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Citation Needed

Unusual Deaths 4

·34 min·3 clips
A foul ball strikes Stanton Walker, driving a borrowed knife into his chest during a baseball game.
The episode begins with host Noah introducing the show's format of reading a Wikipedia article and pretending to be experts, joined by regulars Cecil, Tom, Eli, and Heath. They launch into discussing unusual deaths, starting with the 1900 Thanksgiving Day Disaster in San Francisco, where a roof collapse at a glass-blowing factory during a football game killed 23 people. The hosts react with humor to the details, such as victims falling onto a 500-degree furnace. Next, they cover Stanton Walker's death in 1882, where a foul ball drove a knife into his chest during a baseball game, prompting skepticism and personal anecdotes from the hosts. The story of an unidentified person beaten to death with a Bible in a 1903 healing ceremony in Honolulu follows, with lighthearted jokes about religious fervor. Melissa M. Tiemann's 1905 death from falling off a streetcar and driving a comb into her skull is mentioned briefly. A highlight is the 1908 death of a German military chief who collapsed after a ballet performance, with the hosts imagining a cover-up due to homosexual scandals at court. George Spencer Millett's 1909 death from an ink eraser puncture while fleeing birthday kisses is discussed with absurdity. King Alexander of Greece's 1920 death from monkey bites leads to banter about royal monkey handlers. Thomas Lin Branford's 1921 suicide attempt to communicate with the afterlife via carbon monoxide poisoning is noted. The mummy's curse is linked to George Herbert's 1923 death from an infected mosquito bite. Frank Hayes' 1923 death as a jockey who won a race while dead on his horse is mentioned. Thornton Jones' 1925 suicide by throat-slitting while asleep is covered. Arnold Bennett's 1931 death from typhoid after drinking Paris tap water is discussed, with jokes about Virginia Woolf. Eben Byers' 1932 death from radium poisoning is detailed, including his jaw removal. After a comedic skit, they resume with Nicholas Comper's 1939 death from a punch after a joke about the IRA. Thomas Mantell's 1948 death chasing a UFO is mentioned. Mary Reser's 1951 death from smoking, misreported as spontaneous combustion, is covered. Margaret Weiss Brown's 1952 death from a blood clot after kicking her leg is described. Clarence Hudson's 1953 homemade electric chair suicide is detailed, with ties to Alex Jones conspiracy theories. A 1961 nuclear reactor accident in Idaho that killed three men is explained. Echo Coley and Robert Walker's 1968 deaths as garbage men led to a strike visited by Martin Luther King Jr. Basil Brown's 1974 death from vitamin A overdose turns his skin yellow. The episode ends with a quiz segment where Eli wins, and Noah announces Tom will lead next week's essay.

As heard by us

A grim run of unusual deaths becomes a brisk comic argument about what counts as dying strangely.

Citation Needed treats unusual deaths as a grim comedy workshop, with Noah steering the autopsy while Cecil and Tom lean into the grosser edges.

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Why you'd press play

You want a dead jockey, a mummy's-curse detour, and a self-inflicted throat-slitting mystery with jokes attached.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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