Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: History Unhinged

Claudette Colvin: The Teenager Who Refused to Move
Before Rosa Parks became a household name, a 15‑year‑old girl in Montgomery, Alabama, made a decision that helped crack the foundation of Jim Crow segregation.
In this episode, Jody dives into the story of Claudette Colvin, a courageous teenager who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in March of 1955—nine months before Rosa Parks’ more widely recognized protest. Colvin’s arrest, trial, and testimony became a crucial part of the legal battle that ultimately ended bus segregation in the United States.
We explore why Colvin’s story was sidelined for decades, how age, respectability politics, and racism shaped whose stories were told, and why her role in Browder v. Gayle was so vital to the Civil Rights Movement. This episode is about bravery, memory, and the uncomfortable truth that history doesn’t always spotlight the people who deserve it most.
In This Episode:
Who Claudette Colvin was and why her protest mattered
What happened on that Montgomery bus in 1955
Why civil rights leaders chose not to center her story at the time
How her testimony helped bring down segregation laws
The long road to recognition—and justice—for Claudette Colvin
Support the Show
If you enjoy going down historical rabbit holes with us, consider supporting Rainy Day Rabbit Holes on Patreon. You’ll find bonus content, behind‑the‑scenes extras, and more ways to keep the show going.
👉 Visit www.rainydayrabbitholes.com to find our Patreon and explore the show.
A Special Thanks
Huge thanks to Letha Davis, who designed our website and helped bring Rainy Day Rabbit Holes to life online.
Check out her work at www.easybrzy.com.
As always, thank you for listening—and for remembering the stories history almost forgot.

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⚠️ Not Safe for Work / Adult Content Warning ⚠️
Sometimes history refuses to stay in the past. And sometimes… it shows up in an emergency room.
This Five Minute Friday dives into a truly unbelievable modern news story involving a World War I artillery shell, one very bad decision, and a French hospital that suddenly had to take explosive history very seriously. It’s a reminder that just because something is old doesn’t mean it’s safe—and that curiosity without common sense is how you end up evacuating a building.
We ask the important questions:
How does something like this even happen?
Why are WWI explosives still turning up?
And what life choices lead to this particular outcome?
Spoiler: History is wild, humans are weirder, and museums exist for a reason.
What We Talk About
A real Vice news story involving a live WWI artillery shell and a hospital evacuation
Why unexploded ordnance from World War I is still being discovered today
The difference between “historical artifact” and “active explosive”
How history occasionally re-enters the present in the most unhinged way possible
Read the Article
Vice: A Man Turned Up at Hospital With a Live WWI Artillery Shell in His Butt
https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-man-turned-up-at-hospital-with-a-live-wwi-artillery-shell-in-his-butt/ [vice.com]
About the Show
Rainy Day Rabbit Holes explores strange history, baffling decisions, forgotten stories, and the moments when the past collides violently—or hilariously—with the present.
New episodes and show info at:
👉www.rainydayrabbitholes.com

⚠️ Not Safe for Work / Adult Content Warning ⚠️
This episode discusses an explicit real‑world news story involving adult bodily injury, medical emergency, and crude subject matter. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Do not listen at work, around children, or polite society.

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In the chaos of World War I, one unlikely soldier refused to stay behind. He didn’t carry a rifle, didn’t understand borders or politics, and technically wasn’t allowed to enlist—but he charged into danger anyway.
In this episode, we tell the true story of Sergeant Stubby, a Boston Terrier mix who became one of the most decorated heroes of World War I. From smuggling himself onto a troop ship, to warning soldiers of mustard gas attacks, locating wounded men in no man’s land, and even capturing an enemy spy, Stubby proved that bravery doesn’t require rank—or even thumbs.
Joining us for this emotional (and occasionally unhinged) journey is special guest Erin, Shea’s longtime friend and fellow history nerd, who helps us explore why Stubby’s story still resonates more than a century later.
Fair warning: this is a dog story, which means Shea cries. More than once. We apologize in advance—and also refuse to apologize at all.
🐾 In This Episode:
How a stray dog became the unofficial mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment
Sergeant Stubby’s role in 17 battles on the Western Front
Mustard gas detection, artillery warnings, and battlefield rescues
The night Stubby captured a German spy—and earned a promotion
Stubby’s postwar celebrity life, medals, and legacy
Why this small dog’s story still hits so hard today
🎖 Notable Figures:
Sergeant Stubby – World War I war dog and certified good boy
Corporal James Robert Conroy – Stubby’s human best friend and handler
Erin – Special guest, history nerd, and longtime friend of Shea
You can find photos, sources, and more stories like this at
👉 https://rainydayrabbitholes.com

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Before we get into today’s rabbit hole, we wanted to share an exciting update — and a little behind‑the‑scenes honesty.
🛸 Join Us Live: Before Roswell – Tacoma’s Maury Island Incident
On June 3rd, 2026, Jody and Shea will be part of a McMenamins History Pub event in Tacoma, Washington, held at McMenamins Elks Temple in the historic Spanish Ballroom.
The program, Before Roswell: Tacoma’s Maury Island Incident, explores the strange, complicated, and often‑overlooked UFO case that put Tacoma at the center of flying saucers, mysterious men in black, and a federal investigation — weeks before Roswell captured the world’s attention.
This is a collaborative presentation featuring:
Rainy Day Rabbit Holes Podcast — storytelling and narrative context
Chris Staudinger of Pretty Gritty Tours — historical and cultural context rooted in Tacoma’s gritty reality
Steve Edmiston, filmmaker and founder of the Men In Black Birthday Bash — an in‑depth examination of the case and its lasting legacy
📍 Where: McMenamins Elks Temple, Spanish Ballroom (Tacoma, WA)
📅 When: June 3rd, 2026
🔗 Event details & tickets:
https://www.mcmenamins.com/events/274794-history-pub
If you want to brush up beforehand, we’ve covered the Maury Island Incident extensively on the podcast. Head to:
👉 https://rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast
Then type “maury” into the search bar to find our four episodes diving deep into the case.
💛 A Behind‑the‑Scenes Update
We also wanted to share a little honesty about the show.
Each episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes involves researching, reading, outlining, writing, recording, editing, releasing, maintaining the website, and keeping up with social media. It’s a labor of love — but it can also be a lot.
Jody and Shea are both feeling a bit stretched thin right now. We love this podcast deeply and can’t imagine it not being part of our lives, but we never want it to become something we resent or phone in. Keeping the joy alive matters to us.
So, going forward:
Full‑length episodes will be released every other week
On the off weeks, we’ll still bring you 5 Minute Fridays, because those are fun and low‑lift
We may also take a short summer break (a month or two) to fully recharge and come back refreshed
You may also hear some guest hosts from our Umbrella Podcast Collective, including:
Laura & Stephen from Midday Movies
Kevin from Tyrant in Training
And Shea’s big brother, Jason

✉️ Want to Be Part of the Show?
We’d love to involve the community even more.
If you’re creative and interested in submitting a story, outline, or even a listener‑written episode that could be featured on the show, please reach out.
📧 Email: [email protected]
Thank you, truly, for your support, your love, and your patience. We’re so grateful for this community — and we’re excited about what’s ahead, at a pace that keeps Rainy Day Rabbit Holes joyful for everyone involved.
❤️
Jody & Shea

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This week, Rainy Day Rabbit Holes is stepping a little off our usual path of unhinged history and strange stories—and doing so for a cause that means a lot to us.
In honor of Podcastathon, a global event where podcasters shine a light on causes that matter, Shea and Jody are dedicating this special episode to PACK (People for Animal Care and Kindness)—a volunteer‑driven nonprofit right here in our community that helps pets and the people who love them stay together during hard times.
Instead of rabbit holes full of chaos (don’t worry, we’ll be back to that soon), we’re sharing true animal hero stories that highlight loyalty, bravery, and compassion:
A house cat who body‑checks a dog to save a child
Two guide dogs who led their blind owners out of the World Trade Center on 9/11
A loyal rescue dog who refused to move until help followed her to her injured owner
And Shea’s own deeply personal PACK story involving a foster dog named Ruff who became family
This episode is about the quiet, compassionate work that makes happy endings possible—late‑night texts, emergency vet care, temporary fosters, and people who show up when it matters most.
If this episode makes you smile, cry, or hug your pet a little tighter, we hope you’ll consider supporting PACK and the work they do every single day.
❤️ How You Can Help
Learn more and donate: https://www.packgives.org/
Support Podcastathon: https://podcasthon.org/
🌧️ More Rainy Day Rabbit Holes
Website, photos & sources: https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com
Bonus episodes & ad‑free listening on Patreon (link on our site)
Thank you for listening, for caring, and for helping us support an organization that makes our community kinder—for animals and humans alike.
https://podcasthon.org/podcaster/rainy-day-rabbit-holes

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/history-unhinged-rainy-day-rabbit-holes/exclusive-content

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