Very Special Episodes

The Secret Lives of Snape Wives

Plenty of Harry Potter fans love Severus Snape. A few truly worshipped him. In the early 2000s, these fans found each other online and came to believe Harry’s least favor

The Joyride: Amelia and Eleanor's Excellent Adventure [Re-Release]

In 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart ducked out of a White House event and commandeered an airplane. The First Lady and the first lady of aviation flew to Baltim

The Case of the Missing Novelist [Re-Release]

Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time. But her biggest mystery unfolded outside the pages of her books. In this episode, Dana examines the 11 days in 1

Nicolas Cage, Y2K, and History's Most Unlikely Art Heist

After a party at Nicolas Cage’s Bel-Air mansion, one of the rarest comic books on Earth disappeared. Action Comics #1 — the comic that introduced Superman — is worth mill

North by North Korea [Re-Release]

When two of the most influential figures in film become the personal hostages of Kim Jong Il, they have two objectives: to elevate North Korean cinema on the world stage,

Spies and Dolls [Re-Release]

Velvalee Dickinson ran a doll shop on Madison Avenue that catered to wealthy collectors. But in one of the strangest espionage cases of World War II, Dickinson's clients

The Dog Who Saved the 1966 World Cup [from Ridiculous Crime]

Hello, Very Special listeners! Today we're dipping into the archives of Zaron's other podcast, Ridiculous Crime, to share a tale of dog excellence from World Cup history.

Chaotic Philanthropy: Saint Joan of the Golden Arches

Thanks to her McDonald’s fortune, Joan Kroc was one of the world’s wealthiest people. And she was determined to die nearly broke. * Special thanks to our guests Lisa

How a Dog Talks: The Surprising Redemption of Comic Sans

Comic Sans is a punchline. A design crime. Cultural shorthand for bad taste. But the notorious font's legacy isn't one of failure. Because Comic Sans succeeded in ways it

Searching for Soshern: The Forbidden Star Trek Fanfiction

In 1968, a woman wrote a romantic story about Kirk and Spock, passed it quietly among friends, and hoped it would never see the light of day. Before vanishing entirely, T

The White Death

In the winter of 1939, Finland faced overwhelming odds. The Soviet Union was invading with hundreds of thousands of troops. Standing in their way was an unlikely defender

Children of the Moon

Emma has never felt the sun on her skin. Born with a rare condition that makes UV light dangerous, she lives by sunscreen, meters, and moonlight. But she’s also part of a

The Other James Bond

When Ian Fleming needed a name for the secret agent at the center of his new novel, he stole one from the cover of a birdwatching book. The real James Bond wasn’t a marti

The Mysterious Death of Andy the Sneaker-Wearing Goose [Re-Release]

Gene Fleming and his pet goose Andy made headlines around the world. They brought out the best in the people of Hastings, Nebraska. But amid all this attention, Andy also

Dock Ellis: High and Outside

In June 1970, Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates somehow tossed a no-hitter while tripping on acid. The LSD stunt made him a legend, but it overshadowed a much deeper s

The Family Who Vanished Into Siberia for Over 40 Years

In 1978, Soviet geologists flying over Siberia spotted something impossible: a family living in total isolation, untouched for decades by the modern world. But when outsi

A Very Special Mini-Mailbag

Time for another mailbag episode! This week Dana, Zaron, and Jason answer pressing listener questions on yearbook quotes, hidden talents, and ads they'd read for free. Pl

Marilyn, Hamilton + John Wilkes Booth's Statue: NYC History Hiding in Plain Sight

Today's episode is a tour of New York’s secret history with a very special guest! Greg Young of the beloved Bowery Boys podcast joins us to prove the world is a very in

The Unintended Insanity of the 1994 Caribbean Cup (w/John Green and Daniel Alarcón of The Away End)

Today we're sharing an excerpt from a new soccer podcast, The Away End with John Green and Daniel Alarcón. In a recent episode they covered the 1994 Caribbean Cup, which

Bar Trivia: How a Staten Island Pub Made College Hoops History

Long before the NCAA Basketball Tournament became a billion-dollar business, there was a massive betting pool run out of a neighborhood bar on Staten Island. The Irish pu