At its peak, the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was one of the largest traveling shows in the country—until a tragic train wreck in 1918 brought it to a screeching halt. This story follows the rise of the American circus, the crash that claimed dozens of lives near Hammond, Indiana, and the haunting legacy of Showmen’s Rest, where many of the victims are buried. It’s a tale of spectacle, sorrow, and the circus community’s motto: the show must go on.

Episode Sources:

“The Great Circus Train Wreck of 1918: Tragedy on the Indiana Lakeshore” by Richard M. Lytle, Published by The History Press, 2010

“Hagenbeck Wallace Circus” from Circuses and Sideshows

“Ben Wallace” from Circuses and Sideshows

“William Cameron Coup” from Circuses and Sideshows

“The Hammond Train Wreck of 1918 Killed Scores of Circus Performers” by Lorraine Boissoneault, June 22, 2018, Smithsonian Magazine

“The 1918 Hagenbeck-Wallace Tragedy: Breakdown” by Korry Shepard, February 23, 2021, Medium

“The truths of the circus train crash of 1918 are more horrifying than myths” by Will Higgins, June 20, 2018, IndyStar

“The Deadliest Circus Train Wreck in History” by Paul Andrews, January 25, 2024, Lost In History

“The Haunting Legacy of Showmen’s Rest in Forest Park, IL” from Explore Oak Park and Beyond

“Welcome to the Showmen's League of America: Our History” from Showmen’s League of America website

“The First Zoo Part I: The Circus Myth” by Paul Sewick, January 14, 2012, Corktown History

“Why Does a Circus Have Three Rings?” from The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, February 2020

“Attractions” from The City of Peru, Indiana website

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When Frank Sinatra, Jr. checked into his motel room in Lake Tahoe, he never could have predicted the circumstances in which he'd be checking out. What ensued was a comedy of errors involving a snowstorm, a musical legend, and a hapless kidnapper with a heart of gold.

Episode Sources:

“The Grand Scheme: Snatching Sinatra” hosted by John Stamos

“The True Story of the 1963 Kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr.” by Lauren Kranc, Esquire, Jul 27, 2021

“Frank Sinatra, Jr., Kidnapping” FBI

“Kidnapping As Plan B” Hosted by Ira Glass, This American Life

“61 Years Ago Today, Frank Sinatra Jr. Was Kidnapped: Why His Dad Began Carrying Dimes in His Pockets” by Corin Cesaric, People, Dec 08, 2024

“Frank Sinatra Jr: 'I was living in his shadow’” by Nick Duerden, The Guardian, Aug 31, 2012

“Frank Sinatra Jr. abducted from Tahoe motel” Reno Gazette Journal, Dec 9, 1963

“A Kidnapper's Story: Can Crime Pay?” By Rene Sanchez, The Washington Post, Dec 21, 1999

“There’s Nothing to Be Sorry For” TIME, Dec 20, 1963

“MYSTERIOUS FINANCIER: Dean Torrence and the Kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr.” by Mark A. Moore, Jan Berry Official Site, Dec 30, 2017

“Regrets, Sinatra Jr. kidnapper has had a few” by Michael Corcoran, Feb 2001

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Garrett Warren was at the top of his game when he was gunned down in the doorway of his home - and in front of his mother, no less. But why would anyone want to murder a man described as a kind, generous friend and focused professional? This case has some wild twists and turns involving a pizza parlor, a picture taken at a party and...Home Alone's Joe Pesci???? And how did one misspelled word put the nail in the coffin, so to speak?

Episode Sources:

Dateline: The Plot Thickens, S21 E1

“When It Mattered: Garrett Warren” hosted by Chitra Ragavan

“Private eye drops suit against Pesci” by the Associated Press

Interview with Garrett Warren by Brad Curran

“Husband Tells Story of Hitman Attack” - transcript, Nancy Grace

“Did Joe Pesci’s Ex Hire a Hitman?” By Christine Pelisek

"Primed for Pain" by Chitra Ragavan

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The infamous Annabelle doll may have become a Hollywood horror icon thanks to The Conjuring universe, but her real story is even creepier. Originally a possessed…ahem, manipulated…Raggedy Ann doll, Annabelle was investigated by paranormal legends Ed and Lorraine Warren in the 1970s. From her eerie beginnings with two nurses to her terrifying reputation for causing harm and death, Annabelle’s legend has only grown—especially now that she’s hitting the road, drawing crowds across America.

Episode Sources:

“Here’s how the nighttime escape of 10 Louisiana inmates from a New Orleans jail unfolded” by TuAnh Dam and Rafael Romo, May 18, 2025, CNN US

“Why Is Annabelle Touring the US? Quick Facts About the Doll and 'Devils on the Run'” by Shyna Mae Deang, May 20, 2025, International Business Times UK

“Annabelle Comes Home cast tells us why the set may have been haunted” by SyFy Wire Staff, July 1, 2019, SyFy

“What Caused the Nottoway Plantation Fire and Why is Annabelle The Doll Being Linked To It?” by Shyna Mae Deang, May 20, 2025, MSN

“Real ‘Annabelle’ story shared by Lorraine Warren at Milford’s Lauralton Hall” by Pam McLoughin, October 4, 2014, New Haven Register

“Annabelle The Haunted Doll” from Boston Ghosts, Posted May 26, 2025, updated February 7, 2025

“Johnny Gruelle: A Biography of the Illustrator” from Pook Press

“Inside The Warren Museum, Ed And Lorraine Warren’s Peculiar Collection Of Occult Artifacts” by Austin Harvey, Edited by Jaclyn Anglis, Published June 10, 2024, Updated February 12, 2025, All That’s Interesting (ATI)

“True Story of the Annabelle Doll | Real Annabelle Doll from the Conjuring” from Haunted Rooms

“Meet The Real Haunted Doll Behind ‘Annabelle’” by Katie Serena, October 1, 2023, All That’s Interesting (ATI)

“Everything to know about Annabelle, Ed and Lorraine Warren and 'The Conjuring'” by Andrew DaRosa, May 16, 2025, CT Insider

“Annabelle” from the New England Society for Psychic Research

“Annabelle True Story & What The Conjuring Movies Changed” by Charles Nicholas Raymond and Dani Kessel Odom, July 2, 2024, Screen Rant

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There was nothing simple about Nancy Spungen, punk rock fanatic and girlfriend of "The Sex Pistols" bassist Sid Vicious. Her life was a revolving door of psychiatric clinics, prescription-happy physicians and an undiagnosed mental illness stemming from a traumatic birth. The details of her death have remained a topic of discussion for decades. Police say it was a murder and Sid is the one to blame, but did he do it?

Episode Sources:

“And I Don’t Want to Live This Life: A Mother’s Story of Her Daughter’s Murder” by Deborah Spungen, 1983

“ABO Incompatibility in a Newborn: Why Blood Type Matters in Pregnancy” by Alicia Stevens, MD and Karla Robinson, MD, GoodRx, Apr 3, 2023

“My New York: Sid & Nancy” by Reed Tucker, New York Post, Jul 25, 2010

“Flashback: Nancy Spungen Found Dead at Chelsea Hotel” by Jessica Wakeman, Rolling Stone, Oct 12, 2017

“The Not So Lonesome Death of Nancy Spungen” by Ann Bardach, SoHo Weekly News, Oct 26, 1978

“‘He Said He Was Going To Kill’” by David Hershkovits & Lesley Vinson, SoHo Weekly News, Oct 19-25, 1978

“Nancy and Sid: A punk mystery story” by Deborah Orr, The Independent, Oct 11, 2003

“Sid’s Way: The Life and Death of Sid Vicious” by Keith Bateson & Alan Parker, 1991

“Freedom, festivity and dead by sunrise: Inside Sid Vicious’s drug-fuelled last party” The Independent, May 28, 2024

“The Day Punk Died” by Karen Schoemer, New York Magazine, October 17, 2008

“1978: Sex Pistol Vicious on murder charge” BBC, Oct 12, 1978

“The Jaw-Dropping Story Behind Sid and Nancy, Punk Rock's Most Tragic Romance” by Natalie Finn, E News, Nov 6, 2021

“When I Lived Across the Hall From Sid Vicious” by Donna Florio, Literary Hub, Mar 9, 2021

“Who Killed Nancy?” dir. Alan Parker, 2010

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