The Grim Curriculum

Welcome to The Grim Curriculum, a Canada based podcast, with hosts Charlotte and Dina.
Join us as we chat about True Crime, Cryptids, Historic Events, and a whole lot more.
If it’s macabre and nightmarish, we want to discuss it. Join us every Saturday for a new episode.

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29 episodes
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Episodes 29

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S1 · E86
November 4 · 28 min
Bundy, Bigfoot & Bad Omens.
This episode Dina kick things off with a significant update in the case of Ted Bundy, as investigators in Utah announce a major breakthrough involving a murder dating back to October 1974. Thanks to DNA and other evidence, another piece of Bundy's history has come into focus. Unfortunately, some stories from history are worth revisiting, even when the people involved are absolutely vile. Next, we head into the world of Bigfoot, where some rather disappointing news has emerged for believers. One of the most famous pieces of supposed evidence has come under some very serious scrutiny, and the results aren't exactly what the cryptid community was hoping for. Finally, our Strange & Unusual Death this week involves an incident that many would consider a pretty terrible omen. The irony is certainly not lost on us, and we have thoughts. Everything Grim lives at thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E221
October 31 · 38 min
The Tower of London: Over 1,000 Years of Blood and Ghosts
After a particularly heavy series, we're taking a little detour into the horrid and haunted history of one of Britain's most infamous royal landmarks: the Tower of London. With a history stretching back more than 1,000 years, this fortress has served many purposes over the centuries, from royal residence to prison and execution site. Its walls have witnessed political intrigue, royal downfall, mysterious disappearances, and some truly grim chapters of British history. And, of course, a place with this much history has accumulated its fair share of ghost stories. So settle in for a Halloween journey through royal history, tragic tales, and the lingering legends of the Tower of London. Because some places have a past that refuses to stay buried. Find more from The Grim Curriculum at thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E220
October 24 · 46 min
Robert Pickton and Vancouver's Missing Women - Part 7
We've made it to Part 7, the finale of our series on Robert Pickton and Vancouver's missing women. And honestly, we're relieved to finally reach the end of this story, at least for now. In this final instalment, Pickton's reign of violence comes to an end as he is finally caught. But while his arrest marks a turning point, it doesn't erase the years of missed opportunities, institutional failures, and devastating losses that brought us here. Throughout this series, we've tried to keep the focus on the women whose lives were taken, the families left behind, and the stories that deserve to be remembered beyond the man whose name became infamous. We're closing this chapter, but the frustration remains. These women deserved better, and their stories deserve to be remembered. If you enjoy thoughtful explorations of true crime, history, disasters, folklore, and the unexplained, consider subscribing and joining us each week for a new episode. 🌐 Website: https://www.thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E219
October 17 · 42 min
Robert Pickton and Vancouver's Missing Women - Part 6
We're back with Part 6 of our series on Robert Pickton and Vancouver's missing women, and we're still not at the end of this story. As the investigation continues, the failures of law enforcement become increasingly difficult to stomach. Warning signs, missed opportunities, and the treatment of vulnerable women all form part of a deeply troubling picture. And Pickton wasn't operating in a vacuum. Other people were willing to enter his world and contribute to the harm surrounding him. As we continue exploring the circumstances surrounding Vancouver's missing and murdered women, the frustration keeps building. The women at the centre of this story deserved so much better, and there is still more to uncover before this chapter reaches its conclusion. If you enjoy thoughtful explorations of true crime, history, disasters, folklore, and the unexplained, consider subscribing and joining us each week for a new episode. 🌐 Website: https://www.thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E85
October 15 · 41 min
Suspicious Deaths, Florida Man & The Dingbat.
This week on Extra Credit, we're covering a collection of stories that range from genuinely concerning to downright bizarre. We have an update involving Ken, the former partner of Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and father of her child, with questions surrounding the circumstances of his death. We also revisit the case of Christa Pike and a botched execution that raises some difficult questions. Then it's time for Florida Man, and folks, when we say you need to see this man's face, we mean it. Respectfully, there appear to have been some questionable choices made along the way. Charlotte brings us back to lighter territory with the Dingbat, a surprisingly real part of North American folklore. This flying, antlered oddity has quite the story behind it, and apparently being a dingbat isn't just an insult after all. Finally, our Strange & Unusual Death takes a turn into the truly peculiar, with a very unusual attempt to improve fertility that ended in tragedy. Find episodes, merch, and more at thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E218
October 10 · 39 min
Robert Pickton and Vancouver's Missing Women - Part 5
We're back with Part 5 of our series on Robert Pickton and Vancouver's missing women, covering the events of 1998 and 1999. By this point, the warning signs are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Reports of Pickton bragging about killing women are circulating, while some members of the Vancouver Police Department are pushing for action amid growing concerns about the missing women from the Downtown Eastside. Yet institutional resistance, silence, and a multitude of other barriers continue to stand in the way. As the number of missing women grows, so does the frustration. Who knew what was happening? Why weren't more people speaking up? And how many opportunities to intervene were lost? If you enjoy thoughtful explorations of true crime, history, disasters, folklore, and the unexplained, consider subscribing and joining us each week for a new episode. 🌐 Website: https://www.thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E217
October 8 · 40 min
Robert Pickton and Vancouver's Missing Women - Part 4
After our September break, we're back with Part 4 of our series on Robert Pickton and Vancouver's missing women. This episode takes us through the events leading up to 1998, with a continued focus on the women who went missing or were murdered during this period. We're exploring their lives and stories, the circumstances surrounding their disappearances, and the wider landscape of violence that made this time so devastating. Robert Pickton wasn't the only serial killer active during this era. Clifford Olson and Gary Ridgway were also responsible for horrific crimes, raising difficult questions about the dangers women faced and the possibility that other offenders may have gone unidentified. Beyond the headlines and the men whose names became infamous, we're continuing to try to make space for the women themselves, because their stories deserve to be remembered. If you enjoy thoughtful explorations of true crime, history, disasters, folklore, and the unexplained, consider subscribing and joining us each week for a new episode. 🌐 Website: https://www.thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E84
September 10 · 48 min
The Lindsay Clancy Trial - So Far: Part 2
This week, we're continuing our look at the Lindsay Clancy case in Part 2 of our special mix of The Grim Curriculum and Extra Credit. We take a closer look at the testimony, expert opinions, and competing arguments surrounding Lindsay's mental state and the question of criminal responsibility. We break down some of the major developments from the final weeks of the trial, while keeping speculation separate from what was actually presented in court. Whether you've been following along since Part 1 or are just catching up, we'll get you up to speed on where the case stands and some of the questions that remain. The Grim Curriculum: https://thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E216
September 5 · 40 min
Robert Pickton - Part 3
In Part 3 of our series on Robert Pickton, we continue putting the focus where it belongs, on the women whose lives were taken, and the stories that so often became overshadowed by the man responsible. As we learn more about the victims, we also reach a pivotal moment in Pickton's story. One woman came remarkably close to surviving him, and her fight to escape would come closer than anything else to bringing his horrific spree to an end. But despite her survival, the nightmare continued. We continue to piece together the stories of the women who disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, the circumstances surrounding their disappearances, and the devastating failures that allowed Pickton to remain free for so long. If you enjoy thoughtful explorations of true crime, history, disasters, folklore, and the unexplained, consider subscribing and joining us each week for a new episode. 🌐 Website: https://www.thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E215
August 29 · 47 min
Robert Pickton - Part 2
We're only two episodes into our Robert Pickton series, and somehow, we've already covered A LOT. In Part 2, we're beginning to look at the women who may have been among Robert Pickton's first known or possible victims, while continuing to follow what Pickton and the increasingly shady group of people around him were getting up to. The deeper we dig, the more unsettling the story becomes, and we're still only scratching the surface. By the end of this episode, we arrive at the beginnings of what would become Piggie's Palace, the infamous property that would eventually become central to the Pickton case. And let's just say, "built" might be a generous description. As Charlotte puts it, it was less a structure being constructed and more like the Earth's crust opened up and a hellish nightmare of a bar ascended from Satan's realm. This is Part 2 of our series on Robert Pickton, and there's a whole lot more to uncover. 🌐 thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E214
August 22 · 1 hr 16 min
The Lindsay Clancy Trial - So Far
This week, we're bringing you a special mix of The Grim Curriculum and Extra Credit as we take a close look at the Lindsay Clancy case, the 2023 deaths of her three children in Duxbury, Massachusetts, and the trial that has raised difficult questions about mental illness, postpartum psychosis, criminal responsibility, and the limits of what we can truly know about someone else's state of mind. With weeks of testimony now on the record, we break down the background, the major questions surrounding the case, and some of the details that have drawn significant public attention, while keeping speculation clearly separate from the facts established in court. We want to hear your thoughts on this one. If you enjoy thoughtful explorations of true crime, history, disasters, folklore, and the unexplained, consider subscribing and joining us each week for a new episode. 🌐 Website: https://www.thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E83
August 19 · 21 min
Convictions, Cold Cases & Questionable Decisions
This week on Extra Credit, we've got a whole collection of true crime updates, including some cases we've talked about before that have taken a few unexpected turns. We start with a particularly bizarre update involving Chris Watts, followed by another development in the ongoing case of Dr. Gerhardt Konig. Dina brings us back to the disturbing case involving 16 children found in rural Ohio, while Charlotte follows up on the nearly 30-year-old murder of Edmonton's Joanne Ghostkeeper and the long-awaited developments in her family's search for justice. And, as always, we wrap things up with a Strange & Unusual Death, one that proves there are apparently worse things than running with scissors. Everything Grim lives at thegrimcurriculum.com
S1 · E213
August 19 · 56 min
Robert Pickton - Part 1
I thought I knew what we were recording for episode 213. I was wrong. Dina decided we're doing Robert Pickton. - Charlotte This week, we're beginning a brand new series on one of the most notorious serial killers in Canadian history. And we're starting where we usually do, long before the murders, with Robert Pickton's childhood, his (very) strange family, and the odd world he grew up in. Born into a pig-farming family in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Pickton spent much of his early life on the family farm alongside his siblings. As we start getting into the story of the man behind the name, we're looking at his upbringing, his relationships with his parents and siblings, and the early experiences that shaped the person he would eventually become. But fair warning, this is only the beginning. Robert Pickton's story is a difficult one, and as this series progresses, we're going to be discussing some deeply disturbing crimes and the women whose lives were tragically cut short. If you enjoy thoughtful explorations of true crime, history, disasters, folklore, and the unexplained, consider subscribing and joining us each week for a new episode. 🌐 Website: https://www.thegrimcurriculum.com Background & Thumbnail Image By http://www.lifedaily.com.cwpcdn.com/story/wild-parties-at-vancouver-farm-disguise-truth-behind-madmans-four-dozen-victims/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72302877
S1 · E212
August 1 · 35 min
"Black Friday" The 1987 Edmonton Tornado
On July 31, 1987, a devastating F4 tornado carved a path through Edmonton and the surrounding area, forever changing the city and the people who lived through it. Known as Black Friday, the tornado claimed 27 lives, injured hundreds more, and became one of the deadliest natural disasters in Canadian history. This week, we're looking back at the events of that devastating day, from the storm's formation to the incredible stories of survival, the heroic rescue efforts, and the lasting impact it had on emergency preparedness across Alberta and Canada. Nearly four decades later, Black Friday remains a reminder of just how powerful nature can be, and how resilient a community can become in its aftermath. If you enjoy thoughtful explorations of true crime, history, disasters, folklore, and the unexplained, consider subscribing and joining us each week for a new episode. 🌐 Website: https://www.thegrimcurriculum.com Background & Thumbnail Image By Stevesimon1 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=135428586
S1 · E82
July 29 · 22 min
Extra Credit: Mimes, Mayhem & Mortality
This week on Extra Credit, Dina kicks things off with a story that sounds like it belongs in Florida... except it happened in Massachusetts. A mime has found himself facing criminal harassment charges, and trust us, this isn't the kind of performance anyone asked for. Charlotte then gives a well-deserved shoutout to Jimothy the raccoon, the internet's latest unlikely celebrity, before Dina reminds us that Florida Man is never far away with a story involving a pet store, pepper spray, and behaviour that will leave you thoroughly unimpressed. Thankfully, there's some genuinely heartwarming news to balance things out as two missing giraffe calves are found safe after being gone for nearly a year. To wrap things up, we dive into one of life's inevitable topics as we discuss our own funeral wishes, from burial or cremation to music, eulogies, and the kind of send-off we'd actually want. Finally, our Strange & Unusual Death takes us back to San Quentin Prison in the 1930s, where one condemned inmate attempted to cheat death... with spectacularly unfortunate results. Visit thegrimcurriculum.com for episodes, merch, and everywhere you can find us.
S1 · E211
July 25 · 27 min
The "Black" Donnelly Clan - Part 3
For years, the Donnelly family lived under the shadow of suspicion, violence, and an ever-growing reputation that divided an entire community. In the end, that reputation would end in one of the most shocking acts of vigilante violence in Canadian history. Seriously, when we picked this case to talk about, we truly weren't prepared. In the final chapter of our series on the infamous "Black" Donnellys, we examine the devastating events that brought the family's story to its brutal conclusion. As fear, resentment, and rumours reached a boiling point, five members of the Donnelly family were brutally murdered, their home was set ablaze, and a legacy was forever etched into Canadian folklore. Dear listener, do you think justice was ever truly served? And how much of the Donnellys' notorious reputation do you think was deserved, versus shaped by the stories told long after the smoke had cleared? Check out our BRAND NEW WEBSITE! grimcurriculum.com
S1 · E210
July 18 · 25 min
The "Black" Donnelly Clan - Part 2
In Part Two of our series on the infamous "Black" Donnellys, tensions in Biddulph Township continue to spiral as old rivalries turn increasingly violent. With accusations flying, loyalties tested, and the Donnelly family's reputation growing more notorious by the day, it's becoming harder to separate fact from fiction. As we follow the family through another turbulent chapter, we'll uncover shocking confrontations, retaliation, and the events that pushed an already divided community even closer to the breaking point. And just when we thought we were nearing the end of their story, we realized there was still far more left to uncover. Join us as we continue exploring one of Canada's most fascinating and enduring true crime legends. Tell YOUR stories on the next episode of Grim Encounters! Email us your strange, unusual or hair-raising experience to ⁠thegrimcurriculum@gmail.com⁠ Watch the full video episode on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/TheGrimCurriculum Follow us on Twitch! ⁠https://www.twitch.tv/thegrimcurriculum⁠ PUT OUR MERCH ON YOUR BODY AND IN YOUR HOME thegrimcurriculum.threadless.com⁠ For all the other places you can support us by checking out our TGC Merch, & Social Media Links: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thegrimcurriculum⁠⁠
S1 · E81
July 18 · 32 min
EXTRA CREDIT: Survival Tips & Unbelievable Tragedies
This week on Extra Credit, we begin with heartbreaking breaking news out of rural Ohio, where four adults have been arrested after sixteen children, ranging from very young to 18 years old, were discovered living in deplorable conditions. With many questions still unanswered, we discuss what is known so far and why this is a case we'll be following closely as more information comes to light. We also cover the astonishing story of a student pilot in Argentina who was forced to land her aircraft alone after her instructor unexpectedly exited the plane mid-flight, a remarkable display of courage and composure under unimaginable circumstances. To lighten the mood, Charlotte takes a dive into decades-old U.S. Army survival manuals and some of the wonderfully bizarre advice they once gave, from eating bugs to some eyebrow-raising medical "remedies." Finally, our Strange & Unusual Death takes us back to Yorkshire for one of the most unbelievable freak accidents we've come across, proving once again that truth really is stranger than fiction. Wanna see us do some ghost hunting? Check out our Ko-fi to help us get there! https://ko-fi.com/thegrimcurriculum Come hang out with us on YouTube on Saturdays at 12pm (mst)! https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrimCurriculum/videos Extra Credit Every Second Wednesday at at 12pm (mst)! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_u7l4tepCoX4zW6PW05-Oyo703LL7wx5&si=sUvQwGsOJNFIymEL Watch the video episode on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/TheGrimCurriculum
S1 · E209
July 11 · 36 min
The "Black" Donnelly Clan - Part 1
This week, we're diving into the unbelievable story of the "Black" Donnellys, an Irish-Canadian family whose name became synonymous with feuds, revenge, and violence. What begins as the story of immigrants trying to carve out a life in rural Ontario quickly spirals into decades of bitter rivalries, courtroom battles, and shocking acts of brutality. In Part One, we explore the Donnellys' early years, the events that ignited a community-wide feud, and how a single family's reputation would grow into legend. As Dina quickly discovered while researching, this story was far too wild to fit into a single episode. Tell YOUR stories on the next episode of Grim Encounters! Email us your strange, unusual or hair-raising experience to ⁠thegrimcurriculum@gmail.com⁠ Watch the full video episode on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/TheGrimCurriculum Follow us on Twitch! ⁠https://www.twitch.tv/thegrimcurriculum⁠ For all the other places you can support us by checking out our TGC Merch, & Social Media Links: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thegrimcurriculum⁠⁠
S1 · E208
July 4 · 33 min
Lights Over Stephenville: A Texas UFO Encounter
Grab your tinfoil hat and strap it on tight because we are heading down to Texas (figuratively speaking) to examine one of the most compelling modern UFO cases in recent memory. In January 2008, residents of Stephenville reported seeing strange lights and massive objects moving silently across the night sky. What began as a handful of eyewitness accounts quickly became a national story, drawing attention from the media, investigators, and even the military. With hundreds of witnesses, radar data, and conflicting explanations, the Stephenville Lights remain one of the most intriguing unexplained aerial phenomena of recent history. Were these sightings simply a misunderstanding, a military exercise gone awry, or evidence of something far more extraordinary? Tell YOUR stories on the next episode of Grim Encounters! Email us your strange, unusual or hair-raising experience to ⁠thegrimcurriculum@gmail.com⁠ Watch the full video episode on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/TheGrimCurriculum Follow us on Twitch! ⁠https://www.twitch.tv/thegrimcurriculum⁠ PUT OUR MERCH ON YOUR BODY AND IN YOUR HOME thegrimcurriculum.threadless.com⁠ For all the other places you can support us by checking out our TGC Merch, & Social Media Links: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thegrimcurriculum⁠⁠

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