Yesterday's Chip Paper

In the basement kitchen of the Department of Agriculture, 12 young men sat down to a meal laced with poison, an event that would occur three times a day for the next 18 months. This is the incredible story of Dr Harvey Washington Wiley and the Poison Squad, tasked with the experiment of finding out just how bad food preservatives were for the humans. This voluntary undertaking would lead to the formation of the Pure Food and Drug law and subsequent food regulation across the world. But the experiment wasn’t without its setbacks, from a member who couldn’t lose weight to the tragic (though perhaps not surprising) death of one of its participants. Pioneering hero or callous killer? You decide with the latest episode of Yesterday’s Chip Paper. Also this week, a slight overreaction from one newspaper reader on some flowers stolen from his garden, and possibly the most gloriously disappointing poem in the short history of this podcast. Yesterday’s Chip Paper is a fortnightly(ish) history podcast that takes true st

This week Jim unravels the true story of the criminal who inspired Charles Dickens’ Fagin. Ikey Solomon was a notorious criminal of the early 19th century, a pickpocket turned international star thanks to his incredible plots to plunder his fellow men of their goods. His unbelievable story leads us across London, New York, Rio, Sydney and Tasmania. Also this week, Violet finds a disturbing trend in a bunch of old letters to the editor written by a class of fifth and sixth graders, and a poem by a jilted lover on the benefits of an asbestos heart. Yesterday’s Chip Paper is a fortnightly(ish) history podcast by two trans-Atlantic researchers that looks at stories found in historic newspaper archives. Whether that be true crime, bizarre poetry or complete mis-reportings of famous events, every two weeks or so Jim and Violet get together thanks to the wonderful workings of the internet to talk about their findings. Newspaper archives used in this episode: Newspapers.com www.newspapers.com/ British Newspaper Archi

It’s witchcraft and murder in small town America in this episode of Yesterday’s Chip Paper. In 1928, 60-year-old Nelson Rehmeyer is beaten to death and set on fire in his home in York, Pennsylvania. The culprit? A self-proclaimed witch doctor and his two (very) young accomplices. Plus, a scornful letter to atomic bombs and a love poem (or is it?) that’s making our heads hurt. This is Yesterday’s Chip Paper, a fortnightly(ish) history podcast that looks at true crime, strange stories, bizarre letters and old poetry from the pages of historic newspapers. Every two weeks or so, transatlantic researchers Jim and Violet discuss a story they’ve found from historic newspaper archives across the world. Archives used in this episode: Newspapers.com http://newspapers.com/ National Library of Wales newspapers.library.wales/ British Newspaper Archive www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ This week’s poem was from the Barry Dock News, 18th March 1892

In this episode of the Yesterday's Chip Paper podcast, Jim tells the story of a mystery that swept the nation, as wealthy socialite Violet Gordon Charlesworth dies in a car accident that sees her thrown into the sea near Conway, from a cliff still known as 'Violet's leap'. The case had the nation - and the world - on the edge of their seats, until some strange happenings threw a new light on things. Known as the Welsh Cliff Mystery, Welsh Motor Mystery, Motor Cliff Mystery and other things, this case - though widely known at the time - is, today, largely forgotten. Come and find out why it's so ridiculous as Violet and Jim take you through the case in historic newspapers. Also, Violet talks about ping pong in this one for quite a while, so if you have strong feelings about ping pong, or are a ping pongist yourself, you'll want to tune in. Archives used in this episode: California Digital Newspaper Collection https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc National Library of Wales http://newspapers.library.wales/ British N

After several random attacks, there’s a manhunt in Yorkshire for the Halifax Slasher. The whole town’s in turmoil, people stay indoors and locals go rogue in vigilante groups - but no-one can track him down. The twist in this tale is unbelievable. Meanwhile, a letter to the editor in the defence of dogs and some delightfully anti-climatic poetry. Yesterday’s Chip Paper is a fornightly(ish) history podcast by Violet and Jim, two amateur researchers based on opposite sides of the Atlantic. It looks at bizarre true stories, unsolved crime, macabre poetry, hilarious letters to the editor and everything else in between, straight from the pages of old newspapers.  RESOURCES British Newspaper Archive www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ More on the Halifax Slasher http://www.2ubh.com/Slasher/elland.html

Captain Stewart saw mutiny in a dream. This is the unreal story of what happened next, except it's oh so very real. Jim and Violet are in the same studio for the very first episode of 2017, bringing you the story of murder at sea, plus some great poetical advice to kick start your new year's resolutions and a letter to the editor from the testy neighbour of a violin enthusiast. Yesterday's Chip Paper is a fortnightly(ish) history podcast by two transatlantic researchers. The podcast covers true stories found in the pages of old newspapers, with true crime, momentous historical events, forgotten poetry and everything in between. British Newspaper Archive www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ The Ship of Seven Murders http://www.collinspress.ie/the-ship-of-seven-murders-en.html Trove (National Library of Australia) trove.nla.gov.au/

Violet covers the unbelievable story of the six youthful desperadoes and the Thanksgiving Day riot at Folsom Prison in 1927. Meanwhile, Jim discovers a man desperately trying to get a moral across through a murderous apple metaphor, and "Old Fashioned" letter writer who really hates these newfangled sewerage systems. Yesterday's Chip Paper is a fortnighly(ish) history podcast that looks at true crime, strange letters and long lost poetry from the pages of the world's historic newspapers. British Newspaper Archive www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ California Digital Newspaper Collection https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc Eliphind www.eliphind.com Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections http://idnc.library.illinois.edu/ New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/

This week, Jim goes back to 1726 and finds one of the most unbelievably messed-up stories published in any newspaper ever. Meanwhile, Violet deals with a psychotic girl from Kentucky who thinks she can save the souls of Thanksgiving turkeys. British Newspaper Archive www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ Eliphind www.eliphind.com Library of Congress http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

For this election special, Jim and Violet uncover political scandals, lonely prime ministers and rarely-read poetry from Ronald Reagan. British Newspaper Archive http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ Trove (National Library of Australia) http://trove.nla.gov.au/

In this Halloween special, Jim and Violet find some horrifying true stories in the historic newspapers, including the three spinster sisters in the skeleton house and dangerous mashed potato. British Newspaper Archive http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au/ Findmypast https://www.findmypast.co.uk/

For the inaugural episode of Yesterday's Chip Paper, Jim and Violet get to grips with blood-gorged crows, "unsolved" murders and sketchy letters to the editor. British Newspaper Archive http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/