Tag: History

Remember your first night away from home? Not at camp, Not at a slumber party, but really on your own? What advice were you given about safety? How many times did you check the deadbolt? How long did it take you to get used to the sounds of the house? … Read More …

Somewhere between the way things were, and the way they are, there was a hope; no, there is a hope, that there’s more to life than meets the eye. But, long before news of scientific discoveries were embedded between posts like ’18 Things Only Girls Wit… Read More …

Somewhere between the way things were, and the way they are, there was a hope; no, there is a hope, that there’s more to life than meets the eye. But, long before news of scientific discoveries were embedded between posts like ’18 Things Only Girls With Curly Hair Will Understand’ and ‘Hedgehogs: Our New Cute Obsession’ and updates for tech devices appeared every other day, there was a sense of wonder and possibility attached to each advance and understanding. Is it so difficult to think that early 20th century imaginations might turn attentions to the boundary between the life and death, expecting that the same science that brought electric lighting to their home or sent their messages across oceans via telegraphs might contact those just beyond the veil? These are the origins of the Ouija board. The swirling chaos that defined that era is full of characters and controversy. The Spiritualist movement pitted master magician Harry Houdini against the master of mystery, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the fallout was and is incredibly entertaining. Join us as we examine how and if this board works, and take a look at one of the greatest intellectual feuds in modern history.  Read More …

Surely, yes, surely, Norman, Mother, and the horrors of the Bates Motel are merely eccentric imaginings of a darkly gifted mind, right? However unbelievable this Freudian field day seems, it’s based on a true story. Just as Hitchcock’s film, Psycho, initiated the country (and truthfully, the world) into the age of suspenseful, cerebral horror thrillers; the story of its origin generated a national curiosity about abnormal psychology and its role in creating the modern monsters later dubbed ‘serial killers’. Unbelievable from inspiration to publication, from publication to production, from production to marketing, and from marketing to reception this film is a landmark of cinema and storytelling. Join as we take a look at the way Psycho redefined the way Americans saw movies, and the way Ed Gein changed the way we saw the guy next door. 

Guest Story Teller Diane Student from History Goes Bump Podcast https://itun.es/us/YfOR2.c Read More …

Surely, yes, surely, Norman, Mother, and the horrors of the Bates Motel are merely eccentric imaginings of a darkly gifted mind, right? However unbelievable this Freudian field day seems, it’s based on a true story. Just as Hitchcock’s film, Psycho, in… Read More …

What do you think of when you hear the phrase ‘Mardi Gras’? It seems a safe wager to bet that most minds go to booze, boobs, Bourbon Street and beads, but there is another farewell to flesh, celebrated not so far from the capital city of organized deba… Read More …

What do you think of when you hear the phrase ‘Mardi Gras’? It seems a safe wager to bet that most minds go to booze, boobs, Bourbon Street and beads, but there is another farewell to flesh, celebrated not so far from the capital city of organized debauchery. Yes, deep along the bayous of Cajun Country men in ornate costumes take to horseback and ride out seeking the ingredients they will need to provide a feast for their fellow townsfolk. Sounds like something straight out of Europe in the Middle Ages, right? It is in fact, but these masked marauders ride to this day, but how did this tradition find its way to rural south Louisiana? Who are these madmen? What do they want? And most importantly, what’s with all this talk about a chicken?  Read More …

We all know children are the future, mostly because the song plays at local supermarkets and dentist’s office in heavy rotation, but what if that sentiment isn’t as comforting as soft rock would have us believe? “Children are all little criminals,” a 1… Read More …

We all know children are the future, mostly because the song plays at local supermarkets and dentist’s office in heavy rotation, but what if that sentiment isn’t as comforting as soft rock would have us believe? “Children are all little criminals,” a 19th century psychologist stated, and perhaps he’s not so far off. There’s something parasitic about the relationships between caretakers and their charges, but we’ll look at the extreme worst case scenarios in this episode. From the paranormal, black eyed children trading on their cuteness to get a chance to steal your soul, to the factual, real life tales of kids who kill; we’ll try to answer the question: why are creepy kids so creepy?  Read More …

Hotels are a common fixture in almost any society. Since before the birth of Christ, and, come to think of it, even for the specific occasion of the birth of Christ, people have been hoping to find some room at the inn. But serving society’s weary trav… Read More …

Hotels are a common fixture in almost any society. Since before the birth of Christ, and, come to think of it, even for the specific occasion of the birth of Christ, people have been hoping to find some room at the inn. But serving society’s weary travelers or playing host to out-of-towners away for both business and pleasure is only the beginning of functions hotels perform. Is there something to the idea that at some hotels you can check any time you like, but you can never leave? The Eagles styled a fictional inn as a purgatory of sorts in their classic song, “Hotel California”, and maybe that’s not as fantastical as it sounds. We take a look at the things that go on behind those ‘do not disturb’ signs, and see if there’s anything to the idea that hotels are beacons of the underworld. Using the Hotel Cecil, a real-life Hotel California if ever there was one, as a case study we work our way through the vices that draw people, such as Robert Ramirez and Elisa Lam, to these intersections of public and private life and the privacy and anonymity they provide.

Elisa Lam Video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3TjVBpyTeZM Read More …

As we unpack this legend about a cross dressing assailant attacking a woman in her home, issues surrounding gender, violence, and safe spaces are bound to come up. In this episode we take a look at the history of people posing as members of the opposit… Read More …

As we unpack this legend about a cross dressing assailant attacking a woman in her home, issues surrounding gender, violence, and safe spaces are bound to come up. In this episode we take a look at the history of people posing as members of the opposite sex and examine the lasting effects that old attitudes, fears, and prejudices have left on modern society. The damaging discourse of deviance surrounding issues of gender still shows up today, creating discrimination against the transgender community and the continued prevalence of violence against women. Who is really at risk here?  Read More …