The Darkives: Serious history. Told not so seriously

Leo Eaton and Jamie Tavenner

The Darkives is a history podcast where Jamie and Leo dive headfirst into the strangest, creepiest, and most disturbing stories the past tried to bury (and somehow manage to laugh along the way). Each week, we unravel forgotten voyages, infamous historical figures, bizarre disasters, and centuries-old true crime, breaking it all down the way you would with friends - curious, slightly horrified, and occasionally cracking jokes when things get too dark. Nothing is treated like a lecture, and nothing is off the table. If you like weird history, eerie true stories, and conversations that balance “that’s awful” with “how is this real?”, you’ll feel right at home here. Serious history. Told not so seriously.

  1. Mystery, Poison Gas, and Panic: The Mad Gasser of Mattoon:

    6d ago

    Mystery, Poison Gas, and Panic: The Mad Gasser of Mattoon:

    In 1944, a small Illinois town found itself at the center of one of the strangest mysteries in American history. This week we investigate the story of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon. A mysterious figure allegedly prowling through the night, leaving victims reporting strange odors, paralysis, nausea, and fear. As reports spread across town, panic quickly followed. Residents locked their doors, armed themselves, and searched for an attacker that nobody could seem to catch. Was there really a phantom gasser stalking the streets of Mattoon? Or was the town experiencing one of America's earliest and most famous cases of mass hysteria? We get into the reports, the investigation, the suspects, and the theories that surround the case. Sometimes the most unsettling mysteries aren't about what happened... They're about what people believe happened. Lock your doors, keep an eye on the windows, and don't breathe too deeply. We're hunting for the Mad Gasser of Mattoon in this file from The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: https://www.library.illinois.edu/hpnl/blog/the-mad-gasser-of-mattoon/https://nypost.com/2024/05/27/us-news/mad-gasser-of-mattoon-inside-us-first-case-of-mass-hysteria/https://thechiseler.org/home/the-mad-gasser-of-mattoonhttps://www.fdrlibrary.org/vrba-wetzler-reportTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    29 min
  2. Two of History's Most Disturbing Executions: Topsy and the Pig

    Jun 5

    Two of History's Most Disturbing Executions: Topsy and the Pig

    This week, Jamie and Leo cover two stories that prove that history has never been particularly kind to animals in the most unbelievable ways possible. First Topsy the elephant. Shipped across the world, worked to exhaustion as a circus animal, and ultimately sentenced to death after killing a man. What followed was one of the most disturbing executions in recorded history. She was fed cyanide, electrocuted, and hanged. All of that on the same day, in front of a live audience... Then a pig in 14th century France is arrested, dressed in human clothing, put on formal trial for the killing of an infant, found guilty, and hanged for her crimes. In 1386. Because that was apparently a thing that happened. Two animals. Two executions. Centuries apart. Both completely true. Welcome back to the Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: https://www.topsytheelephant.com/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/topsy-elephant-was-victim-her-captors-not-really-thomas-edison-180961611/https://edison.rutgers.edu/life-of-edison/essaying-edison/essay/myth-buster-topsy-the-elephanthttps://allthatsinteresting.com/topsy-the-elephanthttps://www.bklynlibrary.org/blog/2014/12/12/theyll-say-aww-topsy-myhttps://www.ancient-origins.net/weird-facts/medieval-animal-trials-0016706https://medievaltorturemuseum.com/blog/strange-medieval-courts-animals-trial-middle-ages/Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License special thanks to atlasaudio for the background music.

    27 min
  3. Six Handkerchiefs and a Sketchbook: The James Jameson Affair

    May 29

    Six Handkerchiefs and a Sketchbook: The James Jameson Affair

    This week Jamie and Leo dig into the life, the expedition, and the event that made sure James Jameson would be remembered for something much more sinister than being a naturalist. He was the grandson of the Jameson whiskey founder. He was the uncle of the man who invented the radio. He traveled the world, hunted big game, and was the first person to scientifically describe a species of bird. By every measure, James Jameson had a life of extraordinary privilege and genuine curiosity. Then he went to Africa. In 1887, Jameson joined the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition as a naturalist. What happened in the forests of the Congo in 1888 would define everything he left behind. Who was James Jameson? What was the James Jameson Affair? And how do modern scientist feel about Jameson's actions? We'll explore all the sketchiness in this file from The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Shop/Support/Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: https://www.britannica.com/event/Scramble-for-Africa.https://aaregistry.org/story/tippu-tip-entrepreneur-and-slave-trader-born/https://www.newspapers.com/image/20368390/?match=1&terms=jamesonhttps://allthatsinteresting.com/james-jamesonhttps://moltensulfur.com/post/henry-stanleys-convenient-deaths/https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/a-grisly-drop-of-history-1.755086Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    24 min
  4. Henry Every: The Pirate Who Pulled Off History’s Biggest Sea Heist

    May 22

    Henry Every: The Pirate Who Pulled Off History’s Biggest Sea Heist

    A stolen fortune. A global manhunt. And a pirate who may have gotten away with it all. This week, Jamie and Leo sail into the chaotic world of Henry Every, the man often called the pirate who pulled off the greatest sea heist in history. Before becoming one of the most wanted men on Earth, Every lived a murkier life serving in the navy, working aboard slave ships, and eventually turning to piracy in the late 1600s. But everything changed after a daring attack on a wealthy Mughal treasure fleet in the Indian Ocean. The raid made Every infamous almost overnight. The stolen riches were enormous. The political fallout was massive. And suddenly, governments across the world wanted him captured. What followed became one of history’s first global manhunts. Did he escape with his fortune? Did he die broke and forgotten? Or was one of the most successful pirates in history eventually caught without anyone realizing it? On this episode of The Darkives we tell the tale of a pirate who may have actually won. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: https://www.history.com/articles/henry-everys-bloody-pirate-raid-320-years-agohttps://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Henry-Avery-Every-King-Of-Pirates/Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License Thank you to Ebunny for all the pirate music

    28 min
  5. The Bubonic Plague: From Before the Black Death to After Modern America

    May 15

    The Bubonic Plague: From Before the Black Death to After Modern America

    Rats. Fleas. And one bacterium that just would not take the hint. This week, Jamie and Leo trace the long and deadly history of the plague, from the ancient world to outbreaks in the modern United States. We start with the different forms of plague, bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic (all caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis). From there, we follow the disease across centuries, beginning with the Plague of Justinian, moving through the Black Death, and ending with lesser-known outbreaks in Hawaii in 1899, San Francisco from 1900 to 1907, and Los Angeles in 1924. Along the way, we look at how the plague spread, why it was so deadly, and how communities responded when fear traveled faster than the disease itself. How many forms of plague are there? What caused the Black Death? And how did outbreaks continue well into the 20th century? From emperors, quarantines, and some very unlucky rats, this is the story of one of history’s most persistent killers. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: https://www.britannica.com/event/plague-of-Justinianhttps://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17782-plaguehttps://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/san-franciscos-plague-years/https://www.aai.org/About/History/History-Articles-Keep-for-Hierarchy/How-Honolulu%E2%80%99s-Chinatown-Went-Up-in-Smoke-The-Fihttps://www.history.com/articles/black-deathhttps://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death/Effects-and-significancehttps://www.cdc.gov/plague/maps-statistics/index.htmlTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    38 min
  6. Roanoke: The Colony That Vanished Without a Trace

    May 8

    Roanoke: The Colony That Vanished Without a Trace

    Words carved into a tree. A colony gone. And a mystery that still hasn’t been solved. This week, Jamie and Leo head back to early colonial America to unpack the disappearance of the Roanoke colony, one of the most enduring mysteries in U.S. history. Backed by Sir Walter Raleigh, remember him from The lost city of Z/ Eldorado? In the late 1500s the English attempted to establish a permanent settlement on the coast of present day North Carolina. Things didn’t go as planned... Later John White would return from a supply trip to England only to find the colony completely abandoned. No bodies. No signs of a struggle. Just a single clue left behind. From there, the questions only multiply. Did the settlers integrate with nearby Indigenous groups? Were they driven off, murdered, relocated, or lost to something else entirely? We'll walk through the history, the theories, and the evidence in this unsolved moment in history brought to you by The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: firstcolonyfoundation.orgnps.govhistory.comTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    36 min
  7. The Iron Mike Molloy Story: The Man Who Just Wouldn’t Die

    May 1

    The Iron Mike Molloy Story: The Man Who Just Wouldn’t Die

    Poison. Alcohol. Exposure. And somehow… he just kept going. This week, Jamie and Leo head to Prohibition era New York to tell the unbelievable story of Michael Malloy, better known as “Iron Mike.” In the early 1930s, a group of men came up with what they thought was a simple plan: take out a down-on-his-luck bar regular, collect on a life insurance policy, and split the payout. What followed was a series of increasingly desperate (and increasingly ridiculous) attempts to make that plan work. Drink after drink. Toxic cocktails. Freezing nights left out in the cold. Even food that absolutely should have done the job. And somehow… it didn’t. How did Michael Malloy survive so many attempts on his life? And how does a story this bizarre actually end? Find out in this episode of The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: irishcentral.comsmithsonianmag.comTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    36 min
  8. Inside Bedlam: The Dark History of Bethlem Royal Hospital

    Apr 24

    Inside Bedlam: The Dark History of Bethlem Royal Hospital

    This week, Jamie and Leo head to London to explore the long and unsettling history of Bethlem Royal Hospital, better known as “Bedlam.” Originally founded as a place of care, Bethlem one of the most infamous institutions in history. Over the centuries, it moved locations, and developed a reputation for conditions that were as chaotic as the name it inspired. Reports of neglect, public viewing of patients, and questionable treatments turned the hospital into something far darker than its original purpose. But the story doesn’t end there. Figures like William Battie and competing institutions started challenging the way patients were treated, pushing for reform and a more humane approach to care. How did Bethlem become “Bedlam”? What were conditions actually like inside its walls? Find out with us this week on The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: historicengland.orghistoryextra.commuseumofthemind.orgmuseumofthemind.org2historicengland.org2bbc.comqmro.qmul.ac.uklatimes.commuseumofthemind.org3museumofthemind.org4Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    48 min
See All (47)

4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The Darkives is a history podcast where Jamie and Leo dive headfirst into the strangest, creepiest, and most disturbing stories the past tried to bury (and somehow manage to laugh along the way). Each week, we unravel forgotten voyages, infamous historical figures, bizarre disasters, and centuries-old true crime, breaking it all down the way you would with friends - curious, slightly horrified, and occasionally cracking jokes when things get too dark. Nothing is treated like a lecture, and nothing is off the table. If you like weird history, eerie true stories, and conversations that balance “that’s awful” with “how is this real?”, you’ll feel right at home here. Serious history. Told not so seriously.

Information

You Might Also Like