00 -0600

John R. Brinkley dreamed of being a doctor. Unfortunately he couldn't achieve that goal. He could however say he was one, and became known for implanting goat gonads into patients. Brinkley was on the forefront of quack medicine, disinformation, and conspiracy theory radio.

Forrest Fenn, a wealthy art collector, decided to create a treasure hunt to get people outdoors. He filled a chest with treasure, and hid it somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. The lure of the treasure led people from around the world to analyze the clues, and search for the treasure. The hunt led to injuries, death, and betrayal.

John R. Brinkley
John R. Brinkley - Wikipedia

Free Town, NH and Salomon August Andrée

Hardtail Media — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 04:00:00 -0600

In 2001, The Free State Project was founded with the intention of recruiting Libertarians to New Hampshire, in an attempt to create a sort of Libertarian utopia. Not too surprisingly, things didn't exactly go as planned.

Salomon August Andrée was a Swedish engineer, physicist, aeronaut, and polar explorer lead an attempt to reach the North Pole by hydrogen balloon in 1897. Andrée had very little experience piloting balloons, and the expedition immediately went off the rails.

Free State Project
The Town That Went Feral

Salomon August Andrée

Peshtigo Fire and Norwegian Black Metal

Hardtail Media — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0700

The most devastating wildfire in U.S. history was not in the western states, or even a recent event. Instead it was in Wisconsin, on October 8th, 1871. The fire burned around 1.5 million acres, and claimed more than 1,500 lives.

In the 1990s, a new genre of music emerged, know as Norwegian black metal. Some of the most influential members of extreme metal came from this period. Its members from were also responsible for two murders, a suicide, and the burning of old Norwegian churches.

The Norwegian black metal segment may be disturbing for sensitive listeners, and includes references to suicide and murder.

The Peshtigo Fire - National Weather Service
The Peshtigo Fire - Wikipedia
The Great Midwest Wildfires of 1871
The Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 11, number 1, September 1927
Why America's Deadliest Wildfire Was Largely Forgotten
Norwegian Black Metal

Jimmy Hoffa and the Collyer Brothers

Hardtail Media — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 04:30:00 -0700

Jimmy Hoffa, former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters - a powerful union with ties to organized crime, disappears in 1975. Hoffa is eventually declared dead in 1982, though his body has never been found despite years of investigations, rumors, and leads.

Brothers, Homer and Langley Collyer, became infamous for their hoarding and bizarre behavior. The brothers lived in seclusion, in a Harlem Brownstone in the 1920s, and eventually are found to have been living with 120 tons of belongings, tunnels, and booby traps.

Jimmy Hoffa - Wikipedia
Teamsters - Wikipedia
Hunt for Jimmy Hoffa - BBC

Collyer Brothers - Wikipedia
Collyer Brothers Gallery

Ergotism and Howard Hughes

Hardtail Media — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 04:53:00 -0600

In 857 A.D., in the Rhine Valley, an outbreak of a disease causing hallucinations, gangrene, and death occurred. Because the symptoms included a severe burning sensation, and it was believed to be a punishment from God, it came to be known as Holy Fire. Though a doctor in 1670 figured out the cause, outbreaks would occur for another 170 years before the cause of the disease was finally proven.

Howard Hughes was an eccentric billionaire, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest and most influential person in the world. Eventually his eccentricity gave way to extreme reclusiveness, obsessive compulsive disorder, and chronic pain.

Ergot of Rye
Ergot - Wikipedia
Has Ergot Altered Events in World History?

Howard Hughes - Wikipedia

Lake Peigneur drilling disaster and the Darien Scheme

Hardtail Media — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0600

In 1980, while Texaco was drilling in Lake Peigneur, a sinkhole opened up and drained the lake, swallowing the drilling platform, and several boats and barges in the process. The 10 foot deep lake was popular for fishing, and was the backdrop for a botanical garden. On November 20th, approximately 2.5 billion gallons of water drained from the lake, along with the boats, several acres of land, and trees. The direction of water flowing to the Gulf of Mexico temporarily reversed, created a 164 foot waterfall. The lake is now 200 feet deep and brackish, after refilling in a matter of days.

In the 1690s, the Scottish Darien Company attempted to establish a colony, on what is now Panama. Scotland was behind in the race to exploit new worlds, and hoped to establish a trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, for power and riches. The brainchild of William Patterson, the initial expedition included 5 ships and 1200 people. Funded by the Scots, the scheme eventually consumed around 20% of the entire wealth of Scotland, essentially bankrupting the country. This financial disaster followed the Seven Ill years, and the Nine Years War, in with 5-20% of the population perished. The Scheme is largely credited with causing the unification of Scotland and England, in the 1707 Acts of Union.

Lake Peigneur Drilling Accident - YouTube
Lake Peigneur - Wikipedia

Darien Scheme - Wikipedia
The Darien Scheme - Historic U.K.
Company of Scotland
Seven Ill Years
Masacre of Glencoe

Flight 980 and the Yugo

Hardtail Media — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0600

In 1985, Eastern Airlines Flight 980, crashed at 21,000 feet, on route to La Paz, Bolivia. Decades of searches turned up little, sparking a variety of conspiracy theories. Was it a disaster due to weather, a high altitude airport, a lack of experience, language barriers, and a lack of proper navigational equipment, or something more nefarious.

In 2016, a trio from the U.S., decides to revisit the crash site, and attempt to find the crash recorders. Roommates, Dan Futrell and Isaac Stoner, plan a two week trip to Bolivia hoping to succeed where the other expeditions have failed. They are joined by Peter Frick-Wright, of Outside Magazine, who penned the article that lead to this topic for the podcast.

The Yugo has been described as "the worst car in history". Introduced to the U.S. in 1985, the Yugo went on to peak success in 1987, followed by a few years of precipitous declines in sales, ending in 1992.

At $3,990, the Yugo GV (Good Value) was intended to be a cheap, reliable car. Initially it was, but quality went quickly downhill. The poor quality, and war in Yugoslavia proved to be the downfall of the Yugo.

Flight 980

Yugo

Cults and Nautical Failures

Hardtail Media — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 04:30:00 -0700

Warning: this episode covers cults. Cults often were bad, and the content can be upsetting. This material may not be appropriate for children.

After a long break due to Covid, travel, and technical difficulties, Mark and Kevin return with an episode that covers cults, and a couple of entertaining stories of nautical failures.

The episode starts with a discussion of cults, since Kevin had spend the previous days listening to, reading about, and watching videos on cults. Unlike previous episodes this doesn't cover one event, but rather an overview cults, why people join, and how and why they end.

The second half of the episode covers two entertaining nautical failures, in which the vessels never make far beyond the launch. While not technically a failure to launch, as Kevin suggests, they both barely make it past that label.

Jean-Paul Marat and Pietro Querini

Hardtail Media — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0600

Jean-Paul Marat was a French political theorist, physician and scientist, and, during the French Revolution, a journalist and politician. Initially an advocate of basic human rights for the poor, he became increasingly uncompromising in his stance against the new leaders of the revolution. He was assassinated by Charlotte Corday while taking a medicinal bath, as depicted in the painting The Death of Marat.

Pietro Querini was the Italian captain of a merchant ship bound for Bruges, when forced to abandon ship during a storm in 1431. After drifting for weeks in winter weather, the survivors find themselves stranded on an island off of Norway in January of 1432. The eleven men, of the original 68, ended up spending three months in Røst, and in turn originated trade between Italy and Norway. To this day Italy is the largest consumer of Norwegian stockfish.

The French Revolution
Jean-Paul Marat
Charlotte Corday
September Massacres

Pietro Querini
The Shipwrecked Sailors & the Wandering Cod
The Tale of Pietro Querini

California Water Wars and the Johnstown Flood

Hardtail Media — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0600

Starting in the late 19th century, Los Angeles was outgrowing it's water supply, and by the early 20th century, the fight for water, known as the California Water Wars had begun.

On May 31st, 1889, the failure of the South Fork Dam sent 14.55 million cubic meters of water towards Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing 2,209 people.

California Water Wars
Chinatown
William Mulholland
Los Angeles Aqueduct
Owens Valley

The Johnstown Flood: the Worst Dam Failure in U.S. History
Johnstown Flood
Daniel Johnson Morrell

Germ Theory and Mutiny on the Bounty

Hardtail Media — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0600

Until the 1850s, the leading theory for disease was Miasma, or "bad air", was the cause of disease. Though basic germ theory was written about around 400 B.C., it wouldn't be until the 1800s, that the idea of germs as the cause of disease would be widely accepted.

In 1789, in the South Pacific, crewman, led by Fletcher Christian, seized control of the Bounty from Captain William Bligh. While many know of the basic story, what happened to the mutineers is less well known, but maybe more interesting. And help, for them, was definitely not on the way.

Germ Theory of Disease
Miasma Theory
Ignaz Semmelweis
The Doctor Who Championed Hand-Washing And Briefly Saved Lives
It Took Surprisingly Long for Doctors to Figure Out the Benefits of Hand Washing

Mutiny on the Bounty
Mutiny on the HMS Bounty
The real story behind the infamous mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty
Fletcher Christian
William Bligh

The Dutch girls who hunted Nazis and the Byford Dolphin Explosive Decompression Accident

Hardtail Media — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0600

When Germany invaded the Netherlands, the Dutch Resistance formed, and three women joined the Haarlem Council of Resistance. Freddie and Truus Oversteegen, 14 and 16 years old, joined in 1941, and Jannetje Johanna "Hannie" Schaft, 22, joined in 1943. Their jobs included transporting communications, weapons, and refugees, obtain false IDs, sabotage bridges and railways, and most notably luring and killing Nazis.

The Byford Dolphin was a semi-submersible, column-stabilized, deep sea, drilling rig that suffered multiple accidents, including the Explosive Decompression Accident. An accident in November of 1983 instantly killed all four divers, and one of the dive tenders, and severely injuring the other.

The Teenage Girl Gang That Seduced and Killed Nazis
Freddie Oversteegen
Truus Menger-Oversteegen
Hannie Schaft
Dutch Resistance
This Teenager Killed Nazis With Her Sister During WWII
As Teenagers, These Sisters Resisted the Nazis. Here’s What They Taught Me About Doing the Right Thing
The 14-year-old assassin who lured Nazis and traitors to their deaths

Byford Dolphin
The Byford Dolphin Explosive Decompression Accident

In an update to the episode, in which Kevin stated he didn't know if Freddie and Truus were still alive, Freddie passed away in 2018, and Truus in 2016. This was easily discovered, and poorly researched on Kevin's part.

The Great Molasses Flood and Bon Scott of AC/DC

Hardtail Media — Tue, 25 May 2021 06:00:00 -0600

On January 15, 1919 a tank of Molasses collapsed in Boston, sending a 20 foot tall wave of molasses through town. The tank contained almost 2.5 million gallons of sticky Molasses. The ensuing disaster killed 21 and injured another 150.

Bon Scott, the former lead singer of AC/DC was found dead in a Renault parked in South London. Scott had attended a session for songs that would eventually end up on the album Back in Black. What exactly happened that night is unclear to this day.

Great Molasses Flood - Wikipedia
Why the Great Molasses Flood Was So Deadly
The Great Molasses Flood of 1919

Bon Scott - Wikipedia
What Really Happened On The Night Bon Scott Died?

Dean Cummings and the Münster Rebellion

Hardtail Media — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 09:49:33 -0700

Dean Cummings was a successful mogul skier on the U.S. ski team in the 80s, a World Champion freeskier in the 1995 World Extreme Ski Championship, and owner and operator of H2O Heli Ski, the premier heli ski company in Alaska.

In February 2020 Cummings is charged with the murder of 47 year old Guillermo Arriola in New Mexico.

In 1534 Anabaptists seize control of the city of Münster, Germany, in an attempt to create a communal sectarian government. The Anabaptists maintained control of the city, and forced baptisms on the citizens, until June of 1535.

The Final Descent of Dean Cummings
Dean Cummings extreme: A jailhouse interview with ski pioneer, accused murderer
Dean Cummings' The Steep Life 2016 - Holy Grail Alaska Heli Skiing

Münster rebellion
The gruesome story of a radical Isis-like movement that once ruled Münster

Neerja Bhanot and Lenin Peak Climbing Tragedy

Hardtail Media — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 16:55:14 -0700

When a Pan Am flight was hijacked by terrorists, Neerja Bhanot, heroically rose to the occasion and saved the lives of numerous passengers. Bravery and quick thinking by the Bhanot saves lives, but costs her own life.

In 1974, an international group of climbers attempted Lenin Peak in the Pamir Mountains of Russia. During the worst storm in decades, eight Russian women were trapped near the summit. 15 die in the storm.

Frozen in Time - CNN article of the Lenin Peak tragedy.

Kaspar Hauser and the Atafu Boys

Hardtail Media — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 11:18:05 -0700

Enigmatic Kaspar Hauser appears in the town square in Nuremberg, Germany on May 26th, 1828. Seemingly unable to speak more than a few words local officials are soon able to piece together his amazing tale. But how much, if any of it is really true?

Three friends from the small South Pacific Island of Atafu, in an effort to break the monotony of the “prison” of island life steal a small boat and set themselves adrift. Lacking skills and supplies The Atafu Boys soon realize that their adventure may have greater consequences than they’d imagined. And that they may have escaped one prison, but are now confined to another, smaller and far more dangerous one. A boat, adrift in an endless ocean.

Henry Johnson and the Burke Wills Expedition

Hardtail Media — Sat, 12 Dec 2020 12:01:49 -0700

Henry Johnson became one of the first Americans to be awarded France’s highest honor for battlefield valor, the Croix de Guerre avec Palme for his incredible bravery in single handedly repelling a German attack in WWI.

The search for a passage to the Northern Territories known as The Burke Wills Expedition departed Melbourne, Australia in 1860. The bravado and overconfidence of its leader, Robert Burke is soon overshadowed by his lack of experience in surviving the unforgiving outback.

Olive Oatman and Juliane Koepcke

Hardtail Media — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 11:36:02 -0700

In 1850, fourteen year old Olive Oatman was taken captive by Native Americans and spent 4 years with the Mohave. Her story after being repatriated into American society against her will would make her a national curiosity.

On Christmas Eve 1971 Julia Koepcke and her mother were traveling back to their home, a research station in the Amazon rainforest, when their plane was struck by lightning and crashed in the jungle. Seventeen, alone and in shock she would have to find her way back to civilization or die.