The Strange History Podcast

The dot-com bubble wasn’t the end of Super Bowl advertising disasters—it was only the beginning. In Part Two of The Super Bowl Startup Curse, host Amy investigates modern tech companies that followed the same dangerous path as their dot-com predecessors. From Quibi’s billion-dollar streaming failure to crypto companies like FTX collapsing under the weight of their own Super Bowl confidence, this e...

On January 29, 1845, Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” was published, instantly becoming one of the most famous works in American literary history. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story behind the poem’s sudden popularity, its unsettling themes of grief and repetition, and how one haunting word reshaped poetry forever. Become a supporter of this podca...

On January 28, 1929, scientists presented early findings that would lead to radiocarbon dating, allowing historians to measure the age of ancient organic materials for the first time. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story of how science extended the timeline of human history and permanently changed how we understand the past. Become a supporter of this...

On January 27, 1880, Louis Pasteur presented evidence supporting germ theory, the idea that microscopic organisms cause disease. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story of how bacteria were discovered as invisible threats, why the idea was initially rejected, and how one small realization transformed medicine, hygiene, and daily life forever. Become a su...

On January 26, 1700, a massive earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone struck the Pacific Northwest, triggering a tsunami that crossed the ocean and hit Japan. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story of the “orphan tsunami,” the silent disaster with no Western eyewitnesses, and how scientists reconstructed the event centuries later using geology an...

Mushrooms have quietly altered the course of human history in ways most people never learn in school. In this mega-episode of The Strange History Podcast, host Amy explores true historical events where fungi and hallucinogenic mushrooms may have triggered mass hallucinations, religious visions, violent outbreaks, and social collapse. From ergot-poisoned bread linked to the Salem Witch Trials and t...

On January 25, 1787, Shays’ Rebellion came to a violent end when armed farmers clashed with militia outside the Springfield Armory. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story of the uprising that nearly destabilized the young United States and directly influenced the creation of the U.S. Constitution. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker...

On January 24, 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California, triggering the events that would become the Gold Rush. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the deeper history of John Sutter, James Marshall, the failed attempt to keep gold a secret, and how the discovery that reshaped America ultimately ruined the men at its center. Become a supporter of this podcas...

January 23 is associated with centuries of strange reports involving objects falling from clear skies — from fish and frogs to massive unexplained blocks of ice. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the historical accounts, folklore explanations, and modern scientific theories behind these unsettling events, and why winter skies have a habit of misbehaving. Become a support...

During the 1915 Gallipoli Campaign of World War I, an entire British regiment was witnessed marching into a strange, stationary cloud—and never emerged. Observed by multiple Allied units and later confirmed by eyewitness statements, the soldiers vanished without gunfire, bodies, or prisoner records. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, we examine the battlefield accounts, postwar invest...

On January 22, 1896, experiments involving light and metal revealed behavior that classical physics could not explain, quietly laying the groundwork for quantum theory. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story of the experiment that suggested reality was not continuous, solid, or intuitive — and how one unsettling observation changed science forever. Beco...

On January 21, 1954, the USS Nautilus became the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, allowing humans to remain underwater longer than ever before. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story of the unexplained underwater sounds detected during early nuclear submarine missions and how scientists eventually realized the ocean itself was distorting reality...

January 20 is known in European folklore as Saint Agnes’ Eve, a night believed to reveal the future through dreams, silence, and strange rituals involving shoes, fasting, and even hats. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the eerie traditions, unsettling dream accounts, and symbolic meanings behind one of folklore’s most curious nights — when people risked discomfort to gl...

On January 19, 1915, German Zeppelin airships carried out the first aerial bombardment of civilians in Britain, silently drifting over sleeping towns and changing warfare forever. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story of the Zeppelin raids, the fear they inspired, and how the night sky became a battlefield for the first time. Become a supporter of this...

Deep in the remote wilderness of Siberia lies a massive stone roadway built from enormous fitted slabs—stretching across terrain where no known civilization was ever meant to exist. With stones weighing thousands of tons and no historical records, legends, or builders attached to it, the Siberian Stone Road challenges everything we think we know about ancient engineering and lost civilizations. In...

On January 18, 1778, Captain James Cook became the first European to record contact with the Hawaiian Islands, placing them onto global maps for the first time. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story of that encounter, the misunderstandings of “discovery,” and how one moment of contact reshaped the future of an entire island chain. Become a supporter of...

On January 17, 1997, a rocket carrying a GPS satellite exploded just 13 seconds after liftoff at Cape Canaveral. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story behind the launch failure — the tiny defect that caused a massive explosion, the raining debris, and the aerospace lessons learned from a mission that ended almost as soon as it began. Become a supporter...

On January 17, 1773, Captain James Cook and his crew became the first humans to cross the Antarctic Circle, sailing into a region no one had ever explored. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy tells the strange true story of the voyage that shattered myths about a southern continent and revealed the frozen limits of human exploration. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www....

On January 16, 1909, explorers led by Ernest Shackleton reached the Magnetic South Pole — a constantly moving point on Earth where compasses stop working properly. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story of this elusive destination, why it refuses to stay in one place, and how a scientific triumph became one of the most unusual achievements in the histor...

In February 1855, a heavy snowfall revealed something impossible across southern England: a single trail of hoof-like footprints stretching for more than forty miles. The tracks crossed rivers, climbed walls, appeared on rooftops, and entered locked gardens without explanation. Calmly documented by Victorian newspapers and witnessed by clergy, magistrates, and entire villages, the Devil’s Footprin...

On January 15, 1943, the Pentagon officially opened — even though construction was still underway. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story of the world’s largest office building and the myths it accidentally created. From rumors of secret tunnels and missing floors to Cold War legends, endless hallways, and a courtyard once nicknamed “Ground Zero,” disco...

On January 14, 1986, Voyager 2 flew past Uranus and revealed one of the strangest planets in the solar system. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the shocking discoveries made during the flyby — from Uranus’s extreme tilt and chaotic magnetic field to its fractured moons — and why scientists are still trying to understand this distant, rule-breaking world. Become a suppor...

On January 13, 2018, residents of Hawaii received an emergency alert warning of an incoming ballistic missile — and for 38 minutes, believed the worst was about to happen. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the strange true story behind the false alarm, the human error that caused it, and what those minutes of fear revealed about modern technology and human behavior. Beco...

On January 12, 1967, psychology professor James Bedford became the first human to be cryonically frozen after death, launching one of the strangest scientific experiments in history. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the origins of cryonics, the controversial preservation process, and the unsettling question of whether death might one day be reversible. A fascinating tru...

In the 12th century, two green-skinned children appeared in an English village claiming to be from a twilight land called St Martin’s Land. Recorded by medieval historians, their story defies explanation and raises disturbing questions about parallel worlds, lost civilizations, and early encounters with the unknown. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-strange-h...