Paper Trail

Summary

Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities
Episode: "Paper Trail" (July 14, 2026)
Host: Aaron Mahnke | Produced by iHeartPodcasts & Grim & Mild

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Episode Overview

"Paper Trail" explores two remarkable stories about the power of the written word and the unintended consequences that sometimes follow from efforts to shape history and reality through documents—be it epic chronicles or manufactured maps. The first segment delves into the creation of the Alexiad, a unique historical work from the Byzantine Empire written by Anna Komneni. The second tale tells the incredible true story of Agloe, New York—a town that began as a cartographic copyright trap and came alive because someone believed what was printed on the map.

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Story One: Anna Komneni and The Alexiad

(Timestamps: [01:10] – [06:04])

Main Theme

• The importance of the written record in preserving history—and how those records can be intensely personal, subjective, and sometimes revolutionary.

Key Discussion Points

• The opening of the Alexiad:
  • The tale begins with a powerful excerpt from the Alexiad about the stream of time carrying away all deeds, big and small, unless captured by history ([01:10]).
• Context of the Byzantine Empire:
  • By the late 11th century, the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire faced devastating challenges, having lost half its territory to the Seljuq Turks, and was threatened by Normans from the West. The emperor was unable to manage these crises.
• Rise of Alexios Komnenos:
  • In 1081, Alexios Komnenos rose from general to emperor, restoring stability and forging new relationships—including a fateful request for European mercenaries that inspired Pope Urban II to launch the First Crusade.
• Anna Komneni, the chronicler:
  • Anna Komneni, Alexios's oldest daughter, witnessed these events, including the arrival of the first Crusaders in Constantinople.
  • She became the author of the Alexiad, a work that combined personal narrative, history, and epic poetry—unique in Byzantine literature.
• The politics of succession and ambition:
  • As Alexios lay dying, Anna and her mother attempted to secure the succession for Anna’s husband, but the throne went to her brother John II. After a failed plot against John, Anna was exiled from court.
• Her literary legacy:
  • In exile, Anna became arguably Europe’s first female historian. The Alexiad is deeply personal and overtly opinionated, providing rare insight into Byzantine court life and Anna’s own emotions—her admiration for her father, contempt for Crusaders, and resentment toward her brother.
• Historical impact:
  • The Alexiad’s value is less as an “objective” work and more as a human, primary document. Despite attempts by some scholars to downplay Anna’s role, it remains a singular monument of its era.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On history’s role:
  "[History] holds in a tight grasp whatever it can seize floating on the surface and will not allow it to slip away into the depths of oblivion." ([01:15], Anna Komneni via Narrator)
• On Anna’s perspective:
  "In spite of this awareness, it’s impossible to argue that she wrote an unbiased work... her very opinionated prose is what makes the Alexiad a vital read." ([05:20], Narrator)
• On Anna’s legacy:
  "John may have gotten the crown, but in the end, Anna got the last word." ([06:00], Narrator)

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Story Two: Agloe, The Town That Maps Made Real

(Timestamps: [07:12] – [12:19])

Main Theme

• How the attempt to protect intellectual property in a mundane field—mapmaking—led to the creation of a town that existed only on paper…until belief made it real.

Key Discussion Points

• Setting the scene:
  • Cartographers Otto G. Lindbergh and Ernest Alpers visit Agloe General Store, feeling "somewhere between horror and awe." Only they know the whole town is supposed to be fiction ([07:12]).
• Origins of Agloe:
  • In 1937, mapmakers Otto and Ernest created Agloe as a “copyright trap”—a fake town near the Catskills—to detect competitors who might copy their maps.
  • The town’s name is an anagram: Alpers, G. Lindbergh, Otto, Ernest.
• The trap is sprung:
  • In 1950, rival mapmaker Rand McNally printed Agloe on their map of New York. Otto and Ernest sued, confident of victory.
• Agloe becomes real:
  • To their astonishment, Rand McNally provided evidence: not only did their researchers visit Agloe, but New York’s Delaware County had records of it. Someone, acting on earlier maps, had physically established buildings and services at the spot labeled Agloe.
• The legal twist:
  • Because the town now existed, Rand McNally was found not guilty of copyright violation.
• Legacy of Agloe:
  • Agloe thrived for a time—general store, gas station, fishing lodge—but eventually faded. Nonetheless, it persisted in maps and even appears in John Green’s bestselling novel Paper Towns. Until at least 2018, it could still be found on digital maps.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the copyright trap:
  "A copyright trap was an extra town. One entirely made up by Otto and Ernest." ([08:45], Narrator)
• On the twist of fate:
  "In their imaginative attempt to deter copycats, they had somehow accidentally created a real town." ([10:52], Narrator)
• On Agloe’s lasting presence:
  "The ghost of Agloe haunted most other maps for decades... Agloe gained popularity after its appearance in John Green’s novel Paper Towns. Once again, the town of Agloe seems to thrive best in fiction." ([11:32], Narrator)

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Episode Structure & Tone

• Narrative Style:
  Aaron Mahnke’s signature style is on display: collected, story-driven, laced with irony and understated wonder at the quirks of history.
• Language & Tone:
  Engaging, accessible, a touch of wry humor—always with an emphasis on the unexpected connections between past and present.

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Key Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------|------------| | Intro to Anna Komneni | 01:10 | | Byzantine empire context | 01:40 | | The Alexiad’s legacy | 05:20 | | Transition to Agloe story | 07:12 | | Otto & Ernest’s trap | 08:45 | | Agloe becomes reality | 10:52 | | Agloe’s afterlife in fiction| 11:32 | | Episode outro | 12:19 |

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Takeaway Message

Both Anna Komneni’s Alexiad and the ghost town of Agloe are reminders that the stories we write shape reality—sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident. Whether chronicling emperors or inventing towns, the paper trail we leave can echo far beyond its origins, blurring the line between fact and fiction.

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Memorable Closing:

"John may have gotten the crown, but in the end, Anna got the last word."
([06:00], Narrator)

"Once again, the town of Agloe seems to thrive best in fiction."
([11:42], Narrator)

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For More:
Explore further stories at grimandmild.com/curiosities. For an ad-free experience, visit patreon.com/grimandmild.

Transcript

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[Erin Menke]

thoughts why did I search the Internet for answers to my cold sore problem? Now I'm stuck down a rabbit hole filled with images of alarmingly graphic sores in various stages of ooze. I can clear my search history, but I can never unsee that.

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Welcome to Erin Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild.

[Aaron Manke]

Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.

[Narrator]

The stream of time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and plunges them into utter darkness. Both deeds of no account but and deeds which are mighty and worthy of commemoration. The science of history is a great bulwark against the stream of time. In a way, it checks this irresistible flood. It holds in a tight grasp whatever it can seize floating on the surface and will not allow it to slip away into the depths of oblivion. This is an excerpt from the opening of the Alexiad, one of the most important pieces of literature to come out of the Byzantine Empire. It tells the story of the Emperor Alexios Komnemnos, the man who took Byzantium out of a desperate situation and into its final successful era as an empire. Five hundred years after the fall of Rome, the Byzantine Empire, or the Eastern Roman Empire as it was known at the time, was facing a fall of its own. In the early 11th century, the empire lost around half of its territory to the Seljuq Turks. Normans pressed the empire from the west, and the current emperor didn't know how to handle either threat. In 1081, Alexios Komnemnos stepped into the chaos and helped reestablish the empire. He fought the Turks and made efforts to re establish a friendly relationship with the papal seat. In just a few short years, he went from an upstart general to something of a savior for the flagging empire. His most lasting contribution to this period of history, however, came from when he requested European mercenaries to help deal with the Turkish threat and inadvertently inspired Pope Urban II to declare the First Crusade. And because the Eastern Roman Empire was a Christian nation, this was not a problem. In fact, it's the sort of world altering decision that makes a king into a folk hero. Although of course it also takes a specific sort of historian to make that transformation a reality. The Alexiad, with a title that evokes Homer's Iliad, retells the rule of Alexios like a cross between history and epic poetry. It's a strange, singular work in the midst of an empire that mostly produced historical accounts that were dry and factual. And that's no accident. It's a history that's so personal because it was written by someone who knew Komnemnos personally. As a matter of fact, the author was the eldest daughter of Emperor Alexios, Anna Konemni. She was present when the first wave of Crusaders arrived in Constantinople in 1096, and even though she was just a teenager, her memory of the European rabble was fresh in her mind when she wrote the account down many decades later. An exceedingly smart and well read woman, she wasn't simply content to live a life of luxury in the palace. She wanted to learn and alter the world as her father grew older and infirm, and it was assumed that upon his death, the crown would pass to her younger brother, John. Both Anna and her mother attempted to persuade the dying Alexios to let Anna's husband inherit so that she could rule, but they were unsuccessful. When Alexios died, John II was crowned almost immediately. Some historians say that Anna schemed to depose John, but the plot was discovered and she was sent from court in disgrace. Her royal ambitions permanently thwarted, Anna Komnemni spent the last 35 years of her life reading and writing. She became Europe's first female historian, although there is still rigorous debate over whether her work should count as literature or history. After all, the Alexiad is far from an objective accounting of history, and she knew that she would face this criticism too. In the preface of the book, she addressed the idea that one has to sometimes pay compliments to your enemies and criticize your relatives. In spite of this awareness, it's impossible to argue that she wrote an unbiased work. In fact, her very opinionated prose is what makes the Alexiad a vital read. It is not an objectively accurate piece of historiography, but it provides a valuable insight into the reign of Alexios from someone who was close to him. It shows us her contempt for the Crusaders, her assessment of her father's military achievements, her. Her resentment toward her brother. Like all good primary documents, it makes history feel a little more human. More modern scholars have attempted to dismiss or downplay her contributions to our understanding of the era, but in spite of that, the Alexiad is among the most important epics of its era. Without exaggeration, there is no piece of literature quite like it. John may have gotten the crown, but in the end, Anna got the last word.

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Otto G. Lindbergh and Ernest Alpers stood on the dusty shoulder of the road, looking up at the painted marquee of the general store with an expression somewhere between horror and awe. A few feet away, two young girls in gingham dresses sat sipping from glass soda bottles. Farmers and their families poured in and out of the red storefront, arms laden with paper grocery bags and smiles on their faces. And above it all hung a sign with hand painted script that read Agloe General Store. The scene was nothing short of picturesque, an everyday American general store bustling with everyday Americans going about their everyday business. Only Otto and Ernest knew the truth, that none of this, not the general store or the families or the girls sipping Cola, were real. Thirteen years earlier, around 1937, Otto and Ernest sat across from one another feeling very pleased with themselves. Their industry was a cutthroat one Deception, betrayal, and most significantly, copycats were common pitfalls of their profession. But that day, in the offices of General Drafting Company, Otto and Ernest had an idea to overcome even the sneakiest copycat artists. Okay, cartography, the science and art of making maps, may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of unscrupulous business. But if you asked Otto and Ernest, they would say that you couldn't be more wrong. The world of mapmaking hadn't always been so lucrative. But as automobiles grew in popularity through the 1930s and 40s, the so too did the need for roadmaps. And as the need for those maps grew, so did the need for people looking to take advantage of that business. After all, it's not as if someone could prove a map was stolen or copied. If they were accurate, then all maps kind of showed the same thing. The same towns and the same cities and the same roads. Except for Agloe. Otto and Ernest's brilliant idea. A copyright trap was an extra town. One entirely made up by Otto and Ernest. Near the Catskills at the intersection of New York 206 and Rockefeller Road. Of course, Agloe wasn't a real place. Motorists who were passing through Agloe would see a dirt road intersection and a few scrubby patches of grass. This meant any other maps that cropped up with a marker for Agloe would be easy to identify as copyright infringement. The name itself was a private joke, an anagram of their initials, Alpers G. Lindbergh, Otto, Ernest or Agloe. In 1950, the Agloe trap snagged its first prey. Rival map company Rand McNally published their map of New York that included, you guessed it, Agloe. Otto and Ernest were thrilled by this. Not only had their plan worked, but they had caught the massive corporation red handed. General Drafting Company filed a lawsuit against Rand McNally for copyright infringement, expecting an easy victory in court and a sizable paycheck for their trouble. But Rand McNally responded to the lawsuit. No, they said, we didn't copy your map. We sent someone out to Agloe and there's a real town there. What's more, they told Otto and Ernest that the Delaware county offices had records of Agloe. There was a gas station, a general store, a fishing lodge and a sparse collection of houses. It seems that someone whose identity is now lost to time actually arrived in the false town of Agloe after finding it on one of Otto and Ernest's maps purchased from the General Drafting Company. And when this individual saw the dirt road intersection and empty acres, they interpreted the non existent town as a land of opportunity and built a town in that spot. This person must have assumed that the name Agloe was in the official census record. And so that's the name that this person and all proceeding businesses gave to their operations there. The Agloe General Store, Agloe Gas Station, Agloe Fishing Lodge. I think you get the idea. And so Otto and Ernest went and saw the place for themselves. And they were shocked by what they found. In their imaginative attempt to deter copycats, they had somehow accidentally created a real town of course, Rand McNally was found not guilty. The town of Agloe flourished as much as a town of a hundred people or so can. Around 1960, the general store closed, then the gas station, then the lodge. Agloe fell into disrepair and eventually vanished, reverting back to that scrubby patch of grass and a dirt road intersection that Otto and Ernest had originally imagined. But the ghost of Agloe haunted most other maps for decades. Heck, up until 2018, it was still searchable on Google or Apple maps. New generations continued falling for the old trick, and Agloe gained popularity after its appearance in John Green's novel Paper Towns. Once again, the town of Agloe seems to thrive best in fiction. I hope you enjoyed today's guided tour

[Aaron Manke]

through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was created by me, Aaron Manke, in partnership with iHeart Podcasts, researched and written by the Grimm and Mild team and produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about the show and the people who make it [e-mail] curiosities. You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of Curiosities hardcover book available in bookstores and online, as well as ebook and audiobook. And if you're looking for an ad free option, consider joining our Patreon it's all the same stories but without the interruption for a small monthly fee. Learn more and sign up [e-mail] grimandmild and until next time, stay curious.

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