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PODCAST

Weird History

Dive into the curious corners of the past with Weird History! From peculiar people to baffling events and mysterious places, this podcast unravels fascinating tales that are as bizarre as they are true. If you"re a fan of the unexpected, join us for a journey through history"s strangest stories.

history

All Episodes

00:23:50

When Thanksgiving Was Like Halloween - The Forgotten...

Weird History ·

2025/11/27

Ragamuffin Day: When Kids Dressed in Costumes and Begged for Treats on ThanksgivingBefore Thanksgiving became about football and turkey comas, it was America's original trick-or-treat holiday. From the late 1800s through the 1950s, children dressed up in ragged costumes, masks, and cross-dressed outfits, then went door-to-door begging for pennies, candy, and fruit. They called it Ragamuffin Day, and it was wildly popular in New York City and other urban areas.Kids would dress as hobos, beggars,

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00:35:52

The Man Who Claimed to Be Jesus's Brother and Started...

Weird History ·

2025/11/24

Hong Xiuquan: When a Failed Exam Created History's Deadliest Civil WarIn 1837, Hong Xiuquan failed China's civil service exam for the fourth time and had a complete mental breakdown. During fever-induced visions, he met God and Jesus Christ - who revealed that Hong was actually Jesus's younger brother, sent to save China from demons. When he recovered, Hong decided to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish the "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace." What followed was the deadliest

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00:20:38

When 388,000 Gallons of Beer Flooded London Streets...

Weird History ·

2025/11/21

On October 17, 1814, a massive vat containing over 135,000 gallons of beer ruptured at the Meux and Company Brewery in London. The explosion triggered a domino effect, bursting other vats and sending a 15-foot wave of beer crashing through the streets of St. Giles, one of London's poorest neighborhoods. In minutes, 388,000 gallons of beer were flooding homes, demolishing buildings, and drowning residents.Eight people died in the disaster - crushed by debris, drowned in their basements, or

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00:32:45

The Men Who Dug Up Fresh Corpses for Money - Until...

Weird History ·

2025/11/19

The Resurrectionists: When Grave Robbing Became Big BusinessIn the early 1800s, medical schools desperately needed bodies for anatomy lessons, but the law only allowed them to dissect executed criminals. The solution? A booming black market in fresh corpses. Enter the resurrectionists - professional grave robbers who worked under cover of darkness to supply doctors with bodies, no questions asked.These body snatchers had it down to a science. They used wooden shovels to avoid noise, dug from the

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00:28:48

The Victorian Rat Catchers Who Became Celebrities -...

Weird History ·

2025/11/16

In Victorian London, rats were everywhere - in the sewers, in homes, in food markets, spreading disease and terrorizing the city. Enter the rat catchers, a strange breed of professionals who developed increasingly bizarre methods to hunt rats and became unexpected celebrities in the process.Jack Black, Queen Victoria's official rat catcher, was the most famous. He wore a scarlet waistcoat covered in cast-iron rats and carried live rats in his pockets as he walked through London streets. He would

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00:49:42

The Brown Bear Who Became a WWII Soldier, Carried...

Weird History ·

2025/11/12

Wojtek: The Bear Who Fought in World War IIIn 1942, Polish soldiers found an orphaned bear cub in Iran and decided to adopt him. By 1944, that bear was officially enlisted as a private in the Polish army, had his own paybook and serial number, and fought in one of the bloodiest battles of WWII. His name was Wojtek, and he became a legend.Wojtek wasn't just a mascot - he was a working soldier. During the Battle of Monte Cassino, he carried crates of ammunition and artillery shells to the front

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00:28:29

When Australia Declared War on Birds and Lost - The...

Weird History ·

2025/11/10

In 1932, Australia faced an invasion. Twenty thousand emus descended on wheat farms in Western Australia, destroying crops and livelihoods. The government's solution? Send in the military with machine guns. What followed was one of the most humiliating defeats in military history - humans vs. birds, and the birds won.The Australian army arrived with two soldiers, two machine guns, and 10,000 rounds of ammunition, confident they'd wipe out the emu population in days. But the emus had other

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00:35:49

The Mongolian Princess Who Won 10,000 Horses by...

Weird History ·

2025/11/08

Khutulun: The Warrior Princess Who Refused to LoseKhutulun was the great-great-granddaughter of Genghis Khan and possibly the most feared warrior in the Mongol Empire. While other princesses were married off for political alliances, Khutulun had a different plan - she would only marry a man who could beat her in wrestling. The stakes? Suitors had to bet horses. If they lost, she kept the horses. She never lost.By the time she was done, Khutulun had won 10,000 horses and remained unmarried, despite

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00:30:31

The Emperor Who Made His Horse a Senator and Declared...

Weird History ·

2025/11/05

Emperor Caligula: When Rome's Emperor Lost His MindCaligula started as Rome's most beloved ruler and ended as its most feared madman. In just four years, he went from promising young emperor to a tyrant who declared himself a living god, had conversations with statues, and committed acts so bizarre that Romans wondered if he was possessed by demons.He allegedly made his favorite horse Incitatus a senator and planned to make him consul, built the horse a marble stable with an ivory manger,

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00:31:03

The Teenage Emperor Who Married Five Times,...

Weird History ·

2025/10/27

Emperor Elagabalus: When Rome's Wildest Teenager Became EmperorElagabalus became Roman Emperor at age 14 and spent the next four years shocking Rome with behavior so outrageous that historians still debate whether the accounts are real or exaggerated propaganda. He married and divorced five times in four years, allegedly worked as a prostitute in the palace, and may have been one of history's first transgender rulers.The teenage emperor brought his Syrian sun god to Rome - literally a black

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00:36:58

Joan of Arc's Companion Became History's Most...

Weird History ·

2025/10/21

Gilles de Rais: From Noble War Hero to MonsterGilles de Rais was one of France's greatest military heroes, fighting alongside Joan of Arc and becoming one of the wealthiest noblemen in Europe. Then he became one of history's first documented serial killers, allegedly murdering hundreds of children in occult rituals at his castle.After Joan of Arc's execution, Gilles retreated to his estates and his behavior grew increasingly bizarre. He squandered his massive fortune on lavish theatrical

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00:30:40

The Murder Scandal That Rocked Louis XIV's Court -...

Weird History ·

2025/10/12

The Affair of the Poisons: When the French Elite Turned to Witchcraft and MurderIn 1670s Paris, the glittering court of Louis XIV hid a dark secret - aristocrats were secretly attending black masses, buying poisons from fortune tellers, and murdering anyone who stood in their way. What started as a simple murder investigation exploded into France's most shocking scandal, implicating some of the most powerful people in the kingdom.At the center was La Voisin, a fortune teller who sold love

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00:27:23

The Genius Artist Who Murdered a Man Over Tennis and...

Weird History ·

2025/10/04

Caravaggio: When Art History's Greatest Painter Was Also Its Most Dangerous CriminalMichelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio revolutionized Western art while simultaneously terrorizing Rome with his violent temper. By day, he painted religious masterpieces for the Pope. By night, he brawled in taverns, attacked rival artists with swords, and racked up an arrest record that would make modern criminals blush.In 1606, Caravaggio killed a man named Ranuccio Tomassoni during what started as a tennis match

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00:31:10

The Australian Outlaw Who Built His Own Armor and...

Weird History ·

2025/09/30

Ned Kelly: The Armored Bushranger Who Became Australia's Greatest Folk HeroNed Kelly wasn't just an outlaw - he was a working-class hero who took on the entire police force wearing homemade metal armor that made him look like a medieval knight. When Australian police came to arrest him in 1880, they found themselves in a legendary shootout against a man bullets couldn't stop.Kelly and his gang crafted full suits of armor from stolen plow blades, complete with helmets and chest plates

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00:33:26

The Opera Singer Who Burned Down a Convent for Love -...

Weird History ·

2025/09/27

Julie d'Aubigny: The Most Scandalous Woman in French HistoryMeet Julie d'Aubigny, the 17th-century opera star who lived like an action movie hero. By day, she dazzled audiences at the Paris Opera. By night, she dueled men in the streets, seduced both men and women, and caused scandals that shocked even the French court.When Julie fell in love with a nun, she didn't just write love letters - she joined the convent as a fake nun, seduced her target, then burned the whole place down to

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00:11:45

When the Sun Attacked Earth: The Carrington Event...

Weird History ·

2025/09/25

This episode of Weird History explores the most dramatic space weather event ever recorded and why scientists are terrified it could happen again. In 1859, we had telegraphs. Today, we have satellites, GPS, power grids, and the internet. A Carrington-level event now would be catastrophic, potentially causing trillions in damage and sending modern civilization back to the pre-electric age.We'll uncover the science behind solar storms, examine the eyewitness accounts from around the world, and

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00:14:35

How Medieval Men's Fashion Nearly Broke Society - The...

Weird History ·

2025/09/23

What started as a practical wardrobe fix became history's most ridiculous fashion trend - and nearly tore European society apart. When 15th-century doublets got shorter and hose got tighter, men needed something to cover the gap. What began as a simple cloth flap evolved into elaborate, jeweled fashion statements that declared wealth, power, and virility.Kings wore golden codpieces encrusted with gems while nobles competed for the most outrageously oversized versions. This bizarre trend sparked

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00:10:14

When the Sky Rained Meat: The Bizarre Kentucky...

Weird History ·

2025/09/21

March 3rd, 1876 started as a perfectly normal day in Bath County, Kentucky. The sky was clear, there wasn't a cloud in sight, and Mrs. Crouch was outside making soap. Then chunks of fresh meat began falling from the heavens, covering her yard in what witnesses described as beef, mutton, and possibly venison. Welcome to one of America's most bizarre unsolved mysteries.For several minutes, meat rained down over a 100-yard area, with pieces ranging from tiny flakes to chunks as large as a human

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00:12:23

The Creepy Victorian Tradition of Posing Dead Bodies...

Weird History ·

2025/09/16

When Death Was Picture Perfect: The Disturbing World of Victorian Post-Mortem PhotographyImagine opening a family photo album and finding pictures of your deceased relatives posed as if they were still alive. For Victorians, this wasn't horror - it was love. Welcome to the bizarre world of post-mortem photography, where death became an art form and corpses were the star of family portraits.In an era when photography was expensive and rare, many families' only professional portrait included

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00:18:19

The Severed Ear That Started a 9-Year War - And Why...

Weird History ·

2025/09/13

What if we told you that a single severed ear sparked a nine-year war between two of history's greatest empires? Welcome to the utterly bizarre story of the War of Jenkins' Ear, where a British sea captain's gruesome injury became the rallying cry for one of the 18th century's most absurd conflicts.In 1731, Spanish coast guards allegedly sliced off Captain Robert Jenkins' ear during a ship search in the Caribbean. Seven years later, Jenkins marched into the British Parliament,

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57 results

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