Latest Rihistory Podcast Episodes
40. HOLIDAY MAGIC: The Polar Express
Weird Island - December 24, 2021 14:42 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsThe Polar Express has become a Christmas classic, but did you know it was written right here in RI by author Chris Van Allsburg? Episode Source Material: Chris Van Allsburg Christmas at the Van Allsburgs' | Holiday House Tour - New England Today About Chris Van Allsburg AT HOME WITH: Chri...
39. RHODESIDE ATTRACTIONS: The Big Blue Bug
Weird Island - December 14, 2021 11:27 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsThe star of this week’s episode is a 58 foot long, 9 foot tall, 4,000 pound termite named Nibbles Woodaway. But you might know him better as the Big Blue Bug. Episode Source Material: Big Blue Bug Get To Know Us | The Big Blue Bug Of RI, MA & CT World's Largest Bug, Providence, Rhode Islan...
38. FIRSTS: The First Presidential Phone Call
Weird Island - November 30, 2021 11:10 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsThe first presidential phone call took place in Rhode Island, when Alexander Graham Bell called 19th President Rutherford B. Hayes as he attended a clambake at Rocky Point Park. To Visit: Rocky Point Ave. | Nothing to see but a sign, but you can stand where the first Presidential phone call to...
37. ANIMAL ESCAPE: Rhoda the Sea Lion
Weird Island - November 23, 2021 10:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsCould a rumor that a sea lion escaped Roger Williams Zoo and made it all the way to the bay possibly be true? To Visit: Roger Williams Zoo | 1000 Elmwood Ave, Providence, RI 02907 Episode Source Material: Roger Williams History Roger Williams Park - Wikipedia Horace Cleveland Rhode Islan...
36. ABANDONED: The Railroad that Went Down with the Titanic
Weird Island - November 16, 2021 10:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsWe’re heading to Woonsocket this week to check out a mural painted on what was an unassuming concrete wall you wouldn’t think twice about. But this concrete wall actually has an incredibly interesting backstory, one with ties to the Titanic. To Visit: Cass Ave, Woonsocket, RI - across from Woo...
35. GIANT PUMPKINS: And the RI Grower Who “Squashed” World Records
Weird Island - October 31, 2021 23:45 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsIn 2006, Rhode Islander Ron Wallace grew the first 1,500 lb. pumpkin--something no one thought was possible. Then in 2012, he became the first person in the world to grow a pumpkin weighing 2,000 lbs. Now his goal is to be the first to grow a 3,000 lb. pumpkin… Hear about what it takes to grow...
34. HAUNTED: Ramtail Mill
Weird Island - October 26, 2021 09:55 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsOut in Foster, Rhode Island a ghost is rumored to haunt the place of his death. A factory that once stood along the Ponaganset river. And his presence has been noted so often and for so long in this place that it actually became Rhode Island’s only officially documented Haunted location. To Vis...
33. CUMBERLAND LIBRARY: Wednesday, October 20 at 6:30PM
Weird Island - October 17, 2021 12:54 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsCome meet me! I’ll be telling stories at the Cumberland Library on Wednesday, October 20th at 6:30PM. Check out this mini episode to learn the unique history of the Cumberland Library and its past life as a Trappist Monastery. Event Details: Wednesday, October 20th at 6:30PM Cumberland Publ...
32. HAUNTED: Newport’s Belcourt Castle
Weird Island - October 12, 2021 09:39 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsBelcourt Castle, the third biggest mansion in Newport, was built as a bachelor pad for Oliver Belmont and his many horses. Over the years, it developed a reputation for its paranormal activity. To Visit: 657 Bellevue Ave, Newport, RI 02840 - Tours on Weekends Episode Source Material: Belcou...
31. BARNABY CASTLE: Part 2 | A Murder Mystery
Weird Island - October 05, 2021 09:35 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsDon't just listen, see inside Barnaby Castle yourself at this years HALLOWEEN PARTY! Tickets at: http://www.kaitlyn-alyece-events.com/barnaby-castle Last week we explored the story of Barnaby Castle and the first person convicted of committing murder via the mail. This week, we’ll dive deeper...
30. BARNABY CASTLE: First Murder by Mail
Weird Island - September 28, 2021 10:10 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsBarnaby Castle, on Broadway in Providence, is this unusual looking building designed to suit its original owner, this larger-than-life personality and self-made millionaire named Jerothmul Bowers Barnaby. But while the story of J.B. Barnaby is interesting enough on its own, it’s actually his dea...
29. MINI EPISODE: Pawtucket’s Hollywood Walk of Fame
Weird Island - September 14, 2021 12:05 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsPawtucket has it’s very own, tiny little “Walk of Fame” that Roadside America has dubbed “either the saddest or most optimistic Hollywood Walk of Fame.” I've got a Live Episode coming up on Monday, September 20th at 7:30pm! It's on Zoom, and if you wish to attend please email [email protected] an...
28. TAYLOR SWIFT: The Story of Her Rhode Island Home
Weird Island - September 07, 2021 09:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsIn 2013, singer Taylor Swift showed up in Rhode Island with $17.7MM in cash and purchased a summer home called High Watch. Then, she wrote a song about it (see: “the last great american dynasty”). This is the real history behind Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island home. Episode Source Material: Holi...
27. GETTYSBURG GUN: A Cannonball Trapped in Time
Weird Island - August 31, 2021 09:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsIn the entrance of the Rhode Island state house there is a cannon with a cannonball stuck in its muzzle. And for 100 years, no one checked to see if that cannon was filled with explosive gunpowder. To Visit: Rhode Island State House | 82 Smith St, Providence, RI 02903 Episode Source Material:...
26. MINI EPISODE: The Madman of Jerimoth Hill
Weird Island - August 17, 2021 10:04 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsSome people spend months or years trying to visit the highest point in every state. Rhode Island’s is Jerimoth Hill, and it’s the 5th lowest highest point in the U.S. But if you think that means it’s always been easy to get to, think again. To Visit: The trailhead is right on Route 101/Hartfor...
25. MINI EPISODE: Tombstone Tourism at Precious Blood
Weird Island - August 10, 2021 09:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsPrecious Blood Cemetery in Woonsocket is one of Rhode Island’s most haunted cemeteries, after a natural disaster left spirits searching for their loved ones--and even their own body parts! In addition to its paranormal activity, this cemetery features interesting graves, including that of Marie ...
24. SISTINE CHAPEL OF NEW ENGLAND: St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center
Weird Island - August 03, 2021 09:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsHidden away in Woonsocket, RI is a church that has been called the Sistine Chapel of New England. Inside is one of the largest collections of frescoes in the United States. While the artwork is incredible, it’s only the beginning. After the paintings draw you in, what you find are stories--becau...
23. MINI EPISODE: Woonsocket’s Hachikō Statue
Weird Island - July 27, 2021 10:30 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsHave you heard the story of Hachiko, Japan’s most loyal dog? Find out why there’s a statue of Hachiko hidden in Woonsocket, RI. To Visit: 1 Depot Square, Woonsocket, RI 02895 Episode Source Material: Akita (dog) History of the Akita Breed - The Akita Breed Akita History: Hachikō & the Rev...
22. SLATER THE TRAITOR: Father of the American Industrial Revolution
Weird Island - July 20, 2021 10:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsEpisode Source Material The Birth of American Industry: Why Pawtucket? - Online Review of Rhode Island History The Industrial Revolution - The Big Story - Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Rhode Island and the Industrial Revolution | EnCompass Slater Mill | EnCompass Brown ...
21. MINI EPISODE: What the heck is Cumberlandite?
Weird Island - July 13, 2021 10:19 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsEpisode Source Material: GEOLOGY OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND - 184 The American journal of science Rhode Island State Rock: Cumberlandite Cumberlandite Raw Cubes stone of Venus – Song of Stones GC51DR2 Only in Rhode Island (Earthcache) in Rhode Island, United States created by Twohig...
20. ABANDONED: It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane.. It’s the Superman Building!
Weird Island - July 06, 2021 10:10 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsEpisode Source Material: Gotham state of mind: what do comics tell us about cities? Why Superhero Comics Are Obsessed With Cities DC Finally Confirms Metropolis is Located in New York CLE Myths: Ohio Bell Building Inspired Superman The Architecture of Superman: A Brief History of The Daily...
19. DIRTY DRIVE-IN: The Forgotten History of Rhode Island’s Drive-Ins
Weird Island - June 22, 2021 10:05 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsEpisode Source Material: Respect (and Customers) Comes Back to Drive-Ins (Published 1997) Rustic Tri-View Drive-in Theatre in North Smithfield, RI Drive In Movie Theaters History Northeast Connecticut Rhode Island Massachusetts Lonsdale Drive-In: Rhode Island Blueways Drive-in Theaters: A ...
18. ABANDONED: The East Side Train Tunnel
Weird Island - June 15, 2021 09:30 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsEpisode Source Material: VIDEO: Ride along with the Providence Police, 1993. Documentary featuring the old downtown Police HQ, the RISD May Day riot, and of course Buddy Cianci. : providence PROVIDENCE TUNNEL OPENED | New York Times Description of East Side Tunnel project East Side Train Tu...
17. FORGOTTEN HISTORY: The First Violence of the American Revolution
Weird Island - June 08, 2021 10:37 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsControversy and Opinions on the Gaspee Affair: Was the Gaspee Affair About Slavery? The Gaspee Affair was about the business of slavery – Uprise RI The Conspiracy to Destroy the Gaspee Additional Episode Source Material: About: Gaspee Days Conflicts That Led Up To the Burning of the Gasp...
16. MINI EPISODE: Most Donut Shops Per Capita
Weird Island - June 01, 2021 10:01 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsEpisode Source Material: Best Places - Donut Data Set Home / Rankings / Top Donut Cities A Dozen Things You Didn't Know About Dunkin' | Dunkin' The Salvation Army USA Blog - The Salvation Army Celebrates National Donut Day! National Donut Day Doughnut Girls: The Women Who Fried Donuts and...
15. WEIRD BEARD: The First Set of Sideburns
Weird Island - May 25, 2021 10:32 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsCheck this out! 130 years of facial hair trends, in one chart Episode Source Material: Ambrose Burnside, The Sideburned Civil War Commander Who Didn't Want The Job Ambrose Burnside - HISTORY 'Sideburns' The Hairy History of 'Sideburns'. Why is this Style of Facial Hair Called Sideburns? ...
14. WEIRD WEATHER: That Time it Rained Fish
Weird Island - May 18, 2021 10:20 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsEpisode Source Material: VIDEO: It Rained Fish In Mexico, Officials Say. No, It's Not The End Times (We Think) Rain of Fish MAY 1900 WEATHER DATA - NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND MAY 1900 WEATHER DATA - NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND Weatherwatch: Raining fish | US weather Can it rain frogs, fish, and other...
13: INDEPENDENT MAN: Who is that guy on the State House?
Weird Island - May 11, 2021 09:56 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsEpisode Source Material: Third Floor - Rhode Island - Nellie M. Gorbea The Man Atop the Statehouse The Independent Man, "Hope," Rhode Island State House Rhode Island State House My Turn: Patrick T. Conley: Taking down the Independent Man Head of the Independent Man – URI's Cabinet of Curi...
12: ELEPHANT BRIDGE: Wonder, Cruelty, and the First Elephants in America
Weird Island - May 04, 2021 10:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsEpisode Source Material: (Research for this episode turned up a lot of inconsistent dates and references to elephants by different names, ages, heights, weights, etc.--there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on where the Crowninshield elephant ended up or if Old Bet was the first or second elepha...
11. THE PYRAMID OF PAWTUCKET: Apex Department Store
Weird Island - April 27, 2021 10:58 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 151 ratingsEpisode Source Material: The Ugliest Buildings in Every US State Images: Apex About Apex Apex Department Store My Turn: Catherine W. Zipf: Mass. gets Pawsox; R.I. keeps Apex The Apex Companies The Apex of Potential He Saw Start, Now End for Apex At Apex, history of inaction leads to n...
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