Things Mysterious, Things Fantastic Dawn of Mantis is a variety podcast that tackles subjects such as science, history, true crime, and/or anything mysterious. We research and discuss topics that are interesting to us and hopefully interesting to you the listener.
On this episode, we conclude the story of Stede Bonnet "The Gentleman Pirate". We also begin the episode with a debate over whether that cushy foam apparatus that holds your can is called a "Koozie" or a "Cozy".
On this Mini Mantis episode, we continue our series of musicians who met their end in a plane crash by talking about the great singer/songwriter, Jim Croce.
On this weeks episode, we're setting sail on the high seas to bring you the story of Stede Bonnet (sometimes referred to as " The Gentleman Pirate")who was born into a wealthy English family, but turned to piracy in the summer of 1717.
This week we begin a new Mini Mantis "mini series" on musicians who died in a plane crash. We'll be kicking it off with John Denver, which was voted on by our Discord members! So, hop on over to our Dawn of Mantis Patreon page and join to get in on Discord and other cool stuff!
This week, we're wrapping up the case of the missing Beaumont children and dropping some news on an upcoming series we'll be doing in May!
This week we conclude our Superstitions series by discussing the origins of stepping on cracks, the lucky rabbits foot, does breaking a mirror really give you bad luck, and the Hand of Glory!
On this weeks episode, we're staying in the "Land Down Under" to discuss the case of the Missing Beaumont Children. Three Australian siblings who disappeared from Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, South Australia on January 26, 1966, in a suspected abduction/murder.
On this Mini Mantis episode, we continue our superstitions series by discussing Black Cats and where the phrase "Knock On Wood" originated!
On this episode of Dawn of Mantis, we conclude the Wanda Beach Murders and discuss a few possible suspects. Also, Hannah drops a wonderful little nugget of information about the Muppet Show and Kermit the Frog covering "Once in a Lifetime" by the Talking Heads!
This week we start our Mini Mantis series on the origins of superstitions! On todays episode we're covering, walking under ladders, throwing salt over your shoulder, opening an umbrella indoors and the 13th floor.
On this weeks episode, we're talking about the unsolved murders that occurred on January 11, 1965 of 15 year old best friends Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock at Wanda Beach, in Sydney, Australia.
As if hearing us once a week wasn't enough, we bring to you our new "mini" podcast series, aptly titled Mini Mantis! On this inaugural episode we're discussing the incident from November 22, 1987, where someone in a Max Headroom costume hijacked the signal of two Chicago TV stations! CATCH THE WAVE!!!
The snow has melted, the temperature is rising and we are back in studio for this weeks episode of Dawn of Mantis! We're covering the story of Ted Loseff, a successful orthopedic surgeon in LA who was found dead, sitting in the drivers seat of his Cadillac, idling in the garage. Most would rule it a suicide, but one person in particular suspected foul play!
There's a "Snowpocalypse" in the south, but that won't stop us! We fired up a Zoom meeting and invited our good friend James Dunham along to talk about Bigfoot, UFO's, Blackholes and more on this episode of Dawn of Mantis!
This week on Dawn of Mantis, Joe brings us the story of William Burke & William Hare. A couple of gentlemen who turned killing into a profit back in the 1820's by selling their victims corpses to a university for scientific research!
We're back!! After a one week hiatus from Joe's big move to his new house in the suburbs, we're bringing you the story of the "Bloody Benders"! A family of serial killers who lived in Labette County, Kansas from May 1871 to December 1872.
On this episode of Dawn of Mantis, we discuss the 1965 case "The Icebox Murders" and the suspected murderer, Charles Rogers. Joe also goes on a rant about I.B.S. and public bathrooms!
On this episode of Dawn of Mantis we're talking about spontaneous human combustion and the reported cases throughout history.
On this Dawn of Mantis episode we tell the story of French sisters Christine and Lea Papin. Live-in maids that were convicted of murdering their employer's wife and daughter! Joe also introduces us to Canadian "weatherman" Frankie MacDonald, we possibly set the record for tea kettle laughs in one episode and we have a special in-studio audience member and backup Google researcher, Ivan's daughter Hannah!
In this episode, we finally get to hear about Joe's "easter egg" the infamous yellow notepad! We talk UFO's, Vinyl and Music with special guest James Dunham!
Merry Christmas from the Dawn of Mantis crew! Grab some eggnog and sit back by the fire as Joe tells us a tale unlike any other, the life and times of Cousin Eddie himself, Mr. Randy Quaid! It's sure to be a good one!
In this episode of Dawn of Mantis we wrap up the Failed Prophecies of Leland Jensen, discuss a few disaster movies and even give mention to Cousin Eddie himself, Randy Quaid!
DOM Ep106 - The Failed Prophecies of Leland Jensen by Dawn of Mantis Podcast
Dawn of Mantis: Episode 105 - The Not So Sunny Day, The story of Sesame Street's Northern Calloway.
Dawn of Mantis: Episode 105 - The Not So Sunny Day, The story of Sesame Street's Northern Calloway.
Broadcasting from our NEW location! In studio at RedBeard Sound and joined by our new crew member, RedBeard himself, Sam Duncan! We're serving up a Thanksgiving dish of murder and massacres, and we're not talking about the Turkey......as well as a few other smash and grab stories, finishing the episode off with a story we like to call "Pornocopia"
Dawn of Mantis Episode 103: The disappearance of Ada Constance Kent. A reclusive former actress vanished in 1939 and was never seen alive again. For a decade her disappearance remained a mystery, until one day her remains were finally found, right where everyone had been looking all along. Or... were they her remains? and.... had they really been there the whole time? Listen to the evidence and decide for yourself in this one of a kind case.
Episode 102: In tonight's episode we cover a truly unique case, even in the true crime community. Just a few years after losing her husband in a car wreck, Marcia Shelton's 12 year old daughter Debbie disappeared. Sixty-five days later she was finally found, but not in the way that Marcia had hoped. Then, just over three decades later, the impossible seemed to happen again- another daughter, Victoria, came up missing. So buckle up as we traverse this rollercoaster of a case. A special thanks to our sponsor and sound engineer Sam @ Redbeard studios.
In 1974 Ronald O'Bryan perhaps starts a decade long paranoia by tampering with Halloween candy but there's more to the story because the victim isn't probably who would you guess.
We dive into the strange and perhaps the occult as we talk about the circumstances of the discovery of the body of Mr. Leroy Carter Jr. in the early 80s.
Part 5 of our early UFO contactee coverage concludes with the interesting tales of George Van Tassel and his adventures with the otherworldly.
Buck Nelson was an interesting man to say the least. Without his UFO tall tales we feel he'd be interesting. We go through his rise to fame as an early contactee and Joe even puts his spin on what his voice likely sounded like as he tells the story.
This track was written by Joe in memory of his friend and former bandmate, Jeff Elmer. He played bass with NighTTrain and was a fantastic guy. This was recorded by RedBeard Sound Studios by Sam Duncan.
We recorded this track better than 3 years ago and forgot it existed. Here ya' go, check it out.
We talk about Howard Menger and his extra-terrestrial encounters that he claims he had throughout his entire life. Where were these aliens from? Was it Venus, Mars, or somewhere else in the cosmos? Mr. Menger himself seems to have been unsure as to their origin from time to time.
We continue our coverage of the golden era of UFO and alien sightings talking about George Adamski and the tales he told.
The earliest American pop-culture era of UFO visitation and it had a somewhat different take on the subject. Before Betty and Barney Hill there was a time that the characters telling tales of alien contact were as interesting as the stories themselves. This time we talked about one early contactee and his story. George Adamski was his name and he was a hoot. We cover that and chase a few other rabbits.
In early 2006 child star turned young adult suddenly vanishes. As the investigation carries on little evidence is found. Joe goes the way of Madonna and we bash social media some more. Speaking of, make sure you find us on Twitter @DawnOfManits. :D
In August of 1970 a bomb was detonated in an UW-Madison building injuring three and killing one young researcher. One of the bombers still to this day is on the loose.
Mysterious happenings have been reported in a house in a small Arkansas town for years. The house does have a confirmed history of traumatic events that only add to the story. Dies "bad" energy exist and has it taken hold of this property. Plus we pose the question, "when is your earliest memory?" We re-visit simulation theory and Ivan reaches out to the engineers and inventors listening to help with a project that could save lives.
This week we talk about a few interesting stories that Joe ripped from the entrails of the inter-webs. We cover the the fate of a faux Sasquatch, a cheerleader mom hit man plot, a murderer that thinks they are Angela Lansbury, and a case we like to call, "Houston We Have an Astro-Nutt!"
Joe, by listener request, covers the great Bob Seger hit!
We continue our discussion on how various religions prepare for and explain the afterlife. We talk about the beliefs of the Native Americans, followers of Judaism, Scientology and more. Later we dive down the simulation hypothesis rabbit hole and Ivan attempts to draw a parallel from that to Showbiz Pizza.
What happens after death? Where do you go if anywhere? We discuss how various religions prepare for and explain the afterlife. In this episode we briefly explain those ideas from the early Egyptians to modern religions such as Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and more. It's not an in depth look yet more of an overview mixed with various other commentary.
This concludes our coverage of accidents resulting in deaths, or in many cases near deaths, of cast and crew. We pick up where we left off last time with the mid 80s on to more recent flicks. That and, as always, more random blathering from Joe and Ivan.
We continue our talk about accidents on movie sets. We also talk about the supposed curses around the filming of the movies The Omen and The Exorcist. All that and more. The power of the Mantis compels you to listen to this week's episode. :D Enjoy!
This time we look back through the strange history of filmmaking accidental deaths. We talk about the circumstances of these tragedies and their impact of the industry. Sadly actors, extras and even directors at times were in the wrong place at the wrong time and gave their life in pursuance of their art-form. Join us for part one as we go chronologically from the 1920s to the early 70s.
In the late summer of 1966, Miguel José Viana and Manoel Pereira da Cruz were found dead on the slopes of Vintém Hill in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. Curios items were found on them including, perhaps most mysterious, a set of hand crafted lead masks covering their eyes. What happened to these two electronic technicians? We lay out some of the known details of the case as well as examine a few of the most popular theories.
In 1994 Gloria Ramirez is brought into the ER under quite mysterious circumstances. Her skin has an oily sheen, her blood smells of ammonia and she has numerous other anomalies that baffle everyone in the room. The staff begins to feel ill as they tend to her trying to save her life. What was it that contributed to her strange conditions that to this day have dubbed her the "toxic lady/woman?"