The Backstory with Patty Steele

Who’s the all-time G.O.A.T. in the world of sports? There are a handful of obvious choices… but perhaps the G.O.A.T. of all G.O.A.T.s is a guy who, over a hundred years ago, won Olympic gold and then dominated three professional sports: baseball, football, and basketball. Sadly, Jim Thorpe died broke. But why is a town he never visited named after him? How’d all that happen?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Violence in the world of politics seems to be getting worse as time goes by… including the recent assassination of a right-wing political influencer. But taking a look back, violence stemming from differences in political ideology is nothing new.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s 1836 and 8 year old Cynthia Ann Parker is kidnapped by Comanche warriors in Texas. But as time goes by she has so totally assimilated into the tribal life, that she has no interest in returning home. Then after 24 years . . she’s kidnapped again!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These days a lot of folks complain that sports has become simply a money game. But that trend actually began over a century ago with the wild antics and baseball genius of Babe Ruth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dogs give us puppy eyes . . cats grace us with their presence. But we love them both . . or at least a lot of us do. But why are the two most popular pets so very different? It all boils down to genetics and history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hard to imagine but fad diets go back as much as 5000 years. It was took the Victorians to make it a massive business. These days we all want the new and very expensive weight loss injections, but they used everything from arsenic, to tapeworms, to rubber underwear to get that svelte shape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 15 year old kid walks into the woods to ask some questions about the meaning of life. Nothing unusual there. However, this kid, Joseph Smith, walks out of the woods and starts a movement in the 1820s that leads to spiritual enlightenment for millions... but to violence, murder, and what some consider sexual deviance for others.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine being swept up in a flood of sticky molasses headed to a distillery… or a 25-foot tsunami of beer… or a torrent of hundreds of thousands of gallons of red hot. All true… and deadly stories.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine forcing your daughter into a loveless marriage to an English duke. Why? Because you want a divorce, money from the divorce, and the ability to hang on to your social standing. That was life among the rich in the Gilded Age and Alva Vanderbilt figured out a way to get what she wanted with her daughter as the pawn.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The key to making your dreams become reality, is not accepting limitations. We're revisiting the first female powerhouse in the Madmen era of Madison Avenue, Mary Wells Lawrence. She rose from a working class life in Ohio to creating iconic ads for TWA, Pan Am, Hertz, IBM, Proctor and Gamble . . and as well as the “I Love New York“ campaign. And she was still living the dream well into her 90s!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hollywood is a tough business. Stars take roles in movies they come to hate . . but equally as frustrating are the roles they take a pass on . . that make somebody else rich and famous. This is all about stars who turned down roles in movies like Titanic, Forrest Gump, The Godfather, Silence of the Lambs, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marilyn Monroe . . Dead at 36 . . Allegedly by Suicide. But Was That Really the Case? Coroner to the Stars, Thomas Noguchi Did Her Autopsy . . And He Says It Left Him With More Questions Than Answers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The father of U.S. space exploration, Wernher von Braun, started out as a Nazi collaborator and a member of the Nazi SS. Why did the U.S. ignore his Nazi involvement and how do we reconcile his remarkable achievements with his dark past?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This summer is the 40th anniversary of the blockbuster "Back to the Future". But it originally starred an actor who hated the whole story line! He was replaced by Michael J. Fox . . and the rest is history. But there are a boatload of movies, with huge stars who hated the final product!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s amazing how we beg for the heat of summer when we’re freezing in the dead of winter. And then the heatwaves hit. Once again this summer, we’re all sweltering from the heat… air so thick and hot you can feel it go down your throat as you breathe. But heatwaves are nothing new. They killed thousands in 1898 and thousands more in the early 1900s. But the one that hit London 167 years ago changed the city forever. It’s time to revisit “The Great Stink of 1858.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Idaho killer was sentenced this week to life in prison for stabbing to death 4 college students. But 60 years ago, another mass murderer stabbed and strangled 8 nursing students in Chicago. As in the Idaho case, he made one crucial mistake that got him caught.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeffrey Epstein, millionaire sex offender and friend to presidents and royalty, is back in the news. It seems his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, holds the key to what went on at Epstein’s private retreats with his powerful friends. Attorney Alan Dershowitz calls her the Epstein Rosetta Stone. But her backstory is just as fascinating. Her father, Robert Maxwell, was cut of the same cloth as Epstein. Ambitious and wildly successful . . until they weren’t. Ghislaine’s father and her lover, both died under mysterious circumstances as their lives were collapsing around them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nothing like a swim in the ocean on a hot summer day. But the movie Jaws, out 50 years ago this summer, took away some of our innocence. It still makes us all a little nervous about what’s beneath us as we paddle around. The inspiration for Jaws came from some horrifying shark attacks, including several along the Jersey Shore in July of 1916 that left 4 dead, as well as the shark attacks on as many as 150 sailors from the torpedoed USS Indianapolis in World War Two.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queen Victoria, who ran the British Empire for 63 years, defined the buttoned-up, conservative era named for her… the Victorian Era. But it turns out… her many pleasures included opium, cocaine, and sex!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the Prohibition era of the 1920s and early 1930s, speakeasies and gin joints were the place to be to get ahold of “evil booze.” How did the government try to control access? They purposely poisoned industrial alcohol that was being repurposed for cocktails. It wound up killing and maiming tens of thousands of would-be partiers!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No Time Like the Present to Revisit an Eye-Catching Topic! Sex Has Been... Complicated... Throughout History. At Times Celebrated as a Life Force... and at Other Times Vilified. But Get This!! Some of the Items Invented to Discourage Sex Included the Pricking Ring... and Believe It or Not... Corn Flakes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the 4th of July . . a perfect time to revisit an unsung hero during the Revolutionary War! We all know about the midnight ride of Paul Revere at the onset of the Revolution. But what about Sybil Ludington . . the female Paul Revere. She was just 16 years old when she made her little known 40 mile ride to warn about approaching British troops in Connecticut.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connection is as strong a need as air. For folks that can’t find it, there have been plenty of cults that offer community, acceptance, and love. But it all comes at a price.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maybe you’ve seen death masks of famous people like King Tut or Napoleon. But the 1888 death mask of a completely unknown teenager in Paris was used to create Resusci-Annie . . the CPR doll. And that inspired one of Michael Jackson’s biggest hits!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The FBI has had some pretty astounding moments of transformation in its 117-year history. But the bloodiest shootout in its history changed the way they do their job forever. It took place less than 40 years ago.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Got a co-worker who likes to monkey around at work? Don’t be so quick to give them the thumbs down. There are lots of actual animals that are amazing at jobs most humans can’t do. But this is a story of an official railroad worker who was a real baboon . . literally.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As hard as it is to believe . . we just lost a guy who’s own grandfather was born in the 1700s and was president 185 years ago! It seems like the math doesn’t work . . but we’ll explain the life story of Harrison Tyler and his grandpa . . President John Tyler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Usually when an alarm goes off . . we take a minute to consider the possibilities so we don’t over react. But what if it comes on the heels on a world altering disaster? Can an entire city have PTSD? That’s what L.A. faced just 2 months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wild West as Hollywood Tells the Story, Was Nothing but Gun Battles and Saloon Girls. But the True Story Is Way More Complex and Fascinating, Although It’s Got Its Share of Gun Battles! Overall, It Was a 30-Year Period That in Many Ways Defines Who We Are in America. But Then . . . How Did Barbed Wire Play a Huge Role in Ending the Wild West?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Her family is murdered while on the adventure of a lifetime and the 11 year old survivor is lost at sea for days. As it turns out, the murderer is someone they all trusted with their dreams . . and their lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gianni Versace was one of the world’s hottest designers. In 1997 he had a net worth of almost a billion dollars and some of the most exquisite mansions in the world. He had it all. And that was the problem. His success and possible connection to sex for hire circles, led spree killer Andrew Cunanan . . right to Versace’s front door one beautiful summer morning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bruce Ismay ran the White Star Line but managed to save himself from the sinking of the Titanic by hopping into a lifeboat. Was he a coward . . or simply canceled by vicious press? His granddaughter said the greatest tragedy of Ismay's life . . was surviving.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reincarnation is one of those topics that you either believe is a real possibility or you think is nuts. But there are stories with no other easy explanation. They come from both everyday folks, especially little children, as well as some big-name “A” list celebrities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If women in the 1800s wanted to take a swim . . they were pulled into the surf in a cabana on wheels, wearing 30 pounds of wet wool. So how did we get to the bikini, much less the thong?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While watching the Catholic Church choose a new pope earlier this month, it seemed completely immersed in tradition. But Pope Leo the 14th is a very different leader than an earlier namesake . . Pope Leo the Tenth, from the powerful Medici family. His reign in the early 1500s and his love of partying and living like a king . . brought about one of the biggest religious upheavals in European history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when you’re born into tremendous wealth and social standing, but all you want is a bohemian life filled with creativity and freedom? In 1910 the life of a socialite was pre determined before birth. One young woman felt trapped and simply disappeared. But what really happened to Dorothy Arnold?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been intrigued in the past few weeks with the ancient traditions surrounding the choice for a new pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church. But that transition hasn’t always been smooth. This is another look at one of the darkest moments in Church history. It was the Cadaver Trial of a dead pope, which took place 1100 years ago.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jessica Savitch had a dramatic rise... and an even more dramatic fall in the network news business of the 1970s and ’80s. It’s a shocker! But her tragic story oddly inspired Will Ferrell to do the movie Anchorman: The Rise and Fall of Ron Burgundy. Here’s the backstory!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Few authors have impacted literature and our culture like On the Road author Jack Kerouac. But his short life was filled with pain, depression, addiction, and murder... as well as brilliance. This is a peek at his rise and fall.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nothing like the Kentucky Derby... even if you’re not a dedicated thoroughbred race fan. Those animals are exquisite bundles of pure muscle. So... imagine trying to kidnap one! How would you do it... and what happens after you get him? It happened over 40 years ago in Ireland to one of the most remarkable European Derby winners of all time and his billionaire owner. This is his story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does a book start out as a complete failure only to suddenly be celebrated as one of the great American novels, decades later? And what was its heartbreaking inspiration? This is the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby, published 100 years ago this month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nothing makes us melt like a great story about a kid and a dog. Lassie was a megastar in the 1950s, watching over her 7-year-old boy Timmy...but was her act lifted from the first canine movie star back in 1905?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.