Crimes of the Centuries

On January 17, 1950, a throng of men wearing superhero Halloween masks stormed into the headquarters of Brink's in Boston, Massachusetts, and made off with nearly $2.8 million. For years, the case baffled federal authorities, who spent 10 times the amount stolen working to solve the crime. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order todayatwww.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: Uncommon Goods: : To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/COTC. Laundry Sauce.  Head to LaundrySauce.com/COTC and use promo code COTC at checkout for 15% off! That’s the best offer you’ll find but you MUST use my code,COTC,for 15% off your order. Miracle Made. Go to TryMiracle.com/COTC to try Miracle Made sheets today! If you order today you can save over 40%. AND if you use our promo COTC at checkout you’ll get 3 FREE TOWELS and SAVE an extra 20%!

As a series of brush and building fires baffled most firefighters in the Los Angeles region, John Orr of the Glendale Fire Department seemed amazingly skilled at identifying the cause of each blaze. He was so skilled at his job, in fact, that he was routinely asked to train other firefighters. Turned out, though, there was a sinister reason for Orr's success. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today atwww.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: Miracle Made. Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF. TryMiracle.com/COTC iHerb. Our listeners get 22% off their first order when you use code COTC at checkout. Existing customers receive 15% off. That’s 22% off your first order. Use promo code COTC. https://www.iherb.com/shop/COTC Choose iHerb-because wellness matters. Smalls. Head to Smalls.com/COTC use promo code COTC at checkout for 50% off your first order PLUS free shipping! That’s the best offer you’ll find but you HAVE to use my code,COTC, for 50% off your first order. Ibotta. Download the Ibotta app now and use code COTC to get 100% cash back on your Thanksgiving feast starting November first! Just go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app and use code COTC. https://home.ibotta.com/

Between 1968 and 1985, eight sets of lovers were murdered during new moons in the Tuscany region of Italy. The mysterious and brutal slayings terrorized the region, made international headlines and fueled countless theories -- including one that the Monster of Florence and America's Zodiac Killer were one and the same. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today atwww.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: Our Place. Go to fromourplace.com and enter my code COTC at checkout to receive 10% off sitewide. 

As high-rolling televangelists, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker built a Christian media empire that included a theme park, broadcasting network and ministry funded by faithful viewers who believed the Bakkers when they said God would reward their investments 100-fold in this life and even more so in the next one. Then the feds got involved. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today atwww.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: Hiya Health. We've worked out a special deal with Hiya for their best selling children's vitamin. Receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal you must go to hiyahealth.com/COTC. Uncommon Goods.  To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/COTC Wildgrain. Wildgrain is offering our listeners $30 off the first box-PLUS a free item in everybox-when you go to Wildgrain.com/COTC Miracle Made. Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF. TryMiracle.com/COTC

In the wake of the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, disturbing rumors began to swirl that sparked an investigation: Did members of the White Sox club -- including legendary "Shoeless Joe" Jackson -- conspire with professional gamblers to rig the outcome of the series? "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: Our Place. Go to fromourplace.com and enter the code COTC at checkout to receive 10% off sitewide. Our Place offers a 100-day trial with free shipping and returns Laundry Sauce.  For 15% off your order, head to LaundrySauce.com/COTC and use code COTC Better Help. Visit BetterHelp.com/cotc today to get 10% off your first month.

A poor drifter named Clarence Earl Gideon had faced more than his share of legal run-ins over his lifetime, but when he was arrested in 1961 for allegedly stealing some drinks and quarters from a bar, he insisted he wasn't guilty -- and asked for an attorney to help him prove it. At the time, though, Florida law only provided defense lawyers in capital cases. After his conviction, Gideon sought to change that law throughout the nation. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: Uncommon Goods. To get 15% off your next gift, go to www.UNCOMMONGOODS.com/COTC. Ibotta. Right now, Ibotta is offering our listeners $5 just for trying Ibotta by using the code CENTURIES when you register. Just go to the App Store or Google Playstore and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CENTURIES. Smalls. For 50% off your first order, head to Smalls.com/COTC and use code COTC Miracle Made. Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to TryMiracle.com/COTC claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF. 

The town of New Brunswick, New Jersey, was rocked by the discovery of two bodies beneath a crabapple tree in September 1922. The remains belonged to Edward Hall, a local pastor, and Eleanor Mills, a member of the church's choir. The two were found entwined beneath the tree -- an odd positioning considering they'd both been married to other people. Suspicion soon fell as the lovers' spouses, turning the tawdry tale into a media circus that went far beyond the tabloids. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: iHerb. Our listeners get 22% off their first order at iherb.com/shop/cotc when you use code COTC. Existing customers receive 15% off. Wildgrain. Free Croissants in every box-and $30 off your first box when you go to Wildgrain.com/COTC Hiya Health. Receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal, you must go to hiyahealth.com/COTC

Music legend Elvis Presley never knew it before he died, but the man he trusted with his career and money was not who he said he was. Col. Tom Parker had been born in the Netherlands, not in Huntington, W. Va., as he'd claimed. Parker -- born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk before arriving in the U.S. illegally -- upended the music industry with the unorthodox contracts he demanded, which lined his pockets more than anyone else's. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: 3 Day Blinds. For their buy 1 get 1 50% off deal, head to 3DayBlinds.com/COTC Miracle Made. Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to TryMiracle.com/COTC and use the code COTC to claim your FREE 3-PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF.

When Det. Louis Scarcella retired in 1999, he was a New York City hero. He had closed dozens of homicide cases during his decades-long run as a cop nicknamed 'The Closer' for his ability to get suspects to confess to him. Years after he retired, however, one of his highest-profile cases got another look, and a judge exonerated the man convicted. Then came another overturned conviction and another. To date, 20 verdicts in Scarcella-led cases have been overturned -- and the number could keep climbing. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: Beam. "Beam’s Dream is clinically shown to improve sleep. Click https://shopbeam.com/COTC and use code COTC to shop our exclusive discount and get up to 40% off. Miracle Made. Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to TryMiracle.com/COTC and use the code COTC to claim your FREE 3-PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF. Quince. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high-quality closet essentials. Go to Quince.com/cotc for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. IQ Bar. IQ BAR is offering our special podcast listeners twenty percent off all IQ BAR products, plus get FREE shipping. To get your twenty percent off, just text CENTURIES to 64000.

Before Benedict Arnold's name became synonymous with 'traitor,' he had been hailed as a hero of the American Revolutionary War. His rise from militiaman to trusted ally of George Washington was the stuff of legends. But instead of being honored with, say, his likeness on American currency, he committed an act of treason so heinous that his name is still hurled as an insult to this day. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: Miracle Made. Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to TryMiracle.com/COTC and use the code COTC to claim your FREE 3-PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF. Money Crimes. Money Crimes is a Crime House Original. Powered by PAVE Studios. New episodes are released every Thursday. Just search for“MoneyCrimes.” 3 Day Blinds. For their buy 1 get 1 50% off deal, head to 3DayBlinds.com/COTC Hiya Health. Receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal, you must go to hiyahealth.com/COTC

In 1981, a 6-year-old boy accompanied his mother to a Sears department store, where she left him for mere minutes in the toy department. Two weeks later, the boy's head was discovered in a ditch. Learn how the horrifying case -- and the South Florida police department's decades-long bungling of it -- changed parenting in America. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: Wildgrain. Free Croissants in every box-and $30 off your first box when you go to Wildgrain.com/COTC Beam's Dream Powder. Beam’s Dream is clinically shown to improve sleep. Click https://shopbeam.com/COTC and use code COTC to shop our exclusive discount  and get up to 40%off.

The horrific killing of four members of the Clutter family in 1959 led author Truman Capote to write In Cold Blood, the book credited with launching true crime as a genre. But how much of what Capote wrote was as "immaculately factual" as the author led the world to believe? "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: IQ Bar. Our special podcast listeners get 20% off all IQBar products plus FREE shipping. To get your twenty percent off, just text CENTURIES to 64000. Better Help. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/COTC and get 10% off your first month.

The Catholic Church lost its grip on England largely thanks to a woman who refused to quietly let her husband trade her in for a younger model. Catherine of Aragon's impact on Europe has lasted for centuries, and it all began with a single crime: bigamy. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. \DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod

Cassie Chadwick of Cleveland wasn't who she said she was. Even she admitted that -- though in her version, she wasn't the con artist daughter of a Canadian farmer, but rather the illegitimate daughter of Andrew Carnegie, America's wealthiest man. She used that lie to bilk businessmen, bankers and entire institutions out of boatloads of money, earning her place in history as one of the Gilded Age's most accomplished grifters. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode sponsors: 3 Day Blinds: For their buy 1 get 1 50% off deal, head to 3DayBlinds.com

When several men dressed as cops entered the Isabella Gardner Museum in March of 1990, the nighttime security detail didn't think much of it -- until one of the "officers" handcuffed the guards' wrists and announced, "This is a robbery." Thirty-four years later, theories abound about who was behind the largest -- and most mystifying -- art heist in American history. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode sponsors: Hiya Health. Receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal, you must go to www.hiyahealth.com/COTC. Better Help.  Visit BetterHelp.com/COTC today to get 10% off your first month. Wildgrain. For a limited time, you can get $30 off the first box-PLUS free Croissants in every box-when you go to Wildgrain.com/COTC to start your subscription.

In 1932, hundreds of men in Tuskegee, Alabama, signed up for something they'd never had much access to: healthcare. The best part? It was free. Told for decades they were being treated for "bad blood," the participants were never informed they had tested positive for syphilis and were being studied by the US government to see how the disease progressed in Black men who were blocked from receiving readily available treatment. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode sponsors: Better Help.  Visit BetterHelp.com/COTC today to get 10% off your first month.

After Munich, Germany, was named the host of the 1972 Olympic Games, organizers were determined to highlight the country's softer side after the horrors of World War II. This was, after all, the first Olympics to be held in Germany since 1936's Berlin Games, during which Hitler used the festivities to spread propaganda and Nazi ideology. Unfortunately, Munich's "softer side" went beyond a subdued color palette, leading to a porous Olympic Village that provided easy access to a deadly terrorist attack. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode sponsors: Hiya Health. Receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal, you must go to hiyahealth.com/COTC. Cremo Body Wash.  You can find the new Cremo Men’s Body Wash at Walmart or Walmart.com

When a handyman from Mobile, Alabama, was accused of stealing $1.95 from a woman who employed him in 1957, no one could have guessed the fervor it would cause, not just nationally but overseas. Jimmy Wilson was sentenced to death for the theft in a case that threatened America's reputation on a global scale. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode sponsors: Laundry Sauce. For 15% off your order, head to LaundrySauce.com/COTC and use code COTC.

Soon after London bade farewell to 1885 and welcomed the new year, a woman named Adelaide Bartlett roused her sleeping house with screams. Her husband, Edwin, who had seemed to have turned a corner on his recent illness, was dead. Housemates who arrived in a panic immediately noticed a chemical smell in the room that suggested Edwin hadn't died of natural causes. The case, which would soon be dubbed the Pimlico Poisoning, proved to be one of the most sensational in 19th-century England. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode sponsors: Quince. Go to Quince.com/COTC for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Cremo. You can find all the new, decadent scents of Cremo Women’s Body Wash at Walgreens and CVS Or CremoCompany.com. Wildgrain. For a limited time, you can get $30 off the first box, PLUS free croissants in every box, when you go to Wildgrain.com/COTC to start your subscription. 

In the 1970s, an aerospace firm in Redondo Beach, California, had the clever idea of handing over access to highly classified spy satellite secrets to a 20-something named Christopher Boyce. It didn't end well. Boyce and his high school buddy -- a drug dealer named Daulton Lee -- soon began selling that classified info to the Russians in a scheme that's still regarded today as one of the most damaging acts of espionage in U.S. history. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK!  Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode sponsors: Cremo. You can find all the new, decadent scents of Cremo Women’s Body Wash at Walgreens and CVS Or CremoCompany.com. Ritual. Get 25% off your first month at ritual.com/cotc Miracle Made. Go to TryMiracle.com/COTC and use the code COTC to claim your free three-piece towel set and save over 40% off.