Weird Historian

We humans have always been fascinated by the things that frighten us. In this episode of  Weird Historian , Marc Hartzman speaks with psychologist Coltan Scrivner, author of  Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can’t Look Away (Penguin Books) , about why we are drawn to horror films, haunted houses, and true crime, what our fascination with the macabre reveals about human nature, and muc...

Meet George “The Giant” McArthur, a sideshow performer who swallows swords, eats fire, pounds nails into his nose—and collects oddities. Oh, and he was also in Tim Burton’s wonderful film, Big Fish . We first met more than 20 years ago at showman Bobby Reynold’s home while I was writing American Sideshow . As Halloween nears, he’s opening  George the Giant’s Strange Museum of Oddities and Wonders...

Is there life outside of Earth? More than a hundred years ago, there was widespread belief that intelligent Martians were an advanced civilization and contact with our interplanetary neighbors was inevitable. Science journalist and author David Baron explores this early fascination with Martians in his new book,  THE MARTIANS:  The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century Ame...

Tim O’Brien is a photojournalist, publicist, and author who’s covered the odd and unusual throughout his career, from sideshows and carnivals to roller coasters and roadside attractions—and during his time with Ripley’s, just about everything in between. In this episode, you’ll hear about his strange adventures over the years, including his travels to capture America’s biggest and weirdest roadsid...

The Rev. Dr. David Adamovich is better known as The Great Throwdini—the world’s fastest and most accurate knife thrower. In this episode of Weird Historian, you’ll hear how he discovered his unusual talent for throwing knives, how he developed the Veiled Double Wheel of Death, how he gets through airports with bags of knives, and much more. You’ll also hear about his new venture as the curator of...

If you watched Season 15 of America’s Got Talent, you probably remember Brett Loudermilk—the guy with the pink hair who made Sofia Vergara freak out on stage when he asked her to pull a sword from his throat. Find out how Brett got started in the world of sideshow and how his talents took him on a journey to NBC’s national stage. Plus, for those who don't already know, you'll hear what it's like s...

In the late nineteenth century, a visit to a dime museum would offer all sorts of wonders, from magicians to sword swallowers to various human oddities. And if you were lucky, you might've seen Evatima Tardo get nailed to cross and bitten by poisonous snakes. Talk about entertainment. Tardo felt no pain nor suffered any ill effects from the venom. How might this have been possible? What led to thi...

When we take our next giant leap and put boots on Mars, or launch space tourism, we’ll want to raise a glass and toast to the achievement. Hear about the last, present and future of alcohol in space from author and Explore Mars CEO, Chris Carberry.

In this interview with Lee Speigel, co-producer and co-writer of The Phenomenon, Weird Historian looks to the sky for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Recorded on Nov. 2, 2020.

In the late 1800s, Joseph Pujol took Paris by storm and ruled the Moulin Rouge. Known as Le Petomane, his entire act was performed with his anus. The man was a true fartiste. Keeping in theme, this episode will also introduce you to an 18th-century pooping duck automaton. Both are tales of rather unusual forms of genius. See images from these stories and read more weird history at WeirdHistorian.c...

In 1908, six cars set out on a race around the world, from New York City to Paris. They started in winter, at a time before cars even had windshields. Find out what happened and who won the Great Race in this episode of Weird Historian. You’ll also hear about a vehicle that came before these daring race cars — one that was designed to be friendly to passing horses. And not much more. It was called...

Meet Robert Wadlow and hear the voice of the tallest man who ever lived. At 8 feet 11 1/2 inches tall, he towered over all other giants, including Ted Evans, who claimed to stand a ridiculous 9 feet 3 inches. You'll also meet a shorter, but far more massive man, Miles Darden, who was possibly the biggest human ever. See images from these stories and read about other weird moments in history at Wei...

Meet Lady Wonder, the psychic horse who predicted Dewey wouldn’t defeat Truman in 1948, helped police find missing children, and even picked winning race horses. This episode will also introduce you to the screaming hen image seen in the artwork for this podcast. See images from these stories and read about other weird moments in history at WeirdHistorian.com.

Charles Blondin is one of history’s most famous and daring wire walkers. Hear about the time he had to fend off a suicidal volunteer riding on his back atop the wire. This episode also features Clifford Calverley, another wire walker who gleefully risked his life for the entertainment of the audience. You’ll also meet some other walkers who put on a rather unusual show. Not on a wire — but upside-...

Sir Oliver Lodge attempted to prove mass telepathy was achievable in 1927, and Kuda Bux mystified audiences with his x-ray vision. Could such things have been possible? See images from these stories and read about other weird moments in history at WeirdHistorian.com.

A 19th-century reverend writes a guidebook to Hell for children and the London Association for the Prevention of Premature Burial tries save people from an early trip to the Underworld. See images from these stories and read about other weird moments in history at WeirdHistorian.com.

This episode features the posthumous adventures of Oliver Cromwell’s embalmed head, which journeyed through England for 300 years (from 1661-1960), and Galileo’s fingers, which can still be seen in the Museo Galileo in Florence, Italy. See images from these stories and read about other weird moments in history at WeirdHistorian.com.

In 1920 Thomas Edison discussed his plans to invent a Spirit Phone, allowing communication with the dead. Years earlier, he invented the talking doll, which was not nearly as cute as he might have hoped. See images from these stories and read about other weird moments in history at WeirdHistorian.com.

In the 1920s, a Londoner telepathically communicated with a Martian woman named Oomaruru. Meanwhile, 19th-century amateur astronomer, Thomas Dick, took a census of Jupiter. See images from these stories and read about other weird moments in history at WeirdHistorian.com.