Where the Weird Things Are

In this Way Off Track episode Thurlow tells Brittany the story of how Robert Gibbon Johnson exposed the truth about tomatoes, and it's a juicy one. Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6412926/#:~:text=Tropane%20alkaloids%20(TA)%20are%20valuable,the%20Solanaceae%20and%20Erythroxylaceae%20families . The Story of Robert Gibbon Johnson and the Tomato, Salem County Historical Society...

Happy 2023! Brittany and Jenna go back to the supposedly not-so-wild West to the maybe not-so-haunted "ghost town" of Bodie State Historic Park. Get your cowboy hats and pamphlets ready, and come hang out! Sources: This Ghost Town’s “Curse” Isn’t What You Think, Carly Severn, Jan 12, 2018 https://www.kqed.org/news/11640709/how-this-ghost-towns-curse-backfired-on-park-rangers Bodie, the Cursed Ghos...

Brittany and Thurlow delve into the first ever World Cup Tournament. It's a WILD one! Sources: https://www.thenationalnews.com/fifa-world-cup-2022/2022/12/02/dead-player-gatecrashing-own-wake-capped-off-the-first-and-weirdest-world-cup/ https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/1930uruguay https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_FIFA_World_Cup https://readtheleague.com/the-big-feature/the-1930-wor...

Brittany and Heather present each other with some...interesting cases of people who faked their own kidnappings. It's not always for the ransom money! https://time.com/5751349/karol-sanchez-kidnapping-bronx/ https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/amberjamieson/16-karol-sanchez-kidnapping-new-york https://nypost.com/2019/12/17/karol-sanchez-staged-her-own-kidnapping-police-sources/amp/ https://people...

Brittany and Chris keep the spooky going a little longer with this episode on the Headless Horseman and its possible origins. Sources: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving https://www.history.com/news/legend-sleepy-hollow-headless-horseman https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/halloween-history-the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow-2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headless_Horseman https://www.grunge.c...

Welcome to the first Way Off Track episode! Thurlow tells Brittany the story of the Crash at Crush; basically, some people crash some trains into each other. Sources: https://wacohistory.org/items/show/70# :~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20infamous,15%2C%201896. https://texasproud.com/texas-the-crash-at-crush Music by Alena Smirnova: https://open.spotify.com/track/2qFfB2WYgJNvsTVLoo3ngF?si=305f46c54...

Brittany and Jenna go way back to discuss Samhain and learn about where Halloween as we know it came from. Happy Halloween, Weirdlings! Sources: Year of the Witch: Connecting with Nature’s Seasons through Intuitive Magick, Temperance Alden, 2020 The Master Book of Herbalism, Paul Beyerl, 1984 Samhain in Your Pocket: A Tiny Little Book About the Celtic Origins of Halloween, I.E. Kneverday, 2022 How...

Brittany and Thurlow cover the fascinating life and death of Harry Houdini. Hold your breath, because this is a deep one! Sources: https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/houdini-timeline/ https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/30/harry-houdini-and-the-art-of-escape https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/story?id=92253&page=1 The Greatest:...

Brittany and Heather are here and pumped to bring you PART 2 on the topic of sleep murders! Heather's got a story to tell, so you better be ready. Sources: https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/sleepwalking-killer-scott-falater-wracked-guilt-murdering-wife/story?id=75468448 https://people.com/crime/scott-falater-case-man-killed-wife-claimed-sleepwalking-son-speaks-out/ https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/sc...

Brittany and Chris dive (pun maybe intended) into the fascinating origins and evolution of the story of Atlantis. Sources: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Atlantis-legendary-island https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/atlantis https://www.livescience.com/23217-lost-city-of-atlantis.html https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/atlantis Music by Alena Smirnova: https://open.spotify.co...

Brittany and Jenna (reluctantly) discuss the phenomenon of Shadow People and The Hat Man. Be prepared, because this is a long one and it may make you want to keep a light on at night. Sources: https://qz.com/quartzy/1444843/what-is-sleep-paralysis/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYbA6Tjux24 The Hat Man: The True Story of Evil Encounters by Heidi Hollis Music by Alena Smirnova: https://open.spotif...

Brittany and Thurlow dig into the history and myths of absinthe, aka "The Green Fairy". Sources: https://www.history.com/news/frances-green-fairy-flies-again# :~:text=Absinthe's%20long%20history%20dates%20back,flavored%20wine%20called%20absinthites%20oinos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe https://www.absinthe101.com/history.html https://www.alcademics.com/2017/07/the-impact-of-phylloxera-on-...

Brittany and Heather cover the case of Randy Herman, who (spoiler) used sleepwalking as his murder defense. Dead Asleep - https://www.hulu.com/movie/dead-asleep-26f639bf-ed6c-49df-b3b3-9db82f3d1a1b https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/crime/2021/12/07/hulu-sleepingwalking-murder-case-brooke-preston-randy-herman-jr-wants-new-trial/8890838002/ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-feature...

Brittany and Chris dip a toe into the somewhat taboo topic of Skinwalkers and the origins of this legend. Sources: Skinwalkers Shapeshifters and Native American Curses by Gary and Wendy Swanson https://www.history.co.uk/shows/curse-of-skinwalker-ranch/from-skinwalkers-to-wendigos-4-native-american-myths-and-legends https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin-walker https://historydaily.org/navajo-skinwalke...

In this paranormal episode, Jenna and Brittany explore The House of Death in Greenwich Village and the (not-so-many) ghosts that hang out there. Special shout out to Just Dennis. Sources: Village Preservation (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation): https://www.villagepreservation.org/2016/10/19/the-house-of-death Untapped New York (blog): https://untappedcities.com/2014/05/14/the-ha...

It's been too long but we're BACK, and this one's a doozy. Brittany and Thurlow tell you the gruesome true story of the Radium Girls. Sources: https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second. Cleanup&id=0200772#bkground https://www.cnn.com/style/article/radium-girls-radioactive-paint/index.html .. https://www.npr.org/2014/12/28/373510029/saved-by-a-bad-taste-one-of-the-l...

Brittany and Heather dive into missing persons cases with a happy(?) ending. These missing people were found - whether they wanted to be, or not. Sources: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gabriel-nagy-severe-amnes_n_1747869 https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/gabriel-nagy-comes-home-after-23-years-lost/news-story/806fe0e01e4a210b7b5d1721b9bef974 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Brittany and Chris dive into the wide world of fairies! Not all fairies are all pixie dust and magic wands... Sources: https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Origins-of-Fairies/ https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/medieval-ghost-stories/imperial-diversions-of-gervase-of-tilbury/E5B298DAE502B88518B165898CAA33A1 Medieval Ghost Stories An Anthology of Miracles, Marvels and Prodigies , pp. 103...

Jenna and Brittany dive into the ghostly happenings at the Cincinnati Music Hall. Featuring the non-paranormal dog activity. Sources: https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/over-the-rhine/photographer-captures-ghostly-photo-at-music-hall# :~:text=Music%20Hall%20got%20its%20reputation,Central%20Parkway%20was%20Cincinnati%20Hospital. https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/citywi...

Thurlow and Brittany chat about the true story of the RMS Titanic - turns out the movie is more accurate than we thought! Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/titanic https://www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic https://titanichistoricalsociety.org/ Music by Alena Smirnova: https://open.spotify.com/track/2qFfB2WYgJNvsTVLoo3ngF?si=305f46c547734686

Brittany and Heather talk about Dalia Dippolito's botched (and frankly embarrassing) murder-for-hire plot. This one's a doozy! Sources: 20/20- Season 42, Episode 26 https://abcnews.go.com/US/dalia-dippolito-managing-prison-life-legal-teams-hope/story?id=70638556 Music by Alena Smirnova: https://open.spotify.com/track/2qFfB2WYgJNvsTVLoo3ngF?si=305f46c547734686

Brittany and Heather dive into the crazy stories involving 'Rent-A-Hitman' and other botched murder-for-hire plots! Sources: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/rent-a-hitman-wendy-wein-murder-for-hire-sting-operation-1066756/ https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/12/us/hireahitman-website-cracks-crimes-cec/index.html https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/11/woman-pleads-guilty-to-tryi...

Brittany and Chris talk mummies - the lore, the truth behind it, and some stuff in between! Sources: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20170420-where-does-the-legend-of-the-mummy-come-from Tutankhamun - King, Tomb & Facts - HISTORY Egyptian Mummies | Smithsonian Institution (si.edu) Curse of the Mummy | National Geographic Music by Alena Smirnova: https://open.spotify.com/track/2qFfB2WYgJNvsTVLo...

Brittany and Jenna are back already for Part 2 of the Nelly Butler story! Brace yourselves for some questionable stories. Happy Holidays, everyone! Sources: The Nelly Butler Hauntings: An Unsolved Mystery by Marcus LiBrizzi Music by Alena Smirnova: https://open.spotify.com/track/2qFfB2WYgJNvsTVLoo3ngF?si=305f46c547734686

Brittany and Jenna discuss America's first documented ghost! This two-parter was a surprise to even us, so we hope you're ready for a wild ride. Sources: The Nelly Butler Hautings: An Unsolved Mystery by Marcus LiBrizzi Music by Alena Smirnova: https://open.spotify.com/track/2qFfB2WYgJNvsTVLoo3ngF?si=305f46c547734686