Very Special Episodes
Very Special Episodes
Playlist by Very Special EpisodesOn the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Stranger-than-fiction tales about normal people in extraordinary situations. Stories that make you say, “this should be a …Follow the podcast:
48 clip(s) in playlist
Hemidemisemiquaver: A Modern Quiz Show Scandal
In 2009, a 10-year-old from Arizona flew to Los Angeles to compete on a new game show offering child prodigies the chance to win $500,000. But almost immediately, he could tell something was off. The experience had a profound impact on his life — and confounds legal scholars to this day. Plus Dana…
56:25
Big Bird Goes to China
During one of the most delicate periods for international relations, the United States sent Bob Hope to China with the ultimate wingman. Together, the two icons would play an unexpected role in bridging a massive cultural divide. * Very Special Thanks to our translator, Yixio Ren! Hosted by Dan…
50:37
How a Three-Point Shot Saved Thousands of Lives [Re-Release]
Mykal Riley’s name isn’t mentioned alongside Stephen Curry or Larry Bird. But neither of those guys can say they hit a three-pointer that literally saved thousands of lives. * VERY SPECIAL CREDITS Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English Written by Dave Roos Produced by Josh Fisher …
44:15
David Chase's Wonder Years
Sopranos creator David Chase wrote an episode of The Wonder Years that was deemed too intense for network television. The internet says it's because the script involved hard core drug use. But we asked the legendary TV writer, and the truth is a whole lot stranger. Thanks to Nicole Lambert of Cha…
34:40
The Night the Harlem Globetrotters Finally Lost
The Harlem Globetrotters always beat the Washington Generals. It's just what they do. As of 1971, they’d done it 2,495 times. But for one gloriously confusing night that January, the underdogs got to raise their hands in victory. Today on Very Special Episodes, the untold story of the greatest upse…
50:14
Operation Lunar Eclipse [Re-Release]
In 1973, NASA gifted a piece of the moon to a teenage astronomy fan, inadvertently pulling him into the seedy underground moonrock trade. Hello VSE friends! We published a new episode on Monday, so we're playing a rerun in our regular Wednesday slot. 'Operation Lunar Eclipse' is one of our early f…
46:37
The Popsicle Kings of Mexico
Happy Cinco de Mayo! To celebrate, Zaron Burnett is here with a mini-episode about the frozen treat that is quietly and quickly taking over the world. * Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English Written by Dave Roos Produced by Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Was…
15:17
North by North Korea
When two of the most influential figures in film become the personal hostages of Kim Jong Il, they have two objectives: to elevate North Korean cinema on the world stage, and to plot their daring escape. SOURCES + FURTHER READING/LISTENING/VIEWING A Kim Jong-Il Production, by Paul Fisher The Obs…
1:07:59
Spies and Dolls
Velvalee Dickinson ran a doll shop on Madison Avenue that catered to wealthy collectors. But in one of the strangest espionage cases of World War II, Dickinson's clients had no idea she was using correspondence about doll orders to transmit coded U.S. military intelligence to the Japanese. * Host…
49:44
The Pizza Funeral
On a cold day in 1973, a crowd gathered on a farm for one of history's strangest funerals. It was an elite group, including the Governor of Michigan, bank presidents, and local dignitaries. Even Walter Cronkite sent a correspondent. But they weren’t mourning anyone human. No, this was a pizza-based…
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