Free Daily Podcast Summary
Dark Histories: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Ben Cutmore
Fortnightly narratives on the unsolved and the unexplained, mysteries, historical true crime, touches of the paranormal and cultural peculiarities.
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- 3 days ago50 min
The Unsavoury Tale of the Maryland Snallygaster
In the fall of 1909, a strange fear settled over the hills and farms of Maryland. Newspapers carried reports of a monstrous winged creature said to stalk the countryside with a host of bizarre descriptions pouring out from witnesses, including glowing eyes, huge claws, and boiling brimstone dripping from its snout. The creature became known as the Snallygaster, and for a time, its legend gripped entire communities until its rapid demise. More than twenty years later, in 1932, the panic returned, proving that some stories refuse to stay buried. But was everything as it seemed? Or were there far uglier things at play than flying monsters?SOURCES Boyton, Patrick (2011) Snallygaster: The Lost Legend of Frederick County. Self Published Bridgeton Evening News (1909) The Devil Runs Rampant. Bridgeton Evening News, Fri 22 Jan, p3. NJ, USA Sheperdstown Register (1909) After The Colored People. Shepherdstown Register, Thu 4 Feb, p3. WV, USA. The Tennesseasn (1887) The Devil Of Leeds. The Tennessean, Sun 16 Oct, p12. TN, USA. Chicago Tribune (1909) Devil Which Alarms Jersey Likely To Be Captured Soon. Chicago Tribune, Fri 22 Jan 1909, p5. IL, USA. The Evening Sun (1932) Bovalopus Snallygaster Swoops Down On Village. The Evening Sun, Fri 25 Nov 1932, p50. MD, USA. The Evening Sun (1932) John Barleycorn Ends Career Of Snallygaster. The Evening Sun, Thurs 1 Dec 1932, p3. MD, USA. The News (1932) Snallygaster Captured: Huge Owl Is Shot Down. The News, Thurs 1 Dec 1932, p1. MD, USA. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 2 weeks ago1h 6m
Mary Pearcey & The Hampstead Tragedy
In 1890, the murders of Phoebe Hogg and her infant daughter in Hampstead became one of the most widely reported criminal cases of the Victorian period. The investigation quickly centred on Mary Pearcey, whilst the public eyed Phoebe’s husband with suspicion. Evidence found at Mary’s home, along with witness testimony, seemed to point to a simple investigation, but persistent rumours of an accomplice left lingering questions that persist until today.SOURCES Hopton, Sarah Beth (2017) Woman at the Devil's Door: The Incredible True Story of Mary Pearcey & The Hampstead Murders. Mango Books, London, UK. Portsmouth Evening News (1890) Appalling Crime In Hampstead. Portsmouth Evening News, Sat 25 Oct 1890, p3. Portsmouth, UK. Thanet Advertiser (1890) Execution of Mrs Pearcy. Thanet Advertsier, Sat 27 Dec 1890, p5. Kent, UK. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- May 4, 20261h 0m
Amazing Stories & The Shaver Mystery
In 1945, the end of the second world war was approaching, atom bombs were on the way, and science fiction felt more like speculative prophecies than adventure stories. In the pages of pulp magazine, claims that ancient civilizations lived beneath the surface of the earth, armed with forgotten technologies, and mutated into something monstrous and cruel. To some, it was pulp fantasy. To others, a terrifying revelation. Blurring the line between imagination and belief, the Shaver Mystery presented a surreal reality that was anything but ordinary. SOURCES Toronto, Richard (2013) War Over Lemuria: Richard Shaver, Ray Palmer & The Strangest Chapter of 1940’s Science Fiction. McFarland & Co. NC, USA. Palmer, Ray (1945) The Observatory. Amazing Stories, Vol 18, No.3, May 1944. USA Shaver, Richard (1945) I Remember Lemuria. Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.1, March 1945. USA Palmer, Ray (1945) Mantong, The Language of Lemuria. Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.1, March 1945. USA Shaver, Richard (1945) Open Letter to the World. Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.2, June 1945. USA Shaver, Richard (1945) Thought Records of Lemuria. Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.2, June 1945. USA Shaver, Richard (1945) Cave City of Hel. Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.3, September 1945. USA Palmer, Ray (1945) Report From the Forgotten Past? Amazing Stories, Vol 19, No.3, September 1945. USA ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Apr 19, 20261h 12m
BONUS: 10 Year Q+A
Hey everyone! Here is there first of the bonus episodes I have lined up to go along with the 10 year anniversary of Dark Histories! Thanks so much if you asked a question, and I hope you find something interesting enough in the answers! Cheers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Apr 13, 202654 min
The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDui
High in the mist-shrouded Cairngorms, where the winter wind bites like a vice, lies the domain of a long-spoken, unsettling presence. For over a hundred years, the climbers of Ben Macdui have told stories of a towering figure pacing just beyond sight and of booming footsteps lost in the fog. Known as the Big Grey Man, few have seen it, several have heard it and even more sensed it, but just about none have ever agreed on what “it” actually is. SOURCES Gray, Affleck (1970) The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui. Impulse Books, Edinburgh, Scotland. Baker, Ernest A. (1973) The British Highlands: With Rope & Rucksack. EP Publishing Ltd, UK. Wood, Wendy (1930) Secret of Spey. Rob Grant & Son, Edinburgh, Scotland. Alexander, Henry (1926) The Ben MacDhui Giant Spectre. The Cairngorm Club Journal, Vol XI, No.64, July 1926. The Cairngorm Club, Scotland. Aberdeen Press & Journal (1925) Cairngorm Club. Aberdeen Press & Journal, Mon 30 Nov 1925, p5. Aberdeen, Scotland. Aberdeen Press & Journal (1925) Letters To Editor. Aberdeen Press & Journal, Tues 1 Dec 1925, p5. Aberdeen, Scotland. Aberdeen Press & Journal (1925) Mountain Climbers & The Ghost of Ben MacDhui. Aberdeen Press & Journal, Thurs 3 Dec 1925, p6. Aberdeen, Scotland. Aberdeen Press & Journal (1925) Dr Kellas & His Spectre. Aberdeen Press & Journal, Sat 5 Dec 1925, p4. Aberdeen, Scotland. The Scotsman (1941) The Grey Man Of Ben MacDhui. The Scotsman, Tues 14 Oct 1941, p7. Scotland. The Scotsman (1941) Mountain Spectres. The Scotsman, Mon 20 Oct 1941, p4. Scotland. The Scotsman (1941) Mountain Spectres. The Scotsman, Thurs 23 Oct 1941, p4. Scotland. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Mar 31, 20261h 0m
The Ghost Ship Carroll A. Deering
In January 1921, a five-masted schooner was discovered run aground off the coast of North Carolina with no crew aboard and no clear signs of struggle. Personal belongings, navigation equipment, and the ship’s lifeboats were missing, leaving investigators with more questions than answers and a trio of cats, which had been the only signs of life aboard the abandoned ship. Rumors of piracy, mutiny, Russian conspiracies, and even supernatural involvement quickly spread, but no definitive explanation ever emerged, earning the wreck the enduring title of “The Ghost Ship of the Diamond Shoals.”SOURCES Simpson, Bland (2002) Ghost Ship of Diamond Shoals. Chapel Hill & London, University of North Carolina Press. NC, USA. New York Times (1921) Skippers Daughter Holds Pirate Theory. New York Times, Thurs 23 June 1921, p2. NY, USA. New York Times (1921) Soviet Pirate Tale Declared a Fake. New York Times, Fri 26 Aug 1921, p2. NY, USA. The Sun Journal (1921) All a Fake Admits Gray. The Sun Journal, Mon 29 Aug 1921, p3, Maine, USA. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Mar 17, 20261h 4m
The Witches of Warboys
In the late 16th century, in the small village of Warboys, just outside Cambridge, everyday life was unsettled by growing fear and uncertainty, when family members of the local gentry began suffering from strange illnesses. Suspicion of witchcraft quickly spread amongst the community, and one neighbouring family found themselves accused by a local population that was searching for explanations in an environment of fear and superstition, forcing ordinary, everyday events to become evidence of something much darker.SOURCES Man, Thomas & Winnington, John (1593) The Most Strange and Admirable Discovery of the Three Witches of Warboys. Widow Orwin, London, UK. Almond, Philip C. (2008) The Witches of Warboys. I. B. Taurus, London, UK. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Mar 3, 20261h 6m
The 19th Century West Ham Vanishings
The East London district of West Ham might be best known globally for the football team of the same name, but in the late 19th century, the area became famous for something much darker. West Ham, and in particular, a single road within the district, became the scene for a series of unusual disappearances that took place over more than a decade, as young girls were vanished away from the streets, never to be seen again. At least until one was found dead and stuffed into a cupboard in an empty house.SOURCES Bondeson, Jan (2016) Rivals of The Ripper: Unsolved Murders of Women in Late Victorian London. Gloucester History Press. UK. London Daily Chronicle (1881) Disappearance Of A Girl. London Daily Chronicle, Thurs 21 April, 1881, p6. London, UK. Tower Hamlets Independent and East End Local Advertiser (1881) Another Mysterious Disappearance. Tower Hamlets Independent and East End Local Advertiser, Sat 23 April, 1881, p3. London, UK. Birmingham Mail (1881) The Mysterious Disappearance Of Girls. Birmingham Mail, Wed 1 June, 1881, p3. Birmingham, UK. Chelmsford Chronicle (1881) Stratford. Chelmsford Chronicle, Fri 13 May, 1881, p3. London, UK. London Evening Standard (1882) Disappearance Of A Girl. London Evening Standard, Tues 31 Jan 1882, p2. London, UK. London Evening Standard (1882) The Missing Girl Carter. London Evening Standard, Tues 7 Feb 1882, p5. London, UK. Selby Times (1882) The Disappearance Of Two Girls From West Ham. Selby Times, Fri 10 Feb 1882, p3. Leeds, UK. Penny Illustrated Paper (1882) The Mysterious Disappearance Of Eliza Carter From West Ham. Penny Illustrated Paper, Sat 18 Feb 1882, p7. London, UK. Daily News (1884) Unpunished Crimes - Disappearance Of Eliza Carter. Daily News, Tues 12 Feb 1884, p3. London, UK. Morning Advertiser (1890) Stratford. Morning Advertiser, Mon 3 Feb 1890, p7. London, UK. Ripon Observer (1890) Opening Of The Inquest. Ripon Observer, Thurs 20 Feb 1890, p6. Ripon, UK. The Guernsey Star (1890) The West Ham Murder. The Guernsey Star, Sat 22 Feb 1890, p2. Guernsey. Illustrated Police News (1890) Horrible Crime At West Ham. Illustrated Police News, Sat 22 Feb 1890, p2. London, UK. Illustrated Police News (1890) The Missing Keys Found. Illustrated Police News, Sat 24 May 1890, p2. London, UK. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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About Dark Histories
Fortnightly narratives on the unsolved and the unexplained, mysteries, historical true crime, touches of the paranormal and cultural peculiarities.
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