Crimes of the Centuries

<div> <p>In 1991, investigators of a house fire in Corsicana, Texas, concluded the fatal blaze was arson, pointing to burn patterns they said proved someone had deliberately turned the house into a death trap. They zeroed in on Cameron Todd Willingham as the one who ignited the inferno. But in the years that followed, a growing number of fire scientists began questioning whether the evidence used to convict him was ever sound in the first place, raising enduring doubts about one of the most controversial death penalty cases in modern Texas history.</p><p><a href="https://www.centuriespod.com/"><em>Crimes of the Centuries</em></a> is a podcast from <a href="https://www.patreon.com/grabbagcollab">Grab Bag Collab</a> exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes and more over at <a href="http://www.grabbagcollab.com/">www.grabbagcollab.com<br></a><br><strong>Order the </strong><strong><em>Crimes of the Centuries</em></strong><strong> book at your favorite bookstore or </strong><a href="http://todayatwww.centuriespod.com/book"><strong>at </strong></a><a href="http://www.centuriespod.com/book"><strong><a href="http://www.centuriespod.com/book">www.centuriespod.com/book</a></strong></a><a href="http://www.centuriespod.com/book!Follow"><strong>!<br></strong></a><br>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/centuriespod/">Instagram</a> and other social media: @centuriespod</p><p><strong>Episode Sponsors:<br></strong><br><strong>Quince.</strong> Get free shipping and 365-day returns at <a href="http://quince.com/CENTURIES">quince.com/CENTURIES</a>.</p><p><strong>Home Chef.</strong> Get 50% off your first box, free shipping, and free dessert for life at <a href="http://homechef.com/COTC">HomeChef.com/COTC</a>.</p><p><strong>ButcherBox.</strong> Get free sirloin tips, ground beef, or chicken wings for life plus $20 off at <a href="http://butcherbox.com/COTC">ButcherBox.com/COTC</a>.</p><p><strong>Rula.</strong> Connect with in-network therapists for as little as $15 per session at <a href="http://rula.com/cotc">rula.com/cotc</a>.</p></div>

A bonus episode for all listeners.

<div> <p>In 1949, a headless, legless torso surfaced in the Essex marshes, setting off one of Britain’s most sensational postwar murder investigations. The victim was Stanley Setty, a black-market car dealer. The suspect was Donald Hume, a small-time crook, chronic liar and pilot who rented a plane the night Setty disappeared but swore he had nothing to do with the gruesome killing.</p><p><a href="https://www.centuriespod.com/"><em>Crimes of the Centuries</em></a> is a podcast from <a href="https://www.patreon.com/grabbagcollab">Grab Bag Collab</a> exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes and more over at <a href="http://www.grabbagcollab.com/">www.grabbagcollab.com<br></a><br><strong>Order the </strong><strong><em>Crimes of the Centuries</em></strong><strong> book at your favorite bookstore or </strong><a href="http://todayatwww.centuriespod.com/book"><strong>at </strong></a><a href="http://www.centuriespod.com/book"><strong><a href="http://www.centuriespod.com/book">www.centuriespod.com/book</a></strong></a><a href="http://www.centuriespod.com/book!Follow"><strong>!<br></strong></a><br>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/centuriespod/">Instagram</a> and other social media: @centuriespod</p><p><strong>Episode Sponsor:<br><br>Mint Mobile.</strong> Get premium wireless for $15/month at <a href="http://mintmobile.com/COTC">mintmobile.com/COTC</a>.</p></div>

<div> <p>In 1945, a reverend, a realtor, a science teacher, and a white woman in a low-cut dress conspired to help a St. Louis couple buy a house. The couple had steady jobs, a down payment, and six children who needed a safe home. What they didn't have was permission — at least not according to a clause buried in the property's deed. Their attempt to move in triggered outrage from neighbors, a lawsuit, and a legal battle that climbed all the way to the United States Supreme Court, resulting in the landmark 1948 ruling in Shelley v. Kraemer.</p><p><a href="https://www.centuriespod.com/"><em>Crimes of the Centuries</em></a> is a podcast from <a href="https://www.patreon.com/grabbagcollab">Grab Bag Collab</a> exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes and more over at <a href="http://www.grabbagcollab.com/">www.grabbagcollab.com<br></a><br>Order the <em>Crimes of the Centuries</em> book at your favorite bookstore or <a href="http://todayatwww.centuriespod.com/book">at </a><a href="http://www.centuriespod.com/book">www.centuriespod.com/book</a><a href="http://www.centuriespod.com/book!Follow">!<strong><br></strong></a><br>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/centuriespod/">Instagram</a> and other social media: @centuriespod</p></div>

<div>In May 1988, a church bus returning to Kentucky was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver. Within seconds, it became an inferno. As families searched for answers, an unsettling truth emerged: The children had been trapped inside a bus never designed to protect them. The Carrollton bus tragedy is a story about how grief collided with corporate power, government delay tactics and America’s evolving reckoning with drunken driving.</div>