PodcastsDocumentaryThe Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things

The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things

Strange True Stories with Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things
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166 episodes

  • The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things

    Room 1046: A Kansas City Hotel Murder and One of True Crime’s Unsolved Mysteries

    12/05/2026 | 1h 17 mins.
    A man checks into the President Hotel under a false name — and Room 1046 becomes a locked-door nightmare.

    The death of the man known as Roland T. Owen remains one of the strangest true crime stories of 1930s Kansas City. Behind the name was a deeper mystery: Artemis Ogletree, a false identity, a hotel room filled with unanswered questions, and a cast of names that still feel like pieces from a puzzle no one has ever fully solved.

    This historical true crime episode follows the eerie Room 1046 case through the President Hotel, the Kansas City murder investigation, the mystery letters, and the people connected to the story, including Eugene K. Scott, Mary Soptic, Don Kelso and the elusive “Louise”. Was Room 1046 the scene of a planned hotel murder, a meeting gone wrong, or something even stranger?

    For listeners drawn to unsolved mysteries, real life mysteries, cold case podcast stories and dark history, this is a chilling look at how one hotel room became a lasting legend. Room 1046 is not just a murder case. It is a strange history of aliases, silence, fear and unanswered questions that still refuses to stay buried.

    Topics Include

    The President Hotel in Kansas City in January 1935

    Roland T. Owen and the false identity trail

    The note to Don and the name Louise

    The attack inside room 1046

    Artemis Ogletree and the letters sent after death

    Why the Room 1046 case remains unsolved

    Resources and Further Reading

    Murder of Artemus Ogletree - Wikipedia

    The Creepy Murder In Room 1046 - Youtube

    The Man Who Locked Himself In - Criminal

    The Owens Case - Kansas City Mag

     

    Host & Show Info
    Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
    Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland
    Community & Calls to Action
    Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
    Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
    Website: thecompendiumpodcast.com
    Support us: Sign up to Patreon
    Circus Job Board: Apply to join the Circus
    Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway.

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  • The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things

    Nepal Royal Massacre: A Dark History of Prophecy, Power and Palace Killings

    05/05/2026 | 1h 11 mins.
    A royal dinner becomes a bloodbath, a prince lies in a coma, and the Nepal Royal Massacre turns a dynasty into one of modern history’s most disturbing mysteries.

    This dark history episode follows the Nepal Royal Massacre from the Shah dynasty prophecy and the “tenth generation” curse to Crown Prince Dipendra’s blocked relationship with Devyani Rana, royal astrology, status, and the marriage politics simmering inside the palace. On 1 June 2001, a family gathering in Kathmandu ended with King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and much of Nepal’s royal family dead — and with an official account that many Nepalis struggled to believe.

    We trace the palace massacre, the early “accident” cover story, Dipendra being crowned king while in a coma, Gyanendra’s succession, the Kathmandu riots, and the conspiracy theories that still cling to the case. For listeners of true crime stories, royal scandals, real life mysteries and strange true stories, the Nepal Royal Massacre is a chilling collision of love, power, prophecy, public distrust and historical true crime.

    Topics Include: 

    The Shah dynasty prophecy and the “tenth generation” curse

    Crown Prince Dipendra and Devyani Rana

    Royal astrology, status, and marriage politics

    The June 2001 family gathering inside the palace

    The massacre, the “accident” cover story, and Dipendra’s coma

    Succession, outrage, and the conspiracy theories that followed

    Resources and Further Reading 

    Nepalese royal massacre - Wikipedia

    A royal massacre - ABC

    Massacre at the Palace - by Jonathan Gregson

    Nepal Royal Family Massacre - Zero Hour Documentry

    Host & Show Info 

    Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox

    Intro Music:Alice in dark Wonderland

    Community & Calls to Action 

    Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts

    Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast

    Website: TheCompendiumPodcast.com

    Support us: Sign up to Patreon

    Certified Freaks: Submit your job Descriptions

    Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway.

    Host & Show Info
    Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
    Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland
    Community & Calls to Action
    Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
    Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
    Website: thecompendiumpodcast.com
    Support us: Sign up to Patreon
    Circus Job Board: Apply to join the Circus
    Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things

    Michael Jackson Allegations Part 2: Famous Trials, Settlements and the Legacy War

    28/04/2026 | 1h 36 mins.
    Fame, money, media frenzy and courtroom drama collide in the Michael Jackson allegations — a story still argued over decades later.

    The Michael Jackson allegations remain among pop culture’s most disputed true crime stories: a tangled history of accusations, denial, civil settlement, tabloid obsession and legal uncertainty. This episode follows Jordan Chandler and the first allegations, the 1993 civil settlement and why it settled so little in the public mind, Martin Bashir’s documentary, Neverland, the Gavin Arvizo case, and the 2005 trial that ended in Michael Jackson’s full acquittal.

    We also examine Leaving Neverland, the legacy war that followed, and the difficult question at the centre of famous trials, celebrity scandals and media scandals: how do people judge a global icon when the evidence, the money, the power dynamics and the public narratives all pull in different directions? For listeners interested in pop culture scandals, real life mysteries, historical true crime and true crime stories handled with care, the Michael Jackson allegations are less a simple verdict than a cultural fault line — one that continues to shape how we talk about fame, accusers, doubt, belief and legacy.

    Topics Include 

    jordan chandler and the first allegations

    the civil settlement and why it settled nothing

    martin bashir, neverland, and gavin arvizo

    the 2005 trial and full acquittal

    leaving neverland and the legacy war

    Resources and Further Reading 

    Michael Jackson - Encyclopaedia Britannica

    Pop Star Michael Jackson Not Guilty of Child Molestation - PBS NewsHour

    Michael Jackson Acquitted of Child Molestation Charges - ABC News

    Michael Jackson’s Trials and Tribulations - ABC News

    Michael Jackson Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: A Timeline - Rolling Stone

    10 Undeniable Facts About the Michael Jackson Sexual Abuse Allegations - Vanity Fair

    Neverland's Lost Boys - Vanity Fair

    Michael Jackson's Legacy Under Microscope in New Sex Abuse Film - Reuters

    Leaving Neverland - Netflix

    Host & Show Info
    Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
    Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland
    Community & Calls to Action
    Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
    Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
    Website: thecompendiumpodcast.com
    Support us: Sign up to Patreon
    Circus Job Board: Apply to join the Circus
    Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things

    Michael Jackson Part 1: A Dark History of Fame, Motown and the King of Pop

    21/04/2026 | 1h 17 mins.
    Michael Jackson became the King of Pop before he was ever allowed to be ordinary. This episode traces Michael Jackson from the Jackson 5 and Motown to Off the Wall, Thriller, MTV, the moonwalk and Neverland, following the talent, pressure and isolation behind one of music’s most famous lives.

    We begin with Joe Jackson, childhood pressure and the Jackson family home, then follow the breakout voice that made the Jackson 5 a Motown phenomenon. From there, the story moves through Off the Wall, Thriller, Billie Jean and the moonwalk, as Michael becomes a global icon and one of modern culture’s defining historical figures.

    But this is also a dark history of image, control and fame: the Pepsi burn, changing public perceptions, Neverland Ranch, and the first Jordan Chandler allegations that mark the moment everything turns. For listeners of biography podcasts, music scandals, pop culture scandals, hidden histories and strange true stories, Michael Jackson’s rise is dazzling, uncomfortable and impossible to separate from what came next.

    Topics Include 

    Joe Jackson, childhood pressure, and the Jackson family home

    The Jackson 5, Motown, and Michael’s breakout voice

    Off the Wall, Thriller, MTV, and the moonwalk

    The Pepsi burn, image changes, and Neverland

    Jordan Chandler and the moment everything turns

    Resources and Further Reading 

    Michael Jackson - Encyclopaedia Britannica

    The Jackson 5 - Motown Museum

    Michael Jackson - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

    Pepsi fire left Michael Jackson in pain - Los Angeles Times

    Host & Show Info 

    Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox

    Intro Music:Alice in dark Wonderland

    Community & Calls to Action 

    Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts

    Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast

    Website: TheCompendiumPodcast.com

    Support us: Sign up to Patreon

    We’re Hiring: Find the perfect job at the circus

    Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway.

    Host & Show Info
    Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
    Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland
    Community & Calls to Action
    Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
    Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
    Website: thecompendiumpodcast.com
    Support us: Sign up to Patreon
    Circus Job Board: Apply to join the Circus
    Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things

    Peter the Dolphin: Weird History and NASA’s Experiment That Went Too Far

    14/04/2026 | 49 mins.
    A flooded Caribbean lab, a NASA-funded dolphin experiment, and a researcher living side by side with a dolphin named Peter.

    Peter the Dolphin is one of the strangest true stories in science history: a bizarre attempt to understand dolphin communication that became infamous for reasons far beyond animal language research. This episode explores Dolphin House, the unconventional lab where Margaret Howe Lovatt lived alongside Peter, and the theories of John C. Lilly, whose work on dolphin intelligence, sensory deprivation and interspecies communication pushed science into deeply uncomfortable territory.

    We trace why NASA became interested in dolphin research during the space race, how LSD entered the story, and why the emotional reality of isolation made the experiment so troubling. Peter the Dolphin is part strange history, part science scandal, and part real life mystery: a story about ambition, animal cognition, human projection and the dangerous moment when curiosity outruns ethics.

    For listeners of weird history, hidden histories, documentary podcast stories and strange true stories, Peter the Dolphin remains one of the most unsettling examples of controversial science history — a case where the question was not just whether humans could talk to dolphins, but what the experiment did to everyone involved.

    Topics include 

    The Dolphin House experiment and its unconventional design

    John C Lilly’s theories on dolphin communication and sensory deprivation

    Margaret Lovatt’s role and the emotional reality of long-term isolation

    Why NASA funded dolphin research during the space race

    What happened to Peter the dolphin after the experiment ended

    Resources and Further Reading 

    Margaret Howe Lovatt - Wikipedia

    The dolphin who loved me - the Guardian

    John C. Lilly - Wikipedia

    The Girl Who Talked to Dolphins - BBC Documentry

    Host & Show Info
    Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
    Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland
    Community & Calls to Action
    Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
    Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
    Website: thecompendiumpodcast.com
    Support us: Sign up to Patreon
    Circus Job Board: Apply to join the Circus
    Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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About The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things
The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things is a weekly documentary-style podcast about strange true stories, true crime, dark history, scandals, mysteries and remarkable people. Why listen to three podcasts when you can have it all in one? Hosted by Kyle Risi and Adam Cox, each episode takes one fascinating real-life story and gives you the full thing: the context, the characters, the chaos, the terrible decisions, and the tiny details that make you say, “Wait… how did this actually happen?” From infamous crimes and forgotten history to celebrity scandals, survival stories, cults, frauds and real-life mysteries, The Compendium is smart, funny, curious and thoroughly researched — made for listeners who want the whole story in one satisfying listen, without a ten-part homework assignment. New episodes weekly. Step inside the circus tent.
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