In 1927, in a small town in Michigan, children and teachers walked into class, celebrating their last day of school before summer break. But within an hour, half of the school was reduced to rubble as dynamite brought down the building. Those inside were trapped under the debris and parents rushed to save their children. The explosion was devastating – but who caused it, and why, threatened to shatter the town. It remains the deadliest act of school violence in U.S. history.

More about the show:

🌐 https://thehistoryofmurder.com

Team & Contributors

Executive Producer- Clare O’Donohue
https://clareodonohue.com

Executive Producer – Margaret Smith

Editor – Steph Kelly

Social Media Manager & Design – Mikayla Bogus
https://mikayladesign.cargo.site

IT Manager – Conor Sweeney

The History of Murder Logo – Bernadette Carr
https://www.bcarrdesign.com

Theme Song “My Carnal Life I Will Lay Down” – Rob Brereton
https://robertbrereton.com

Voice of Monty Ellsworth: Mitchell Bisschop

Interview: Susan Hagerman
Bath School Museum
https://bathschoolmuseum.org/

This was truly a team effort, and we’re grateful to everyone who played a part.

Help keep us around by ….

Buying Merch
https://buy.thehistoryofmurder.com

Joining Our Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofmurder

And Supporting Us Directly
https://buymeacoffee.com/thehistoryofmurder

A series of horrific murders plagued Cleveland during the Depression. No one could solve it. So, the mayor turned to one man who had a reputation for going after bad guys – Eliot Ness. Ness, fresh from his time in Prohibition era Chicago, quickly zeroed in on the man he believed was the killer. But something, or someone, kept getting in his way.

More about the show:
🌐 https://thehistoryofmurder.com

Team & Contributors

Executive Producer- Clare O’Donohue
https://clareodonohue.com

Executive Producer – Margaret Smith

Editor – Ruben Woolcott
https://rubenwoolcott.com/

Social Media Manager & Design – Mikayla Bogus
https://mikayladesign.cargo.site

IT Manager – Conor Sweeney

The History of Murder Logo – Bernadette Carr
https://www.bcarrdesign.com

Theme Song “My Carnal Life I Will Lay Down” – Rob Brereton
https://robertbrereton.com

Voice of Eliot Ness: Mitchell Bisschop

Voice of Congressman Sweeney: Ruben Woolcott

Voice of Dr. Pearse: Martin Gottlieb

This was truly a team effort, and we’re grateful to everyone who played a part.

Help keep us around by ….

Buying Merch
https://buy.thehistoryofmurder.com

Joining Our Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofmurder

And Supporting Us Directly
https://buymeacoffee.com/thehistoryofmurder

In September of 1861, Osceola Missouri was burned to the ground, men were killed and homes were plundered. Led by a Kansas senator and aided by a local minister, the raid was theoretically on behalf of the Union cause. But given the actions of the men who rode into town, the question of their true purpose remains.

More about the show:
🌐 https://thehistoryofmurder.com

Team & Contributors

Executive Producer- Clare O’Donohue
https://clareodonohue.com

Executive Producer – Margaret Smith

Writer – Kara Amis Thomas
https://karaamis.substack.com

Editor – Steph Kelly
https://stephkellyedits.com

Social Media Manager & Design – Mikayla Bogus
https://mikayladesign.cargo.site

IT Manager – Conor Sweeney

The History of Murder Logo – Bernadette Carr
https://www.bcarrdesign.com

Theme Song “My Carnal Life I Will Lay Down” – Rob Brereton
https://robertbrereton.com

Voice of Jim Lane – Nick Rowley
https://www.njrowley.com

Voices of Montgomery/ Britton – Joe Janes
https://www.joejanes.net

Voice of Mary Emeline Lewis – Kelly Haran

This was truly a team effort, and we’re grateful to everyone who played a part.

Help keep us around by ….

Buying Merch
https://buy.thehistoryofmurder.com

Joining Our Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofmurder

And Supporting Us Directly
https://buymeacoffee.com/thehistoryofmurder

During WW2, over 400,000 German and Italian POWs were imprisoned in camps around the United States. The ordinary soldiers were thrilled that they had plenty to eat, could play soccer, put on shows, and work on farms. But those who held onto Nazi doctrine would punish their fellow POWs for what they saw as fraternizing with the enemy. In some cases, that punishment included murder. And when the US military convicted the men, it led to a terrifying showdown with the German government, and a death sentence for 15 American POWs.

Interview: William Geroux
Author, The Fifteen: Murder, Retribution & The Forgotten Story of nazi POWs in America

More about the show:
🌐 https://thehistoryofmurder.com

Team & Contributors

Executive Producer- Clare O’Donohue
https://clareodonohue.com

Executive Producer – Margaret Smith

Editor – Ruben Woolcott
https://www.rubenwoolcott.com

Social Media Manager & Design – Mikayla Bogus
https://mikayladesign.cargo.site

IT Manager – Conor Sweeney

The History of Murder Logo – Bernadette Carr
https://www.bcarrdesign.com

Theme Song “My Carnal Life I Will Lay Down” – Rob Brereton
https://robertbrereton.com

Voice of Guenther Oswald: Michael O’Donohue

Voice of Walter Beyer: Alex Zurhellen

Voice of Henry Spicer: Joe Janes
https://joejanes.net

Voice of “report”: Nick Rowley
https://njrowley.com

This was truly a team effort, and we’re grateful to everyone who played a part.

Help keep us around by ….

Buying Merch
https://buy.thehistoryofmurder.com

Joining Our Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofmurder

And Supporting Us Directly
https://buymeacoffee.com/thehistoryofmurder

We’ve all heard of him. But do you know why? There were lots of men who didn’t settle back into their old lives following the Civil War, and some of them turned to the outlaw life, like Jesse and Frank James. But why do we know these names? It’s a surprising answer that likely contributed to Jesse’s death.

Continue reading “Legend or Killer: The Story of Jesse James”

She was the head of a vicious gang of robbers, killers and kidnappers. She was a nice lady who was kind to neighborhood kids. She was a simple woman who enjoyed the finer things and never asked questions about where the money came from. She was a “Karen” who defended her boys to the police, her husband, and anyone who got in her way. So, who was Kate “Ma” Barker and what’s the real story behind the legend?

Check out the Ma Barker House: https://mabarkerhouse.org/

Continue reading “Was She a Killer? The Story of Ma Barker”

On a bridge in Morrison, Colorado, the fate of two men intersected. One man had everything going for him, the other should have. What happened there led to a search, a gruesome discovery and a manhunt through multiple states and two countries. The result wasn’t just the loss of a life, but the destruction of part of the most famous family in Colorado.

Continue reading “Deadly Brew: The Story of the Coors Kidnapping”

A local doctor, known to help anyone who asked, disappeared. The rumors started. Had he run away with a married woman? Gone back to his native Ireland? Or was he a British spy? It soon became public knowledge that he was a member of a secret organization to help bring about Irish independence, and it became clear that there had been some trouble connected to the group. Was he the cause, or was he a victim?

Continue reading “Ireland ’s Cause, America’s Crime: The Story of Patrick Henry Cronin”

He used his words to persuade, and he died because of them. In 1837, Elijah Lovejoy became a martyr to the first amendment, specifically freedom of the press, because as a newspaper editor, he believed in speaking out on the biggest injustice of his day. But after he was murdered, was there any justice for him?

Continue reading “First Amendment Murder: The Story of Elijah Lovejoy”

Bridge was a national obsession in 1929, and it was the personal obsession of an upper middle-class woman in Kansas City, Missouri. Myrtle Bennett poured over books about how to improve her game. She played whenever she had the chance. Her husband Jack was her frequent partner, but one night during a game, Myrtle and Jack got into a fight that led to a murder. As tragic as it was, it was the reaction from other bridge players that remains shocking.

Continue reading “Hand of Death: The Story of Myrtle Bennett”