The Darkives: Serious history. Told not so seriously

Leo Eaton and Jamie Tavenner
  • 4.3 (6)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. The Lost City of Z and El Dorado: The Explorers Who Never Stopped Searching

    3H AGO

    The Lost City of Z and El Dorado: The Explorers Who Never Stopped Searching

    A city of gold. A ritual in a sacred lake. And a legend that refused to die. This week, Jamie and Leo head deep into South America to unravel the story of El Dorado. The myth of “the gilded one" and the enduring mystery of the Lost City of Z. The legend begins with indigenous rituals at Lake Guatavita, where stories of gold-covered rulers and offerings sparked centuries of obsession. What followed was a wave of expeditions into the jungle, each one chasing a fortune that may have never existed. Among them was Gonzalo Pizarro, whose spectacular journey through the jungle gave the Amazon it's name. Years later, Sir Walter Raleigh helped fuel the legend while chasing it himself. Then there was Percy Fawcett, whose final expedition into the jungle became one of history’s most famous unsolved disappearances. As the story unfolds, the line between myth and reality starts to blur. Was El Dorado ever a real place? What actually happened to Percy Fawcett when he vanished into the Amazon? Sit down with us as we pull another file from The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Sources: forbes.comnewspapers.combritannica.comlivescience.comnationalgeographic.comnationalgeographic.com 2history.compenn.museumhistoryextra.comTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixbay Other music used: licensed through Pixbay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    43 min
  2. Eddie Mannix: The MGM Fixer Behind Hollywood’s Darkest Secrets

    MAR 27

    Eddie Mannix: The MGM Fixer Behind Hollywood’s Darkest Secrets

    Hollywood has always had secrets. This week on The Darkives, we step into the golden age of film, where the studios didn’t just make stars… they controlled the narrative. At the center of it all was Edgar “Eddie” Mannix, the powerful MGM general manager whose real job wasn’t just running a studio… it was making problems disappear. Alongside publicist Howard Strickling, Mannix became Hollywood’s ultimate fixer, quietly handling scandals that could have destroyed careers and exposed the industry’s darker side. We get into Mannix’s rise at MGM, the system that gave him that kind of power, and the stories that still raise questions decades later. Stories like the death of George Reeves, the fallout surrounding Thelma Todd, the hidden pregnancy of Loretta Young, and the disturbing Patricia Douglas case. And then there are rumors like Nils Asther’s career troubles, and Joan Crawford’s alleged stag film, rumors that never quite went away. How much of this was damage control… and how much was something darker? And how far will the movie industry go to protect an image? This is the story of Eddie Mannix and the version of Hollywood the studios didn’t want you to see. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Sources: theshot.comgrunge.comutterlyinteresting.comharlemworldmagazine.comgoldenglobes.com1900scrime.comatlasobscura.comhistory.comTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixbay Other music used: licensed through Pixbay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    50 min
  3. Beer, Whiskey, and Molasses: Three of History’s Strangest Floods

    MAR 20

    Beer, Whiskey, and Molasses: Three of History’s Strangest Floods

    This episode is hot! flaming!... sticky? This week, Jamie and Leo dive into three bizarre disasters where history proved that sometimes the most dangerous floods don’t involve water at all. First, we head to 1814 London and the infamous London Beer Flood, where a massive vat at a brewery burst open and unleashed a wave of beer that tore through the streets. Then we travel to the Dublin Whiskey Fire of 1875, where a whiskey warehouse blaze created a river of burning liquor flowing through the city. Finally, we arrive in Boston in 1919, where a storage tank collapse triggered the Great Molasses Flood. Millions of gallons rushed through the North End (moving faster than anyone thought possible) in one of the strangest industrial disasters in American history. These are three moments when everyday goods turned into historical catastrophes. What caused these disasters? How much damage did they actually do? Fill up a pint (or a boot) and find out. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Sources: historic-uk.comsmithsonianmag.comirishtimes.comwineenthusiast.comboston.govoldnorth.comTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixbay Other music used: licensed through Pixbay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    38 min
  4. The Dark History of Port Arthur: Convicts, Coal Mines & Tragedy

    MAR 13

    The Dark History of Port Arthur: Convicts, Coal Mines & Tragedy

    This week on The Darkives, we’re heading to one of the most infamous prison colonies in the British Empire, Port Arthur Historic Site in Tasmania. Established in the 1830s, Port Arthur became a destination for some of Britain’s most hardened convicts. The prison developed a reputation for harsh discipline, psychological punishments, and a strict system of control. From silent confinement to brutal labor, authorities experimented with all kinds of methods they believed would reform criminals… or at the very least keep them in line. For some prisoners, things got even worse. A number of convicts were sent to the nearby coal mines, where grueling work, miserable conditions, and a surprisingly creative list of punishments made life even harder. That said, even in a penal colony people still found ways to entertain themselves (sometimes in ways the guards definitely didn’t approve of). Between the prison and the mines, Port Arthur became one of the harshest penal settlements in the colonial world. But the site’s dark history didn’t end when the prison closed. More than a century later, Port Arthur became the site of one of the most tragic events in modern Australian history, the Port Arthur massacre of 1996. The attack shocked the country and led to national gun law reforms across Australia. In this episode, we look at the brutal punishments of the convict era, the harsh realities of the coal mines, and the modern tragedy that forever changed the legacy of Port Arthur. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Sources: portarthur.org#1australianconvictsites.auhistoricalragbag.comcoalmines.orghistoryhit.comportarthur.org#2portarthur.org#3Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixbay Other music used: licensed through Pixbay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    39 min
  5. The Expulsion of the Acadians: Colonization, Exile, and the Birth of the Cajuns

    MAR 6

    The Expulsion of the Acadians: Colonization, Exile, and the Birth of the Cajuns

    Before there were Cajuns cooking in Louisiana, there were Acadians trying to survive in a colony caught between two empires. This week, Jamie and Leo head to early North America to unpack how a quiet French settlement called Acadia (in what is now Nova Scotia) became a political tug-of-war between France and Britain (and how ordinary families ended up paying the price). As control of the territory shifted, loyalty oaths were demanded, trust evaporated, and in 1755 the British began forcibly deporting thousands of Acadians from their homes in what became known as The Great Expulsion or The Great Deportation. Families were separated. Communities dismantled. Ships sent in every direction. Some of those exiles eventually made their way south to Louisiana, where their culture didn’t disappear. It adapted. It survived. And over time, it became Cajun. Shaping what we now recognize as Cajun history and culture. How does a community rebuild after exile? What really sparked the decision to remove them? And how does forced displacement end up shaping American culture centuries later? This isn’t just a story about borders changing on a map. It’s about what happens when empires redraw lines and people are caught in between. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Sources: ebsco.comebsco.com 2ebsco.com 3ebsco.com 4cityofopelousas.comumaine.eduacim.umfk.eduperspectives.nsgc.orgTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharveyLicensed through: Pixabay Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! Other music used licensed through Pixbay Epic Drama Music Loop - The Conquer-SonicanLicensed through Pixbay- used under the Pixabay Content License

    29 min
  6. Inês de Castro: The Queen Who Was Crowned After Death

    FEB 27

    Inês de Castro: The Queen Who Was Crowned After Death

    Inês de Castro’s love story didn’t just end in tragedy... it ended in execution… and then a coronation. In this episode, Jamie and Leo dive into one of the most dramatic and bizarre royal scandals in European history. When Portuguese nobleman Pedro fell in love with Inês, it sparked political tension, royal panic, and an ultimately a murder ordered by the king himself. But that wasn’t the end of it. According to legend, Pedro later declared Inês his rightful queen- after she was already dead, and forced the court to acknowledge her as royalty. Yes. You read that correctly. We break down the real history behind the story, what likely happened, what may have been exaggerated, and why this medieval tragedy still feels completely unhinged by modern standards. If you like doomed romances, royal drama, political paranoia, and historical stories that sound made up but absolutely aren’t, this one’s for you. History is messy. This one is downright chaotic. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Sources: britannica.comartsandculture.google.comportugal.comlisbon.vip.algarvehistoryassociation.comTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharveyLicensed through: Pixabay Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! Other music used licensed through Pixbay Spanish Star-matthewmikemusicThe Pirates-Grand_ProjectLicensed through Pixbay- used under the Pixabay Content License

    21 min
  7. Saint Olga of Kyiv: The Queen Who Burned a City and Became a Saint

    FEB 20

    Saint Olga of Kyiv: The Queen Who Burned a City and Became a Saint

    She reduced a city to ashes… and history eventually called her a saint. This week, Jamie and Leo travel back to Viking Age Eastern Europe to unpack the unbelievable rise of Olga the ruler, widow, strategist, and one of the most calculating figures of the medieval world. After her husband was murdered by the Drevlians, she didn’t just seek revenge, she engineered it. From burying emissaries alive to the infamous pigeon fire story that allegedly set an entire city ablaze, her retaliation was deliberate, theatrical, and devastatingly effective. But the story doesn’t end in smoke... The same woman known for one of history’s most ruthless revenge campaigns would later convert to Christianity, become the first Christian ruler of Kievan Rus, and lay the groundwork for the region’s religious transformation. So. what is legend, what’s documented, and how does someone move from orchestrating fiery vengeance to being canonized? We break down the myths, the medieval chronicles, and the political brilliance behind one of Eastern Europe’s most powerful rulers. History is messy. This one left burn marks. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Sources: oldnorse.orgmedievalreporter.comwarfarehistorynetwork.comTheme music: Ways of the Wizard Composed by: geoffharvey Licensed through: Pixabay Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! Other music used licensed through Pixbay Russian Folk Waltz-Roman_SolRussian Style Film Music With Orchestra and Choir-MountainDwellerOther sounds used through Pixbay used under the Pixabay Content License

    30 min
  8. The Donner Party: Snowed In, Starving, and Out of Options

    FEB 13

    The Donner Party: Snowed In, Starving, and Out of Options

    They wanted a shortcut to California. Instead, they found themselves trapped in the Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1846 — snowed in, starving, and running out of time. This week, Jamie and Leo unpack one of the most infamous disasters in American history: the Donner Party tragedy. What began as a hopeful wagon train on the California Trail quickly turned into a brutal fight for survival after the group chose to bypass the safer Oregon Trail and forge their own path west. When early snowstorms sealed the mountain passes, rescue became nearly impossible. Supplies dwindled. Morale collapsed. And over the following months, the pioneers faced choices that would cement their place in survival horror history. Why did the Donner Party resort to cannibalism? How many people actually died? What really happened in those frozen camps near present-day Truckee, California? We break down what’s myth, what’s documented fact, and how a single decision during westward expansion spiraled into one of the darkest chapters of 19th-century America. Grab a seat by the campfire. This one gets cold. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on- instagram Sources: nps.orghighways.dot.govhistory.comhistory.com-2britannica.compbs.orghistory.com-3Theme music: Ways of the Wizard Composed by: geoffharvey Licensed through: Pixabay Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! Other music used licensed through Pixbay Western Cowboy Texas Music-TatamusicCinematic – Cold – Foreboding (2026) V2 - 1-SenorMusica81Other sounds used through Pixbay used under the Pixabay Content License

    32 min
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4.3
out of 5
6 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.

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