History consists of heroes and villains (and, I suppose everything in between)... but it's usually the villains who are the most interesting: Their flaws, their quirks, the voids in their hearts that force them to do the unthinkable. These are the characters that fascinate us, that pull us in, that compel us to watch and don’t let us look away. And these are the characters that Scoundrel: History’s Forgotten Villains is all about. Scoundrel, is a new bi-weekly anthology podcast from Kast Media and the award winning creators of Myths & Legends, that tells the stories of the rapscallions thr ..read more

In 1645, the English Civil War caused a great divide in England - on both sides, the destruction, violence and famine were all blamed on malevolent witches, cursing towns and villages all throughout the countryside to fulfill their pacts with the devil. Thankfully, King Charles I endorsed a duo of witch-hunters, led by Matthew Hopkins to identify and condemn as many accused witches as they could lay eyes on, leading to national and international fame and infamy. Over their careers, Hopkins and his partner John Stearne torturously forced confessions and sent more people to the gallows than all ..read more

Born in Dalian province, China, Wang Ti always had her sights on becoming a fixture in the elite circles of Beijing aristocracy. Her place as the wife of a once star player on a former Chinese Super League champion team gave her access to the who’s who, but Wang Ti wanted more than just access, she desired to BE the who’s who, by any means necessary. The 2008 Olympics gave her a golden ticket to the top in the form of Xiao Qin, that year’s gold medalist in the Pommel Horse. Known by many names including “The Prince of the Pommel Horse” and “The Pony God” Xiao Qin’s victory on China’s home stag ..read more

On April 16, 1874, a desperate and frostbitten man wrapped in rags wandered into a basecamp in the frosty Colorado San Juan Mountains. Famished and half-dead, soldiers gathered around to quickly feed the poor guy. As he regained strength, Alferd Packer quickly threaded together a story about how he impossibly survived the winter stranded deep in the unforgiving mountains. His story... would be one giant lie. The truth, as it slowly revealed itself, involved unspeakable acts of violence, murder and perhaps most harrowing, cannibalism. History may have overlooked the disturbing true tales of Alf ..read more

At the turn of the 20th century, Hetty Green was possibly the richest woman in America. She outsmarted the men of Wall Street at their own game, amassing a fortune that, today, would be worth billions. So, with all that money, why did she die in in squalor, wearing threadbare clothes, alienated from everyone she knew both personally and professionally, with the moniker of "The Witch of Wall Street?"Today, we tell the story of Hetty Green, and explore whether she was a monster who pinched pennies to the point that her son lost a leg because she refused to pay for medical care, or a tragic tale ..read more

In January of 1920, as their locomotive headed into Rochester, New York, a group of brakemen happened to spot a corpse lying in a nearby ditch. After a quick police investigation, authorities were able to point their fingers at a rather unusual couple of culprits: A married couple - Pearl and James O'Dell.  Nicknamed "The Honeymoon Murderers," their strange motive, method and mayheim splashes its way all over national papers and popular culture...until time washed their story away.  Join us as we bring them back to life and shed light on their human tragedy.    Special ..read more

He had it all. Good looks, a privileged upbringing, the adoration of women...yet in November 1961, Julian Harvey was responsible for murdering almost an entire family while captaining their vacation vessel off the shore of Florida. What made this villain tick and ultimately do the unthinkable? Take a listen now!   Special Thanks To our Sponsors  Story Worth Go to StoryWorth.com/scoundrel and save $10 on your first purchase! Aura Frames From now through Black Friday & Cyber Monday, listeners can get $20 off Aura’s best-selling frames. Just go to auraframes.com/SCOU ..read more

You may have heard of famous pirates like Black Beard and Calico Jack, but did you know a 19th century former peasant girl assembled a pirate confederation so massive  it made these men's fleets seem like a couple of row boats? Ching Shih was the most successful pirate the world has ever forgotten.... until today.  Special Thanks To Our Sponsors:    The Jordan Harbinger Show Check out jordanharbinger.com/start for some episode recommendations, OR search for The Jordan Harbinger Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.  Field of Greens J ..read more

The Wild West after the Civil War was famous for its unruly hooligans. But buried in the headlines under the rowdy shenanigans of Billy The Kid and Jesse James stood the story of a very different outlaw. One many had described as "Gentlemanly." Sure with each of his highway robberies, he'd hold a shotgun to your face, but he never wanted your personal belongings...only the money of certain banks that have wronged him.  Even more, he'd end each heist with a please, thank you and even a charming poem.  Sure the world may have forgotten about Black Bart aka Charles Boles, but we sure ha ..read more

The year is 1911.  In the idyllic beauty of Olalla Washington, sits a sanitarium - a supposed sanctuary for those suffering from health conditions to come and heal under the guidance of a "brilliant medical mind." Little do locals realize, it's in these walls that an unassuming health practitioner named Dr. Linda Hazzard is performing unspeakable horrors on her patients. Her torture and starvation tactics will ultimately results in the deaths of dozens that we know of...and many more we don't. The history books may have forgotten the horrors of Linda Hazzard...but we sure haven't.  S ..read more