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

Episode 47 Sources: Deconstructing Atlantis with Sara Head

We are once again joined by the wonderful Sara Head of the Archaeological Fantasies and Digging to the Other Side podcasts to talk about all things Atlantis. In this episode, we tackle the origins of the myth, what science has to say about real “lost” civilizations and continents, and the very serious problems with the perpetuation of the Atlantis myth today.

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

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

Here are our sources:

  1. https://www.livescience.com/23217-lost-city-of-atlantis.html
  2. https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/atlantis
  3. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Atlantis:_The_Antediluvian_World#:~:text=Atlantis%3A%20The%20Antediluvian%20World%20is,descended%20from%20this%20lost%20land.
  4. https://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/27/3/article/GSATG321A.1.htm
  5. https://t.co/yBBP6AVfmw
  6. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-guatemala-archaeology/divers-probe-mayan-ruins-submerged-in-guatemala-lake-idUSTRE59T4P120091030
  7. https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2020/06/29/stunning-new-maps-reveal-what-the-lost-continent-of-zealandia-looks-like/?sh=6a26579522be
  8. https://mysteriousthing.com/the-devastating-nuclear-war-between-lemuria-and-atlantis-more-than-10000-years-ago-video
  9. https://gizmodo.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-lemuria-the-lost-con-1624866897
  10. https://www.greeka.com/cyclades/santorini/sightseeing/santorini-volcano/atlantis/
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoan_eruption  
  12. https://www.livescience.com/4846-eruption-thera-changed-world.html

Episode 46 Sources: The Enfield Poltergeist

In this episode we get back to our paranormal roots to cover a listener request, the Enfield Poltergeist! You may be familiar with this story from the movies, but we are here (per usual) to tell you that what happened to the Hodgson family may not have been as spooky as it seems. Join us to hear about Peggy Hodgson, her children, their G-H-O-S-T, and what we think was actually going on at 284 Green St. in 1977.

Featured promo in this episode comes from our friends at 3 Spooked Girls!

Link including pictures taken by Graham Morris of Janet “levitating” (i.e., jumping off of her bed): http://features.sky.com/enfield-haunting/

Here are our sources:

  1. Monster Talk podcast, Episodes 123 & 124 https://www.skeptic.com/podcasts/monstertalk/17/03/08/, https://www.skeptic.com/podcasts/monstertalk/17/04/12/
  2. Generation Why podcast, “The Enfield Poltergeist”, https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/the-enfield-poltergeist-151/id541481026?i=1000354821499
  3. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/may/01/the-enfield-poltergeist-a-skeptic-speaks
  4. https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/five-reasons-why-londons-most-famous-poltergeist-case-is-a-hoax-061616
  5. http://www.theoccultmuseum.com/interview-poltergeist-true-story-enfield-haunting/
  6. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4GjC93L35KcswfsR13Gvj8F/what-it-s-like-to-meet-a-poltergeist
  7. https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/enfield-poltergeist
  8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_for_Psychical_Research
  9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enfield_poltergeist
  10. https://www.thehistoryreader.com/us-history/1977-the-amityville-haunting-and-the-enfield-house/
  11. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2054842/Enfield-Poltergeist-The-amazing-story-11-year-old-North-London-girl-levitated-bed.html  
  12. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-15524459

Episode 45 Sources: Lab Disasters Part 1, The Radium Girls

Paige is our resident health and safety professional and it’s her time to shine in this episode all about the “Radium Girls”, a group of amazing women whose fight against the US Radium Corporation was instrumental in the establishment of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and modern workplace safety regulations. This is part one of two episodes we plan to do on lab disasters (up next: EXPLOSIONS!).

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

Featured promo in this episode from the Malpractice Podcast.

Link to the industrial safety presentation mentioned by Paige: https://orau.org/ihos/downloads/meetings/support-files/2018/RadiumGirls_King.pdf

Link to the song “Radium Dance”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvn3Kr15azg 

Here are our sources:

  1. Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore https://www.amazon.com/Radium-Girls-Story-Americas-Shining/dp/149264935X
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPpRrUI3PyE
  3. https://www.britannica.com/story/radium-girls-the-women-who-fought-for-their-lives-in-a-killer-workplace#:~:text=The%20women%20hired%20to%20paint,they%20went%20dancing%20after%20work.
  4. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/curies-isolate-radium#:~:text=On%20April%2020%2C%201902%2C%20Marie,in%20their%20research%20of%20pitchblende.
  5. https://orau.org/ihos/downloads/meetings/support-files/2018/RadiumGirls_King.pdf
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5595405/  
  7. https://orau.org/health-physics-museum/collection/miscellaneous/radium-dance.html

Episode 44 Sources: The Short & The Spooky – Tokyo Drift

For this installment of Short & Spooky, we’re bringing you four stories that have about as much connection to one-another as The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift has to the rest of the franchise its associated with. That is to say, almost none. Join us as we learn about creepy dolls, glowing Civil War wounds, strange trees, and baby dragons.

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

Here are our sources:

  1. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-creepy-dolls-180955916/
  2. https://www.prevention.com/health/mental-health/a23737943/fear-of-dolls/
  3. https://www.discovery.com/exploration/the-mystery-of-the-crooked-forest
  4. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/interesting-facts-about-udaipur-that-every-traveller-should-know/photostory/82304814.cms
  5. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/science/crooked-forest-poland-theories.html
  6. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/blind-aquatic-salamander-may-have-sat-mostly-still-seven-years
  7. https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/angels-glow-why-did-some-civil-war-soldiers-glow-as-they-lay-dying/?fbclid=IwAR0nTmWhdolMRbKU3OGRf8cHX0cCAGIkz7PCDC_auZAevqXyzw0GDRgUSBg
  8. https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2001/students-may-have-answer-for-faster-healing-civil-war-wounds-that-glowed/ 
  9. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4450468
  10. https://www.livescience.com/32651-what-causes-bioluminescence-.html
  11. https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/did-you-know/how-does-bioluminescence-work/
  12. https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/bioluminescence#:~:text=Bioluminescence%20occurs%20through%20a%20chemical,reacts%20with%20oxygen%2C%20produces%20light.&text=Many%20organisms%20also%20produce%20the,to%20speed%20up%20the%20reaction.
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioluminescent_bacteria#:~:text=Purpose%20of%20bio%2Dluminescence,-The%20wide%2Dranged&text=In%20the%20case%20of%20bioluminescent,as%20a%20form%20of%20dispersal.&text=The%20bio%2Dluminescence%20of%20bacteria,enter%20and%20inhabit%20other%20organisms.
  14. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01142/full
  15. https://ano-patel.medium.com/slovenias-dragons-from-myth-to-reality-2a22a3f3dfc#:~:text=Postojna%20and%20Skocjan%20caves%20in,14%20years%20without%20any%20food
  16. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/whats-behind-slovenias-love-affair-with-a-salamander

Episode 43 Sources: Spooky Volcanoes – Take My Picture With It!

In this episode, our very own volcano expert, Meagan, talks about what occurred during the infamous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. We discuss what is left of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as what makes them spooky. We also dive into supervolcanoes, including how much of a threat they really pose to the survival of the human race and some spooky stories about the biggest eruptions that humans (or at least our ancestors) have witnessed.

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

*This is a joke. Meagan did not pose with any skeletons.

Here are our sources:

  1. MEAGAN’S BRAIN.
  2. https://www.audiology.org/volcanic-eruption-tops-loudest-sound-heard-on-earth-in-the-past-100-years/#:~:text=Scientists%20believe%20the%20sonic%20boom,235%20dB%20in%20the%20epicenter.
  3. https://www.popsci.com/story/science/loudest-sounds-ever-measured/
  4. https://www.livescience.com/vitrified-brain-of-vesuvius-victim-found.html
  5. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mount-vesuvius-boiled-its-victims-blood-and-caused-their-skulls-explode-180970504/
  6. https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/12/partially-mutilated-herculaneum-skeleton-was-fugitive-of-vesuvius-eruption/
  7. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57055163
  8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder  https://www.susannaduffy.com/the-ghosts-of-herculaneum/
  9. https://igppweb.ucsd.edu/~gabi/sio15/lectures/volcanoes/pliny.html
  10. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-22355515
  11. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-humans-weathered-toba-supervolcano-just-fine-180968479/
  12. https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/how-climate-works/mount-tambora-and-year-without-summer
  13. https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/05/26/year-without-a-summer-1816-mount-tambora/84855694/
  14. http://www.craterlakeinstitute.com/smith-chronological-history-of-crater-lake/sources-and-articles-of-interest/orgin-stories-of-the-lake/

Episode 42 Sources: The (Not-So-Mysterious) Winchester Mystery House

In this episode we are joined by the fabulous Karen Stollznow (author and host of the Monster Talk podcast) to talk about the history and rumors surrounding Sarah Winchester and her famed California mansion. As with the Mystery House itself, things aren’t always what they seem when it comes to the reclusive widow who built it.

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

Here are our sources:

  1. The Meg Conley article mentioned by Meagan: https://www.megconley.com/the-winchester-mystery-house/
  2. Karen’s book Haunting America where she tells the story of the Winchester Mansion: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087FC3MYB/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i9
  3. The book on Sarah Winchester recommended by Karen, Captive of the Labyrinth by Mary Jo Ignoffo: https://www.amazon.com/Captive-Labyrinth-Winchester-Heiress-Fortune/dp/0826219837/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=captive+of+the+labyrinth&qid=1646405516&sprefix=captive+of+the+la%2Caps%2C63&sr=8-1
  4. Photo of the original Hayes Mansion: https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/06/14/herhold-the-woman-behind-san-joses-hayes-mansion/
  5. https://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/sarahs-story/
  6. https://www.biography.com/personality/sarah-winchester
  7. https://thetruthaboutsarahwinchester.com/
  8. Criminal Podcast – Episode 107: https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-107-the-widow-and-the-winchester-2-1-2019/
  9. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/02/winchester-helen-mirren-haunted-house-san-jose
  10. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/real-story-of-sarah-winchester-mystery-house-12552842.php
  11. https://www.7×7.com/the-top-10-lies-about-the-winchester-mystery-house-1786563456.html
  12. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/movies/horror-movie-based-on-a-true-story.html 
  13. https://fronterasdesk.org/content/1752944/new-local-musical-shows-only-thing-haunting-sarah-winchester-was-fake-news  
  14. https://www.guns.com/news/2012/07/19/winchester-1873

Episode 41 Sources: Spooky True Crime Vol. 3, Lake Crescent

In our third spooky true crime episode we chat about Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park. If the chemistry of the lake and its potential to turn bodies into soap isn’t spooky enough for you, the long history of mysterious disappearances, deaths, and ghost stories associated with it will surely creep you out. Buckle in, because you’re in for a wild ride.

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

Here are our sources:

  1. https://thenationsvacation.com/travel_guide/spooky-national-park-experiences-this-halloween/
  2. https://www.backpacker.com/trips/haunted-hikes-for-halloween/
  3. https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/washington/articles/the-lady-of-the-lake-is-still-haunting-this-washington-town/
  4. https://skullsinthestars.com/2010/10/31/the-lady-of-the-lake-a-scientific-ghost-story/
  5. https://www.myolympicpark.com/park/history/the-lady-of-crescent-lake/
  6. https://www.ststworld.com/lake-crescent/ 
  7. https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/DNA-confirms-ID-in-1929-Lake-Crescent-death-1187827.php
  8. https://morbidology.com/the-lady-of-the-lake-hallie-illingworth/
  9. The Lady of Crescent Lake (myolympicpark.com)
  10. https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/serial-killer-ii-murderer-tied-to-five-slayings-while-living-in-neah-bay-including-body-in-lake-crescent/
  11. https://books.google.com/books?id=L8qPBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA341&lpg=PA341&dq=bones+warrens+lake+crescent&source=bl&ots=Zdz64JcHHQ&sig=ACfU3U3ndgsXgPJzpe9Qay6F4r19uuIExg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjK4vH1mM71AhVzlIkEHX3ZB6UQ6AF6BAhCEAM#v=onepage&q=bones%20warrens%20lake%20crescent&f=false
  12. Lake Crescent: Washington State’s Beautiful, Deadly Lake and its History – STSTW (ststworld.com)
  13. Israel Keyes – Wikipedia
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Crescent
  15. https://wa100.dnr.wa.gov/olympic-peninsula/lake-crescent
  16. https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/lake-crescent-area-brochure.htm
  17. https://www.historylink.org/File/8599
  18. https://www.boydski.com/diving/dives/warren_wreck.htm
  19. https://www.hotcars.com/a-fatal-72-year-old-mystery-solved/

Episode 40 Sources: Spooky Chemistry

Whether or not you realize it, you interact with chemicals every day of your life. The foods you eat, the products you use to clean your home, and even you, yourself, are made of chemicals! Some of them, though, can be quite dangerous or have been used for nefarious purposes. So, in this episode, we’re diving into the darker side of chemistry with stories of hidden gold, acid burns, and body dissolution.

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

Here are our sources:

  1. https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/can-acid-dissolve-a-body/3007496.article
  2. https://edu.rsc.org/analysis/breaking-bad-ii-acid-bath-disposal-of-bodies/3007374.article
  3. https://medium.com/the-crime-historian/the-story-of-lye-the-cook-the-murderer-his-wife-and-her-lover-187d29c92352#:~:text=Under%20high%20heat%20and%20pressure,liquid%20in%20just%20three%20hours.
  4. https://ehs.unc.edu/chemical/hfa/chemical-safety-information-hydrofluoric-acid/
  5. https://www.cremationassociation.org/page/alkalinehydrolysis
  6. https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/what-happens-when-a-dead-body-is-dissolved-in-lye
  7. https://www.chem.purdue.edu/chemsafety/chem/HFfatality.html
  8. https://www.today.com/popculture/mythbusters-proves-breaking-bads-walt-needs-some-more-schooling-6C10904583
  9. https://inside.nku.edu/artsci/departments/chemistry/about/diversity/jabiribnhayyan.html
  10. https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2011/10/03/140815154/dissolve-my-nobel-prize-fast-a-true-story  
  11. https://gizmodo.com/how-acid-can-leave-your-skin-untouched-but-destroy-your-1723056026