History’s darkest moments, real-life survival stories, and strange happenings from our distant past.
Mysteries and Backstories uncovers the eerie, forgotten, and gripping corners of true history. From lost expeditions and cannibalism to vanished lighthouse keepers and cryptic artifacts, each episode dives deep into a real event that blurs the line between fact and folklore.
In 1906, a Danish expedition set out to map Northeast Greenland and settle a growing international dispute. Led by Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen, the team pushed farther into the Arctic than anyone before them.As the ice began to rot beneath them and supplies ran low, the return journey turned into a fight for survival. Dogs collapsed. Food ran out. And one by one, the men began to fall behind.If you enjoy survival history, mysteries, and true accounts of people pushed beyond their limits, subscribe for weekly episodes.
20 May 2026
How the Coppermine Expedition Descended a Fight for Survival
In 1819, Sir John Franklin led an overland expedition into the Canadian Arctic with one goal: chart the northern coastline of North America. What followed became one of the most horrifying survival disasters in Arctic exploration history.
The Coppermine Expedition also known as Franklin’s Overland Expedition pushed deep into the barren wilderness of northern Canada. With failed resupply lines, brutal weather, starvation, and exhaustion closing in, the expedition slowly collapsed. Men died crossing frozen rivers, some turned to cannibalism, and others vanished into the tundra entirely.
This episode tells the true story of one of history’s darkest Arctic survival journeys: the march across the Barrenlands, the doomed split of the party, the descent into madness, and the desperate race to reach Fort Enterprise before winter claimed everyone.
If you enjoy historical survival stories, Arctic expeditions, wilderness disasters, shipwrecks, and true historical mysteries, subscribe to Mysteries and Backstories for new episodes every week.
7 Feb 2026
Mutiny on the HMS Bounty: Survival, Betrayal, and the Impossible Voyage
In April 1789, one of history’s most infamous mutinies unfolded aboard the HMS Bounty.
Led by Fletcher Christian, a group of sailors turned on their commander and cast Captain William Bligh adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with almost no food, no charts, and little chance of survival.
What followed was a brutal 3,600-mile open-boat voyage through storms, starvation, and uncharted waters . It was one of the greatest survival feats in maritime history.
If you’re drawn to survival history, real human limits, and dark maritime mysteries, this episode is for you.
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Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
126,331
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
3.7 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
63
Social presence
0
YouTube
82
Engagement
71
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