Parcast Presents: Summer of '69

When Bonnie Lu Nettles and Marshall Applewhite meet in Houston in 1972, it’s not for the first time — at least, not according to their birth charts. They’ve known each other in a past life. And in this lifetime, they have a joint mission. They set out, amid a wave of social and political upheaval, to find it. From Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In November 2018, equipment from the largest utility company in America sparked a fire that killed 86 people and destroyed thousands of homes. The devastation was unprecedented, but the Camp Fire is far from the only disaster caused by Pacific Gas & Electric — and yet they remain California’s largest energy provider. From Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In March 2011, the worst nuclear meltdown since Chernobyl took place in northern Japan. The incident was triggered by a natural disaster, but it was decisions made by the facility’s operators that led to such catastrophic damage. From Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An emergency plan to cut costs in Flint, Michigan, resulted in a contaminated water supply for the city’s residents. The water looked, tasted, and smelled foul – because it was tainted with toxic chemicals, harmful bacteria, and lead from old pipes. But government officials repeatedly dismissed the community’s concerns. So today, we’re tracing what officials knew about the burgeoning crisis, and when — and how they’re paying for their negligence now. From Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify Original from Parcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Love Canal was supposed to be a suburban idyll. Instead, it became a dumping ground for chemical waste. After the land changed hands in the 1950s, a school and 900 homes were built atop the toxic landfill. Decades later, residents are still battling adverse health outcomes and government negligence. From Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28-year-old Hans Peterson spent four years nursing his rage against a dermatologist who prescribed a drug that turned his life upside down. In October 2006, Peterson rented a car and drove it to Chicago for a final confrontation. From Medical Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A hospital murder unfolded at the intersection of grief and illness in January 2015. From Medical Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June 1992, Dr. John Kemink was fatally shot by a former patient, retired car salesman Chester Leo Posby. Posby blamed the doctor for an injury that had upended his entire life. But he also believed that Dr. Kemink was conspiring to kill him. From Medical Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In January of 2013, Dr. Ron Gilbert was shot and killed in his office by a new patient who said his name was Allen Gold. Only he wasn't a new patient and his name was actually Stanwood Elkus. It had been 20 years since Dr. Gilbert originally diagnosed him, and Elkus was back for revenge. From Medical Murders, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the fall of 2011, a 17-year-old model struck up an online relationship with NBA player Chris “Birdman” Andersen. But someone else was pulling the strings of their ill-fated romance. From Crimes of Passion, a Spotify Original from Parcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Jenelle Potter's crush, Billy Payne, started dating another woman, she used Facebook to spread rumors about the couple. But when a CIA agent contacted her parents, informing them that Payne was a threat to Jenelle's life, they took matters into their own hands. From Crimes of Passion, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An online love triangle between 18-year-old Tommy, 17-year-old Jessi, and 22-year-old Brian turned tragic when their romantic fantasy world collided with their harsh realities. From Crimes of Passion, a Spotify Original from Parcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After an ascendant rise to the papacy, Pope Leo X began draining the massive treasury left by his predecessor. The nonstop feasting and over-the-top festivities were partly strategic, mostly indulgent, and at the root of a controversy that would produce the sale of indulgences, Luther’s 95 Theses… and Leo’s suspicious death. This episode first aired on Dictators. New episodes every Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Giovanni de' Medici was a shrewd strategist who became pope before the age of 40. As a cardinal, he ended the Medicis’ exile in Florence, returning the dynasty to their seat of power. As pope, he would nearly bankrupt the Vatican — and upend the Christian world. This episode first aired on Dictators. New episodes every Tuesday.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Seated atop the papal throne, Pope Julius II was determined to bring order along the Italian Peninsula — by any means necessary. This episode first aired on Dictators. New episodes every Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Later nicknamed ‘The Warrior Pope,’ Giuliano della Rovere always nurtured visions of personal glory. As a cardinal, he thought he could obtain glory on the battlefield. But he was constantly embroiled in feuds with family and rivalries with former allies. This episode first aired on Dictators. New episodes every Tuesday.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now wearing the papal tiara, Pope Alexander VI was determined to root out the corruption that plagued Rome and the Vatican. But rumors spread that the Spanish pope was guilty of his own corruption, murder, and incest. This episode first aired on Dictators. New episodes every Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elevated into power by his uncle, Pope Calixtus III, Rodrigo Borgia became instrumental in settling affairs throughout the Papal States. As a cardinal, he orchestrated the election of popes for decades — biding his time before making moves to become a pope himself. This episode first aired on Dictators. New episodes every Tuesday.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2020, the founder of the World Economic Forum proposed a new set of policies called The Great Reset. The initiative was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but conspiracy theorists smelled a power play. It begged the question: How might a New World Order promise utopia, while enacting an agenda far more sinister? This is the final part of an Unexplained Mysteries series. Follow Unexplained Mysteries for new episodes twice a week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if our leaders weren’t elected, but installed? Today we’re investigating relationships that positioned people for power and re-shaped our world. From the Bilderberg Group ushering politicians into the White House, to Citizens United and the insidiousness of super PACs. This episode originally aired on Unexplained Mysteries.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices