In 1741, HMS Wager wrecked off the remote coast of Patagonia. Stranded and starving, the crew faced not just the elements—but each other. When leadership collapsed, a mutiny split the survivors. Some followed Captain David Cheap. Others followed gunner John Bulkeley. What happened next would challenge the laws of command, loyalty, and survival.

This episode unpacks one of the most brutal and overlooked naval disasters in British history—where the greatest threat came after the shipwreck.

In 1513, an Ottoman admiral drew a map that shouldn’t exist.

The Piri Reis Map charts parts of South America, Africa—and possibly even Antarctica—centuries before they were officially discovered. Based on lost sources and ancient knowledge, the map has baffled historians, geographers, and conspiracy theorists alike. How could a 16th-century sailor map lands no one had explored? Was it guesswork, ancient science... or something deliberately erased from history?

In this episode of Mysteries and Backstories, we unravel one of the strangest cartographic enigmas ever found. Dive into the story of a map that defies explanation—and the secrets that may have died with it.

When the USS Jeannette was crushed by Arctic ice, her crew didn’t just face shipwreck—they faced a frozen death sentence. Trapped in the polar sea for nearly two years, the men set out on foot across hundreds of miles of ice and Siberian wilderness, dragging their boats and dwindling supplies behind them. What began as a bold expedition ended in hunger, madness, and a desperate fight to survive.

In this episode of Mysteries and Backstories, we follow the tragic voyage of the USS Jeannette—a tale of endurance, leadership, and loss in one of the most brutal environments on Earth. From the moment the ship was locked in ice to the final, fatal march across the tundra, every step was a battle against impossible odds.

If you thought Shackleton had it bad… you haven’t heard this story.