The Tales We Tell

How far would you go under the instruction of an authority figure? Would you hurt someone? Kill them? The answer is (unfortunately) pretty surprising. This week, Hannah tells Katy about the Milgrim experiment, and its rather horrifying implications. The girls get a little in the weeds discussing the Holocaust, WW2, and horrible people (aka: Nazis), but it's all relevant, we promise! This experiment was directly inspired by the...

Have you ever stood on the train tracks and looked down the rails into the darkness, hoping to see the mysterious light everyone says sometimes appears? Have you seen the light yourself? This week, Hannah tells Katy about the Maco Light (a true Local Lore for these NC-based podcasters), and the other very similar stories featuring a gruesome train mishap, and a headless ghost wandering around with a lantern. The girls talk local ge...

It was the Crime of the Century, and the whole world was invested in finding out who kidnapped (and murdered) the Lindbergh baby. This week, Hannah takes Katy through the rest of the story: how the police tracked down a suspect, the evidence, the witnesses, and the Trial of the Century. The girls talk about what made sense, what didn’t, and what could have been/definitely was missed. If you’re looking for closure, look somewhere el...

We're still celebrating our birth-aversary (happy 4 years to us!) so, of course, Hannah had to bring the mood down with a truly awful story. This week, the girls dive into part one of a two-parter exploring the infamous Lindbergh kidnapping. From the problems with Charles Lindbergh himself, to the disappearance of "Little Lindy", and all the ransom notes, strange clues, and horrific discoveries made along the way, th...

Happy birth-aversary to us!! To celebrate FOUR years of telling spooky stories, unsolved mysteries, and local lore, we've decided to go back to what we do best: WTF stories. This week, Hannah tells Katy the story of Alexander Pearce, a man unfairly imprisoned in Tasmania who broke out prison, and did what he had to do to survive in the Australian bush. This one is wild, and the girls had to use a felt board to keep all the cha...

Deep in the heart of Appalachia, there's a legend of a pale race of cave-dwelling people, who only come out at night, and who may or may not have been driven to extinction. This week, Hannah tells Katy about the Moon-Eyed People of Appalachia (thank you Amanda, for the suggestion!). The girls talk problematic white history, blind Pelicans, gay whales, genetics, Welsh pronunciations, and whether or not the Moon-Eyed People actu...

What's the most exotic meat you've ever tried? Gator sausage and scorpion have nothing on this episode. This week, Hannah tells Katy the legend of the Demon Butcher of Palos Park, and the horrifying (and stomach-turning) truths in it. The girls revisit a few cannibals from Ep. 24, find a great movie recommendation, and dive headfirst into how the sausage was made back when our great grandparents were buying it from the gr...

Do you ever hear weird noises in your house, or get woken up by sexy demons getting their vagina goo all over you? This week, Hannah tells Katy the story of the Smurl family, and their weird-ass haunting that involved both of the aforementioned activities, as well as some bath tub flirting, small fires, and one bushy-moustached demon trying to get laid. The girls devolve into chaos while they discuss Catholic magic spells, Mary-Sue...

Remember when everyone in America was digging up giant human skeletons (see episode 199)? Well it turns out, some people were digging up and identifying actual dinosaur bones as well; two of those people were Cope and Marsh. This week, Katy takes the reins and tells Hannah about the Bone Wars! The girls talk not so friendly rivalries, future TV series casting, dinosaurs (duh), explosions, and plenty of “bone” jokes. If you love sci...

It's our 200th episode!!! And we are throwing it back to where it all began, but with better audio, and more thorough research. This week, Hannah re-tells Katy the story of the Lost Cosmonaut, and all the deep, dark, terrible things that happened within the Soviet (and US) Space Program. The girls talk about the ethics of putting dogs in space (spoiler: it's not ethical and should never be done), horrific ways to die (ie,...

In the mid 1800’s, giant human bones seemed to be turning up all across America, at the same time that many scholars and preachers were teaching that the Americas had once been inhabited by a race of prehistoric white giants. This week, Hannah tells Katy about this “fun” time in American history, and some of the skeletons that were unearthed. The mushy teenage girl brains do not go away (they’re talking about abnormally large bones...

It’s the episode Hannah’s been waiting for! This week, Hannah finally tells Katy the tragic story of inmate, Sam Shockley, and how he was failed by the system at every stage of his life. From the time he was a teenager, until he was caught up in the Battle of Alcatraz as an adult and unfairly executed by the state, Sam is the prime example of why mental health advocacy matters, why prison reform matters, and why we won’t stop talki...

We’re almost through our mugshot profiles, and in Alcatraz, pt. 5 (no one’s sick of this, right?) Hannah tells Katy about smirking James Boarman, and Dermot Mulroney/Marvin Hubbard. The girls talk mushy teenage boy brains, mushy teenage girl brains, botched escape attempts, and so much more. It’s an unintentionally chaotic episode, but worth it!

So pour the drinks, bear with us, and join us for our second to the last Alcatraz episod...

Surprise, it’s another Alcatraz episode! This time, in preparation for the one inmate profile Hannah really wants to do (Sam Shockley), she decided to preface by giving Katy the rundown on the four mugshots we have hanging in the studio, starting with the infamous Ted Cole and Ralph Roe. The girls talk about what led to the first ever successful escape from the rock, what makes a good FBI description, Chris Angeling your way out of...

If you suddenly find yourself in a dark tunnel experiencing an overwhelming feeling of love and peace, and being drawn towards a bright light, you might be dead. Or you might be one of the 9 million Americans who have had a Near Death Experience (and you're about to be brought back to life by medical science.) This week, Hannah tells Katy about the crazy phenomenon that is Near Death Experiences: something experienced by peopl...

Is it a strange breed of hairless, underground coyote? A reptilian alien with fur? The Jersey Devil far from home? Or is it the infamous chupacabra? This week, the girls are back from their holiday break, and Katy tells Hannah about the southern goat-sucker that’s been terrorizing livestock for (surprisingly) not that long. They talk about the various sightings, as well as its various forms, what could really be bleeding goats and ...

If you thought we were done with time travel, you were dead wrong! This week, Hannah tells Katy about John Titor, the alleged time traveler from 2036 who chatted with various people online in 2000 and 2001, and told us some *fascinating* things about the future. The girls talk black holes, computer programing disasters, whether Katy's child is actually a time traveler, pangolins, and more. If you want to know what the world mi...

Have you ever been walking through the English countryside (or the gardens of Versailles) and suddenly felt the world slow down, like time has somehow stopped or...shifted? You may have experienced a time slip! This week, Hannah tells Katy all about this phenomenon of accidentally finding yourself in another time with two classic examples. The girls talk thatched roofs, sombrero'd men, lesbian-psychic-diseases, and taking pict...

We're back for Part Two! This week, Hannah tells Katy the rest of the story from last week: three murders, a baffled police department, and a 17 year-old college kid that gets mixed up in the whole thing. The girls talk about epidurals, AFIS, police brutality, why so many cops suck, and so much more. This one is sure to get your blood boiling, so make sure you've got a nice calming activity to do during or after. 

Pour tho...