The Bubonic Plague: From Before the Black Death to After Modern America

Henry Every: The Pirate Who Pulled Off History’s Biggest Sea Heist

A stolen fortune. A global manhunt. And a pirate who may have gotten away with it all. This week, Jamie and Leo sail into the chaotic world of Henry Every, the man often called the pirate who pulled off the greatest sea heist in history. Before becoming one of the most wanted men on Earth, Every lived a murkier life serving in the navy, working aboard slave ships, and eventually turning to piracy in the late 1600s. But everything changed after a daring attack on a wealthy Mughal treasure fleet in the Indian Ocean. The raid made Every infamous almost overnight. The stolen riches were enormous. The political fallout was massive. And suddenly, governments across the world wanted him captured. What followed became one of history’s first global manhunts. Did he escape with his fortune? Did he die broke and forgotten? Or was one of the most successful pirates in history eventually caught without anyone realizing it? On this episode of The Darkives we tell the tale of a pirate who may have actually won. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com [http://darkivespodcast.com] Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com [thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com] Follow us on: instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darkivespodcast/] Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: * https://www.history.com/articles/henry-everys-bloody-pirate-raid-320-years-ago [https://www.history.com/articles/henry-everys-bloody-pirate-raid-320-years-ago] * https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Henry-Avery-Every-King-Of-Pirates/ [https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Henry-Avery-Every-King-Of-Pirates/] Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey [https://pixabay.com/users/geoffharvey-9096471/] Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/] Thank you to Ebunny [https://pixabay.com/users/ebunny-22480773/] for all the pirate music

The Bubonic Plague: From Before the Black Death to After Modern America

Rats. Fleas. And one bacterium that just would not take the hint. This week, Jamie and Leo trace the long and deadly history of the plague, from the ancient world to outbreaks in the modern United States. We start with the different forms of plague, bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic (all caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis). From there, we follow the disease across centuries, beginning with the Plague of Justinian, moving through the Black Death, and ending with lesser-known outbreaks in Hawaii in 1899, San Francisco from 1900 to 1907, and Los Angeles in 1924. Along the way, we look at how the plague spread, why it was so deadly, and how communities responded when fear traveled faster than the disease itself. How many forms of plague are there? What caused the Black Death? And how did outbreaks continue well into the 20th century? From emperors, quarantines, and some very unlucky rats, this is the story of one of history’s most persistent killers. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com [https://www.darkivespodcast.com/] Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com [thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com] Follow us on: instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darkivespodcast/] Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: * https://www.britannica.com/event/plague-of-Justinian [https://www.britannica.com/event/plague-of-Justinian] * https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17782-plague [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17782-plague] * https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/san-franciscos-plague-years/ [https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/san-franciscos-plague-years/] * https://www.aai.org/About/History/History-Articles-Keep-for-Hierarchy/How-Honolulu%E2%80%99s-Chinatown-Went-Up-in-Smoke-The-Fi [https://www.aai.org/About/History/History-Articles-Keep-for-Hierarchy/How-Honolulu%E2%80%99s-Chinatown-Went-Up-in-Smoke-The-Fi] * https://www.history.com/articles/black-death [https://www.history.com/articles/black-death] * https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death/Effects-and-significance [https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death/Effects-and-significance] * https://www.cdc.gov/plague/maps-statistics/index.html [https://www.cdc.gov/plague/maps-statistics/index.html] Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey [https://pixabay.com/users/geoffharvey-9096471/] Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]

Roanoke: The Colony That Vanished Without a Trace

Words carved into a tree. A colony gone. And a mystery that still hasn’t been solved. This week, Jamie and Leo head back to early colonial America to unpack the disappearance of the Roanoke colony, one of the most enduring mysteries in U.S. history. Backed by Sir Walter Raleigh, remember him from The lost city of Z/ Eldorado? In the late 1500s the English attempted to establish a permanent settlement on the coast of present day North Carolina. Things didn’t go as planned... Later John White would return from a supply trip to England only to find the colony completely abandoned. No bodies. No signs of a struggle. Just a single clue left behind. From there, the questions only multiply. Did the settlers integrate with nearby Indigenous groups? Were they driven off, murdered, relocated, or lost to something else entirely? We'll walk through the history, the theories, and the evidence in this unsolved moment in history brought to you by The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com [thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com] Follow us on- instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darkivespodcast/] Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: * firstcolonyfoundation.org [https://www.firstcolonyfoundation.org/history/the-roanoke-colonies/#gref] * nps.gov [https://www.nps.gov/fora/learn/historyculture/the-lost-colony.htm] * history.com [https://www.history.com/articles/lost-colony-roanoke-assimilation] Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey [https://pixabay.com/users/geoffharvey-9096471/] Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]

The Iron Mike Molloy Story: The Man Who Just Wouldn’t Die

Poison. Alcohol. Exposure. And somehow… he just kept going. This week, Jamie and Leo head to Prohibition era New York to tell the unbelievable story of Michael Malloy, better known as “Iron Mike.” In the early 1930s, a group of men came up with what they thought was a simple plan: take out a down-on-his-luck bar regular, collect on a life insurance policy, and split the payout. What followed was a series of increasingly desperate (and increasingly ridiculous) attempts to make that plan work. Drink after drink. Toxic cocktails. Freezing nights left out in the cold. Even food that absolutely should have done the job. And somehow… it didn’t. How did Michael Malloy survive so many attempts on his life? And how does a story this bizarre actually end? Find out in this episode of The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com [thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com] Follow us on- instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darkivespodcast/] Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: * irishcentral.com [https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/michael-malloy-irishman-could-not-murdered] * smithsonianmag.com [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-man-who-wouldnt-die-89417903/] Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey [https://pixabay.com/users/geoffharvey-9096471/] Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]

Inside Bedlam: The Dark History of Bethlem Royal Hospital

This week, Jamie and Leo head to London to explore the long and unsettling history of Bethlem Royal Hospital, better known as “Bedlam.” Originally founded as a place of care, Bethlem one of the most infamous institutions in history. Over the centuries, it moved locations, and developed a reputation for conditions that were as chaotic as the name it inspired. Reports of neglect, public viewing of patients, and questionable treatments turned the hospital into something far darker than its original purpose. But the story doesn’t end there. Figures like William Battie and competing institutions started challenging the way patients were treated, pushing for reform and a more humane approach to care. How did Bethlem become “Bedlam”? What were conditions actually like inside its walls? Find out with us this week on The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com [thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com] Follow us on- instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darkivespodcast/] Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: * historicengland.org [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/1485-1660/mental-illness-in-the-16th-and-17th-centuries/] * historyextra.com [https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/bethlem-royal-hospital-history-why-called-bedlam-lunatic-asylum/] * museumofthemind.org [https://museumofthemind.org.uk/projects/european-journeys/asylums/bethlem-royal-hospital] * museumofthemind.org2 [https://museumofthemind.org.uk/blog/margaret-nicholson-in-bethlem] * historicengland.org2 [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/1050-1485/from-bethlehem-to-bedlam/] * bbc.com [https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20161213-how-bedlam-became-a-palace-for-lunatics] * qmro.qmul.ac.uk [https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/1365] * latimes.com [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-08-he-esoterica8-story.html] * museumofthemind.org3 [https://museumofthemind.org.uk/blog/the-story-of-james-hadfield-and-the-squirrel] * museumofthemind.org4 [https://museumofthemind.org.uk/blog/artist-in-focus-i-richard-dadd] Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey [https://pixabay.com/users/geoffharvey-9096471/] Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]