Imagine this: invisible robbers break into a bank and steal massive sacks of cash, but instead of running away with it they set their haul on the front stoop of the bank in a glass case. Everyone can see the money, but only the robbers can get to it. That’s how IRS Special Agent Chris Janczewski describes the 2016 Bitfinex heist – when mystery hackers made out with over $70 million in Bitcoin. By 2020, their loot had ballooned to over $4 billion. With only digital footprints to follow, federal agents tracked the criminals through the blockchain, across the dark web, and up the service elevator of a posh Manhattan apartment building in a sleuthing story that ends at the Smithsonian. The renovated The Value of Money exhibition will be opening at the National Museum of American History in November 2024. Check it out in person or online!Guests:Ellen Feingold, curator of the <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/about/departments/work-and-industry/national-numismatic-collection">National Numismatic Collection </a>at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American HistoryZia Faruqui, United States Magistrate Judge at the District Court for the District of Columbia Ari Redbord, Ari Redbord is the Global Head of Policy at TRM LabsChris Janczewski, Head of Global Investigations at TRM Labs, previously a special agent with IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;Imagine this: invisible robbers break into a bank and steal massive sacks of cash, but instead of running away with it they set their haul on the front stoop of the bank in a glass case. Everyone can see the money, but only the robbers can get to it. That’s how IRS Special Agent Chris Janczewski describes the 2016 Bitfinex heist – when mystery hackers made out with over $70 million in Bitcoin. By 2020, their loot had ballooned to over $4 billion. With only digital footprints to follow, federal agents tracked the criminals through the blockchain, across the dark web, and up the service elevator of a posh Manhattan apartment building in a sleuthing story that ends at the Smithsonian. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The renovated The Value of Money exhibition will be opening at the National Museum of American History in November 2024. Check it out in person or online!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guests:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ellen Feingold&lt;/strong&gt;, curator of the &lt;a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/about/departments/work-and-industry/national-numismatic-collection"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;National Numismatic Collection &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zia Faruqui&lt;/strong&gt;, United States Magistrate Judge at the District Court for the District of Columbia &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ari Redbord&lt;/strong&gt;, Ari Redbord is the Global Head of Policy at TRM Labs&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chris Janczewski&lt;/strong&gt;, Head of Global Investigations at TRM Labs, previously a special agent with IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

Imagine this: invisible robbers break into a bank and steal massive sacks of cash, but instead of running away with it they set their haul on the front stoop of the bank in a glass case. Everyone can see the money, but only the robbers can get to it. That’s how IRS Special Agent Chris Janczewski describes the 2016 Bitfinex heist – when mystery hackers made out with over $70 million in Bitcoin. By 2020, their loot had ballooned to over $4 billion. With only digital footprints to follow, federal agents tracked the criminals through the blockchain, across the dark web, and up the service elevator of a posh Manhattan apartment building in a sleuthing story that ends at the Smithsonian. 

The renovated The Value of Money exhibition will be opening at the National Museum of American History in November 2024. Check it out in person or online!

Guests:

Ellen Feingold, curator of the <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/about/departments/work-and-industry/national-numismatic-collection">National Numismatic Collection </a>at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Zia Faruqui, United States Magistrate Judge at the District Court for the District of Columbia 

Ari Redbord, Ari Redbord is the Global Head of Policy at TRM Labs

Chris Janczewski, Head of Global Investigations at TRM Labs, previously a special agent with IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit

Bitcoin Bank Heist

They carried torches and marched at night. Their goal: defend free speech in America. What started as a small group of young men demonstrating during the 1860 election, snowballed into a mass movement of working-class Americans marching to end slavery. They called themselves the Wide Awakes. And they’re widely seen as the political force that helped elect Abraham Lincoln and spur the Civil War. So why has their story gone untold? And why is now the time to tell it?  Guests: Jon Grinspan, Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Author of Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil WarKevin Waite, Associate Professor of History at Durham University. Author of West of Slavery: The Southern Dream of a Transcontinental Empire

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;They carried torches and marched at night. Their goal: defend free speech in America. What started as a small group of young men demonstrating during the 1860 election, snowballed into a mass movement of working-class Americans marching to end slavery. They called themselves the Wide Awakes. And they’re widely seen as the political force that helped elect Abraham Lincoln and spur the Civil War. So why has their story gone untold? And why is now the time to tell it?  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guests: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jon Grinspan, &lt;/strong&gt;Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Author of &lt;em&gt;Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kevin Waite,&lt;/strong&gt; Associate Professor of History at Durham University. Author of &lt;em&gt;West of Slavery: The Southern Dream of a Transcontinental Empire&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>


        They carried torches and marched at night. Their goal: defend free speech in America. What started as a small group of young men demonstrating during the 1860 election, snowballed into a mass movement of working-class Americans marching to end slavery. They called themselves the Wide Awakes. And they’re widely seen as the political force that helped elect Abraham Lincoln and spur the Civil War. So why has their story gone untold? And why is now the time to tell it?  

Guests: 

Jon Grinspan, Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Author of Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War

Kevin Waite, Associate Professor of History at Durham University. Author of West of Slavery: The Southern Dream of a Transcontinental Empire
      

The Wide Awakes

Imagine Jaws without the sneaking tuba. Or Psycho without the shrieking violins. Music can help a horror film strike fear in the heart of theatergoers. And you can trace some of these musical scare tactics back to the era of SILENT films — when organists made up film scores on-the-spot. To celebrate the spooky season this year, we're slashing apart a 1917 silent horror film with composer Andrew Earle Simpson to find out how music can be the beating heart of suspense. Grab your popcorn and get snuggly under the blanket. But be sure to check the closet for a pianist before turning out the lights. Want to see this movie for yourself? Don’t miss our live screening of The Devil’s Assistant at the National Museum of American History! Join Lizzie, Andrew, and Ryan on Wednesday, October 30th at 7:30pm to see this movie the way it was made to be watched – with live musical accompaniment. We’ll have objects from the Smithsonian collections and audience Q&amp;A.  <a href="http://s.si.edu/spookyfilms">Reserve your FREE tickets here</a>.Guests: <a href="https://andrewesimpson.com/">Andrew Earle Simpson</a>, composer and professor of music at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/profile/1176">Ryan Lintelman</a>, curator of entertainment at the Smithsonian's <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/">National Museum of American History</a>

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;Imagine Jaws without the sneaking tuba. Or Psycho without the shrieking violins. Music can help a horror film strike fear in the heart of theatergoers. And you can trace some of these musical scare tactics back to the era of SILENT films — when organists made up film scores on-the-spot. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To celebrate the spooky season this year, we're slashing apart a 1917 silent horror film with composer Andrew Earle Simpson to find out how music can be the beating heart of suspense. Grab your popcorn and get snuggly under the blanket. But be sure to check the closet for a pianist before turning out the lights. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Want to see this movie for yourself? Don’t miss our live screening of The Devil’s Assistant at the National Museum of American History! Join Lizzie, Andrew, and Ryan on Wednesday, October 30th at 7:30pm to see this movie the way it was made to be watched – with live musical accompaniment. We’ll have objects from the Smithsonian collections and audience Q&amp;amp;A.  &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://s.si.edu/spookyfilms"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Reserve your FREE tickets here&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guests:&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://andrewesimpson.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Andrew Earle Simpson&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;composer and professor of music at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/profile/1176"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ryan Lintelman&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;curator of entertainment at the Smithsonian's &lt;a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;National Museum of American History&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

To celebrate the spooky season this year, we're slashing apart a 1917 silent horror film with composer Andrew Earle Simpson to find out how music can be the beating heart of suspense.

Imagine Jaws without the sneaking tuba. Or Psycho without the shrieking violins. Music can help a horror film strike fear in the heart of theatergoers. And you can trace some of these musical scare tactics back to the era of SILENT films — when organists made up film scores on-the-spot. 

To celebrate the spooky season this year, we're slashing apart a 1917 silent horror film with composer Andrew Earle Simpson to find out how music can be the beating heart of suspense. Grab your popcorn and get snuggly under the blanket. But be sure to check the closet for a pianist before turning out the lights. 

Want to see this movie for yourself? Don’t miss our live screening of The Devil’s Assistant at the National Museum of American History! Join Lizzie, Andrew, and Ryan on Wednesday, October 30th at 7:30pm to see this movie the way it was made to be watched – with live musical accompaniment. We’ll have objects from the Smithsonian collections and audience Q&amp;A.  <a href="http://s.si.edu/spookyfilms">Reserve your FREE tickets here</a>.

Guests:
<a href="https://andrewesimpson.com/">Andrew Earle Simpson</a>, composer and professor of music at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. 

<a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/profile/1176">Ryan Lintelman</a>, curator of entertainment at the Smithsonian's <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/">National Museum of American History</a>

The Devil’s Composer

In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo becomes invisible when he puts the Ring on his finger. Well, at banks in the 1970s, this is basically what happened when a woman put a wedding ring on her finger. Her credit cards would no longer work, and the banks wouldn't count her income as part of the household income. This led to a fight for women's financial independence that gave rise to the landmark Equal Credit Opportunity Act (or ECOA) and the creation of the first women's banks. In honor of the 50th anniversary of ECOA becoming law, we’re looking back at a time when women had to have their husband or father cosign on a credit application. What did it take to pass this landmark legislation? And how did it improve women's lives in America?  Guests: Rachel Seidman, curator at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum; curatorial consultant to the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Emily Card, PhD, author of Staying Solvent: A Comprehensive Guide to Equal Credit for WomenElizabeth Babcock, director of the Smithsonian American Women's History MuseumJeanne Hubbard, former CEO of The Adams National Bank

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo becomes invisible when he puts the Ring on his finger. Well, at banks in the 1970s, this is basically what happened when a woman put a wedding ring on her finger. Her credit cards would no longer work, and the banks wouldn't count her income as part of the household income. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This led to a fight for women's financial independence that gave rise to the landmark Equal Credit Opportunity Act (or ECOA) and the creation of the first women's banks. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In honor of the 50th anniversary of ECOA becoming law, we’re looking back at a time when women had to have their husband or father cosign on a credit application. What did it take to pass this landmark legislation? And how did it improve women's lives in America? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guests: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rachel Seidman, &lt;/strong&gt;curator at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum; curatorial consultant to the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Emily Card, PhD, &lt;/strong&gt;author of Staying Solvent: A Comprehensive Guide to Equal Credit for Women&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elizabeth Babcock,&lt;/strong&gt; director of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeanne Hubbard,&lt;/strong&gt; former CEO of The Adams National Bank&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

In honor of the 50th anniversary of ECOA becoming law, we’re looking back at a time when women had to have their husband or father cosign on a credit application.


        In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo becomes invisible when he puts the Ring on his finger. Well, at banks in the 1970s, this is basically what happened when a woman put a wedding ring on her finger. Her credit cards would no longer work, and the banks wouldn't count her income as part of the household income. 

This led to a fight for women's financial independence that gave rise to the landmark Equal Credit Opportunity Act (or ECOA) and the creation of the first women's banks. 

In honor of the 50th anniversary of ECOA becoming law, we’re looking back at a time when women had to have their husband or father cosign on a credit application. What did it take to pass this landmark legislation? And how did it improve women's lives in America? 

 

Guests: 

Rachel Seidman, curator at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum; curatorial consultant to the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum 

Emily Card, PhD, author of Staying Solvent: A Comprehensive Guide to Equal Credit for Women

Elizabeth Babcock, director of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Jeanne Hubbard, former CEO of The Adams National Bank
      

Bankers in the Boudoir 

During the mid-1800s, one third of all paper money in America was thought to be fake. It was the golden age of counterfeiting, and one exceptionally talented con artist stood out from all the rest. His fakes were nearly perfect…but for a trademark tell. Known to law enforcement only as “Jim the Penman,” this celebrity criminal led many Americans to wonder: can great art truly be criminal? Guests Ellen Feingold, curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;During the mid-1800s, &lt;em&gt;one third&lt;/em&gt; of all paper money in America was thought to be fake. It was the golden age of counterfeiting, and one exceptionally talented con artist stood out from all the rest. His fakes were nearly perfect…but for a trademark tell. Known to law enforcement only as “Jim the Penman,” this celebrity criminal led many Americans to wonder: can great art truly be criminal? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guests&lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ellen Feingold&lt;/strong&gt;, curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

During the mid-1800s, the golden age of counterfeiting, one exceptionally talented con artist stood out from all the rest. 


        During the mid-1800s, one third of all paper money in America was thought to be fake. It was the golden age of counterfeiting, and one exceptionally talented con artist stood out from all the rest. His fakes were nearly perfect…but for a trademark tell. Known to law enforcement only as “Jim the Penman,” this celebrity criminal led many Americans to wonder: can great art truly be criminal? 

Guests
Ellen Feingold, curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
      

Jim the Penman 

More than 154 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults. But where the public’s view ends, Sidedoor begins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers and astrophysicists, host Lizzie Peabody sneaks listeners through the Smithsonian’s side door, telling stories that can’t be heard anywhere else. Check out <a href="https://www.si.edu/sidedoor">si.edu/sidedoor </a>and follow @SidedoorPod for more info.

Sidedoor

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