Episode Show Notes

Bass Reeves' adult life started with a crime: he ran away from the white man enslaving him. In his quest for freedom he made his way to the state of Oklahoma, learned several languages, and became the toughest man west of the Mississippi. All traits he would need when he became the first Black US Marshal in the west. A life that began with a crime would be defined by it’s lawfulness. Meet your favorite Lone Ranger, this week on Well, I Laughed! Chapters 00:00:00 Catch-Up 0:34

Women are expected to be quiet and complacent. Where such an expectation would limit most women, a few have managed to use it for the greater good. When the NAZIs occupied the Netherlands during the second World War, resistance took many forms. For these ladies of liberty, it took on a violent and righteous resistance. Hannie Schaft, Freddie and Truus Oversteegen were known to on occasion to use their beauty to lure NAZI soldiers to their deaths, but that hardly scratches the

On the night of April 15th, 1912 a ship sank in the waters of the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage. Titanic's tragedy made her infamous. But a second ship was involved that fateful evening, lurking in the dark. The efforts of her crew, her passengers, and one intrepid young wireless operator would ensure that this deeply unremarkable ship would also sail into the history books that night. As the Carpethia steamed towards Titanic in the hopes of a grand rescue all souls on

When is political violence justified? Is it ever? In a period of rapid industrialization, social strife, and weak democratic institutions one man will choose to take political change into his own hand and in the course of one afternoon change the course of history forever. Gavrilo Princip’s decision to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdiand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire turned the world upside down. A world that was intentionally undemocratic and maintained it’s power through v

What are the forces that make us who we are? Many people with hard childhoods grow up into adults with fulfilling lives and careers. Others... get kicked out of a sex cult. Charles Guiteau is the latter. A man destined for greatness if he was not so consistently bad at everything. And a liar. And crazed. But in America, even a loser can hit it big. This week on Well, I Laughed the incredible forgettable life of a man who changed the course of American history. A Life Long Los

How responsible are we for the consequences of our actions? This week, Grant and Maia dive into the story of a woman who has come to be known as a reckless, disease spreading cook. Mary Mallon, also known as “Typhoid Mary.” Mary spread typhoid to dozens, maybe even hundreds of people. Several of whom would die from the disease before she was finally caught and quarantined. But behind the sensational story and the oddities of her case lie complicated questions about what we ow

An episode that will leave you hungry for more! America's best food always comes from somewhere else, from people we actively...

The Greek Gods were deadly serious and wildly ridiculous. In this week's episode, Maia attempts to straighten out the wonky family tree...

Has American politics always been so divided? Our current political system seems broken beyond repair, but where did it all start? This...

Well behaved women rarely make history. In the case of Alice Roosevelt, they do make scandalous headlines. Alice’s life was marked early...