This week, we tell a story from very early in Bostonâs history, a story partly shrouded in legend. Â The cast of characters includes everyone from Increase Mather to Nathaniel Hawthorne, encompassing two kings, two continents, two colonies, and Royal governors Endecott, Andros, and Hutchinson. Â It is the story of two judges who signed the death warrant for a king, famously known as the regicides, or king killers. Edward Whalley and William Goffe became celebrities in Boston, before being forced to flee in the face of what one historian called “the greatest manhunt in British history.”
Category: Episodes
September 1918, with Skip Desjardin (episode 96)
This week, author Skip Desjardin tells us about his new book September 1918: War, Plague, and the World Series.  He introduces us to a pivotal month, when world history was being made in Boston and Bostonians were making history around the world.  The cast of characters ranges from Babe Ruth to Blackjack Pershing to EE Cummings. During our discussion, youâll learn about the Massachusetts National Guardsmen who fought the first American-led battle in World War I, youâll hear about the uncertainty surrounding the 1918 World Series, and youâll encounter more details about the deadly 1918 influenza outbreak.
Continue reading September 1918, with Skip Desjardin (episode 96)
Pandemic 1918! (episode 95)
On August 27, 1918 Boston became acquainted with the epidemic that has gone down in history as the âSpanish flu.â  A more accurate name for this disease outbreak might be the âBoston flu,â because our city is where this influenza variant mutated and first turned truly deadly.  The first cases of this new and deadly disease were reported in South Boston 100 years ago this week. Soon, Boston would suffer nearly a thousand deaths per week as the disease peaked. Before it was over, up to 20% of the worldâs population would be infected.  With up to 100 million people killed, the 1918 flu was the most deadly disease in human history.
Amelia Earhart in Boston (episode 94)
You probably know about Amelia Earhart’s famous career as a groundbreaking aviator, and you almost certainly know about her famous disappearance over the Pacific. But you may not know about Amelia Earhartâs first career as a social worker in one of Bostonâs many settlement houses. This week, we discuss her early exposure to aviation, the famed Friendship crossing, and also her reflections on her career of service to newly immigrated Americans.
Folk Magic and Mysteries at the Fairbanks House (episode 93)
In this episode, we’re joined by the curator of one of the oldest houses in North America. He’ll tell us about evidence that’s been uncovered that generations of residents may have believed in an ancient form of countermagic. The inhabitants of Dedhamâs Fairbanks House used charms and hex marks deriving from Puritan, Catholic, and pagan religious traditions in an attempt to ward off evil forces that might have included witches, demons, and even disease.  Fairbanks House Museum curator Daniel Neff will join us to explain the evidence heâs found and what it can tell us about the Fairbanks family and the world they lived in.
Continue reading Folk Magic and Mysteries at the Fairbanks House (episode 93)
Bullets on the Boardwalk (episode 92)
On August 8, 1920, an epic brawl broke out on Revere Beach when police attempted to arrest a group of four disorderly sailors. In the chaos that followed, 400 sailors attempted to storm the police station to free their comrades, even stealing rifles from the beachfront shooting galleries and turning them against the police. Soldiers from nearby Fort Banks had to be called out to restore order at the point of a bayonet. It was the height of Revere Beach’s early 20th century popularity, when it was seen as Bostonâs Coney Island, with roller coasters, restaurants, and dance halls lining the beach just north of the city. Â
Bostonâs Pickwick Disaster and the Dance of Death (episode 91)
On the evening of July 3, 1925, Boston’s Pickwick nightclub collapsed while couples packed the dance floor. Dozens were trapped in the rubble, while firefighters, police, and laborers worked desperately to free them. In the end, 44 people were killed and many more were injured. A rumor circulated that the disaster had been caused by a popular dance called the Charleston. This fake news soon became one of the most viral stories of the newspaper era, causing many cities to ban couples from dancing the Charleston. This weekâs show has it all⊠dirty dancing, illegal speakeasies, and a heroic rescue effort.
Continue reading Bostonâs Pickwick Disaster and the Dance of Death (episode 91)
Love that Dirty Water (episode 90)
For many people, summertime in Boston means canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, and even swimming in the rivers that run through and around our city.  To celebrate the season this week weâre coming three classic episodes about industry, adventure, and romance on the water. We’ll hear about the nearly 400 year history of corn, cotton, and condos on the Mother Brook; some late-nineteenth century fake news about Vikings on the Charles; and the early 20th century canoe craze that drove the state police to ban kissing in canoes on the Charles River. Listen now!
Boston’s Barons of the Sea (episode 89)
In this weekâs episode, we sit down with author Steven Ujifusa to discuss his new book Barons of the Sea, and Their Race to Build the Worldâs Fastest Clipper Ship, which will be out this Tuesday, July 17. Â Steven will tell us about 19th century drug smuggling, what it meant to trade for tea in China or gold in California, and why Americaâs most prominent families were involved in the shipping business. Most of all, heâll tell us about the East Boston shipyard where Donald McKay built the fastest, most graceful ships the world had ever seen. Â
The Wreck of the Mary O’Hara (episode 88)
In January 1941, the two masted fishing schooner Mary O’Hara collided with a barge in Boston Harbor.  At least 18 sailors died in the ice cold waters of Boston Harbor, while they were almost in sight of their own homes. Only five members of the crew managed to cling to the exposed mast for hours until help arrived. At the time, headlines called it Boston Harborâs worst disaster.