Lizzie Borden took an ax And gave her mother forty whacks, And when she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one. Well, Missing Chapter fans, it’s that time of year again! The leaves are falling and the pumpkins are lit. For the past 4 years, Phil and I have been bringing you history’s forgotten stories and when the calendar turns to Oc…

I’m sure most of you, especially this time of year, love a good haunted story - something scary, mysterious, murderous, ghastly, ghostly - like the very popular ghost tours around the country right now - like the nighttime ghost tours of Gettysburg or Salem. This time of year, especially, many people flock to Salem especially to visit the town that…

More than thirty-nine years ago, Nintendo debuted a video game that knocked out its competitors, much like a green turtle shell wiping out a string of Goombas. For every groundbreaking movie, television show, or video game, there are dozens of concepts that fall by the waste side and are lost in the proverbial black hole that is history. But every …

“And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!” A quote. A book. A man… forever tied to the holiday season and the veritable meaning of the Christmas spirit. Charles Dickens became a…

As the holiday season approaches, I can see the parents and grandparents beginning to plan their menus or maybe even venture out into the unknown and practice some concoctions before the big debut come Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. And it seems like each season has its own distinct edible feature. As you know, the Missing Chapter is split …

If you’re a listener of the Missing Chapter, you’re probably aware that Phil Horender and I are huge action movie fans. I mean, how can you beat Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, The Rock, The Fugitive, the Terminator - just to name a few of our many favorites. The best action movies in my opinion, though, are the ones where the actors or actresses do their…

Ok parents, this one’s for you. Dads specifically, not because moms don’t experience what I’m about to say, but because moms, generally speaking, have a little more patience in reserves than dads do. The scenario goes like this - a package is delivered and the dad sees a massive square box, with directions that are either in a foreign language or t…

When we tell people we’re from NY, everyone thinks of the skyscrapers of NYC, but in reality, there’s a lot more to the state of NY than just the Big Apple. In fact, many everyday items that we take for granted have inventors from our upstate and central NY area. So let's take a look at the Top 5 Upstate NY inventions as we talk about our community…

What does an insulted German aristocrat, pulp comics, Prince Valiant, Blue Beetle, Captain America, Stan Lee and, World War II all have in common? All of them are the different panels in the life of Jack Kirby. Known as the "King of Comics," Jack Kirby's groundbreaking artistry and innovative storytelling transformed the comic book industry, leavin…

Phil and I are accustomed to having students from around the world transfer into our school all the time. They constantly tell us - English is the most difficult language to learn. You have certain rules to the English language, rules that don’t apply in certain instances, and then… words that are simply made up by mistake. That brings us to today’…

Saturday mornings for a kid growing up in the 80s, there was nothing like it. Wake up early, pour yourself a bowl of your favorite cereal and settle in for a few hours of… cartoons. Classic cartoons, the ones that the genre was established on and that would eventually lead to what we have today with Pixar and Illumination. But what cartoons were fi…

When President Abraham Lincoln in May 1861 issued the call for volunteers to serve in the Union Army for a three-year term, one of those who tried to answer was Ohio resident John Clem. Not yet 10 years old, Clem’s service was refused by the newly formed 3rd Ohio. Undeterred, Clem later tried to join the 22nd Michigan, where his persistence won ove…

On this episode of the Missing Chapter, we welcome Mrs. Sunderland's class to discuss some of the oddball, obscure, and certainly mysterious parts of history. They have brought a variety of stories that they'd like to call History's Mysteries. Welcome to the Missing Chapter, everyone, grab your coffees and let's get started! Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠…

The top 5 - it’s been a little while, but it’s back like bell-bottoms and the mullet. Well, I’m not wearing bell bottoms, nor am I sporting a mullet, but all things trendy aside, let’s talk historic idioms - things we hear all the time but never take the time to ask ourselves - where the heck did that originate? So, here we go, the Part III episode…

It’s summertime and if you’re anything like my family, summer is the time for playgrounds, amusement parks, bike rides, and baseball. In upstate NY, we only get nice weather a few months out of the year and you can always get hard ice cream, but you can’t always have the soft serve. And if you’re getting soft serve, what else can you add to it? My …

What is it about the Titanic, Phil, that over 100 years later, people are still enamored with the boat, the passengers, and the story surrounding it? People risk their lives to see it first hand, it’s been glamorized in Hollywood movies, and books are still being written about it. So, what’s left to discuss? What’s left to discover about the “unsin…

In the early 1950’s juvenile delinquency was on the rise. Pop icons from rock and roll and Hollywood like Elvis Presley and James Dean seemed to encourage children and teenagers to rebel against their parents. What else was causing this rash of bad behavior across the country? What menace was the real reason behind the increased criminal behavior o…

Oh the portmanteau. We’ve mentioned this a lot in our episodes lately, unintentionally. If you aren’t familiar with what a portmanteau is, let me explain. The word podcast is a portmanteau because it’s a combination of 2 words…ipod and broadcast…podcast. To use a term we used a couple episodes ago, velcro is a portmanteau for velvet and crochet. Ma…

Today we’re going to take a look at the explosive legacy of an individual that we’re all familiar with - or at least familiar with his creations. The enigmatic figure that we are about to explore is an inventor, philanthropist, ruthless industrialist, and also a major representative of peace in the contemporary age. This man’s most significant inve…

The history of baseball is the history of our nation… in amongst the innings of America’s Pastime, you’ll find the story lines that define our country. A timeline of people and events that have carried us through countless decades. Of all the great names who have ever played the game, there is one that has been almost completely lost to obscurity. …

Growing up in the country, there was nothing like spending the entire summer day outside. Riding bikes, shooting baskets, playing catch, hide and seek, taking a walk through the woods. There was something about being a kid and coming into the house at night time just being filthy - I’m sure my mom wasn’t too fond of that, but that was what our summ…

Who doesn’t love a good riddle? This episode’s introduction will be a riddle… so listen carefully, have an answer ready, and we’ll unveil the solution after the coffee pour. Ready? Here we go…. An elderly woman sits in her rocking chair knitting, positioned in front of a window, so that she may watch the trains passing by, the warm sun hitting her …

I can’t stand when people misuse the word “literally” - Some people have said, it’s literally raining cats and dogs - what??? No it’s not literally raining cats and dogs because if it were literally raining cats and dogs then I would physically see cats and dogs coming from the sky at terminal velocity, but I don’t see that, why? Because it’s a fig…

Well today, on this episode of the Missing Chapter, we are featuring Richard Graziano, a member of the Army Reserve for over 20 years, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel prior to his retirement. Richard joins us today, to honor Memorial day by talking about the history of a forgotten story - the Four Chaplains. And apart from all of the tech …

It’s our honor and pleasure to have back to the Missing Chapter, Dawn McKinney. The winner of our Hometown History competition and an exceptional teacher from Lincoln, CA, Dawn is back with us for a follow-up interview - highlighting her experiences with her class, delving deeper into her award-winning story, and reminiscing about what she thought …

In just within the past few years, the population of the world has crested the 8 billion mark. With the heightened advances in medicine, technology, fitness, safety, food production, all of it has contributed to a general rise in life expectancy and life production. It’s quite remarkable! But not in the slowly shrinking village located in the valle…

Humans have worked for centuries to attempt to capture and use the sun’s energy. With the decades-long usage of solar-powered technologies, have you ever wondered how harnessing this power was successful in the first place? Enter Mária Telkes, a hungarian-born biophysicist, chemical engineer and inventor who had a vision for the practical applicati…

The eastern front of World War II brought with it some of the most brutal, unimaginable fighting the world had ever seen. Conditions for both soldiers and civilians alike was “kill or be killed;” the tide of the war was at stake and the fate of the world hung in the balance. In amongst the rubble and the chaos that was Stalingrad, opposing snipers …

I think everyone would agree with me when I say that we’d all like to be better stewards of our money. Maybe we didn’t need that $6.00 latte this past Monday, Tuesday, and uh Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I mean, my goodness, that’s $30 a week in caffeinated beverages, who would ever do that? Certainly, not your caffeine-addicted, coffee aficionados…

His conquests rewrote the history books, as well as the maps of continents. He was feared throughout Europe and his tactics would redefine military strategies for decades to come. Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power out of the French Revolution and the period of upheaval that saw French royalty overthrow, as well as beheaded. Nothing stood in his way,…

Whether you’re from upstate NY like us, a listener from the south, our California friends, or even for some of our international listeners, I would guess that when I mention the Adirondack Chair, that provides a specific style rather than a generalized term. It’s the same instance as if I said the term car vs. a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria - the speci…

Have you ever thought about the unintended consequences of our decisions we make every day, good or bad? Stopping to get a coffee on your way to work has an unintended consequence of seeing an entirely different group of people on the highway. Going back in the house because you forgot something has an unintended consequence of you walking into wor…

Hello listeners, welcome to the Missing Chapter. If you’re familiar to our podcast at all, you know we just introduced a new segment - the MC profile. On today’s episode of the Missing Chapter, we’re highlighting an individual I’m almost certain you’ve never heard of. A brilliant individual that takes science to a level that boggles the mind. His k…

Well, everyone, because of all of our loyal listeners and fans, we have officially surpassed 100,000 plays! It’s hard to believe - 100,000! When we started this podcast 4 seasons ago, we could never imagine we’d be here so quickly, or be here at all! But here we are and we wanted to give you a bonus episode today to celebrate our way to 100k! Welco…

“I’ll get you my pretty… and your little dog too!” As far as iconic Hollywood quotes and villains go… you would be hard-pressed to come up with two more perfect examples in cinematic history. Not many people would recognize the name or photograph of actress Margaret Hamilton, but just about everyone knows the famous movie role she played, and the s…

The stereotype with today’s youth is that they always have their heads down on their phones, they’re always playing video games, and they never have anything to say. Well, Phil and I decided to put this label to the test and what better place to do it than Canajoharie high school’s very own job fair. Our student contestants sat down for a little im…

You know how the game goes - Start with everyone along the starting line, when you say 'Green Light' everyone will move towards the finish line, when you say 'Red Light' everyone must immediately stop. If players are still moving when you call 'Red Light', they must go back to the starting line. And if you’re thinking about playing this game in a r…

Hollywood’s depiction of pirates, swashbucklers, and buccaneers is often glamorized and fictionalized to the point, where it’s difficult to differentiate between villain and hero. The history and reality of pirates is often much more obvious, but no less thrilling and entertaining. Enter into today’s episode, arguably the most successful but least-…

Welcome to this episode of the Missing Chapter - and the segment we refer to as the Missing Chapter Profile. We’re going to take some time today and highlight someone of great musical stature. He has an immediately recognizable voice, and for any Italian family, his songs are a staple in any household, especially while cooking or baking. And for yo…

I hope to rekindle what it was like as a kid for some of our listeners here - or maybe for our younger audience, trigger more of a recent memory - the Crane Game. You might not know it by name, but the epiphany of what this game is will happen immediately when I say this - the game with the claw! But this isn’t an episode about toys, although we’ve…

Well, here we are in the snow-covered hills of upstate NY. It’s a balmy 14 out this morning, my windshield was covered with an impenetrable microscopic ice, which is somehow impervious to a massive steel and plastic ice scraper, I almost took a header coming down my steps from said ice, and I still can’t feel my hands from pumping gas this morning …

There are great quotes from American history and then there are Mark Twain quotes. There are great writers from American History and then there is Mark Twain. An astonishing and profound author, whose collection of works impacted U.S. history as much as the commentary he was making on it. From his humble upbringing to his amazing journey through li…

From relatives to neighbors, family to strangers, what other response is so commonly known around the world than what happens following someone’s sneeze. God bless you gesundheit, blesh you, salud - whatever your response, this is something so commonly used that it spans across continents, religions, ethnicities, and cultures - how is that possible…

If any of our listeners have flown before, you’ve probably noticed two schools of flying patrons - those that love it and spend their time casually reading their favorite book or appear to have the best slumber of their lives, and those that have to take a valium washed down with a swig of vino to get their heart rates back to normal pumping levels…

History is draped in mystery, speculation, and intrigue and certain events in our nation’s past lend themselves to these fascinations. Maybe none more so than assassinations and, in particular, those of President John F. Kennedy and President Abraham Lincoln. Today’s episode of The Missing Chapter delves into the latter. A renowned actor, a beloved…

John Macarthur, in his book Reckless Faith says, “Federal agents don’t learn to spot counterfeit money by studying the counterfeits. They study genuine bills until they master the look of the real thing. Then when they see the bogus money they recognize it.” How true is that? And what’s behind the note itself. How about this? What’s behind the stor…

Holiday traditions are in the details… Whether it be the specific way you decorate the Christmas tree, the precise angle the wreath is hung on the door, the Christmas card that gets mailed to friends and family has to be perfect. Undoubtedly, a large portion of the holiday season gets spent on… gifts. Finding gifts, buying gifts, and wrapping gifts…

Ahh, it’s almost Christmas. Hear the fire crackle, see the sparkling lights of the decorations inside and out, the smell of balsam around the house, hot chocolate in hand, and the beautiful traditional sounds of one of our favorite Christmas songs of all time - Morse Code. Wait, wait, what? Morse Code? Yup, that confusion that just struck your ears…

Hey, everyone, tis the season! Merry Christmas from the Phils at the Missing Chapter! And with the Christmas spirit, comes the music, the holiday festivities, and the quintessential customs. Our families hold dear to some of our Christmas traditions. Would you be surprised, though, if I told you that some of the more popular traditions don’t have a…

FDR is President, minimum wage is .30/hour, the digital calculator celebrated its first year, a gallon of gas is a hefty .15, and the Allied forces cross the English Channel to invade Normandy…the year? 1944. The place, Mattoon, Illinois, and this small town is experiencing great panic and fear over a mysterious illness that seems to be randomly se…