Each day in the late 1940s, thousands of sick people visited the residential Long Beach home of Roy Beebe, a self-styled "scientist" whose homemade "cosmic ray" machine was said to cure all of mankind's ills. Beebe's "cosmic ray" laboratory and its growing army of true believers made national news as a normally quiet Long Beach neighborhood was ove…

With a wingspan as wide as a football field, the Spruce Goose was the largest plane ever built. The craft—designed by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes and made out of wood—was intended for use in WWII, but the plane wasn't finished until after the war was already over. Under intense pressure from the government to show results, and still recover…

In 1923, the Long Beach Press began an advice column—Minerva's Mailbag, later changed to Tell It to Mary—geared toward the young women of Long Beach. What problems were vexing the teen girls and emerging adult women of Long Beach? Join us for an absolutely terrif discussion about flappers, dating, petting, loneliness, and upturned gender norms in a…

It's money, murder, and madness in old timey Long Beach as our case goes to trial! Join us for the final installment of this tale of greed, guns, drugs, ice cream, oil scams, Charlie Chaplin, and Ponzi schemes among the upper class in Long Beach's golden age!By Long Beach Public Library

Did a prominent Long Beach businessman get away with killing his wife and his business partner? Probably! Join us for a tale of greed, guns, drugs, ice cream, and con games as we deep-dive into a case of murder most foul among the elite business class in Long Beach's golden age!By Long Beach Public Library

In June 1956, just days after his infamous hip-thrusting performance on the Milton Berle Show, young rocker Elvis Presley came to Long Beach to play the Municipal Auditorium and a near-riot broke out. What did Long Beach teens and grown-ups think of Elvis and this new dangerous thing called rock and roll?…

On July 12, 1922, two young women spent the day in a Long Beach speakeasy, drinking and commiserating about their unfaithful husbands. That evening, on a remote road in Los Angeles, one of those women would beat a romantic rival to death with a hammer. The brutal murder case became one of Southern California's very first trials of the century, with…

On July 12, 1922, two young women spent the day in a Long Beach speakeasy, drinking and commiserating about their unfaithful husbands. That evening, on a remote road in Los Angeles, one of those women would beat a romantic rival to death with a hammer. The brutal murder case became one of Southern California's very first trials of the century, with…

In 1976, a film crew for The Six Million Dollar Man was prepping for a shoot in the Laff-in-the-Dark fun house at the Pike in Long Beach when they discovered that a wax dummy hanging from a noose was actually the real human body of an embalmed gunslinger shot by a posse in 1911. Wha? Join us as we explore this amazing, truly strange story and how c…

1927’s Wrigley Ocean Marathon was an epic and brutal swimming race from the island of Catalina to the mainland of California, a feat never before recorded. Many of the world’s most famous swimmers came to Long Beach to train and compete for the race’s $25,000 prize. In this episode, we’ll look at how two virtually unknown swimmers—George Young of C…

In 1927, legendary baseballer Babe Ruth was arrested before his scheduled appearance at the State Theater, a vaudeville house in Long Beach, California. In this two-part episode, we take a deep dive into the Sultan of Swat's epic visit to Long Beach--complete with Prohibition-era boozing, duck hunting, and an unhinged plane flight to make it to the…

In 1927, legendary baseballer Babe Ruth was arrested before his scheduled appearance at the State Theater, a vaudeville house in Long Beach, California. In this two-part episode, we take a deep dive into the Sultan of Swat's epic visit to Long Beach--complete with Prohibition-era boozing, duck hunting, and an unhinged plane flight to make it to the…

In the summer of 1948, a tightrope-walking clown named Ozzie Osborne climbed up the center pole of the Sky Ride attraction at the Pike in Long Beach, California. Sitting 200 feet in the air, Ozzie faced all manner of danger—from night bats to severely swollen legs to a serious challenge from his archrival in San Francisco—as he attempted to break t…

In May 1897, two teenage boys saw a 63-foot fin whale foundering off the shore near Long Beach, California. With the help of some local donkeys, the boys were able to pull the massive whale on shore. This is the story of that whale and how its skeleton became a beloved local celebrity, helping put Long Beach on the map in the city’s early days. Joi…

In May 1897, two teenage boys saw a 63-foot fin whale foundering off the shore near Long Beach, California. With the help of some local donkeys, the boys were able to pull the massive whale on shore. This is the story of that whale and how its skeleton became a beloved local celebrity, helping put Long Beach on the map in the city’s early days. Joi…