Futility Closet

By Greg Ross

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Image by Greg Ross

Category: History

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Rate for this podcast

Subscribers: 1217
Reviews: 12
Episodes: 365

Allana
 Feb 16, 2021
An absolute favorite

Fraulein
 Oct 25, 2020
Interesting, wide-ranging topics, lovely chemistry between the hosts. The most wholesome podcast I know.


 Mar 9, 2020

Anne
 Feb 4, 2020
I love the history lessons, but the lateral thinking puzzles leave me cold.

Navdeep Badhni
 Sep 16, 2019
Listener and supporter for many years and will happily continue for years to come.

Description

Forgotten stories from the pages of history. Join us for surprising and curious tales from the past and challenge yourself with our lateral thinking puzzles.

Episode Date
365-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Nov 29, 2021
364-Sidney Cotton's Aerial Reconnaissance
Nov 22, 2021
363-The Lambeth Poisoner
Nov 15, 2021
362-The Leatherman
Oct 25, 2021
361-A Fight Over Nutmeg
Oct 18, 2021
360-Haggard's Dream
Oct 11, 2021
359-Stranded in Shangri-La
Oct 04, 2021
358-The Radium Girls
Sep 13, 2021
357-Scenes From an Earthquake
Sep 06, 2021
356-A Strawberry's Journey
Aug 30, 2021
355-The Auckland Islands Castaways
Aug 23, 2021
354-Falling Through a Thunderstorm
Aug 16, 2021
353-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Aug 09, 2021
352-A Victorian Hippopotamus
Jul 26, 2021
351-Notes and Queries
Jul 19, 2021
350-Symmes' Hole
Jul 12, 2021
349-The National Hotel Disease
Jul 05, 2021
348-Who Killed the Red Baron?
Jun 28, 2021
347-The Cottingley Fairies
Jun 21, 2021
346-A Desperate Winter in Antarctica
Jun 14, 2021
345-Climbing Mont Blanc
Jun 07, 2021
344-Martin Couney's Incubator Babies
May 24, 2021
343-Operation Cowboy
May 17, 2021
342-A Slave Sues for Freedom
May 10, 2021
341-An Overlooked Bacteriologist
May 03, 2021
340-A Vanished Physicist
Apr 26, 2021
339-The Baron of Arizona
Apr 19, 2021
338-A Point of Law
Apr 05, 2021
337-Lost in a Daydream
Mar 29, 2021
336-A Gruesome Cure for Consumption
Mar 22, 2021
335-Transporting Obelisks
Mar 15, 2021
334-Eugene Bullard
Mar 08, 2021
333-Stranded in the Kimberley
Feb 22, 2021
332-Princess Caraboo
Feb 15, 2021
331-The Starvation Doctor
Feb 08, 2021
330-The Abernathy Boys
Feb 01, 2021
329-The Cock Lane Ghost
Jan 25, 2021
328-A Canine Prisoner of War
Jan 18, 2021
327-The Misplaced Tourist
Jan 11, 2021
326-The Recluse of Herald Square
Jan 04, 2021
325-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Dec 28, 2020
324-The Bizarre Death of Alfred Loewenstein
Dec 21, 2020
323-The Blind Traveler
Dec 14, 2020
322-Joseph Medicine Crow
Dec 07, 2020
321-The Calculating Boy
Nov 30, 2020
320-John Hornby and the Barren Lands
Nov 23, 2020
319-Friedrich Kellner's Opposition
Nov 16, 2020
318-Peace Pilgrim
Nov 02, 2020
317-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Oct 26, 2020
316-A Malaysian Mystery
Oct 19, 2020
315-Beryl Markham's Unconventional Life
Oct 12, 2020
314-The Taliesin Murders
Oct 05, 2020
313-The Santa Claus Association
Sep 28, 2020
312-The Last of the Yahi
Sep 21, 2020
311-A Disputed Russian Princess
Sep 14, 2020
310-The Case of Bobby Dunbar
Sep 07, 2020
309-The 'Grain of Salt' Episode
Aug 31, 2020
308-Nicholas Winton and the Czech Kindertransport
Aug 24, 2020
307-The Cyprus Mutiny
Aug 10, 2020
306-The Inventor Who Disappeared
Aug 03, 2020
305-Cast Away in the New World
Jul 27, 2020
304-The Dog Who Joined the Navy
Jul 20, 2020
303-Camp Stark
Jul 13, 2020
302-The Galápagos Affair
Jul 06, 2020
301-Tschiffely's Ride
Jun 29, 2020
300-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Jun 22, 2020
299-Ursula Graham Bower and the Nagas
Jun 15, 2020
298-The Theft of the Mona Lisa
Jun 01, 2020
297-A Sinto Boxer in Nazi Germany
May 25, 2020
296-The Little Giants
May 18, 2020
295-An Unlikely Attempt on Everest
May 11, 2020
294-'The Murder Trial of the Century'
May 04, 2020
293-Lennie Gwyther
Apr 27, 2020
292-Fordlandia
Apr 20, 2020
291-Half-Safe
Apr 13, 2020
290-Voss' Last Stand
Apr 05, 2020
289-The Johnstown Flood
Mar 30, 2020
288-Death at the Lane Cove River
Mar 16, 2020
287-The Public Universal Friend
Mar 09, 2020
286-If Day
Mar 02, 2020
285-The Grasshopper Plagues
Feb 24, 2020
284-The Red Barn
Feb 17, 2020
283-The Hermit of Suwarrow
Feb 10, 2020
282-Helga Estby's Walk
Jan 27, 2020
281-Grey Owl
Jan 20, 2020
280-Leaving St. Kilda
Jan 13, 2020
279-The Champawat Tiger
Jan 06, 2020
278-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Dec 30, 2019
277-The Mad Trapper of Rat River
Dec 16, 2019
276-An Unlikely Confederate Spy
Dec 09, 2019
275-A Kidnapped Painting
Dec 02, 2019
274-Death in a Nutshell
Nov 25, 2019
273-Alice Ramsey's Historic Drive
Nov 18, 2019
272-The Cannibal Convict
Nov 11, 2019
271-The Fraudulent Life of Cassie Chadwick
Nov 04, 2019
270-Kidnapped by North Korea
Oct 28, 2019
269-The Sack of Baltimore
Oct 21, 2019
268-The Great Impostor
Oct 14, 2019
267-The Murchison Murders
Oct 07, 2019
266-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Sep 30, 2019
265-The Great Hedge of India
Sep 16, 2019
264-Jack Renton and the Saltwater People
Sep 09, 2019
263-Memories of Proust
Sep 02, 2019
262-A Modern-Day Thoreau
Aug 26, 2019
261-The Murder of Lord William Russell
Aug 19, 2019
260-The Rugged Road
Aug 12, 2019
259-The Astor Place Riot
Aug 05, 2019
258-The First Great Train Robbery
Jul 29, 2019
257-The Sledge Patrol
Jul 15, 2019
256-Lasseter's Reef
Jul 08, 2019
255-Death on the Ice
Jul 01, 2019
254-The Porthole Murder
Jun 24, 2019
253-The Dame of Sark
Jun 17, 2019
252-The Wild Boy of Aveyron
Jun 10, 2019
251-Joseph Palmer's Beard
Jun 03, 2019
250-The General Slocum
May 27, 2019
249-The Robbers Cave Experiment
May 20, 2019
248-Smoky the War Dog
May 13, 2019
247-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
May 06, 2019
246-Gene Tierney's Secret Heartbreak
Apr 29, 2019
245-Jeanne Baret
Apr 22, 2019
244-The Women's Protest
Apr 15, 2019
243-The Peshtigo Fire
Apr 08, 2019
242-The Cardiff Giant
Mar 25, 2019
241-A Case of Scientific Self-Deception
Mar 18, 2019
240-The Shark Papers
Mar 11, 2019
239-The Man-Eaters of Tsavo
Mar 04, 2019
238-The Plight of Mary Ellen Wilson
Feb 25, 2019
237-The Baseball Spy
Feb 18, 2019
236-The Last Lap
Feb 11, 2019
235-Leon Festinger and the Alien Apocalypse
Feb 04, 2019
234-The Dig Tree
Jan 28, 2019
233-Flight to Freedom
Jan 21, 2019
232-The Indomitable Spirit of Douglas Bader
Jan 14, 2019
231-The Halifax Explosion
Jan 07, 2019
230-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Dec 24, 2018
229-The Stone of Destiny
Dec 17, 2018
228-The Children's Champion
Dec 10, 2018
227-The Christmas Tree Ship
Dec 03, 2018
226-The Great Match Race
Nov 26, 2018
225-The Great Stork Derby
Nov 19, 2018
224-Lady Death
Nov 12, 2018
223-The Prince of Forgers
Nov 05, 2018
222-The Year Without a Summer
Oct 29, 2018
221-The Mystery Man of Essex County
Oct 22, 2018
220-The Old Hero of Gettysburg
Oct 08, 2018
219-The Greenbrier Ghost
Oct 01, 2018
218-Lost in the Amazon
Sep 24, 2018
217-The Bone Wars
Sep 17, 2018
216-The Tromelin Island Castaways
Sep 10, 2018
215-The Lieutenant Nun
Sep 03, 2018
214-The Poison Squad
Aug 27, 2018
213-Grover Cleveland's Secret Surgery
Aug 20, 2018
212-The Lost Treasure of Cocos Island
Aug 13, 2018
211-Cast Away on an Ice Floe
Aug 06, 2018
210-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Jul 23, 2018
209-Lost Off Newfoundland
Jul 16, 2018
208-Giving Birth to Rabbits
Jul 09, 2018
207-The Bluebelle's Last Voyage
Jul 02, 2018
206-The Sky and the Sea
Jun 25, 2018
205-The White Mouse
Jun 18, 2018
204-Mary Anning's Fossils
Jun 11, 2018
203-Notes and Queries
Jun 04, 2018
202-The Rosenhan Experiment
May 28, 2018
201-The Gardner Heist
May 21, 2018
200-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
May 14, 2018
199-The Mystery of the Carroll A. Deering
May 07, 2018
198-The Man Who Wouldn't Die
Apr 30, 2018
197-Alone Across the Outback
Apr 23, 2018
196-The Long Way Home
Apr 16, 2018
195-A Case of Musical Plagiarism
Apr 09, 2018
194-The Double Life of Clarence King
Mar 26, 2018
193-The Collyer Brothers
Mar 19, 2018
192-The Winchester Diver
Mar 12, 2018
191-The Longest Flight
Mar 05, 2018
190-Mary Patten and the Neptune's Car
Feb 26, 2018
189-The "Wild White Man"
Feb 19, 2018
188-The Bat Bomb
Feb 12, 2018
187-A Human Being in the Bronx Zoo
Jan 29, 2018
186-The Children's Blizzard
Jan 22, 2018
185-The Man From Formosa
Jan 15, 2018
184-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Jan 01, 2018
183-An Everest Mystery
Dec 25, 2017
182-The Compulsive Wanderer
Dec 18, 2017
181-Operation Gunnerside
Dec 11, 2017
180-An Academic Impostor
Dec 04, 2017
179-Two Vanished Young Writers
Nov 27, 2017
178-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Nov 20, 2017
177-Averting a Catastrophe in Manhattan
Nov 13, 2017
176-The Bear That Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh
Nov 06, 2017
175-The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island
Oct 30, 2017
174-Cracking the Nazi Code
Oct 23, 2017
173-The Worst Journey in the World
Oct 16, 2017
172-An American in Feudal Japan
Oct 02, 2017
171-The Emperor of the United States
Sep 25, 2017
170-The Mechanical Turk
Sep 18, 2017
169-John Harrison and the Problem of Longitude
Sep 11, 2017
168-The Destruction of the Doves Type
Sep 04, 2017
167-A Manhattan Murder Mystery
Aug 28, 2017
166-A Dangerous Voyage
Aug 21, 2017
165-A Case of Mistaken Identity
Aug 14, 2017
164-Vigil on the Ice
Aug 07, 2017
163-Enslaved in the Sahara
Jul 31, 2017
162-John Muir and Stickeen
Jul 17, 2017
161-The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
Jul 10, 2017
160-The Birmingham Sewer Lion
Jul 03, 2017
159-The Mozart of Mathematics
Jun 26, 2017
158-The Mistress of Murder Farm
Jun 19, 2017
157-The Brutal History of Batavia's Graveyard
Jun 12, 2017
156-The Most Dedicated Soldier
Jun 05, 2017
155-The Giraffe Who Walked to Paris
May 29, 2017
154-Spared by a Volcano
May 22, 2017
153-A Victorian Stalker
May 15, 2017
152-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
May 01, 2017
151-Double-Crossing the Nazis
Apr 24, 2017
150-The Prince of Nowhere
Apr 17, 2017
149-The North Pond Hermit
Apr 10, 2017
148-The Perfect Murder
Apr 03, 2017
147-The Call of Mount Kenya
Mar 27, 2017
146-Alone in the Wilderness
Mar 20, 2017
145-The Pied Piper of Saipan
Mar 13, 2017
144-The Murder Castle
Mar 06, 2017
143-The Conscience Fund
Feb 27, 2017
142-Fingerprints and Polygraphs
Feb 20, 2017
141-Abducted by Indians, a Captive of Whites
Feb 13, 2017
140-Ramanujan
Feb 06, 2017
139-The Painter's Revenge
Jan 30, 2017
138-Life in a Cupboard
Jan 23, 2017
137-The Mystery of Fiona Macleod
Jan 16, 2017
136-The Boston Molasses Disaster
Jan 09, 2017
135-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Dec 26, 2016
134-The Christmas Truce
Dec 19, 2016
133-Notes and Queries
Dec 12, 2016
132-The Mad Gasser of Mattoon
Dec 05, 2016
131-Escape From Libby Prison
Nov 28, 2016
130-The Unlikely Ultramarathoner
Nov 21, 2016
129-The Voynich Manuscript
Nov 14, 2016
128-The Battle for Castle Itter
Nov 07, 2016
127-Rowing Across the Atlantic
Oct 24, 2016
126-The Great Australian Poetry Hoax
Oct 17, 2016
125-The Campden Wonder
Oct 10, 2016
124-D.B. Cooper
Oct 03, 2016
123-Washington D.C.'s Hidden Tunnels
Sep 26, 2016
122-The Bear Who Went to War
Sep 19, 2016
121-Starving for Science
Sep 12, 2016
120-The Barnes Mystery
Sep 05, 2016
119-Lost in the Taiga
Aug 29, 2016
118-The Restless Corpse of Elmer McCurdy
Aug 22, 2016
117-The Road to En-dor
Aug 15, 2016
116-Notes and Queries
Aug 08, 2016
115-Gettysburg's Unknown Soldier
Jul 25, 2016
114-The Desperation of Donald Crowhurst
Jul 18, 2016
113-The Battle Over Mother's Day
Jul 11, 2016
112-The Disappearance of Michael Rockefeller
Jul 04, 2016
111-Japanese Fire Balloons
Jun 27, 2016
110-The Brooklyn Chameleon
Jun 20, 2016
109-Trapped in a Cave
Jun 12, 2016
108-The Greenwich Time Lady
Jun 06, 2016
107-Arthur Nash and the Golden Rule
May 29, 2016
106-The Popgun War
May 23, 2016
105-Surviving on Seawater
May 08, 2016
104-The Harvey's Casino Bombing
May 02, 2016
103-Legislating Pi
Apr 24, 2016
102-The Bunion Derby
Apr 18, 2016
101-Jerome
Apr 11, 2016
100-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Apr 04, 2016
099-Notes and Queries
Mar 28, 2016
098-The St. Albans Raid
Mar 21, 2016
097-The Villisca Ax Murders
Mar 14, 2016
096-The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara
Mar 07, 2016
095-A New Day at Charleston
Feb 29, 2016
094-The Living Unknown Soldier
Feb 22, 2016
093-The Old Flying Days
Feb 08, 2016
092-The Forgotten Amendment
Feb 01, 2016
091-The Voyage of the Damned
Jan 25, 2016
090-The Candy Bar War
Jan 18, 2016
089-An African From Baltimore
Jan 11, 2016
088-Mrs. Wilkinson and the Lyrebird
Jan 04, 2016
087-A Sleuthing Cabbie, Edward VI's Homework, and a Self-Aware Crow
Dec 28, 2015
086-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Dec 21, 2015
085-Raising Chicago
Dec 14, 2015
084-The Man Who Never Was
Dec 07, 2015
083-Nuclear Close Calls
Nov 30, 2015
082-Stealing Abe Lincoln
Nov 23, 2015
081-The Typhus Hoax
Nov 15, 2015
080-'Black Like Me': Race Realities Under Jim Crow
Nov 02, 2015
079-One Square Inch of the Yukon
Oct 25, 2015
078-Snowshoe Thompson
Oct 19, 2015
077-The Sourdough Expedition
Oct 12, 2015
076-Get Out of Jail Free
Oct 05, 2015
075-The Sea Devil
Sep 28, 2015
074-Charley Parkhurst's Secret
Sep 21, 2015
073-The Tichborne Claimant
Sep 14, 2015
072-The Strange Misadventures of Famous Corpses
Sep 07, 2015
071-Godless in Missouri
Aug 31, 2015
070-Sunk by a Whale
Aug 24, 2015
069-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Aug 10, 2015
068-The Niihau Incident
Aug 02, 2015
067-Composing Beyond the Grave
Jul 27, 2015
066-Eighteen Holes in Vietnam
Jul 20, 2015
065-The Merchant Prince of Cornville
Jul 13, 2015
064-Murder at the Priory
Jul 06, 2015
063-The Rainmaker
Jun 28, 2015
062-Marconi Catches a Murderer
Jun 21, 2015
061-The Strange Custom of Garden Hermits
Jun 14, 2015
060-The Day They Hanged an Elephant
Jun 01, 2015
059-The Wizard of Mauritius
May 24, 2015
058-English as She Is Spoke
May 18, 2015
057-Jules Verne's Lost Novel
May 11, 2015
056-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
May 04, 2015
055-The Dyatlov Pass Incident
Apr 26, 2015
054-Escape From Stalag Luft III
Apr 20, 2015
053-The Lost Colony
Apr 13, 2015
052-Moving Day in New York
Apr 06, 2015
051-Poet Doppelgängers
Mar 29, 2015
050-The Great Tea Race
Mar 23, 2015
049-Can a Kitten Climb the Matterhorn?
Mar 16, 2015
048-The Shark Arm Affair
Mar 09, 2015
047-The Scariest Travel Books Ever Written
Feb 22, 2015
046-The 1925 Serum Run to Nome
Feb 16, 2015
045-Crossing Africa for Love
Feb 08, 2015
044-Ballooning to the North Pole
Feb 01, 2015
043-Ben Franklin's Guide to Living
Jan 25, 2015
042-The Balmis Expedition: Using Orphans to Combat Smallpox
Jan 19, 2015
041-The Tragic Tale of the Lady Be Good
Jan 12, 2015
040-The Mary Celeste: A Great Sea Mystery
Jan 05, 2015
039-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Dec 22, 2014
038-The Thunder Stone
Dec 14, 2014
037-Edgar Allan Poe's Graveyard Visitor
Dec 08, 2014
036-The Great Moon Hoax
Dec 01, 2014
035-Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Nov 24, 2014
034-Spring-Heeled Jack -- A Victorian Supervillain
Nov 17, 2014
033-Death and Robert Todd Lincoln
Nov 10, 2014
032-The Wow! Signal
Nov 03, 2014
031-Pigs on Trial
Oct 27, 2014
030-The Oak Island Money Pit
Oct 20, 2014
029-The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser
Oct 06, 2014
028-The Real-Life Sherlock Holmes
Sep 29, 2014
027-The Man Who Volunteered for Auschwitz
Sep 22, 2014
026-A Practical Joke on a Grand Scale
Sep 15, 2014
025-An Australian Enigma
Sep 08, 2014
024-The World's Worst Poet
Sep 01, 2014
023-A Victorian Poisoning Mystery
Aug 25, 2014
022-The Devil's Hoofmarks
Aug 18, 2014
021-A Gallant German Fighter Ace
Aug 04, 2014
020-Life Imitates Science Fiction
Jul 28, 2014
019-Testing the Post Office
Jul 21, 2014
018-The Mystery of the Disappearing Airmen
Jul 14, 2014
017-An Aircraft Carrier Made of Ice
Jul 07, 2014
016-A Very Popular Sack of Flour
Jun 30, 2014
015-The Flannan Isles Mystery
Jun 23, 2014
014-The Unsinkable Violet Jessop
Jun 16, 2014
013-An Ingenious Escape From Slavery
Jun 09, 2014
012-The Great Race, Grace Kelly's Tomahawk, and Dreadful Penmanship
Jun 02, 2014
011-A Woolf in Sheikh's Clothing
May 26, 2014
010-A Baboon Soldier, Lighthouse Rescues, and a Parliament of Owls
May 19, 2014
009-The Monkey Signalman, Racetrack ESP, and Toxic Dumps
May 12, 2014
008-Owney the Mail Dog, Candy Bombers, and Bertrand Russell
May 05, 2014
007-Louisiana Hippos, Imaginary Epidemics, and Charles Lindbergh
Apr 28, 2014
006-Texas Camels, Zebra Stripes, and an Immortal Piano
Apr 21, 2014
005-Mailing People, Alien Shorthand, and Benjamin Franklin
Apr 14, 2014
004-Mystery Airships, Marauding Lions, and Nancy Drew
Apr 07, 2014
003-Extreme Pedestrians, Kangaroo Stew, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Mar 31, 2014
002-Mass Hysteria, Airborne Sheepdogs and Mark Twain's Brother
Mar 24, 2014
001-Calendar Reform, Doll Mansions, and Hitchcock's Vertigo
Mar 14, 2014