Lewis and Clark is one of the greatest exploration expedition's in the history of the United States, maybe the world! But how did that expedition come about? Who are Meriwether Lewis and William Clark? What prompted their expedition of the so called Louisiana Purchase and beyond? Tune into the Curiosity Chronicles to hear about the origins of one of the greatest expeditions the U.S. has ever seen! (sources will be posted in part 2)

Second half of this massive episode. Part B delves into the gritty details of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, including Reno's charge, the Siege of Benteen and Reno, and of course, Custer's Last Stand! Sources for A and B: https://www.montanapbs.org/programs/BozemanTrail/ http://www.mandanhistory.org/biographiesak/georgecuster.html https://aktalakota.stjo.org/seven-sacred-rites/wiwanyang-wachipi-sun-dance/ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sun-Dance Ambrose, Stephen E. Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors. Open Road. Philbrick, Nathaniel. The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull and The Battle of the Little Bighorn. Penguin Books, 2010.

Part A of a massive episode covering the time post Civil War up until the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Part A deals with the period up until roughly 1875 and what Crazy Horse and Custer were doing that led them to the climactic battle in 1876!!

The other side of the "battlefield" so to speak in the lead up to the Last Stand. Learn about the Sioux culture, the Great Plains, and most of all, the famous Oglala Sioux leader, Crazy Horse. Setting the stage for the clash between two legends at the Last Stand on the Little Bighorn! Sources: Ambrose, Stephen E. Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors. Open Road. https://research.dom.edu/NativeAmericanStudies/sioux#:~:text=Online%20Resources,-Lakota%2C%20Dakota%2C%20Nakota&text=The%20Sioux%20are%20a%20confederacy,Lakota%2C%20Dakota%2C%20and%20Nakota. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sioux https://www.fs.usda.gov/blackhills https://www.armyheritage.org/soldier-stories-information/crazy-horse/ https://www.telli.com/page/siouxtipi

George Armstrong Custer is most famous for his Last Stand, which we will get to, but lived a fascinating life before his untimely demise that your casual history fan might be unaware of. Hopefully this episode gives you a brief look at who Custer was a person, and encourages you to dig deeper! Sources: essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com Philbrick, Nathaniel. The Last Stand. Penguin Books, 2011. Ambrose, Stephen E. Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors. Open Road.

So we have pretty much proven that Oswald killed Kennedy, but that isn't enough. Here is the episode showing that conspiracy theorists don't really have evidence to support there claims its all fabrication, half truths, and misleading data! Sources: Blaine, Gerald, and Lisa McCubbin. The Kennedy Detail. Gallery Books, 2010. Perret, Geoffrey. Jack: A Life Like No Other. Random House, 2001. Bugliosi, Vincent. Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. W.W. Norton and Company. Posner, Gerald. Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK. Open Road.

There are so many competing conspiracy theories out there concerning Kennedy it is difficult to cut through all the BS.  Tune into the Curiosity Chronicles to hear sound, scientific proof pointing toward Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone assassin that killed President John F. Kennedy.  There should be no doubt that conspiracies are ludicrous and after listening to this episode you should have all the information needed to argue that Oswald was conclusively the assassin! Sources will be posted on the last episode of the series!

Most people are aware that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.  But what about the details?  What events transpired that day?  Join the Curiosity Chronicles to hear a in depth, detailed account of that fateful day for a better understanding of the tragedy that struck down the 35th president of The United States! Sources will be published with final episode in the series

Before getting into the actual details of the assassination it is important to talk about the lives of the major players leading up to November 22, 1963.  Specifically John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald.  Tune in to the latest episode to hear the background of these two men, to better inform the upcoming episodes! All sources will be posted at the end of the series!

What happens when an enraged sperm whale sinks your ship thousands of miles from land?  The men of the whaleship Essex found out!  Tune into the Curiosity Chronicles to find out to what extreme lengths these men went to survive their 89+ days of starvation and dehydration after a shipwreck, and how their story became the inspiration for one of the Great American Novels! Sources:  Philbrick, Nathaniel. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. Penguin Books, 2015. Dolin, Eric Jay. Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America. Norton, 2008.

Who were Roman gladiators?  Where did they come from, what was their life like, and what were some myths associated with them?  Tune into the Curiosity Chronicles to found out! Sources: https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-roman-gladiators https://www.britannica.com/topic/Etruscan https://www.worldhistory.org/gladiator/ https://www.britannica.com/sports/gladiator https://historycollection.com/life-like-gladiator-ancient-rome/2/ https://www.touropia.com/roman-amphitheaters/ https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/colosseum https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/gladiator-myths-and-misconceptions.html?ios=1&chrome=1 https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2019/02/04/misconceptions-about-roman-gladiators/ https://www.thoughtco.com/priscus-versus-verus-118420 https://allthatsinteresting.com/crixus

Continuing the story of Charles Manson and his insane Family, this episode dives into the actual details of the murders, the arrest, trial and conviction and the where are they now of the perpetrators! Sources: See Part One

Charles Manson was a cult leader who used impressionable young people to commit mass murder for him in hopes of setting himself up as the ruler of the world based on his insane theory of Helter Skelter!  Tune in to the Curiosity Chronicles to get the details on his early life, how he formed his Family, and the details of his theory of Helter Skelter! Sources: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/charles-manson https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Manson https://www.britannica.com/place/Haight-Ashbury https://www.npr.org/2013/08/04/206652873/charles-manson-master-manipulator-even-as-a-child https://www.biography.com/news/manson-family-members https://scholar.colorado.edu/downloads/g158bh82g https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/charles-manson-how-cult-leaders-twisted-beatles-obsession-inspired-family-murders-107176/ https://allthatsinteresting.com/gary-hinman https://allthatsinteresting.com/leno-rosemary-labianca-murders https://www.britannica.com/event/Tate-murders https://themansonfamily-mtts.medium.com/he-protected-sharon-tate-up-to-his-death-793da55a5fb8 https://www.charlesmanson.com/victims/abigail-folger/ https://allthatsinteresting.com/wojciech-frykowski https://www.famous-trials.com/manson/243-home https://laist.com/news/criminal-justice/manson-family-guide-where-they-are-now Bugliosi, Vincent, and Curt Gentry. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. New York: Norton, 1974.

The Wild West frontier of the United States has spawned many legends and legendary figures, none more legendary than Wild Bill Hickok.  Hickok is the yardstick by which other legends are measured.  Listen to The Curiosity Chronicles to hear about his incredible life and escapades, from his teenage years fighting in Bleeding Kansas to his death in Deadwood! Sources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wild-Bill-Hickok#ref1176008 Clavin, Tom. Wild Bill. The True Story of the American Frontier’s First Gunfighter. St. Martin’s Press.

In January of 1959, 9 hikers set out in the Ural Mountains!  They were never seen alive again.  What caused them to flee their tent in sub zero temperatures?  What caused massive injuries to some but not all?  What killed them?  Tune into the Curiosity Chronicles to find out! Sources: https://allthatsinteresting.com/dyatlov-pass-incident https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/02/russia-dyatlov-pass-conspiracy-theory/605863/ https://www.livescience.com/dyatlov-pass-incident-slab-avalanche-hypothesis.html

It is the most wonderful time of the year!  Setting up trees, stockings, waiting for Santa Claus, and getting presents.  But how did this become the traditions of Christmas?  Tune into The Curiosity Chronicles and find out now! Sources: https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-christmas-in-december https://www.history.com/news/why-is-christmas-celebrated-on-december-25 https://www.britannica.com/plant/Christmas-tree https://time.com/4152307/christmas-tree-lights-history/ https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus https://www.history.com/news/why-do-we-kiss-under-the-mistletoe https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/12/29/christmas-stockings/ https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/25/world/christmas-traditions-around-the-world-trnd/index.html

Some day all your questions will be answered.  Today is not that day!  But I talk about some possible answers to who hijacked Flight 305 in November of 1971.  Who was the mystery man (or woman as discussed in this episode) who has become infamously, and incorrectly, known as DB Cooper!? https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/cold-cases/d-b-cooper/ https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/db-cooper-hijacking https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/83735/woman-who-might-have-been-db-cooper https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/who-was-l-d-cooper/article_8c861ce7-9696-53d0-bf56-642014234d5c.html https://www.abc4.com/news/d-b-cooper-the-real-mccoy-part-2/ The Mystery of DB Cooper-HBO Max Documentary

Have you ever studied the bible and wondered about the historical context of the different deities mentioned, as well as the biblical aspect?  Well look no further! In this episode we talk about the different deities of the Canaanites and other cultures that appear in the Bible from an archeological and historical perspective.  Take a listen to hear about sacred prostitution, gods of fertility, human sacrifice and more. Sources: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dagan https://www.britannica.com/topic/Philistine-people https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Dagon https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/baal https://www.britannica.com/topic/Astarte-ancient-deity https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Astarte https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Moloch https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Chemosh

The finale to the true story of The Pirates of the Caribbean mini series.  Check out the Curiosity Chronicles to hear about the exploits of individual pirates who operated during the Golden Age of Piracy, or who inspired Golden Age pirates! Sources: https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/black-sam-bellamy-pirate-fought-smart-harmed-scored-big/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-gentleman-pirate-159418520/ See Episode 1 notes for more sources

Nowadays, most knowledge of pirates comes from fiction.  Disney's The Pirates of the Caribbean, Ubisoft Assassins Creed: Black Flag, and books like Treasure Island.  But how much of what you see is myth and legend and how much is true.  Tune into the Curiosity Chronicles to find out jsut that and more! Sources: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piracy https://www.britannica.com/story/pirates-privateers-corsairs-buccaneers-whats-the-difference http://www.thewayofthepirates.com/types-of-pirates/buccaneers/ https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-surprising-truth-about-pirates-and-parrots https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thevintagenews.com/2017/01/12/the-popular-pirate-accent-is-based-on-robert-newtons-performance-in-the-movie-treasure-island/amp/ http://www.thewayofthepirates.com/regions-and-places/port-royal/ https://explorethearchive.com/nassau-pirates-history http://funflagfacts.com/2015/08/28/pirate-flags-the-jolly-roger-and-beyond/ https://www.history.com/news/henry-everys-bloody-pirate-raid-320-years-ago Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates. Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Harcourt, 2007. Dolin, Eric Jay. Black Flags, Blue Waters. The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates. Liveright Publishing Corporation.