Episode 57 Sources: Short & Spooky

Our fourth volume of Short & Spooky stories is here, and you know the drill! This episode features three stories that are too short for a full episode, but that we really want to share with you. In this installment, you can hear about recent Yellowstone volcano fearmongering, James Dean’s cursed Porsche, and Benadryl-induced visions of the mysterious Hat Man.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources for this episode:

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0jH8zCuL5Q
  2. https://jamesdean.com/biography/
  3. https://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/article/James-Dean-60-years-since-fatal-crash-6537391.php
  4. https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/us-scene/what-really-happened-to-james-deans-cursed-porsche?v=79cba1185463
  5. https://www.oregonlive.com/nation/2022/12/no-they-didnt-close-yellowstone-because-the-supervolcano-is-about-to-erupt.html?outputType=amp
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew03hobTOhc
  7. https://k2radio.com/no-alcova-reservoir-is-not-erupting-dont-send-money/
  8. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hat-man-benadryl-tiktok-monster-1234620397/?sub_action=logged_in
  9. https://www.reddit.com/r/benadryl/comments/rwhf3y/the_hat_man/
  10. https://www.benadryl.com/safety
  11. https://www.checkupnewsroom.com/tiktok-videos-encourage-viewers-to-overdose-on-benadryl/
  12. https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/diphenhydramine/
  13. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/benadryl-challenge-tiktok-overdose/
  14. https://www.salon.com/2020/09/30/benadryl-challenge-claims-the-life-of-one-teen-as-tiktok-claims-to-have-already-banned-the-videos/
  15. https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/sleep/nighttime-sleep-behaviors/sleep-paralysis.html
  16. https://vocal.media/horror/have-you-seen-the-hat-man

Episode 56 Sources: Make Christmas Spooky Again

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Good Yule, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Holidays! We’re glad you’re here with us on the other side of the Long Night (i.e., the Winter Solstice). For this year’s Christmas episode, we’re talking about spooky, or just plain quirky, Christmas traditions primarily from across the pond. Listen to hear about the origins of Krampus, the villainization of Frau Perchta, the terrifying Gryla the Giantess and her mischievous sons, and, finally, an oddly adorable pooping log from Spain.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

Here are our sources from this episode:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companions_of_Saint_Nicholas
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_gift-bringer
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_deity
  4. https://www.pagankids.org/post/historyofyule
  5. https://nerdist.com/article/yule-curious-past-and-present-day-importance/
  6. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/winter-solstice-pagan-yule_n_585970abe4b03904470af4c5
  7. https://spookylittlehalloween.com/2022/11/29/spooky-christmas-traditions/
  8. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/krampus-could-come-you-holiday-season-180957438/
  9. https://www.livescience.com/who-is-krampus
  10. https://news.usc.edu/90213/have-you-been-naughty-then-beware-krampus-is-coming/
  11. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/12/22/572569325/caga-ti-a-catalan-log-that-poops-nougats-at-christmas
  12. https://guidetoiceland.is/history-culture/the-icelandic-yule-lads-and-gryla
  13. https://www.vice.com/en/article/43989p/perchta-christmas-goddess-demon-woman
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchta

Episode 55 Sources: Bones Only, No Gross Bits – Ancient Egypt & King Tut’s Curse with Annelise Baer

Come along with us for a discussion on Ancient Egypt, mummies, and a deep dive into the life and death of Tutankhamun (AKA King Tut), including the finding of his supposedly cursed tomb. For this episode, we are joined by archaeologist and producer Annelise Baer.

You can find links to Annelise’s work and social media on her website: https://annelisebaer.com/. The promo in this episode comes from the Aloreing Podcast.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

While you’re here, we’d love it if you could subscribe to our YouTube channel! There you’ll find extra video content related to the podcast, and Meagan will be going live from time to time to play spooky games or just hang out with listeners! Additionally, if you are interested in any books we’ve discussed on the podcast, you can find them in our new Amazon storefront. We also have recommendations for other books and products we love.

Here are our sources for this episode:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_pharaohs
  2. https://www.livescience.com/44297-king-tut-curse.html
  3. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/655431/ancient-egypt-misconceptions
  4. https://www.si.edu/spotlight/ancient-egypt/mummies#:~:text=This%20they%20did%20by%20covering,the%20natron%20off%20the%20body.
  5. https://blog.nms.ac.uk/2017/06/23/ancient-egyptian-tomb-warnings-curses-and-ghosts/
  6. https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-curse-of-the-curse-of-the-pharaohs/
  7. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/44/mummification-in-ancient-egypt/
  8. https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/tutankhamen
  9. https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/tutcurse/
  10. http://www.griffith.ox.ac.uk/
  11. https://www.worldhistory.org/Tutankhamun/
  12. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/jul/23/mummy-curse-legend-discovering-tutankhamun-ashmolean-museum
  13. https://www.artinsociety.com/the-life-and-death-of-mummy-brown.html
  14. https://www.si.edu/spotlight/ancient-egypt/mummies
  15. https://www.livescience.com/mummification
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natron
  17. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/tutankhamuns-curse

Episode 53 Sources: New Orleans Birthday Extravaganza!

We went to New Orleans for Paige’s 30th birthday, and thought this was a perfect opportunity to tell you about some of the spookiest stories from one of America’s spookiest cities! Listen to hear our take on the heinous crimes of Madame LaLaurie, the ghosts of Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, and burial practices in the Big Easy. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

While you’re here, we’d love it if you could subscribe to our YouTube channel! There you’ll find extra video content related to the podcast, and Meagan will be going live from time to time to play spooky games or just hang out with listeners! Additionally, if you are interested in any books we’ve discussed on the podcast, you can find them in our new Amazon storefront. We also have recommendations for other books and products we love.

Here are our sources for this episode:

  1. https://deepsouthmag.com/2014/01/15/real-madame-lalaurie-legends-american-horror-story-coven/
  2. https://www.vice.com/en/article/3b7x53/a-portrait-of-cruelty-madame-marie-delphine-lalaurie-92
  3. https://www.inquisitr.com/1709485/american-horror-storys-madame-lalaurie-was-even-more-evil-in-real-life/
  4. https://www.flavorwire.com/426021/the-strange-true-story-of-kathy-bates-american-horror-story-character-delphine-lalaurie
  5. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/lalaurie-mansion/
  6. https://thehauntedplaces.com/history-of-lafittes-blacksmith-shop/
  7. https://64parishes.org/entry/delphine-lalaurie
  8. https://ghostcitytours.com/new-orleans/haunted-places/lafittes-blacksmith-shop/
  9. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradjaphe/2020/08/20/is-this-the-worlds-most-haunted-bar/?sh=131c54b965a9
  10. https://www.wwno.org/podcast/tripod-new-orleans-at-300/2016-10-06/the-cemetery-under-the-french-quarter
  11. https://nolacatholiccemeteries.org/st-louis-cemetery-1
  12. https://www.tripshock.com/blog/nola-cemetery-guide/

Episode 52 Sources: Modern Not-Folklore with Tyson Kemp

A new contender for giggliest episode enters the ring! In this episode, we’re talking internet urban legends, from the O.G. “Ted the Caver” to the “Not Deer” craze on Appalachian TikTok. Our guest this episode is the delightful Tyson Kemp! Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

You can find Tyson telling wonderful, well-researched spooky and skeptical stories @tysonunkempt on TikTok and Instagram!

Here are links to the TikToks we watched during this episode:

While you’re here, we’d love it if you could subscribe to our YouTube channel! There you’ll find extra video content related to the podcast, and Meagan will be going live from time to time to play spooky games or just hang out with listeners! Additionally, if you are interested in any books we’ve discussed on the podcast, you can find them in our new Amazon storefront. We also have recommendations for other books and products we love.

Here are our sources for this episode:

  1. https://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/internet-folklore.htm
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creepypasta
  3. https://thegeekanthropologist.com/2014/10/03/contemporary-folklore-in-the-digital-age/
  4. https://www.dictionary.com/e/fictional-characters/the-rake/
  5. https://u.osu.edu/vanzandt/2019/04/09/slender-man/
  6. https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rake
  7. https://www.ranker.com/list/rake-creepypasta/megan-summers
  8. https://esiculture.com/blog/2018/8/27
  9. https://www.polygon.com/videos/2018/7/12/17562402/fiendzone-negative-nostalgia-petscop-creepypasta
  10. https://ihorror.com/ted-caver-horror-hoax/
  11. https://www.angelfire.com/trek/caver/page1.html

Episode 51 Sources: The Missing Lighthouse Keepers of Eilean Mor

It’s December 1900, and three men go missing while working as keepers at the Eilean Mor Lighthouse. To this day, their disappearance is an unsolved mystery. Stories of what happened span everything from a rogue wave to a murder-suicide to mystical bird transformations. In this episode, we discuss the days leading up to the disappearance, the investigation, and what (we think) really happened.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

While you’re here, we’d love it if you could subscribe to our YouTube channel! There you’ll find extra video content related to the podcast, and Meagan will be going live from time to time to play spooky games or just hang out with listeners! Additionally, if you are interested in any books we’ve discussed on the podcast, you can find them in our new Amazon storefront. We also have recommendations for other books and products we love.

Here are our sources for this episode:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannan_Isles_Lighthouse
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWeZJfD42Lg
  3. https://www.history101.com/eilean-more/
  4. https://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/curious-disappearance-eilean-mor-lighthouse-keepers-scottish-mystery-004820
  5. https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/eerie-disappearance-eilean-mor-lighthouse-keepers-1480049
  6. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/roguewaves
  7. https://interestingengineering.com/science/rogue-waves
  8. https://news.sky.com/story/most-extreme-rogue-wave-on-record-confirmed-in-north-pacific-ocean-12541824
  9. https://www.historicalblindness.com/blogandpodcast//blind-spot-three-men-gone-from-eilean-mor-the-missing-keepers-of-the-flannan-isles-light
  10. https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/historical-strangeness/tag/captain+james+harvey+eilean+mor

Episode 50 (!!!) Sources: The Perfect (Spooky) Storms

We made it to episode 50! This one is all about spooky storms from devastating hurricanes to record-setting blizzards, featuring some of our favorite storm stories and why we think they’re spooky. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

Here are our sources:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Perfect_Storm
  2. https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/ghost-hunter-thunderstorms-cause-an-increase-in-paranormal-activity/341839
  3. https://southernspaces.org/2010/katrina-5-x-code-exhibition/
  4. https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/article/this-day-in-history-the-deadliest-blizzard-ever-that-killed-4000-in-iran-started-on-feb-3/715236
  5. https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2005-hurricane-katrina-facts
  6. https://www.history.com/news/hurricane-katrina-facts-legacy
  7. https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/winter/types/
  8. https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/articles/deadliest-us-hurricanes
  9. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29930/40-years-ago-iran-was-hit-deadliest-blizzard-history
  10. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/02/how-humans-sank-new-orleans/552323/
  11. https://wgno.com/news/is-a-hurricane-katrina-victim-haunting-a-seafood-restaurant-simon-the-artist-is-on-the-case/
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Halloween_blizzard  
  13. https://patch.com/new-jersey/berkeley-nj/remembering-the-perfect-storm-20-years-later
  14. https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/the-perfect-storm-30-years-later

Episode 49 Sources: Lab Disasters Part II – Explosions!

Michael Bay, if you’re listening, we made this episode for you. To the rest of our listeners, we agree movie explosions can be great, but in this episode, we’re discussing the real-life science behind why some chemicals go boom and the dangers associated with them when they do. We go into detail about two terrifying, recent explosions, one in a Texas Tech laboratory and the other at the port of Beirut. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

To see pictures of damage from the Texas Tech explosion, visit this link: https://sma.nasa.gov/docs/default-source/safety-messages/safetymessage-2012-07-09-texastechlaboratoryexplosion.pdf?sfvrsn=e9ae1ef8_6

For pictures of the damage associated with the Port of Beirut incident, visit this link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53668493

Here is the full list of our sources:

  1. https://www.csb.gov/texas-tech-university-chemistry-lab-explosion/
  2. https://sma.nasa.gov/docs/default-source/safety-messages/safetymessage-2012-07-09-texastechlaboratoryexplosion.pdf?sfvrsn=e9ae1ef8_6
  3. https://www.chem.fsu.edu/chemlab/chm1020c/Lecture%207/03.php
  4. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-security-blast-explosive-fact/what-is-ammonium-nitrate-and-why-is-it-dangerous-idUSKCN25126F
  5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/nichols1107.htm
  6. https://inchemistry.acs.org/atomic-news/the-boom-in-fireworks.html
  7. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.657996/full
  8. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53668493
  9. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/22/world/europe/1921-deadly-chemical-works-explosion-in-germany.html
  10. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-environment/2020/08/06/379330/chemical-in-beirut-explosion-was-also-behind-two-texas-disasters/
  11. https://www.science.org/content/article/absolutely-horrendous-scientists-discuss-beirut-s-blast-and-how-they-are-coping-its
  12. https://www.llnl.gov/news/just-how-big-was-2020-beirut-explosion
  13. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/09/world/middleeast/beirut-explosion.html
  14. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-ammonium-nitrate-the-chemical-that-exploded-in-beirut/
  15. https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/chemistry-behind-Beirut-explosion/98/web/2020/08
  16. https://www.cas.org/resource/blog/ammonium-nitrate
  17. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02361-x

Bonus Episode Sources: Surprise! Spooky Caves with Sara Head

Surprise! We’re talking all things spooky caves in this bonus episode we recorded last fall with the incomparable Sara Head of the Archaeological Fantasies podcast. Listen to hear us discuss the use and mythology about caves from prehistory to current-day TikTok conspiracies. This episode is a bit less polished than our regular ones, but we hope you enjoy this deep dive into the creepy world of caves! Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

You can find Sara on Twitter @ArchyFantasies, or on these podcasts: Archaeological Fantasies, Paranormal Archaeology, and Digging to the Other Side.

View the Missing 411 maps here: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/missing-persons-cave-maps/

Photos of the Crystal Maiden skeleton in the Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-crystal-maiden-of-the-actun-tunichil-muknal-cave-belize

Here are our sources:

  1. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna26208873
  2. https://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/04/28/cave.deaths/index.html
  3. https://www.archaeology.org/issues/96-1307/trenches/962-greece-portals-underworld-neolithic
  4. https://magazine.mayaluxe.com/articles//cenotes-of-yucatan-sacred-portals-to-the-maya-paradise
  5. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/11-hidden-spots-to-enter-the-underworld
  6. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2014-5-september-october/green-life/spelunkers-beware-these-are-5-spookiest-caves-america
  7. https://www.ladbible.com/community/weird-conspiracy-theorist-says-people-are-going-missing-in-cannibal-caves-20210525
  8. https://www.thesmokies.com/dennis-martin-feral-humans/
  9. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/getting-lost-cave-labyrinth-brain/582865/
  10. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/journey-oldest-cave-paintings-world-180957685/
  11. https://www.science101.com/why-the-catacombs-in-paris-are-dubbed-the-gate-to-hell/
  12. https://drivinvibin.com/2021/05/04/national-parks-home-to-feral-people/
  13. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-018-0599-5
  14. https://nypost.com/2018/02/20/theres-a-good-reason-why-people-suddenly-died-near-roman-portal-to-hell/
  15. https://www.cometoparis.com/paris-guide/paris-monuments/the-catacombs-of-paris-s955
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris
  17. https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/ts/2018/02/02/paris-from-quarry-to-catacombs/

Episode 48 Sources: Spooky True Crime Vol. 4 – Oops, All Witches

In our fourth Spooky True Crime episode, we’re taking you back to Pennsylvania Dutch country in 1928 for the story of the Hex Hollow murder. Listen to hear about the traditional medicine and folk magic traditions of Brauche or Powwow, and what happens when we succumb to fear and suspicion to try to remedy a string of bad luck.

Link with pictures from a tour of the Hex Hollow House: https://housecrazysarah.life/the-house-at-hex-hollow/

You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

Here are our sources:

  1. Supernatural with Ashley Flowers, Episode 62
  2. Lore podcast, Episode 62: Desperate Measures
  3. Morbid podcast, Episode 153
  4. https://the-line-up.com/hex-hollow-nelson-rehmeyer
  5. https://www.ydr.com/story/news/history/blogs/york-town-square/2017/10/14/murder-and-witchcraft-incredible-story-york-countys-hex-murder/764018001/
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rehmeyer%27s_Hollow
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_tripping
  8. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/rehmeyers-hollow
  9. https://occult-world.com/blymire-john/
  10. https://www.glencairnmuseum.org/newsletter/2017/3/2/powwowing-in-pennsylvania
  11. https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/ny-metro-justice-story-rehmeyer-20181121-story.html
  12. https://www.ydr.com/story/news/history/blogs/york-town-square/2009/12/06/hex-murder-rehmayer/31681709/
  13. https://www.wgal.com/article/tales-of-witchcraft-spells-murder-surround-rehmeyer-s-hollow/6239526