Parcast Presents: Summer of '69

The world looked on in shock when an assassin shot Pope John Paul II in May 1981. The official story was that a crazed lone gunman was to blame, but some theories suggest the attack may have been part of one of the biggest international coverups of all time…  For more episodes like this one, follow Conspiracy Theories free on Spotify! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1917, three children in Fatima, Portugal received a series of prophetic messages that were kept secret for decades — first at the behest of the heavenly message-giver, and then by the Vatican itself. When all three secrets were finally revealed, they made for an apocalyptic story of war, destruction… and redemption.  For more episodes like this one, follow Conspiracy Theories free on Spotify!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the centuries, the Vatican Secret Archive has ballooned to millions of documents contained in over 50 miles of shelves. It’s rumored to contain the world's largest collection of pornography, proof of Jesus Christ... even predictions of the end of the world. For more episodes like this one, follow Conspiracy Theories free on Spotify! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, Vatican City is known as an elegant seat of divine power and prestige. But the centuries-long history of the Vatican is marked by bloodshed, corruption — and more secrets than the Church would like to admit.  For more episodes like this one, follow Conspiracy Theories free on Spotify! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between the relentless accusations and physical assaults, the early 2000s were a dangerous time to be living in the Polk household. No one knew that more than their three kids, all caught in the middle of their parents’ tempest. On October 13th 2002, it all came to a head. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Espionage, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Espionage on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. After moving to Florida in the 1990s, George Trofimoff thought he had left all traces of his espionage back in Europe. However, as the FBI got wind of what he had done, a team of determined agents were committed to make him pay for his treason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Espionage, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Espionage on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In 1969, American intelligence officer George Trofimoff agreed to provide copies of highly classified documents to the Soviet Union. Driven by a lust for wealth, he was willing to give up his adopted country's biggest secrets for the chance to live a life of luxury. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Not Guilty, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Not Guilty on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. After the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention devolved into riots, the country demanded answers. Who was responsible for the rampant violence in the streets? In the end, eight of the protest organizers stood trial, referred to as "The Chicago 8."  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Not Guilty, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Not Guilty on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. The Democratic National Convention was hotly contested in 1968 - the future of the Vietnam War and the fates hundreds of thousands of soldiers stationed overseas were tied to the presidential nominee selection. On the streets of Chicago, liberal protesters turned out in droves. Much to the dismay of Mayor Richard Daley, who enforced a hard line of law and order. When the two sides clashed, the whole world was watching.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Extraterrestrial, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Extraterrestrial on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. With the assassination of John F. Kennedy, a plan for a joint mission to the moon between the United States and Russia was cancelled before it begun. Decades later, as NASA's documents on the moon landing became declassified, some came to suspect that Kennedy's assassination occurred because he was preparing to reveal to the world the truth about UFOs.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Extraterrestrial, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Extraterrestrial on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. During the summer of 1969, the Apollo 10 lunar mission orbited the far side of the moon encountered unfamiliar signals coming from the moon's surface. After the famed Apollo 11 moon landing later that summer, word began to spread that the astronauts had encountered something alien. And thus, a decades-long conspiracy was born.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Survival, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Survival on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. The terrible storm of August 18th, 1969 utterly devastated the Gulf Coast. However, a coordinated effort from the National Guard, the Seabees, truckers and the federal government returned the area to its former glory. But was the aid distributed fairly, or were marginalized groups ignored?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Survival, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Survival on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Riding a summer high, the citizens of the Mississippi Coast, also known as the “Riviera of the South,” never expected that on August 18th, 1969, their community would be destroyed by the most powerful storm ever to hit the United States up to that point.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Haunted Places, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Haunted Places on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Built in 1884, the Chelsea Hotel has been a beacon of New York City counterculture for over a century. Its bohemian community has included Andy Warhol, Sid Vicious, and Stanley Kubrick. But where there is great creativity, there is often great tragedy. And some residents of this hotel simply refuse to leave. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Crimes of Passion, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Crimes of Passion on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the early morning of August 9, 1969, Charles Manson’s followers stewed in the aftermath of their murderous actions. They had never done anything like that before, but their passion for Charlie made it feel right. Their gruesome crimes would shock the world and impact the psyche of America for decades to follow.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Crimes of Passion, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Crimes of Passion on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. When 32-year-old Charles Manson was released from prison in 1967, he made his way to the free-thinking streets of Haight-Ashbury. There, gurus, shamans, and yogis taught the young people who flocked to the city how to think in new ways and reshape their consciousness. Charles became another one of these teachers, mastering the arts of infatuation and manipulation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Conspiracy Theories, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Conspiracy Theories on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the summer of 1969, Senator and presidential hopeful Ted Kennedy became embroiled in a scandal surrounding the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. The fallout of the incident and Kennedy's suspicious actions would haunt his political ambitions for the rest of his career.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Conspiracy Theories, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Conspiracy Theories on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. On July 18th, 1969, Ted Kennedy, the youngest son of Joseph Kennedy Sr., drove his car off of a single lane bridge into a pond, resulting in the death of his female passenger. He wouldn't report the accident for ten hours, and in doing so set the scene for an investigation that would lead to more questions than answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Historical Figures, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Historical Figures on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Today, Muhammad Ali is one of the most celebrated athletes and activists in history, but he was not always so appreciated. In 1969, Ali was stripped of his fighting license and his title after being convicted of draft evasion. In 1970, he would return to the ring, and continue to speak truth to power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Female Criminals, a Parcast Original. For more episodes like this one, subscribe to Female Criminals on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. As the Manson Family turned onto Cielo Drive, time slowed to a crawl. On August 8, 1969, the most infamous cult slayings in American history would take place. The “Manson Girls” intended to start a riot that would burn Los Angeles to the ground. Instead, they destroyed the counterculture movement their generation had built. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices