Horrifying History

The effects of war are widespread.  Civilians and those caught in the crossfire experience trauma and suffering.  Soldiers suffer from combat stress, PTSD, and the constant threat of death.  When one side loses, both sides face severe physical, psychological, and systemic consequences that can affect generations.   But the war you are going to hear about today resulted in wides...

You wake up in the middle of the night.   Everything seems to be normal, but then you try to move.   Nothing happens.   Your body will not respond.   Then something changes.   You feel yourself rising, but not physically.   You look down and see your body still lying in bed, but you are no longer in it.   For some, this experience is exhilarating.   For others, it is absolutely terrifying. So, snu...

Imagine walking through a field just before sunrise.  The air is cold, and there is a thin layer of mist close to the ground.  The world is quiet…too quiet.  You are surrounded by acres of grain that stretch into the darkness.  That’s when you see it: a perfectly formed circle.  It’s not a rough patch or an area where the wind has blown crops over.  It is a perfectly...

In a cramped jail cell in the Philippines, a terrified young woman claimed unseen forces were attacking her.  Prison guards refused to enter her cell alone, and newspapers across the country published sensational headlines.  An American missionary would later claim that he confronted what was said to be truly evil.   So, settle in, my spooky friends.  Today, you will hear the story of a young woma...

There are some moments in life where everything changes in an instant.  A hiker slips from a mountain ledge… a sailor disappears beneath towering waves… an explorer stumbles through an endless frozen wasteland with no strength left to continue.  These are the moments that logic says the story should end.  But for thousands of people throughout history, it doesn’t.  Sometimes there is overwhelming...

The American dream paints a picture of sprawling mansions, expensive cars, and families who seem to have everything.  From the outside, the Menendez family appeared to be living that dream, but inside, it was a house of terror.  So, get ready, my spooky friends.  Today, you will hear the rest of a case that is considered to be one of the most debated in American criminal history.  But before we st...

Before we begin, I have a confession to make. Today is my birthday... and while most people celebrate with cake, candles, and presents, I thought we'd do something a little different. After all, this is Horrifying History. Instead of receiving gifts, I wanted to give one to all of you. Over the years, this podcast has grown into something I never could have imagined. What started as a passion proj...

Some houses hold memories, while others hold secrets.  There is a mansion at 722 North Elm Drive in Beverly Hills that held both.  From the outside, it was the picture of the American Dream, but behind those walls existed anger, fear, and years of silence.  Then, on one warm August evening in 1989, those secrets exploded with shotgun blasts.  So, put on some sunscreen, my spooky friends.  Today, y...

Certain stories refuse to disappear.   Some are ghost stories.   Some are unsolved true crime cases and historical mysteries that seem impossible to explain.   Then there are tales like the one you are going to hear about today.   So, break out your tinfoil, my spooky friends.   Today, you will hear the story of a woman whose alien abduction was allegedly witnessed by over twenty people. Our websi...

They say monsters don’t always hide in shadows.  Sometimes they wear expensive suits, carry a doctor’s bag, and charm everyone they meet.  In autumn of 1888, as fear gripped the streets in London’s Whitechapel district and Jack the Ripper terrorized the city, a mysterious American doctor found himself at the center of one of history’s greatest mysteries.  So, break out your stethoscopes, my spooky...

There are moments in history when doing the right thing requires extraordinary courage.   There are moments when doing the right thing is guaranteed death.     So, get out your wristwatch cameras and lipstick guns, my spooky friends.   Today, you will hear the story of some brave teenagers who should have been worried about exams, but instead chose to fight a dictator Our website is the spot for e...

By the late 1970s, Richard Cottingham had perfected his cover.  To neighbours, he was a devoted husband and father.  To his co-workers, he was quiet but dependable.  To his family, he was a brother, cousin, and friend.  But behind the carefully manufactured facade, a predator lived.  After years of violent fantasies, he decided to make them reality.   So, grab a slice of New York pizza, my spooky...

Victorian England is mostly remembered as a time of refinement.  Men wearing top hats, horse-drawn carriages rattling down cobblestone streets, and an empire that stretched across the world.  But beneath the surface lurked a darker reality.  Murderers could disappear into crowded cities, and poison became one of the deadliest weapons imaginable.  So, break out your stethoscopes, my spooky friends....

On June 1st, 2001, members of Nepal’s royal family gathered for what should have been a quiet evening dinner.   There was laughter, conversations about politics and the future of the monarchy over drinks.   Within minutes, the king, queen, and other family members were dead.   When the shooting stopped, the murderer became the new king. So, set the table, my spooky friends.   Today, you will hear...

We here at Horrifying History step into the darkest corners of history, where the line between charm and evil can disappear without warning, and where monsters do not always look like monsters.   Today’s episode is one of those stories.   The man you are going to hear about did not lurk in the shadows with blood on his hands.   He smiled and flirted.   He joked with television audiences and posed...

One of the most important figures in Texas’s history never set foot in this American state.   In fact, she was never in the United States at all.   So, grab your rosary beads, my spooky friends.   Today, you will hear the story of a woman who spread the gospel in a place she had never been to. Our website is the spot for everything spooky!   Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to...

Have you ever wondered what happens after we die? Is there a bright light? Some harp-playing angels? Or do we spend eternity trying to remember why we walked into a room in the first place? Well, if you've got questions about the afterlife, you're in luck... because this week, we're bringing you a special feed drop from our friends at Voices of Misery. Joining the show is Ericka Bouss-ar-hane, a p...

Los Angeles in the summer of 1985 was supposed to feel glamorous…palm trees…neon lights…endless highways…and Hollywood dreams.   But while people slept with their windows open in the California heat, someone was moving through the darkness.   He climbed through unlocked windows and walked through unlocked doors.   With him, he carried guns, knives, tire irons, and rage.   So,   lock your doors, my...

When I was young, I rode a bus to school that was driven by one of my Aunts.   I would often fall asleep on my way home.   Since my Aunt was used to seeing me, she would forget to drop me off.   When she realized her error, she would have a teenager who lived several stops after mine call my parents to let them know I was ok. But imagine for a moment that the bus never dropped me off.   Imagine ho...

With the emergence of the infamous QAnon conspiracy theory came a new generation of charismatic leaders for this movement.   In Canada, one of the most notable ones is a woman named Romana Didulo, who used the internet to create a following filled with threats, violence, and failed prophecies.   So, break out your tin foil hats, my spooky friends.   Today, you will hear the story of a woman who cl...

On April 20, 1914, the wind howled across a barren stretch of land known as Ludlow in Southern Colorado.   It carried with it the scent of ash, and something far worse.   Beneath the blackened earth lie the dead bodies of men, women, and children.   This was not the site of a war or some revolution.   It was the site of a massacre.   So, get cozy, my spooky friends.   Today, you will hear the stor...

The airwaves have always carried more than music. More than late-night callers. More than static. Sometimes… they carry fear. Tonight, the shadows grow deeper as Horrifying History joins forces with some of the most chilling voices in independent podcasting for a collaboration event unlike anything you’ve heard before. Welcome… to Rogue Darkness, Part 2 Rogue Transmissions: the edgy, semi-annual a...

There are crimes that shock and horrify us, and then, there are crimes that erase. Not just a life or person, but entire families. So, get comfortable, my spooky friends. Today, we are going to talk about entire families who vanished without a trace.   Our website is the spot for everything spooky! Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social me...

I am breaking into your feed to tell you that Rogue Transmissions has arrived.   It’s a collaboration with me and other top indie podcasts that will drag you deep into the shadows of the 1980s.  Forgotten broadcasts. Dark legends. Disturbing true stories. It’s the kind of tales you won’t hear anywhere else. This isn’t nostalgia. This is a transmission from the darker side of history. Rogue Transmi...

Today, our friends at the podcast Fresh Hell take us back to 19th-century Kentucky to uncover the haunting and tragic story of Oceana Sneed — a woman whose life became tangled in betrayal, violence, and one of the most infamous family murder scandals of the era. What began as whispers of greed and forbidden relationships would soon erupt into a horrifying crime that shocked an entire community and...