Advertise on podcast: The Backstory with Patty Steele

As we get ready to party with the Super Bowl, we take a look at the wild rise of the sport of football. We’ll explore it’s gruesome beginnings and it’s glorious evolution into America’s most watched sporting event. Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does a commercial jet carrying 239 people simply disappear . . forever. This is the story of Malaysia Flight 370, which vanished into thin air almost 12 years ago. It is still the greatest mystery in aviation history, but what really happened has become a whole lot clearer. DM me if you have a story you would like me to cover . . on Facebook it is Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Super Bowl is days away, and while you’re sipping or guzzling your favorite beer, think about where it originated and how it actually came to be. We’re starting the story with a mistake that happened 13,000 years ago. DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover. On Facebook, it’s Patty Steele, and on Instagram, Real Patty Steele. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A month ago we talked about the Olympic snowboarder turned international drug lord, Ryan Wedding. After a decade in hiding he turned himself in last Friday. But why? More on his life running a Mexican cartel, as well as what motivated his surrender. Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . On Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the Great Fire of 1889 burned all of Seattle to the ground, one woman stepped in to help rebuild it bigger and better. She was one of the wealthiest people in the Northwest, but she also ran the ritziest bordello in the city. Here’s the thing: when the chips are down, even stuffy Victorians would take help where they could get it. So how did she make and spend all her money? Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a new year and we're all looking to step up our game. So let's revisit a look at beauty in the past. We’ll do anything to look fabulous these days . . but we have nothing on our ancestors. They used face creams made from animal and human pee. They glued animal pelts on unusual body parts. And they literally poisoned themselves in their quest for perfect skin and hair. Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Competition can make you or break you… and it’s not always your call. We watch the skaters at the Winter Olympics and marvel at the pristine beauty and flawless execution. But what goes on behind the scenes and in the aftermath… can be a way more compelling story. Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover. On Facebook it’s Patty Steele, and on Instagram, Real Patty Steele. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you do any writing for school, work, creativity, or pleasure . . you’ve probably relied a little bit on Wikipedia as a stunt brain of sorts. Now imagine that it almost went the way of Friendster or Napster. There’s nothing else like it . . but in 2007, it almost disappeared. DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Winter Olympics are just weeks away. The athletes are celebrities! Now, imagine living 2 or 3,000 years ago and being an ancient Olympian. How did these guys compete, why did they compete, and how did they monetize their skill set? It was equal parts religion, eroticism, and highly valued body secretions. Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover. On Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forget Dry January. Can you imagine being dry for 13 years? That was Prohibition from 1920 to 1933. But some folks, including one wildly famous international visitor, found some sneaky ways around the ban, claiming doctor’s orders. And most others drank really sketchy liquor. Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Did Steven Spielberg Get Right and What Did He Get Wrong About Real Life Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park? An Eminent Paleontologist Breaks It Down. We Also See How and Why the Movie Was Made the Way It Was. Also, Feel Free to DM Me If You Have a Story You’d Like Me to Cover . . On Facebook It’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Home Alone, on a budget of just $18 million dollars, was the highest grossing film of 1990 in the U.S. It has become a holiday classic. But it almost didn’t get made. This is all about the skill and luck of bringing Home Alone to life and the amazing contributions of its 10 year old star. Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol . . inspired by political outrage? That’s the story and it makes sense when you hear what he went through and what he was seeing in London back in 1843. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We know all about the Christmas traditions we’ve grown up with, but where did they originate? We celebrate with Christmas trees, cards, lights, visits from Santa Claus, and lots of great food. But our ancestors were more likely to celebrate with drunken dancing, weird games, and street fights. How did Santa Claus, Christmas carols, and eggnog become a thing? And a reminder… feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover. On Facebook it’s Patty Steele, and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the winter solstice this weekend. We have a few months of frosty weather to deal with. But it’s amazing to consider how folks dealt with mountains of snow when there were no plows, nobody whose job it was to clear the streets and sidewalks . . and no central heat. Imagine giant cylinders being pulled through the streets to compact the snow! Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.