“I got a revolver to protect us, and I soon had use for it,” stated Constance Kopp when interviewed about the intruders intimidating her family under the cover of darkness at her home. Her assistance with solving the case led to her role as the first female appointed deputy sheriff of Bergen County, New Jersey. Let's talk about how Constance got there in a time when women were not-so-much welcomed into such work.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the final episode of our season of forgers, where we've been exploring the stories of some of the most amazing forgeries – and those behind them -- throughout history. But it wasn't all about fakes and forgeries. There were plenty of cocktails and mocktails to go around, too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to a brand new season of Criminalia, where we'll be talking about blackmail throughout history. We’re rolling straight from the criminal world of forgers to one of blackmailers -- we’ll see you there, not only with some very real stories about some very shady things, but also with the cocktails and mocktails made to go with them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the 18th century, early animatronics were hot. They were featured in circuses, carnivals, and other touring exhibitions, and were usually built and operated with various parts like axles, chains, cogs, gears, levers, pulleys, wheels, wind-up keys – you get the point. For Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, in 1769, Hungarian inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen’s created the Mechanical Turk, a chess-playing machine that could beat almost any person who played against it. The Turk appeared to be...

When a group of miners uncovered a skull deep in a mine shaft on the western slopes of Bald Mountain in Calaveras County, California, it was believed, at least initially, to be a history-changing discovery. The owner of the mine didn't know at first what it was that he'd dug up that day in 1866. And when he shared it with those who might, including the State Geologist of California, things went a bit, well, off the rails. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer &...

In the summer of 1917, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths convinced a whole lot of people, including the famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, they'd seen fairies neat their home -- and they had photographic evidence to prove it. After decades of keeping their ruse a secret, they admitted their "joke was to last two hours, and it has lasted 70 years. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby Bias See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early 1970s, McGraw-Hill Book Company landed what could have been the literary scoop of the 20th century: A writer named Clifford Irving pitched them that he'd obtained the permission of the reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes to write a tell-all memoir of the mogul. That manuscript, though, turned out to be one of the biggest literary hoaxes of the 20th century, and it landed Irving in prison. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby Bias See...

In April of 1896, the Louvre announced it had purchased a tiara they believed must have been from the treasure house of a great Scythian king -- and that it had the exciting potential to rewrite ancient history. But only a few days after putting it on display, there were questions about its authenticity. The tiara, they would come to learn, was a fake. And in this episode, we're talking about it as part of a larger conversation of, how much art in museums is not what it seems? Executive...

A 19th-c German goldsmith famous for his forgeries of Renaissance objects, including jewelry and vessels. His fakery was discovered after his death, during a major archive by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby Bias   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Done to death by slanderous tongues," wrote William Shakespeare in his play, 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Shakespeare may be a renowned English playwright, poet, and actor, but, he has a bit of a credibility problem among some circles, and he has for quite a long time. It's known as the 'Shakespeare Authorship Question', and we're going to talk about some theories that suggest Shakespeare was a fake -- before we talk about a man who wrote a five-act play pretending to be the Bard. That could...

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. has a fake crystal skull. And so does the British Museum in London, as does Paris's Quai Branly Museum. As of 2019, it was estimated there are more than a dozen crystal skulls known to exist. Long considered pre-Columbian relics, they've also inspired theories about the occult, aliens, and psychic abilities. But the reality is, none of it's true. Meet Eugène Boban, the real provenance of crystal skulls.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Sculptor Alceo Dossena was an impactful figure in the art world of the early 20th century because he created forged masterpieces capable of fooling even the most expert of experts. Critics attributed his pieces to famous classical and Renaissance artists, and his works were sold through dealers and purchased by museums and collectors. But in an unexpected turn of events, the forger sued the dealers who sold his work. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor:...

Virtuoso Fritz Kreisler was known and is remembered for his artistry as a violinist and composer -- and, also, as an unashamed showman. He was one of the most beloved and best known of the early recording-era artists, and a household name in his day. In fact, he was so adored by his audiences that when he revealed some of the pieces he'd performed and attributed to composers such as Vivaldi, Pugnani, and Couperin were, actually, his own compositions, the critics were irate, but his fans...

Things are a little different on today's episode of our show. Today we're talking to Lisa Perrin, an award-winning illustrator, designer and entrepreneur. Lisa stops by to chat about her new book, “League of Lady Poisoners.” Enjoy! Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby Bias See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millions of people around the world collect, preserve, and trade or sell postage stamps; the hobby, or investment, is known as, philately. The first stamp forgeries began to show up, well, when the first stamps showed up. The Penny Black, the world’s first adhesive stamp, was issued in 1840, and the world’s first forged stamps followed later that year. Stamp collecting has been called, quote,  "the hobby of kings and the king of hobbies." And for a time in the early 20th century, a man named...

Some historians believe Italian forger Tobia Nicotra may have produced hundreds of document and signature forgeries attributed to names like Mozart and Galileo, before he was caught in the 1930s. He faded into obscurity, but his forgeries didn't. And for more than 80 years the University of Michigan housed a Galileo manuscript they didn't know was fake -- until a historian named Nick Wilding called its bluff. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby...

Wilma Minor's 'Lincoln the Lover' forgery has been called one of the most audacious literary hoaxes of all time, and involves an alleged love story between a young Abraham Lincoln and a woman named Ann Rutledge. There was never any conclusive evidence the two had a romantic relationship; there was nothing in the historical record – no letters or notes between them, for instance -- that showed any indication of their love. Until 1928.  Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly...

It's said his own handwriting was a neat and graceful script, not unlike Abraham Lincoln’s. He could fake the hand of Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Baker Eddy, and dozens of other historical figures. In fact, experts believe that a large number of the documents he produced in the early 20th century are still circulating today -- and inaccurately regarded as genuine. This is the story of Martin Coneely, alias, Joseph Cosey, who could sign Benjamin Franklin's name perhaps better than Ben,...

On Valentine's Day of 1961, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York had to, for the very first time, announce they were housing a fake. Three fakes, actually. After nearly three decades as a prized exhibit, their Etruscan Terracotta Warriors, as they'd become known, were determined to be inauthentic -- but here's the story of how and why The Met should have know that fact before they ever put them on display. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby...

Dutch painter Han van Meegeren has often been described as a dapper man, with, quote, “a small, birdlike frame constantly aflutter, and irreverent sense of humor.” His life story is anything but small. It's not just about art; it's about deception, fortune, Bakelite, and … Nazis. And, it has an unexpected twist at the end. Welcome to a new season of forgery and forgers, here on Criminalia. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby Bias See...

Welcome to the final episode of Firebugs season, where we've been telling the stories of some of the most destructive blazes and those who set them throughout history. But it wasn't all about fires. There were plenty of cocktails and mocktails to go around, too. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby Bias See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some estimates suggest that as much as 50 percent of all artwork on the market today is likely forged or misattributed. It can be difficult to verify what is authentic and what is counterfeit, from art to music to archaelogical findings. In this new season, we'll talk about who makes these fakes. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby Bias See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Old Icelandic,'hús-brenna' means 'house burning', and it was a form of homicide by arson used to settle a vendetta, and sometimes used during political conflicts in medieval Scandinavia. Its sole purpose, make no mistake, was assassination. And it's terrifying. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby Bias See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen up, Criminalia fans! Shondaland Audio and iHeartPodcasts have some exciting news, The Laverne Cox Show is back for season two. Get a spiritual makeover each week as actress and activist Laverne Cox goes with her guests. We think you'll want to hear this season, but don't just take our word for it. Check out the trailer and decide for yourself! About the podcast: Years ago, a therapist said in our very first session that there are only two things that we can truly control in our lives...

Opposition to the British crown began years before the battles of the American Revolutionary War broke out in the Thirteen Colonies, and that opposition took many forms, like riots and boycotts. A Scotsman named James Aitken sympathized with the rebels, and stood by them by setting British dockyards on fire – if the Royal Navy didn't have any ships, then England couldn't go to war with the colonies, he believed. Let's talk about who James was, and how he wanted to be an American...