1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast

I recall researching the back story for our 1001 Heroes episode 'THE LOST CITY OF Z when I came across then mentio0n of lake Titicaca in Peru- and although I was curous as to how it got its name, I had to pass it up until now- where it becomes 'Found In The Footnotes'.  Enjoy! Browse all 12 1001 shows at www.bestof1001stories.com and find a treasure trove of stories for all ages and tastes!

THE ORANGE IN THE STOCKING   FOUND IN THE FOOTNOTES    Todays's story: I called The Orange In The Stocking… and of course, my question to you is..did you get one IJN YOURS ?  After the  recent episode we did titled Christmas in Appalachia we received lots of feedback about this old tradition- it seemed that every one in the story recvalled getting  that orange in the stocking- and to them it meant so very much~!   Actually, there's more to the story of the orange that turned up  - In Christmas inn Appalachia  we covered the - the hard times- the meager christmasses- and SHARED some celebrity mekories -but,the real story of the oranges was found in the footnotes-   Its Christmas morning,and you're unloading your stocking..   At the very bottom of the stocking— past the candy canes, the small toys, the notes written in careful handwriting— there it is. An orange. Bright. Simple. Almost out of place. For many families, it's a small tradition. A curious one. Why an orange? Why the toe of the stocking? And why has this humble piece of fruit survived centuries of changing Christmas customs? Today, we're telling the story of the orange in the stocking— a tradition that stretches from Saint Nicholas in Europe, through immigrant homes, and into the hard years of the Great Depression, when an orange wasn't ordinary at all. This is a story about generosity, scarcity, and how small things can carry enormous meaning.    

( Audio Clips included) The story of the Orson Welles radio broadcast called 'The War Of The Wprlds' that sent a portion of the NY/NJ area into a panic on Oct. 30, 1938..  Really GOOD radio entertainment! Unplug that TV!  Join us for theater of the mind as we share clips from the show. Catch our new 'Found in the Footnotes' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS-THE CHAOS AND THE CON (6 minutes)  For ADDED insight! Apple listeners listen and subscribe to 1001 Radio days here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-radio-days/id1405045413.  Android: https://player.fm/series/1001-radio-days For my narration of the original HG Wells link here:  https://www.bestof1001stories.com/show/1001-stories-for-the-road/the-war-of-the-worlds-book-1-chaps-1-2-by-hg-wells/ www.patreon.com/1001storiesnetwork  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  Deep dive with original radio broadcast clips follows at 1001 Heroes....  Imagine it's October 30, 1938. You're scanning the radio dial, and you stumble upon a live orchestra. Suddenly, a news bulletin cuts in: "Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulletin." A scientist reports strange explosions on Mars. Within minutes, the music is gone, replaced by "live" reports of a giant metallic tripod incinerating a field in Grover's Mill, New Jersey.   For decades, we've been told that millions of Americans took to the streets in a blind panic, convinced an alien invasion was real. But here is the first thing you probably didn't know: The "mass hysteria" was largely a myth created by newspapers.   Why would newspapers lie? At the time, radio was a brand-new medium that was stealing all the advertising revenue from traditional print. The morning after the broadcast, newspapers saw a golden opportunity to discredit their rival.They ran sensational headlines about "Radio's Death Scare" to prove that radio was "irresponsible" and needed more regulation. In reality, most people were listening to Chase and Sanborn Hour on another station—the most popular show at the time. Ratings data later showed that only about 2% of the radio audience was even tuned into Orson Welles. Most of the country was actually laughing at ventriloquist Edgar Bergen while the Martians were supposedly "landing."  If you weren't there, it's hard to understand why anyone believed it. But Orson Welles was a genius of sound. He didn't just tell a story; he mimicked the exact "dead air" and technical glitches of a real news broadcast. One detail you might not know: Welles and his team, the Mercury Theatre on the Air, almost got bored during rehearsals because the script felt too "silly." To fix it, they decided to stretch the first two-thirds of the show into a series of increasingly frantic news flashes. They even used a real-life catastrophe—the Hindenburg disaster—as a template for the actor's performance. If the reporter sounded terrified, it's because he was acting out the most famous real-life tragedy of that decade.    After the show, Welles was brought before a room of furious reporters. He looked shell-shocked, apologizing profusely and claiming he never intended to cause fear. But here's the twist: People who knew Welles personally said he was secretly thrilled. He knew this "scandal" would make him the most famous man in America. And he was right. The notoriety from that single night is exactly what landed him a "blank check" contract in Hollywood, allowing him to make Citizen Kane just a few years later. The "War of the Worlds" wasn't just a radio play; it was the ultimate audition for his career.   The Lesson of Grover's Mill So, why does the legend of the panic persist? Because we want it to be true. It's a story about the power of media and our own gullibility. Even today, the backstory of the broadcast reminds us that the line between "fake news" and "entertainment" has been blurry from the very beginning. The next time you hear a "breaking news" alert, just remember Orson Welles and the night he convinced a tiny, terrified fraction of the country that New Jersey was under Martian rule.

Check out our new for 2026 FOUND IN THE FOOTNOTES this Wednesday and every Wednesday at 4pm ET!! Amaazing history in 5-10 minute soundbytes..... Today we're taking you on a field trip to the site of America's oldest war memorial. Its called Nine Men's Misery, and iti is a monument which remembers the nine men who were captured by Indian warriors in 1676 in Rhode Island and were tortured, scalped, and mutilated while fighting in what is today called King Philip's War. It was a deadly, brutally fought war, with atrocities committed on both sides- and a war that forever planted the idea of Indians as being "savage" beings in the minds of all who came to the New World to start a new life. Sign up for our newsletter and browse episodes from all 12 1001 podcasts at www.bestof1001stories.com