By Isaac Meyer and Demetria Spinrad
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Criminal Records Podcast is a history show exploring the weird history of crime and punishment, from the earliest recorded murder case to the origins of laws that are in effect today. Join hosts Isaac Meyer and Demetria Spinrad on a wild journey through criminal justice systems all over the world. You can listen to our episodes in any order, but we recommend starting with our most recent cases and working your way back through our catalogue. We’ve learned a lot about audio editing and struct ...
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I Only Love Robots is a podcast about the robots we love (or love to hate) in fiction and real life. Demetria Spinrad hosts this show with weekly guests.
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This week we continue our footnote on the history of dogs in Japan. How did public perceptions of dogs change during the Meiji period? How did the adoption of modern notions of dog ownership and pet keeping help remake Japan’s cities? And what impact did all of this have on Japan’s existing canine population? Sources Skabelund, Aaron. Canines, Japa…
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In the final footnote for our Revised Introduction, we turn our attention to a little discussed subject that is a part of daily life for many: the history of our life with dogs! How did humans live with dogs in premodern Japan, and how did that start to change when the country was opened during the Meiji years? Sources Skabelund, Aaron. Canines, Ja…
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This week’s footnote is a continuation of last week’s discussion of the gozan, or five mountain system for the ranking of Zen temples. What did the system look like at its height under Ashikaga rule, and how did its relationship to the Ashikaga begin to transform the practice of Zen within the temples themselves? Sources Collcutt, Martin. “Zen and …
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This week on the Footnotes to the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: many describe Zen as the religion of the samurai. In reality, it was not–but samurai influence was crucial to making Zen a part of Japan’s cultural framework. That history is bound up in a system called the “Five Mountains”; so how did that system come to be? Sources Collcu…
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Mickey Cohen
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Mickey Cohen had friends in high places, from celebrities to televangelists to the LAPD. So what happened when one of the nation's most notorious mobsters tried to file his taxes as a legitimate hat salesman? Sources and show notes at this link
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This week, we’re continuing last week’s footnote on the postwar ultraright. How did the fall of the Soviet Union affect the anti-communist focus of the extreme right? How has its rhetoric been shaped by an odd relationship with the left? And how does modern extreme rightism manifest in the ideas of men like Kobayashi Yoshinori and groups like Nippo…
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This week’s footnote: the first of two parts on the postwar extreme right. This week, we’re mostly focusing on the extreme right in the first few decades of the Cold War, and in particular on the story of Akao Bin and his Aikokuto. How did a convicted socialist end up as one of Japan’s foremost violent anticommunists–and how did his ideas shape a n…
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This week, we’re continuing last week’s footnote on daily life in Meiji Japan. Topics covered this week include life as a conscript in the army, changes to Japanese cuisine during the Meiji years, and entertainment from kabuki to early movies. Sources Ishige, Naomichi. The History and Culture of Japanese Food Drea, Edward. In the Service of The Emp…
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Mickey Cohen, part 1
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It's an illegal gambling, Nazi-punching, tax-paying good time with Mickey Cohen, a gangster who rose through the ranks during one of America's most infamous eras of organized crime. Just don't ask about who he might have shot on his way to the top. Sources and show notes at this link
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Sovereign Citizens, part 2
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As the internet creates new unmoderated spaces for ideas to spread, the sovereign citizen movement moves on to new audiences and finds a lot of angry divorced dads who don't want to pay child support. Content notes: This episode continues our discussions of fascist ideology, racism, and antisemitism from part 1. Sources and show notes at this link …
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Sovereign Citizens, part 1
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Don't feel like paying your taxes? Want to start your own posse? Still mad about the gold standard? Looking for an excuse to blame all your problems on the Jews? Have we got a legally dubious ideology for you! Content notes: This episode contains discussion of fascism and anti-semitic ideology. Some violent incidents such as Ruby Ridge and Waco are…
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The Principality of Hutt River
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When you're unhappy about the price of wheat, there's only one solution: Send a telegraph to the Australian government declaring war. Sources, show notes, and some pictures from a very real country at this link Support the show on Patreon
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The James Flint Incident
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When an Englishman with the rare ability to speak Mandarin Chinese got into a dispute with a corrupt local official in Zhejiang, he took his complaints all the way to the top, kicking off a diplomatic incident involving the emperor himself. Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patreon…
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Simas Kudirka
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A negotiation over fishing rights took an unexpected turn when a Lithuanian fisherman jumped onto an American Coast Guard ship to seek asylum. But as investigators dug into the story of this Soviet citizen's attempt to defect, they discovered that the defector's legal status was far more complicated than anyone—even Kudirka himself—could have guess…
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ONE Magazine
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In a country where gay sex is illegal, is a magazine for gay people a publication for criminals? Is the content obscene, even if there's no sexual content on the page, just because sex might be suggested somewhere off the page or in the pages of an entirely different publication? And most importantly, can you put this magazine in the mail? Sources …
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Hello listeners! Isaac is entering final paper grading/rec letter writing season on top of planning an international exchange school trip for some of his students in May. I've also got plans to visit family on the east coast this month. Instead of rushing out episodes to cover the time we'll be too busy to record, we decided to hit pause on Crimina…
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The Ulysses Trial
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If the obscene material you're distributing is so avant-garde that most readers can't tell it's actually obscene, did you commit a crime or not? This week, we're getting into the trial of the scandalous literary magazine editors who brought the work of James Joyce to America. Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patreon…
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Not all scam artists prey on suckers’ desire to get rich quick or cheat the system. Some of them prey on their marks’ better impulses, like their love for their pet dogs or their willingness to help a stranger in an emergency. Content note: This episode contains discussion of animal cruelty and inhumane and misguided medical practices. It contains …
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British Prison Reform
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With options for getting rid of its convicts drying up, Britain started thinking about reforming both its prisons and the prisoners inside them. The intention behind these prison reforms was great. But attempts to create a better prison system involved wild philosophy experiments in real life, a lot of Bibles, a lot of time to think in silence, and…
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Abortion in Modern Japan
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Is abortion legal in Japan? No, but also yes. Join us on a journey through history to learn about how modern abortion law developed in a legal system that didn't treat fetuses as legal persons but did want to count them as future taxpayers. Content note: This episode is about abortion. It contains discussions of miscarriages, the complications of i…
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The Yakuza
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We're out of the country for a family memorial service and didn't have time to record a Criminal Records episode for the week. But that doesn't mean we're out of crime content! This week, we've cleaned up and cut together some of Isaac's very, very old History of Japan audio to bring you the history of Japanese organized crime.…
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The Bloody Code
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Under Britain's most notorious era of criminal law, you could be sentenced to death for everything from destroying a fishpond to being a particularly malicious 7-year-old. But how many criminals actually died thanks to this wave of harsh legislation? Getting the answer requires a deep dive into the very weird world of crime and punishment in the in…
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Emma Goldman, part 2
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The law was out to take Emma Goldman down on a range of charges from distributing obscene material to assassination to sedition. But did the woman the papers called the Queen of Anarchy deserve her lengthy rap sheet? Sources and show notes (with some excellent political cartoons) at this link Support the show on Patreon…
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Emma Goldman, part 1
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Something seemed a little less than ideal about governments and economies around the world in the late 1880s. One woman's solution? Anarchy. Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patreon
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Thanks to Demetria's brilliant decision to get as many vaccines as possible on the same day, there's no new episode this week. Instead, we're releasing a bonus episode from our Patreon archives about one of our all-time favorite works of historical fiction. We'll be back on our regular posting schedule in 2024! Content warning: Babylon Berlin is se…
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CW "Shorty" Young
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On one side, a crooked saloon owner with a side business running brothels and opium dens. On the other side, a moralistic tycoon with rail car full of beautiful vegetables. Which one of them did more damage to a frontier town in Montana? Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patreon…
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The Reichsbürger movement
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Want to crown yourself the king of Germany? Want to conquer Europe because you have really strong opinions about public transit? Want to get rich quick selling fake government ID cards? With this one completely nonsense legal strategy, you too can claim the government of Germany isn't real and join the ranks of some very iffy far-right extremists. …
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To crown the monarch of the United Kingdom, you need a 336-pound block of sandstone. But who really owns that big chunk of stone, and who was the thief who stole it from its rightful place? Sources and show notes at this link Support the show and find our bonus episode about Braveheart on Patreon
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If you're going to accuse a gang of spirit mediums of practicing a banned religion on the down low, you have to prove they're actually members of that religion. But what if your only understanding of how this religious group worships comes from stories about outrageous magical villains? Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patreo…
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A group of spirit mediums found a way to use their psychic prowess to get rich in the physical realm. But when an investigator started looking into a suspiciously successful prosperity scheme, he uncovered a case of divine fraud. Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patreon
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Lie Detector Tests
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Let's dive into the dangerous, divine, and occasionally kinky history of trying to figure out who's telling the truth. Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patreon
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James Reavis, Part 2
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In the second part of our story, the Baron of Arizona has to create a Baroness so he can rise to great heights in Europe and use his connections to keep swindling in America. But while the upper crust in the old country buy into his wild story, Americans are starting to unravel his fraud. Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patr…
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James Reavis was a failed real estate investor, but he had a knack for document forgery. And if you lose all the land you own legally, why not acquire some more with the help of a few doctored papers? Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patreon
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The Bombing of KAL Flight 858
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A North Korean plot to sabotage the Olympics and possibly derail a crucial South Korean election hinged on a pair of very unusual spies. When one of the bombers survived after swallowing a cyanide capsule, she told investigators her whole world was a lie. Content note: This episode concerns a terrorist attack, a plane crash, mass murder, and a deat…
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The death of Thomas Overbury, part 2
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Mirror mirror on the wall, who really killed Thomas Overbury? We're getting deep into what might just be the weirdest trial we've ever covered on this show, with accusations flying about witchcraft, a poisoned enema, Spanish treachery, and a cameo from Sir Francis Bacon. Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patreon…
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The death of Thomas Overbury, part 1
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We begin a twisted tale of witchcraft, poison, and legal arguing over magically cursed genitals in the court of King James I. Sir Thomas Overbury tried his best to climb to a coveted position at court, but he made a lot of enemies along the way. Content note: I'm going to throw an explicit label on this one just in case because it involves a discus…
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The Five Men of Naniwa
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In life, they were poor hooligans. In death, they became five of Japan's greatest folk heroes. Join us for a journey into Japan's 17th-century true crime puppet shows, time-traveling heroic tales, and kabuki romance. Sources and show notes at this link Support the show and find bonus episodes on Patreon…
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The Iran-Contra Affair
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You've heard jokes about the Iran-Contra affair, but have you heard the actual legal arguments of the defendants? To understand the true scope and purpose of these complicated financial shenanigans, we've got to cover a whole lot of history. Sources and show notes at this link Support the show on Patreon…
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Section 28
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This Pride month, we’re gearing up for a fight. As we battle over “Don’t Say Gay” bills in the US today, we’re looking back to the 1980s to see how a similar legal effort played out in the United Kingdom. No one was ever successfully prosecuted under Section 28, but that doesn’t mean it was harmless. Content note: This episode contains in-depth dis…
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A man named Martin Guerre left his wife and child. Eight years later, a man who called himself Martin Guerre returned. Why would his wife accept her not-quite-the-same husband without raising any questions, and what happened when one member of the family became convinced his nephew had been replaced by an imposter? Sources and show notes Support th…
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Section 230
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Is the rule that made the modern internet to blame for breaking it? Is a forum legally analogous to a bookstore that might have a dirty book in it somewhere? Who's responsible for all this junk everyone's been putting in the internet tubes? And if we're heading for a massive change in the way we handle illegal content online, are we at risk of dest…
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We're back with a new recording of one of the first cases we covered on Criminal Records. Bo Xilai was one of the rising stars of China's Communist Party, but his political dreams came crashing down when a close business partner was found dead in mysterious circumstances. Sources and shownotes at this link Support the show and listen to bonus episo…
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We're out of the country for the week, so we've released one of our Patreon bonus episodes into the regular podcast feed. We've talked about Marie Antoinette's real life and death, but how does the 2006 Marie Antoinette movie choose to frame her story? This is part of a much longer discussion in our bonus episodes about movies depicting (or claimin…
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Perkin Warbeck
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A half-baked plot to replace the true king of England with an impostor involved mind-controlling ointment, a loyalist uprising that never materialized, and some of the biggest political powers in Europe. Content note: The backstory of this episode involves the likely murder of two children, although the focus of this case is a different crime. Sour…
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One of the western canon’s greatest poets was a real horndog. Was his banishment from Rome really about making Rome great again by returning to purity culture, or did Publius Ovidius Naso get caught up in a complicated web of politics at the dawn of the Roman empire? This episode is marked explicit for some seriously steamy poetry quotations. Sourc…
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James Aitken
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One would-be hero of the American revolution wasn't American, heroic, or particularly good at helping the revolution. His plan to burn down the British navy's most strategic dockyards had just one fatal flaw: he wasn't actually any good at starting fires. Sources and show notes Support the show on Patreon…
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One Soviet convict impressed his own jailors so much that he ended up completely transforming the Soviet Union's gulag system. But how much of what we know about the life of Naftaly Frenkel is real, and how much is a right-wing attempt to link the Communist party to a conspiracy theory about greedy Jews? Content note: Discussion of mistreatment of …
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Reynard the Fox
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We're exploring the history of crime fiction with Reynard, a rascal whose exploits are definitely not the sort of behavior you'd expect from a cute talking fox today. How did our vulpine antihero go from a murderous rapist to a cuddly kids' character? Why did Walt Disney keep trying to make a movie about one of fiction's nastiest criminals? And how…
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We’re heading to the Roman Republic for two stories about women getting their day in court. Asking the gods to put a supernatural hit out on your illicit lover, that’s a-okay according to the Romans. But being a sugar baby? That’s against the law. Show notes and sources at this link Support the show on Patreon…
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Hustler Magazine, Inc v. Falwell
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We're starting the year off with a civil law case involving some very uncivil language. One of our nation's most important legal battles over the First Amendment was a battle between a Nyquil-chugging preacher and an American flag diaper-wearing porn publisher. Does the right to free speech protect your right to be really, really gross? Content not…
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