An Old Timey Podcast

Nintendo was in trouble. It was 1980, and they’d just poured a ton of money into an arcade game they’d hoped would be a hit. They called it Radar Scope. It was a massive flop. In a panic, the company rushed to create a new game that they hoped would make good use out of all their unsold Radar Scope arcade cabinets. That game – Donkey Kong – took the world by storm. Nintendo basked in the success of their new game. They had no idea that a massive lawsuit was headed their way.Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from: Audureau, William. The History of Mario. Pix’n Love, 2014.Internet Archive. “Universal v. Nintendo Court Documents.” 2026. https://archive.org/details/universal-v-nintendo-court-documents.Sheff, David. Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children. Random House, Inc., 1993.Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

By the mid-1800’s, the River Thames was essentially a massive sewer. People poured their waste into it. They also drank from it. That combination resulted in thousands of deaths. People weren’t sure what caused the deaths, but in the summer of 1858, when the temperatures rose and the water levels dropped, London stunk to high heaven. It took a lot of money, creativity, and an incredible act of civil engineering from Sir Joseph Bazalgette to fix the Great Stink. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from: Ackroyd, Peter. London Under: The Secret History Beneath the Streets. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2012.“Cesspools and Sewers: Toilets in Dirty Old London.” Yale University Press, November 19, 2014. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/2014/11/19/cesspools-and-sewers-toilets-in-dirty-old-london/.“Cholera in Victorian London | Science Museum.” https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/cholera-victorian-london.Contagion - CURIOSity Digital Exhibits. “Cholera Epidemics in the 19th Century.” March 26, 2020. https://curiosity.lib.harvard.edu/contagion/feature/cholera-epidemics-in-the-19th-century.Halliday, Stephen. The Great Stink of London: Sir Joseph Bazalgette and the Cleansing of the Victorian Metropolis. The History Press, 2020.Historic UK. “The Victorian Workhouse.” https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Victorian-Workhouse/.“Joseph Bazalgette | The History of London.” December 21, 2024. https://www.thehistoryoflondon.co.uk/joseph-bazalgette/.“The Great Stink | The History of London.” January 20, 2025. https://www.thehistoryoflondon.co.uk/the-great-stink/.The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered, dir. History and Sewage: The Great Stink of 1858. 2018. 11:44. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD7nRrSH_VE.“The Smithsonian and the 19th Century Guano Trade: This Poop Is Crap.” May 25, 2017. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/smithsonian-and-19th-century-guano-trade-poop-crap.Tulchinsky, Theodore H. “John Snow, Cholera, the Broad Street Pump; Waterborne Diseases Then and Now.” Case Studies in Public Health, 2018, 77–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804571-8.00017-2.Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

As his trial drew closer, Charles Guiteau became more delusional. He wrote demanding letters to the new president, Chester A. Arthur. He announced plans to run for president himself. He got the word out that he was looking for love — the love of a wealthy, Christian woman under 30, that is! He wasn’t worried about what the future held. He was certain that, if he did go on trial for murder, he’d be surrounded by the country’s best criminal defense attorneys. That didn’t happen. Instead, his long-suffering brother-in-law, Charles Scoville, stepped in. Charles Scoville was a patent attorney from Illinois. He knew he might not be able to stop the government from giving an insane man the death penalty, but he’d sure as hell try.Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from: The book, “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President,” by Candice MillardThe book, “Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield,” by Kenneth D. Ackerman“Murder of a President” documentary and additional resources from PBS.org“‘As a Matter of Fact, I Presume I Shall Live to be President’”: A Brief Biographical Sketch of Garfield’s Assassin” from the National Park ServiceThe Federal Judicial Center document, “United States v. Guiteau: Assassination and Insanity in Gilded Age America,” by Winston Bowman for the Federal Judicial CenterThe article, “The Trial of Charles Guiteau,” by Douglas O. Linder for Famous-trials.com Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

Charles Guiteau was seething. He’d convinced himself that he deserved a political appointment. When he didn’t get one, he placed the blame squarely on President James Garfield’s shoulders. James Garfield was a liar. A cheat. The country would be better off without him! Over time, Charles convinced himself that God wanted him to assassinate the president. So? He bought a gun. He tracked the president’s movements. He shot the President in cold blood.Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from: The book, “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President,” by Candice MillardThe book, “Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield,” by Kenneth D. Ackerman“Murder of a President” documentary and additional resources from PBS.org“‘As a Matter of Fact, I Presume I Shall Live to be President’”: A Brief Biographical Sketch of Garfield’s Assassin” from the National Park Service“Assassination and Insanity in Gilded Age America,” by Winston BowmanAre you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

It was the summer of 1880, and Charles Guiteau didn’t have much going for him. He was unemployed. He had very little money. He had no relationships. His family members feared he was insane. But Charles didn’t see himself that way. He thought he was destined for greatness. He’d convinced himself that he was an excellent public speaker with an eye for politics. So? He dedicated himself to James Garfield’s presidential campaign.In less than a year, he’d assassinate the president of the United States. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from: The book, “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President,” by Candice MillardThe book, “Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield,” by Kenneth D. Ackerman“Murder of a President” documentary and additional resources from PBS.org“‘As a Matter of Fact, I Presume I Shall Live to be President’”: A Brief Biographical Sketch of Garfield’s Assassin” from the National Park Service“The Oneida Community,” by John H. Martin for the Crooked Lake Review“John Humphrey Noyes,” for BritannicaAre you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

James A. Garfield was a remarkable man. He was an academic. A Union war hero. A family man. And in 1880? He *accidentally* became the Republican nominee for president. In this episode, you’ll get a boatload of context about 1880s politics (omg, are you still reading?), and you’ll learn how a man oops-fudge-striped his way into the presidency. In the weeks to come, we’ll cover his presidency, his assassination, and the legacy he left behind. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from: The book, “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President,” by Candice MillardThe book, “Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield,” by Kenneth D. Ackerman“Murder of a President” documentary and additional resources from PBS.orgAre you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

When John Colt went on trial for the murder of Samuel Adams, it felt like all of New York was watching. The media shared inflammatory, and often inaccurate stories about the defendant. The public clamored for more. Courtroom antics ranged from theatrical to downright gross. John Colt sat at the center of it all, shielded by a defense team that argued he hadn’t murdered Samuel Adams. He’d simply been defending himself. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from: Dunphy, Thomas. Remarkable Trials of All Countries. Diossy & Company, 1870.Edwards, William. The Story of Colt’s Revolver. Stackpole Co, 1953.Phelps, M. Devil’’s Right Hand: The Tragic Story of the Colt Family Curse. Lyons Press, 2013.Schechter, Harold. Killer Colt: Murder, Disgrace, and the Making of an American Legend. 1st ed. Open Road Integrated Media, Inc, 2010.Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

On a sunny fall day in 1841, New York City officials boarded a ship in search of a crate. Crew members found it buried deep in the cargo hold. The odor coming from within it was unbearable.Inside, they discovered the decomposing body of half-naked man, covered in salt. Authorities identified the body as Samuel Adams (No, not that Samuel Adams.) Who could have done such a thing? There was no need to ponder that question. Authorities had already arrested their prime suspect, John Caldwell Colt. John was an author and expert on bookkeeping. He was also the older brother of Samuel Colt, the inventor of the Colt Revolver. In this episode, Normie C hits us with all the context we’ll need to understand this gruesome murder and the bizarre trial that followed. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from: Dunphy, Thomas. Remarkable Trials of All Countries. Diossy & Company, 1870.Edwards, William. The Story of Colt’s Revolver. Stackpole Co, 1953.Phelps, M. Devil’’s Right Hand: The Tragic Story of the Colt Family Curse. Lyons Press, 2013.Schechter, Harold. Killer Colt: Murder, Disgrace, and the Making of an American Legend. 1st ed. Open Road Integrated Media, Inc, 2010.Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

On Thanksgiving Eve, 1971, D.B. Cooper parachuted into the night’s sky with $200k in ransom money. That night, the FBI launched their investigation into his identity and location. They interviewed eyewitnesses. They developed sketches. They searched the airplane for evidence, finding a few hairs, cigarette butts, and a clip-on tie. They analyzed the flight path to determine where he might have landed. But after searching, and searching, and searching - the mysterious D.B. Cooper was nowhere to be found. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from: The book, “Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper,” by Geoffrey GrayThe documentary, “DB Cooper: Where are you?!”The documentary, “The Mystery of DB Cooper”“Who was the mysterious hijacker D.B. Cooper?” by Ella Morton for History.com“D.B. Cooper Hijacking, FBI.gov“The missing piece of the D.B. Cooper story,” by Andrea Marks for Rolling Stone“Scientists say they may have new evidence in the D.B. Cooper case,” by Chris Ingalls for USA TodayAre you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

Spite Houses: The architectural equivalent of a middle finger. They’re structures or dwellings designed specifically to piss someone off. This week, Norm does a deep dive into a truly ridiculous spite house, built and owned by an eccentric millionaire named Joseph Richardson. It all started when a man made an offer on Joseph’s 5-foot wide, 102-foot deep tract of land in New York City. Joseph was so offended by the man’s (completely reasonable) offer, that he built an odd, skinny structure right next to the man’s beautiful apartment building. And the wildest part of it all? Joseph Richardson lived in his spite house for fifteen years.Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from: Alpern, Andrew. Holdouts!: The Buildings That Got in the Way. McGraw-Hill, 1984.Documentary History of American Water-Works. “Biography of Joseph Richardson.” http://www.waterworkshistory.us/bio/Richardson/index.htm.Find a Grave. “Joseph C. Richardson (1814-1897).” https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58229813/joseph_c-richardson.Miller, Tom. “The Lost 1882 ‘Spite House’ -- No. 1218 Lexington Avenue.” Daytonian in Manhattan, August 27, 2012. https://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-lost-1882-spite-house-no-1215.html.New York Architecture. “New York Architecture Images - Spite House.” February 1, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120201111125/http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GON/GON005.htm.New York Daily Herald. “Corporate Elections.” April 8, 1873.New York Daily Herald. “Marriages and Deaths.” July 14, 1872.New York Daily Herald. “The City Railroad Bills.” February 12, 1873.New York Herald. “Financial and Commercial.” March 12, 1874.New York Herald. “Railroads in Utah.” January 27, 1875.New York Herald. “‘Uncle Ben’ Richardson Dead.” February 22, 1889.New York Times. “Calls Them Embezzlers.” March 20, 1895.New York Times. “Joseph Richardson Dead.” June 9, 1897.New York Times. “Joseph Richardson Dying.” April 16, 1897.New York Times. “Meeting of the Directors of the Union Pacific Railroad.” March 7, 1873.New York Times. “Mr Richardson’s Faculty.” June 14, 1897.New York Times. “Mr. Richardson’s Funeral.” June 12, 1897.New York Times. “Richardson Will Contest.” November 18, 1897.New York Times. “Richardson’s Money Gone.” December 23, 1897.New York Times. “Spite House Case Dismissed.” November 1, 1900.New York Times. “Stormy Railroad Meeting.” October 19, 1877.New York Times. “Struck in the Tunnel.” August 21, 1888.New York Tribune. “Evicted, Goes to Country.” August 21, 1910.New York Tribune. “Rapid Transit Schemes.” September 22, 1875.The Universe of Discourse. “The Spite House.” https://blog.plover.com/tech/spite-house.html.The World. “Strange Heirs of Joseph Richardson.” June 13, 1897.Utah Rails.Net. “The History of Utah’s Railroads, 1869-1883.” https://utahrails.net/reeder/reeder-chap6.php.Valentine’s Manual of Old New York. The Chauncey Holt Company, 1921.Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

Emma Gatewood was embarrassed. Her first attempt at solo hiking the Appalachian Trail had been a disaster. But she was nothing if not determined. So, Emma tried again. On her second attempt, the 67-year-old grandmother was better prepared. Although the trail proved challenging, she kept going. Soon, the media took notice. If she completed the 2,000+ mile hike, Emma Gatewood (aka Grandma Gatewood) would become the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from: Brown, Andrew. “Skyline Trail from Maine to Georgia.” National Geographic, August 1949.Huston, Peter, dir. Trail Magic: The Grandma Gatewood Story. 2015. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/237744.Montgomery, Ben. Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail. Chicago Review Press, 2016.New York Times. “Overlooked No More: Emma Gatewood, First Woman to Conquer the Appalachian Trail Alone.” October 7, 2021. https://archive.is/kp2au.Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

In the final episode of our series on Ann Landers and Dear Abby, the feud reached new heights when Abby fell victim to a “gotcha” moment on Charlie Rose. (Who woulda guessed?) Afterward, she agreed to an interview with Ladies’ Home Journal. In it, she said awful things about Ann. Years later, when Ann died, the feud went intergenerational between the sisters’ two daughters — daughters who became, you guessed it, advice columnists. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from: The book “Dear Ann, Deary Abby: The Unauthorized Biography of Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren” by Jan Pottker and Bob Speziale“Twin lovelorn advisers torn asunder by success,” by Paul O’Neil for Life Magazine The book, “The Best of Ann Landers: Her Favorite Letters of All Time,” by Ann LandersThe book, “The Best of Dear Abby,” by Abigail Van Buren“Pauline Phillips, better known as ‘Dear Abby,’ dies at 94,” Washington Post“Ann Landers, advice giver to the millions, is dead at 83,” by Margalit Fox for the New York Times“The rivalry of Dear Abby and Ann Landers,” by Melissa Baron for BookRiot.com“Landers’ death renews family feud,” South Florida Sun Sentinel“Pauline Phillips, longtime Dear Abby advice dies at 94,” by Michael Martinez for CNN“Columnists/ daughters carry on the feud,” by Beverly Beyette for the Los Angeles Times“Competition between Iowa sisters who penned Dear Abby, Ann Landers fueled advice columns,” Des Moines RegisterAre you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.