High Crimes and History

The clearing of #BLM protesters in D.C. on 06/01 shocked the world. What you may not know is that the Park Police have a long history of disorganization, violence, and a lack of oversight. This department in disorder is just one case study of the systemic lack of police accountability in the United States today.

The past two months of hiatus has had Trevor and Katie swearing up a storm, so we thought this would be a good time to delve into a more lighthearted episode on the history of swearing, why we swear, and how swearing has been criminalized in history. From Vikings to Shakespeare, the English language has evolved to keep ahead of criminal codes involving swearing. It’s time to find some new, strange, or funny words to put on your list.

The world has turned upside down in a manner of weeks. As COVID cases rise, the economy falls, and society grinds to a halt, Trevor has a surprisingly optimistic message – the end is NOT nigh. History teaches us that pandemics are era-ending, but they’re also era-beginning. We look at pandemics throughout history to gauge the economic, psychological, and sociological consequences of disease, and what we can do to make the transition.Friday 3/20 we’ll drop another normal episode. Stay tuned.

How do you take 500 ordinary men and train them to kill 83,000 human beings? In 1942 Poland outside the village of Jozefow, the men of the Nazi Reserve Police Battalion 101 found out that all it takes is a single push.

We take some time to delve into a common listener question we get – why is Western history so violent? Trevor dives into the systems of justice, honor, shame, religion, and entertainment that helped fuel a fascination with violence that still exists today. Tying all these systems together is the example of the execution of Damiens in 1757, the pinnacle of the spectacle of suffering and the beginning of the end for many of these systems.

The gunfight of the O.K. Corral didn't end with the Earp brothers and Holliday riding into the sunset. They had been charged with murder. In a preliminary trial, the twists and turns of the prosecution and defense helped craft the legend of the Earp brothers. But at what cost? As you'll find out, the Earp brothers aren't the heroes in this story. Due to some difficulties, the episode is up Wednesday as opposed to our usual Monday. Our apologies!

If history is a narrative, then it stands to reason that where a story starts and ends is just as important as the events itself. The traditional narrative of the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral in 1881 is that of the Earp brothers and Holliday, lawmen of Tombstone, AZ, facing down the Cowboy gang in a classic Western gunfight. Thirty seconds. Thirty shots. What it doesn’t tell you is how the Earp brothers were immediately charged with murder. Murder it may well have been. This is true story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.Special thanks to Podcorn for supporting us! To start exploring your podcast sponsorship opportunities, sign up at https://podcorn.com/podcasters/ .

How do historians separate fact from fiction? Sometimes it’s almost impossible to do so. Take the case of Pierre Picaud – a Frenchman sentenced in 1807 for crimes he didn’t commit on the hearsay of his own friends. Upon his release, he sought his revenge. The basis for the classic The Count of Monte Cristo, Trevor attempts to unravel a case that still mystifies historians to this day.Special thanks to Podcorn for supporting us! To start exploring your podcast sponsorship opportunities, sign up at https://podcorn.com/podcasters/ . Special thanks to Army Flashcards for their support of our show! To get your flashcard deck, go to https://armyflashcards.com/ .

Deep in the jungle in the Vietnam War, an American soldier overdoses on heroin. That overdose can be traced back to the Century of Humiliation that the Chinese faced after the start of the Opium Wars. In the face of a Second Opium War and numerous rebellions, the Chinese are forced to engage in an opium trade with Europeans and their own commercial production of the substance that will bring down the Qing Empire. Sometimes the tendrils of history reach further than we ever expect them to.

What would it look like if a modern army clashed with a medieval army on the battlefield? The First Opium War answers that question. In order continue their illegal opium trade in China, Britain engaged in a series of naval battles and fort assaults against the Chinese Empire, who was woefully underprepared for a modern war. When rifles meet bows and arrows, the result is devastating, and the consequences for the opium trade reached into the 20th century.

The opioid crisis in the United States has reached historic levels and remains one of the worst drug epidemics in history, but it is far from the first country to be addicted. The Qing dynasty of China struggled in the face of an illegal opium trade that swept the country in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pushed by Britain and exploited by European powers, the epidemic spiraled into war, economic devastation, and the destruction of one of the greatest empires in the history of the world. This is that story.

In our anniversary episode we answer listener questions, including why history is so violent, whether historians can diagnose mental illness, why Trevor can’t pronounce anything right, and whether our cats are furry little bastards. Spoilers: they are, but we still love them.Thank you to everyone who has been there this past year! Here’s to another one.

What is the worst way to die? Ancient Persia invented many of the methods of execution used throughout history. Some are still used today. Others were so horrific they were never used again. These cruel and unusual punishments kept power in the hands of the kings and struck fear in the hearts of their enemies. Whether fact or fiction, one thing is known: it’s not death we fear. It’s the way we die that keeps us up at night.

He was a man who clashed with House leadership in a war of words, violated acts of Congress as a show of force after previous investigations on impeachable charges were inconclusive, and was potentially motivated to action in order to influence his upcoming presidential election. No, he was not our current president. He was President Andrew Johnson, and he has a lot to teach us about the next potential impeachment.

In 1491, England was in for a shock. Edward IV’s youngest son, Richard of Shrewsbury, was alive. That was a problem for three reasons. One, if Richard was alive then he was the rightful heir to the English throne. Two, he was already dead. And three, the man protested that he was Richard in the first place. In order to understand why, we need to know the role of pretenders in the Middle Ages.

How far would you go to make a comfortable living? Faced with a shortage of bodies for dissection, medical schools in Victorian England turned to resurrectionists. Gangs of men exhumed and stole bodies to sell to medical practitioners, operating a practice that flirted between legal and criminal.

Corsair slavery in the 16th and 17th centuries does not fit into the modern model of the slave trade. White European Christians were enslaved in the hundreds of thousands by North African Muslim pirates. A controversial historical topic in today’s current events, the truth is more complicated than race. Religious and economic warfare fueled a massive enterprise in which entire villages and ships vanished without a trace. Sold into slavery on the Barbary Coast, the people of the Mediterranean world lived in fear of what might appear on the horizon – a fear of enslavement that still exists around the world today.

Men have always had a biological need to compete, and that need can turn deadly, but rarely was it socially acceptable. However, at one point in time it was not only commonplace for gentlemen to take that competition to the dueling field, but in America it was the ultimate proving ground, even when it was illegal. From politicians to pioneers, for two hundred years the duel was a socially acceptable method of killing a man. In many ways, it became its own art form. Here is the history of the duel in America.

Some legends are larger than life. The question is where to separate fact from fiction. We dive into another famous crime in history - the Ako incident in 1703, in which 47 samurai conspired to take revenge for their master's death in Edo Japan. But are they the heroes of this story, as fiction paints them to be? Or are they morally ambiguous murderers? The answer comes down to the matter of honor.

Werewolves have long been a horror trope in literature, but historically many people have claimed to have committed crimes as lycanthropes. Their journey has been one of tragedy and heroism, of champions and murderers, of the sane and the insane. Whether under duress or delusion, the history of the werewolf trial takes Trevor and listeners to weird world of witchcraft and psychosis, a place where the truth is stranger than fiction.

The lovable rogue, a trope in pop culture today. Break the law, charm the audience. But most historical rogues were not good, nor were they lovable. John Hawkwood, an English mercenary in the 14th century Italian Wars, was such a rogue. As the head of armies he committed multiple atrocities, extorted sums of money greater than entire nation-states, pillaged, burned, dismembered, and raped his way across the countryside. Yet so charming was his persuasive skills that he convinced leaders he would never stab them in the back, even as he stood holding the bloody knife.

How does history help us identify mass shootings and solve the epidemic? On August 14th, 1903 in Winfield, KS, Gilbert Twigg shot nine shots: eight indiscriminately into a concert crowd, and once to take his own life. The first well documented mass shooting in American history fits into our understanding of the psychology of mass shooters today, and can tell us 116 years later the direction we need to head to solve the problem of mass shootings.WARNING: This episode contains disturbing description mass shooter’s of diaries written by mass shooters containing strong language, violent imagery, and distressing themes. Please use discretion before listening.All names of mass shooter perpetrators, with the exception of the Caman Band Massacre, having been withheld to prevent notoriety. If you believe there to be a possible threat of a mass shooter, call the FBI tip hotline call your local authorities or the FBI tipline at 1-800-CALLFBI. If you or someone you know is considering harming themselves or others, please call 1-800-273-8255.

In our very first bonus episode we look back at Gilles de Rais and his trial records to ask an important question: was Gilles de Rais innocent? We examine possible theories of Gilles’ psychopathy, the disturbing problems with his trial records, and the confession that ultimately convicted him. Trevor discusses defining historical narratives and rants on the role of professional historians versus the public in creating historical narratives. By the end no one is satisfied. Such is the nature of history.Note: It is strongly suggested to listen or relisten to “The Evilest Man in the World” before listening.

Victorian London – a grim-dark, pre-noir city of violence and murder. Except it wasn’t. London was safer than most first-world countries today, yet newspapers and broadsides sensationalized every murder, gruesome or not, and the public consumed them all. However, without the entertainment of murder London’s Scotland Yard would have never been created. This is that story.

To refuse to fight for one's country is often seen as cowardly, treasonous, and un-American. But what happens when a whole religious community practicing nonresistance is forced into the draft? As the Amish and Mennonite populations of Holmes and Wayne County found out in 1917, refusal to serve branded them criminals by military law and traitors by public opinion. Those that did serve disobeyed their congregations and God Himself.

Every person's will has a breaking point. But what happens when it's not one man, but a whole army? In 1917 the French army had reached the limit of their morale. Ordered into the trenches, entire units mutinied, and the fate of the war suddenly hinged on the relationship between commander and recruit. The result almost cost the Allies the war.

How well do you think you could recognize a person in a society with only your memory to recall someone’s identity? In sixteenth century France, peasant Martin Guerre returned after almost a decade away from his village and family. He looked the same, talked the same, and even recounted the same memories, but something was off. It was almost as if he was a different man.

If a crime against humanity today was not a crime back in history, how do we approach those events? Case in point: Thomas Thistlewood, 1700s Jamacian slave owner, engaged in torture, murder, and sexual violence against his own slaves. It is undeniably evil, but this wasn't a crime. It was the norm.

What if you were born into the profession of executing people? For the Sanson family of Paris, this was their occupation for 200 years. As headsmen they executed some of the most famous people of French history, and they taught their descendants the ropes so they could teach their sons the same. This is the story of those men, the people they executed, and the toll it took on all of their psyches.

The Montana Vigilantes have all the evidence they need to convict Henry Plummer and his deputies. But what happens when the vigilantes become the very villains they set out to stop? The result is the bloodiest lynch mob in American history.

What happens when the law that's supposed to protect you turns criminal? That was the question that the miners of Alder Gulch, Montana faced in the 1860s. When they suspected that the sheriff and his deputies were part of a stagecoach robbery ring, they took the law into their own hands.

What if a real-life Sherlock Holmes wrote a how-to book for determining how someone died? A similar situation gave history its first forensics book, written for bookworms thrown into field forensics with no former knowledge and severe punishments if they botched up an investigation. The catch? The book was written in medieval China almost a thousand years ago – and still holds up today.

Three voices echo within its halls. Three narratives -- a murder, a robbery, and and an escape -- woven together not by time, but by place. For this is the Tower of London, where many have been sent to rot and die. These three vignettes are exceptions to that rule.

Welcome to Renaissance Florence, where in order to be anybody citizens had to “dress for success.” Spending on fashion was out of control, teetering on an economic crisis. Fearing financial ruin and rampant immorality, city officials drew up a set of laws prohibiting certain styles of clothing. In order to enforce these laws, special policemen hunted down fashionistas in the name of the law. That’s right: Florence had itself a “Fashion Police.”

H.H. Holmes: “The Devil in the White City.” “America’s First Serial Killer.” Convicted of nine killings and admitting to twenty-seven, he operated a murder castle at the Chicago World’s Fair and luring tourists to their death. All of that is false. Holmes murdered nine people, but the narrative of Holmes in the American public is the “greatest swindle” he ever pulled. This is the true story.

Welcome to the Spanish Inquisition -- the attempt to expel all non-Christians from Spain by force. When a group of Jews is accused of having murdered a Christian boy in a secret blood ritual, it gives the Inquisition the motive it needs to punish the entire Jewish people.

How does a billionaire knight turn from Savior of France to serial killer? That is a story that requires walking through the life of the man some historians have dubbed “The Evilest Man in the World:" Gilles de Rais.Note: There is a growing group of non-historians who believe Gilles crimes were fabricated in a conspiracy by the state. I am doing professional historical research on this subject for a conference in February. After the conference I will release a bonus episode on this minority movement and the medievalist response against it in the near future.

Most pirates died as they lived. One, however, got away with the largest armed robbery in history. Britain named him Public Enemy Number One. Pirates named him the Pirate King.

The Affair of the Poisons has reached the King’s court, and chaos ensues. But the hardest part about a conspiracy is figuring out what’s truth and what’s fiction. The best conspiracies – like this one – have a bit of both.

Everyone loves a good conspiracy -- especially when it has a little truth to it. In 1670s Paris a group of career poisoners are discovered to have sold poison to thousands of citizens – including the most powerful people in France. Part 1 of 2. Tune in for the conclusion on Nov.

At the turn of the century the American frontier considered the woman criminal a double exception in society. Uncommon and uncouth, many were placed in penitentiary systems created by men, controlled by men – and with predominantly male prisoners. This is their story.

How has mental illness affected history? In the case of the Crown Prince Sado, it's tragic. In 1762, the prince was sealed in a rice chest by his own father for eight days and left to die for his crimes. This is the tragic story of his mental illness that led to the death of dozens of innocents, all chronicled by his late widow.

Most true crime investigates the past hundred years. We investigate the rest of it. Welcome to High Crimes and History.