Historical True Crime

Lizzie

Step into the shadows of the past with "Historical True Crime," the podcast that takes you on a gripping journey through some of history's most captivating and chilling criminal stories. Each episode is a meticulously researched exploration into the depths of history, where true crime meets the intriguing backdrop of different eras. From legendary criminals and unsolved mysteries to the groundbreaking investigations that shaped the course of justice, our narratives paint a vivid picture of the darker side of humanity throughout time.

  1. 4D AGO

    The Disappearance of Louis Le Prince: The First Filmmaker Who Vanished

    Louis Le Prince created some of the earliest motion pictures in the 1880s, years before Edison or the Lumière brothers. In 1890, just as he was preparing to present his work publicly, he boarded a train in France and disappeared. He was neverseen again. Source MaterialsPaul Fischer, The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies Nat Segnit, “Who Killed Louis Le Prince? On the Forgotten Father of Film,” Harper’s Magazine (April 2022) “100 Years Ago, the Father of Movies Disappeared,” The New York Times, September 16, 1990 Christopher Rawlence, The Missing Reel: The Untold Story of the Lost Inventor of Moving Pictures Stephen Herbert, “Louis Le Prince,” Who’s Who of Victorian Cinema National Science and Media Museum (UK), archival materials on Louis Le Prince Leeds City Council / Leeds Museums & Galleries, local historical materials on Roundhay Garden Scene and Leeds Bridge footage PaulFischer, The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession,Murder, and the Movies Nat Segnit,“Who Killed Louis Le Prince? On the Forgotten Father of Film,” Harper’sMagazine (April 2022) “100 YearsAgo, the Father of Movies Disappeared,” The New York Times, September16, 1990 ChristopherRawlence, The Missing Reel: The Untold Story of the Lost Inventor of MovingPictures StephenHerbert, “Louis Le Prince,” Who’s Who of Victorian Cinema NationalScience and Media Museum (UK), archival materials on Louis Le Prince Leeds CityCouncil / Leeds Museums & Galleries, local historical materials on RoundhayGarden Scene and Leeds Bridge footage

    19 min

  2. APR 10

    The Cleveland Street Scandal: Telegraph Boys, a London Brothel, and Aristocratic Clients

    A routine Post Office investigation in 1889 led to the discovery of a male brothel on Cleveland Street, involving telegraph boys and high-profile clients linked to the royal household. As the case unfolded, key figures escaped prosecution—raising questions about power and accountability. Source Materials H. Montgomery Hyde, The Cleveland Street Scandal H. Montgomery Hyde, The Love That Dared Not Speak Its Name: A Candid History of Homosexuality in Britain Katie Hindmarch-Watson, “Male Prostitution and the London Telegraph Boys,” Theo Aronson, Prince Eddy and the Homosexual Underworld British Newspaper Archive, “Unlock the Story of the Cleveland Street Scandal” https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2023/08/01/unlock-the-story-of-the-cleveland-street-scandal/ Rictor Norton, “The Cleveland Street Scandal (1889)”https://rictornorton.co.uk/eighteen/1889clev.htm Contemporary newspaper reports from The Times (1889–1890) Contemporary newspaper reports from The North London Press (1889–1890)

    20 min

  3. APR 3

    Anna Marie Hahn: The Cincinnati Poisonings

    Anna Marie Hahn was a German immigrant living in Cincinnati in the 1930s. She cooked for people, spent time with them, and became part of their daily lives. And over time, the men she grew close to began to die. Source Material Franklin, Diana Britt. The Good-bye Door: The Incredible True Story of America’s First Female Serial Killer to Die in the Electric Chair. Kent State University Press, 2006. Hunt, Amber. “Queen City Crime: How serial killer Anna Hahn rocked Cincinnati, made Ohio history.” The Cincinnati Enquirer, February 6, 2024. Contemporary newspaper coverage, including: The Cincinnati Enquirer (1937–1938) The Cincinnati Post (1937) The Pittsburgh Press (execution coverage, 1938) Telfer, Tori. Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History. HarperCollins, 2017. Vronsky, Peter. Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters. Berkley Books, 2007. Queen, Chelsea. “Anna Marie Hahn: The Deadly ‘Arsenic Widow.’” Medium, 2024

    22 min

  4. MAR 27

    The Murder of Emanuele Notarbartolo (1893) — Sicily’s First Mafia Case

    In 1893, Sicilian banker and former mayor Emanuele Notarbartolo was murdered on a train traveling along the northern coast of Sicily. What followed was a case that moved through multiple trials, convictions, and acquittals, raising questions about political influence, financial power, and the limits of the legal system. Source materials John Dickie, Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia (Hodder & Stoughton, 2004)https://www.hodder.co.uk/titles/john-dickie/cosa nostra/9780340935262/ Salvatore Lupo, History of the Mafia (Columbia University Press, 2009) https://cup.columbia.edu/book/history-of-the mafia/9780231131346 “Raffaele Palizzolo Describes the Mafia,” The New YorkTimes, July 12, 1908 https://www.nytimes.com/1908/07/12/archives/raffaele-palizzolo-describes-the-mafia-the-noted-sicilian.html “Emanuele Notarbartolo: Banker and Politician,” Italy OnThis Day https://www.italyonthisday.com/2023/02/emanuele-notarbartolo-banker-and.html Chelsea Queen, “Emanuele Notarbartolo: The Sicilian Mafia’sFirst Victim in 1893,” Medium, December 31, 2024 https://medium.com/@chelseaqueen/emanuele-notarbartolo-the-sicilian-mafias-first-victim-in-1893

    17 min

  5. MAR 19

    The Ratcliffe Highway Murders: Terror in London’s East End

    In December 1811, two households on London’s Ratcliffe Highway were brutally murdered within days of each other. As panic spread through the East End, investigators searched for a killer moving through the dockside streets. A sailor named John Williams soon became the prime suspect but his death would leave the truth uncertain. Source Materials P. D. James and T. A. Critchley. The Maul and the Pear Tree: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders, 1811. Faber & Faber, 1971. Judith Flanders. The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime. Thomas Dunne Books, 2011. John Fairburn. Fairburn’s Account of the Dreadful Murder of Mr. Marr and Family, Who Were Barbarously Murdered in Their House on Ratcliffe Highway. London, 1811. Peter Ackroyd. London: The Biography. Nan A. Talese / Doubleday, 2000. The Proceedings of the Coroner’s Inquest on the Marr and Williamson Murders, London, December 1811. The OldBailey Proceedings Online. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org Radzinowicz, L. “The Ratcliffe Murders.” The Cambridge Law Journal 14, no. 1 (1956): 39–66. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4504366

    23 min

  6. MAR 6

    The Unsolved Disappearance of Jean Spangler

    In October 1949, aspiring Hollywood actress Jean Spangler left her Los Angeles apartment and never returned. Despite a major police investigation and decades of speculation,Jean Spangler was never found. In this episode, we examine the evidence behind one of Hollywood’s most enduring unsolved disappearances. Source Materials Lewis, Jon. Hard-Boiled Hollywood: Crime and Punishment in Postwar Los Angeles. University of California Press, 2017. Charles River Editors. The Disappearance of Jean Spangler: The History of One of Hollywood’s Most Enduring Mysteries. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016. Gilmore, John. Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder. Amok Books, revised edition. Lyons, Arthur. “The Mysterious Disappearance of Jean Spangler.” Palm Springs Life. Patmore, Neil. “Inside The Haunting Hollywood Mystery Of Aspiring Actress Jean Spangler’s Disappearance.” All That’s Interesting. Contemporary reporting from the Los Angeles Times archive.

    22 min

  7. FEB 28

    The Hinterkaifeck Murders: Germany’s Most Mysterious Unsolved Case

    In 1922, six people were murdered at the remote Hinterkaifeck farm in rural Bavaria. Despite an extensive investigation, the killer was never identified. This episode examines the historical context, evidence, and enduring mystery behind one of Germany’s most famous unsolved crimes. Source Materials Peter Leuschner, Hinterkaifeck: Germany’s Most Mysterious Murder Case. Bill James & Rachel McCarthy James, The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery. Scribner, 2017. Jack Rosewood, True Crime Stories, Vol. 4 (2017). Katie Serena, “The Gruesome True Story Of The Unsolved Hinterkaifeck Murders,” All That’s Interesting, August 3, 2023 (updated October 20, 2023).https://allthatsinteresting.com/hinterkaifeck-murders Sonya Vatomsky, “The Chilling Story of the Hinterkaifeck Killings, Germany’s Most Famous Unsolved Crime,” Mental Floss, July 24, 2023.https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502044/chilling-story-hinterkaifeck-killings-germanys-most-famous-unsolved-crime Rob Shapiro, “How The Hinterkaifeck Tragedy Remains Germany’s Biggest Unsolved Case.” Tharun, “The Hinterkaifeck Murders: My Personal Theories as an Aspiring Forensic Investigator,” Medium.https://medium.com/@tharun318106/the-hinterkaifeck-murders-my-personal-theories-as-an-aspiring-forensic-investigator-5627395ce924 If you’d like, I can also give you a shortened “mobile-friendly” version (many podcasters now use one optimized for Spotify’s collapsed show notes).Historical True Crime | Historical true crime podcast | Patreon

    24 min

  8. FEB 20

    Murder at 31 Bond Street: Emma Cunningham and the Burdell Case

    In 1857, a prominent New York dentist was found murdered in his Bond Street office. Suspicion fell on Emma Cunningham, the widow who ran the boardinghouse and claimed to be his wife — and heir. Her acquittal did not end the scandal. Adisputed marriage, a claimed pregnancy, and a staged birth kept the city riveted and raised new questions about truth, reputation, and inheritance in mid-19th-century New York. Source Materials: Duke, Franklin. Celebrated Criminal Cases of America. San Francisco: A. L. Bancroft & Company, 1910. Serratore, Angela. “The Murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell and the Scandal That Gripped 1857 New York.” Smithsonian Magazine. Roberts, Sam. “The Murder That Gripped Bond Street.” The New York Times. The New-York Daily Times (1857), contemporary coverage of the Burdell murder and Emma Cunningham trial. Contemporary inquest and trialreporting in New York newspapers, 1857.

    23 min
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4.8
out of 5
32 Ratings

About

Step into the shadows of the past with "Historical True Crime," the podcast that takes you on a gripping journey through some of history's most captivating and chilling criminal stories. Each episode is a meticulously researched exploration into the depths of history, where true crime meets the intriguing backdrop of different eras. From legendary criminals and unsolved mysteries to the groundbreaking investigations that shaped the course of justice, our narratives paint a vivid picture of the darker side of humanity throughout time.

Information

  • Creator
    Lizzie
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    178
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Lizzie
  • Show Website
    Historical True Crime

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