Season 8
All Episodes
Episode 1
Cellophane Start, Eruption Hoax, Parking Lot King
April 3, 2015
Don examines a transparent roll of film that revolutionized the retail industry; a jacket that belonged to a prankster with an explosive sense of humor; and an unconventional excavation that puts a 500-year-old mystery to rest.
Episode 2
Mile-High Club, Attempted Assassinatio, Zip to Zap
April 10, 2015
Don explores an aeronautical device with a notorious claim to fame; a cane that thwarted a would-be presidential assassin; and a souvenir T-shirt from an outlandish event that became an all-out rampage.
Episode 3
Opera Riot, Golfer Behind Enemy Lines, Great Mail Train Robbery
April 17, 2015
Don Wildman examines a copy of a play that sparked riots, a monocular used by a soldier who made a daring and unusual escape from behind enemy lines, and the wrapper from a product so pungent that it caused an interstate postal feud.
Episode 4
Stolen Strad, Fall From Space, Czech Dream
April 24, 2015
Don Wildman examines a concert program that marks one of the most infamous nights in the history of a prestigious music venue; a space capsule used by a heroic astronaut during a harrowing mission; and a DVD from an unusual film that blurred the lines between fact and fiction.
Episode 5
Birth of the Road Map; Attack of Killer Bees; Invention of Gas Mask
May 1, 2015
Don Wildman examines an iconic road sign that was part of a revolutionary plan to bring order to America's roads; a tiny bee specimen that unleashed madness; and a gas mask that was invented by a bold and pioneering man.
Episode 6
Erno Rubik's Cube; World's First Factor; The Amphicar
May 8, 2015
Don examines a classic toy that became a pop-culture phenomenon; a delicate silk sample that symbolizes a stunning tale of international espionage; and a quirky car designed to travel on both land and water.
Episode 7
Invention of Pop Rocks; Pinball Wizard; London Smog
May 15, 2015
Don examines one of America's most explosive candies; a pinball machine that represents a gutsy player who saved the game from obscurity; and a flare stick that guided Londoners through a unique time period.
Episode 8
Peanut Pusher, Hollywood Holdout, Lost Treasure
May 22, 2015
Don examines a peanut that played a role in an unusual fad that took 1 man on a daring adventure; a standoff that pitted a man against some of Hollywood's most powerful people; and a set of gold relics that became the subject of an intense battle between 2 rival nations.
Episode 9
Peeping Butler, Beaver Bomb, Mother's Day Mother
May 29, 2015
Don examines a trinket that symbolizes the stormy evolution of a beloved holiday; a novel contraption deployed to save a bevy of wild beavers in Idaho; and a scandalous machine that titillated Victorian England.
Episode 10
Cherry Sisters, President's Cow, Birth of a Riot
June 5, 2015
Don Wildman examines a painted wooden sign that once advertised a vaudeville act so bad it was good; a famous cow's-milk can from the White House; and a program from one of the most polemic films of the 20th century.
Episode 11
Great Kipton Train Wreck, First Inoculation, Spanish Space Suit
June 12, 2015
The story behind a science fiction novel that seemed so realistic it caused some to believe that the top-secret plans behind the Manhattan Project had been stolen. Also: a little girl's struggle for civil rights; and an invasion of giant destructive snails in South Florida.
Episode 12
Sci Fi A Bomb, Ford v. Ferrari, Colorado Stain
June 19, 2015
Don examines a sleek American race car that took on a top Italian automaker; a pulp-fiction science magazine that threatened to expose an explosive World War II secret; and a set of teeth that was key in the biggest public health experiments of the 20th century.
Episode 13
Crossword Code, Ampelmann, Brushy Bill
June 26, 2015
Host Don Wildman examines a puzzling crossword, a set of traffic signals that became a beloved symbol of East German culture, and a set of leg irons shackles that once restrained a legendary outlaw.