A Study of Strange

The St. Augustine Lighthouse is considered one of the most haunted sites in the U.S. due to a history marked by death and tragedy, including a fatal accident involving children. For over a century, visitors have reported unexplained phenomena, often linking these occurrences to the true, tragic stories of those who died at the Lighthouse. From apparitions, shadow people, and poltergeist activity,...

Re-release of a classic episode. Considered to be the first American serial killers, Micajah and Wiley Harpe were born in North Carolina in the mid to late 1700s and became notorious for their violent crimes in Kentucky and Tennessee. They are known for committing a series of brutal murders. We dive into the fascinating and dark history of the Harpe Brothers, their crimes, and the rumors and legen...

Three weeks after the grisly Black Dahlia murder, Los Angeles was hit with another brutal homicide. This time with a message scrawled in red lipstick across the body. How did Jeanne French end up the victim of a crime that remains unsolved all these decades later, and was the case related to the Black Dahlia? Theme Music by Matt Glass  https://www.glassbrain.com/    Instagram: @astudyofstrange  We...

Five women were found brutally murdered in the Cumminsville area of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the early 20th century. The serial killer was never caught, the murders remain unsolved, and no viable suspects were ever questioned, which is especially strange because multiple women survived the assailant's attacks. The one detail witnesses noticed was that the killer wore a "slouch hat." The ar...

For centuries there were accounts of a ghost haunting the English estate of Raynham Hall. They were just rumors until a photograph published in Country Life magazine in 1936 appeared to capture the specter known as "The Brown Lady," and it is arguably the most famous picture of a ghost ever taken. But is it real? Theme Music by Matt Glass  https://www.glassbrain.com/    Instagram: @astudyo...

Known as "Buryatia's Dyatlov Pass”, the Khamar-Daban incident is a bizarre mystery which saw experienced hikers become victims of an invisible horror. Unlike Dyatlov, this incident had a survivor, but that doesn’t mean that there are more answers. This is a real-life tale of inexplicable death, that came about instantly, that will leave you questioning everything. Theme Music by Matt Glass...

The brutal 1841 murder of Mary Rogers, the beautiful “cigar girl”, inspired Edgar Allan Poe to write The Mystery of Marie Roget . Poe himself attempted to solve the mystery of the heinous crime while writing the story, but the case is still unsolved. From rowdy gangs to secret lovers, this episode examines the primary suspects and how a media frenzy shaped the public's opinions. Theme Music by...

Was a mysterious fungus behind the Salem Witch Trials? Drew Hannush from the podcast "Whiskey Lore" discusses his research into Salem, particularly the rye madness theory aka ergotism. Drew emphasizes the need for continuous inquiry, the interconnectedness of history and spirits, and the difficulty of understanding historical events through a modern lens. Dive into the mysteries of one of...

A Rerelease of a classic episode with Dearly Departed's Scott Michaels. Scandal rocked the small town of Beverly Hills, CA in 1929. At a massive mansion built by an oil tycoon's son, Ned Doheny, two men were shot and killed in an apparent murder-suicide. Almost 100 years later, no one can tell you exactly what happened that night because the case is full of rumors including a love affair,...

What happens when the world’s most destructive weapons simply vanish? In this episode of A Study of Strange , we investigate the chilling history of missing nuclear weapons aka “Broken Arrows.” From a hydrogen bomb lost off the coast of Georgia, to a U.S. jet that slipped into the Philippine Sea with a live warhead onboard, to Cold War rumors of suitcase nukes gone missing in Russia. Theme Music b...

Deep in Canada’s Northwest Territories lies Nahanni National Park, a beautiful remote wilderness only accessible by boat or floatplane. Nicknamed The Valley of the Headless Men since 1908 after two Métis prospectors, Frank and Willie McLeod, were found decapitated at their camp. In the years after, more headless corpses were discovered. Drawing on old newspapers and modern research, we explore whe...

A Study of Strange explores the most riveting mysteries from the Golden Age of Piracy including why everything we know about pirates may be wrong. Topics include La Buse's hidden treasure, Anne Bonnie's fate, and the notorious pirate Henry Every's disappearance. Goonies Never Say Die. Theme Music by Matt Glass https://www.glassbrain.com/ Instagram: @astudyofstrange Website: www.astudyo...

A rerelease of a classic episode of A Study of Strange about the most notorious account of poltergeist activity in Canada. This infamous paranormal mystery involves Esther Cox, a young woman who began experiencing unexplainable events including objects moving, physical attacks, and fires starting on their own. These strange occurrences were reported on extensively, but they're still debated to...

On September 20, 1988, 19‑year‑old college student Tara Calico left her Belen, New Mexico home for a morning bike ride and never came back. This episode examines the haunting 1989 Polaroid that made this case a national obsession, witness accounts of an old pickup truck, and the recent breakthroughs in 2023. Tara Calico's case is a bizarre, true-crime mystery. With special guest, filmmaker, Ro...

The internet promises answers to everything, but it creates more mysteries than most care to admit. In this episode of A Study of Strange , we dive into four of the web’s most cryptic mysteries. Theme Music by Matt Glass https://www.glassbrain.com/ Instagram: @astudyofstrange Website: www.astudyofstrange.com Hosted by  Michael May Email stories, comments, or ideas to astudyofstrange@gmail.com ©202...

When my nine year old son said, “I want to be on your podcast and hear about UFOs,” I proceeded as any dedicated podcaster would: by recording this episode. Great Mountain UFO Encounters looks at some of the early unidentified anomalous phenomena in the beautiful state of Vermont, before sharing the terrifying abduction claim known as the “Buff Ledge Abduction”. One of the most famous UFO accounts...

In this chilling episode of A Study of Strange , we look at the terrifying real-life mystery that inspired A Nightmare on Elm Street : unexplained deaths of healthy Southeast Asian men who died suddenly in their sleep. Known as “Asian Death Syndrome” or Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS), this phenomenon was first noted in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Was it genetics, trauma, o...

A summer re-release of a classic episode! On July 10th, 1967, 25 year old mother of three, Leota Camp, was found by her young children, stabbed and bleeding in a small bedroom of the family’s home in Des Moines, Iowa. There was no sign of a robbery, forced entry, or sexual assault. In short, there doesn't seem to be a motive, and the attack happened when family and neighbors were within earsho...

We conclude the devilish and mysterious story surrounding the disappearance of a group of women involved in a small cult run by new age author Carlos Castaneda.  Not many are aware that one of the most successful New Age authors, Carlos Castaneda, lead a cult. The women that made up the inner circle of his cult were called “the witches” and five of them disappeared after Castaneda’s death in 1998....

Not many are aware that one of the most successful “new age” authors, Carlos Castaneda, lead a cult. The women that made up the inner circle of his cult were called “the witches” and five of them disappeared soon after Castaneda’s death in 1998. In an all too familiar trope, Castaneda’s mythology was built on lies, narcissism, hypocrisy, and abuse, yet the witches remain missing. Did they commit m...

What makes an object haunted? These four paintings have strange and mysterious backgrounds, along with claims of supernatural phenomena. #1 The Hands Resist Him , #2 The Anguished Man , #3 Woman of the Rain , #4 The Crying Boy Theme Music by Matt Glass  https://www.glassbrain.com/ Instagram: @astudyofstrange Support the Show!  astudyofstrange.substack.com/ Website:  www.astudyofstrange.com Hosted...

In 1908, something tore through the skies over Siberia and exploded with the force of a thousand Hiroshima bombs. Trees were flattened across 800 square miles, yet no impact crater was ever found. What caused the Tunguska Event? A meteor? A comet? Something stranger? In this episode, we analyze the science and the some of the wild theories behind the largest cosmic explosion in recorded history, a...

On April 1, 2014, two young Dutch friends, Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, tragically disappeared while on vacation in Panama. What began as a day hike turned into a heartbreaking mystery when their remains were discovered weeks later. While the prevailing theory suggests a tragic accident led to their deaths, there are several unexplained and unsettling details. Among these are eerie photographs...

Jonathan Todd Schwartz was a successful business manager for A-list celebrities and seemingly had it all. However, his life took a dark turn when he stole nearly $5 million from Alanis Morrissette and other clients. Driven by addiction, Schwartz's story is now one of rehabilitation and redemption. Follow Jonathan https://www.instagram.com/therealjonathanschwartz/ Altus Rehab    Theme Music by...

The Mothman, a legendary winged “birdman” with glowing red eyes, was first reported in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in 1966. Interestingly, similar sightings began this century in Chicago. As far as cryptids go, the myth behind Mothman is more supernatural than zoological, with many believing this creature is a harbinger of doom. With special guest Oliver Berger! https://www.instagram.com/oliver...