The Morbid Museum

In 1848, railroad construction foreman Phineas Gage survived a traumatic brain event that defied medical certainty, when a metal rod impaled his skull. Gage's life was never the same, and the accounts of his personality changes after the accident accelerated understanding of the function of the brain and its elasticity. “Meet” Phineas Gage at the Saint Albans Museum | Local News | samessenger.com...

Prior to the Middle Ages, human cadaver dissections were a societal taboo. Early medical schools across Europe came to understand the necessity of dissection in anatomical education, spurring the construction of anatomical theatres. These spaces provided learning opportunities for students, and satiated a morbidly curious public. The Most Beautiful Anatomical Theaters BY ALLISON MEIER MAY 7, 2014,...

In 1842, a curious specimen of a 'mermaid' beguiled visitors at Barnum's American Museum in New York City. An elaborate fake, the Fiji (or Feejee) Mermaid was the quintessential 'humbug' in dime museums across the United States. The Legacy of Dime Museums and the Freakshow : How the Past Impacts the Present – AASLH The Mead's Mermaid | 4/2017 | Amherst College Buxton Mermaid origins probed at Univ...

In this special episode, Katie and Luke interview Jon Ferry, owner of JonsBones. Ferry's company sells antique osteological specimens for educational use. Ferry's stock, responsibly sourced from medical practices, reveals the history of the bone trade and the fabrication of medical bones for anatomical study. Check out JonsBones on the web and in-person in Bushwick, Brooklyn @jonsbones ABC News: T...

One of the preeminent entertainers of the 20th century, Harry Houdini was a master of his craft, thrilling audiences with captivating physical stunts. An inventor, illusionist, and escapologist, he spent the final years of his career fighting to define the blurring line between entertainment and exploitative false spiritualism. In observance of the 96th anniversary of his death, join us as we expl...

For 50 years, Ed & Lorraine Warren investigated paranormal activity throughout the United States and the world at large. Their exploits brought them fame and acclaim as authorities of demonology and psychic phenomena. In their home in Monroe, Connecticut, they gathered relics and cursed items from the homes and haunted places they explored, known as the Warren's Occult Museum. The Paranormal t...

Since the dawn of civilization, humans have longed to continue to connect with loved ones who have passed on. In the 19th century, the wildly popular religious movement Spiritualism was created as "proof" that mortals here on earth could connect with those who have crossed over to the other side. National Spiritualist Association of Churches "The Automatic Hand: Spiritualism, Psychoanalysis, and S...

Gene Otto's childhood doll, 'Robert', is long-believed to be haunted, with an ability to move on its own, to change facial expressions, and cause misfortune to those who offend him or question his power. For more than 25 years, Robert the Doll has been displayed at the Fort East Martello Museum, allowing visitors to encounter this haunted history up close, and to decide for themselves if the stori...

Also known as the "Hammer of Witches," the Malleus Maleficarum was used for 300 years as a handbook to aid in the persecution and execution of an unknown number of innocent people. With a particular focus on women, the Malleus stands today as one of the most misogynistic and terrifying texts ever written. Follow us on IG: @themorbidmuseum Email us at themorbidmuseum@gmail.com The Malleus Maleficar...

In 1924, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two college students born to wealthy Chicago families, brutally murdered Bobby Franks, a 14-year-old boy. Nearly 100 years later, their famous case, known as one of the first 'thrill killings' of the modern era, captivates our societal imagination. Clarence Darrow Interview (Source unknown) Orson Welles as Clarence Darrow in Compulsion Compulsion Film (195...

This week Katie explores the strange, terrifying, and seemingly inexplicable Dancing Plague of 1518.   Bali Trance Dance "The Dancing Plague: The Strange, True Story of an Extraordinary Illness" by John Waller The history of ergot of rye (Claviceps purpurea) I: from antiquity to 1900 - PubMed What was the dancing plague of 1518? by Evan Andrews, HISTORY St. Vitus - Saints & Angels - Cath...

In the 19th century, grieving was a major aspect of Victorian society. Mourning jewelry and relics made from the hair of the deceased were an essential expression of these rituals and customs. Lincoln Ring - Gallery Item Display (Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, National Park Service) Victorian mourning etiquette A Road Trip Made Out of Human Hair – The Five Best Places to See Art Made From D...

This week we welcome screenwriter, playwright, and horror nerd Brian Otaño to the Morbid Museum! Brian tours us through the horrifying events that took place within the walls of the most famous house in Amityville, while dissecting the subsequent conspiracies and legends that continue to haunt us to this very day. Ronald DeFeo Jr. - Wikipedia Ronald DeFeo | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murdere...

The fall of the Romanov Dynasty and the subsequent murder of the Imperial family, is one of the most grisly endings to a monarchy the world has ever known. Shrouded in secrecy for years, the full story continues to unfold to this day, impacting Russia's political landscape both at home and abroad for many years to come. Last of the Czars - 1996 Documentary Series Romanovs: 1613 - 1918 By Simon Seb...

Deep in the outer boroughs of New York City, the secrets of a growing city lie buried on Barren Island. Today, the legacy of urban renewal is dredged up with the tides at Dead Horse Bay.  Dead Horse Bay contamination not ‘significant health risk’ Good Work of School on Barren Island | Brooklyn Eagle 18 Aug 1901 Dead Horse Bay Environmental Cleanup Project - Gateway National Recreation Area (U...

This week, Katie parses fact and fiction surrounding the life and death of one of the most morbid, mythical, and mysterious human beings of all time - Grigori Rasputin "Rasputin Was Poisoned, Shot, Beaten, and Drowned. But Did His Penis Survive? Answering the big question about Gregori Rasputin’s penis." By Kristin Winet, June 24, 2015 "Rasputin myths busted: Murder, height, and where is his penis...

Luke covers the famed story of New York recluses Homer and Langley Collyer, whose hoarding transformed their family brownstone in 1930s Harlem into an impenetrable fortress of rubbish and found objects.   "Harlem House Mystery Ends: Tale of Love" | Aug 7 1942, Gettysburg Times | Google News Archive Collyer Brothers Park - New York City Department of Parks & Recreation The Dazzle review |...

For centuries artists have depicted our dance with death. Whether paintings or prose they all arrive at the same conclusion - death comes for us all. Saint-Saëns: Facts, pronuncation, works and more about the great composer - Classic FM Saint-Saëns: unfashionable, underrated – and overdue for reappraisal | Classical music | The Guardian Dance of Death | Allegorical Concept | Britannica The Fantast...

In Part II of our series “London Stinks” we look into the history of air pollution in this world city, which began more than 500 years ago, and culminated in the deadliest smog in recorded memory, killing as many as 12,000 people in 1952. Medium: The Great Smog Breathing in London's history: from the Great Stink to the Great Smog YouTube: London’s Great Smog of 1952, The London Museum Battersea Po...

In Part I of our series "London Stinks,", we will be exploring the immensely tragic, completely disgusting, but incredibly important story of the Broad Street Pump and how it changed science forever. "The Lesson of John Snow and the Broad Street Pump" Mitali Banerjee Ruths, MD "Once Deemed ‘Biologically Dead,’ a New Report Shows London’s River Thames Recovering" Rasha Aridi November 12, 2021 - Sun...

In April 1865, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Washington D.C. The body of the fallen President endured a series of morbid misadventures before being finally laid to rest in 1901. This is the true story of Lincoln's body.  Sources: My Daguerreotype Boyfriend, Lewis Powell Wok & Roll Restaurant (Mary Surratt's Boarding House) National Museum of Health an...

Prepare yourself as we embark on a sordid and macabre tour through the story of Le Theatre du Grand-Guignol, the theatre of horror that entertained and terrified Parisian audiences for 65 years, leaving behind an incredible legacy that continues to inspire film and theater makers to this very day. Content warning - this one isn't for the squeamish or prudish! Sources: The Grand Guignol : Theatre o...

This week, Luke takes us on an epic journey parsing the tall tale of the "Cropsey Maniac," the true crime stories of missing children and murders on Staten Island that echoed the Cropsey myth, and the haunting landscape of abandoned institutions that inspire urban legends and urban exploration today. Sources:  The Cropsey Maniac by Lee Haring and Mark Breslerman Artifacts Journal Blog The Cro...

It's our first full episode! This week, Katie tours us through the totally creepy, centuries-old practice of creating death masks. Yep. It's as weird as it sounds. Sources: Death Mask Radiolab Episode Edward III and Philippa of Hainault | Westminster Abbey The curious and gruesome art of human death masks LCP Art & Artifacts - Death Masks Resusci Anne and L'Inconnue: The Mona Lisa of the Seine New...

Welcome to The Morbid Museum! Step inside and learn a little about your tour guides Katie and Luke, and what they have in store for you this season on The Morbid Museum! (cue maniacal laugh) New Episodes every Morbid Monday! See what we did there?