"While historians continue to explore the details of the infamous Salem witch trials, another, earlier panic swept through New England -- something modern historians often refer to as the ""Vampire Panic."" In part one of this two-part series, Ben is joined again with guest host Alex Williams, creator of the Ephemeral podcast, to explore the brutal realities ... Show More
Aug 22
CLASSIC: Patriots, Prisoners and Plants: The World of Political Body Doubles
Has anyone ever told you you resemble a celebrity? Have you ever thought of making this resemblance your job? In today’s Classic episode, Ben, Noel and Casey explore real-life stories of body doubles, from World War II to surprisingly recent events.See omnystudio.com/listener for ... Show More
50m 9s
Aug 20
Who Took William Lilly’s Fish?
Back in seventeenth century England, William Lilly was a big deal. As the preeminent astrologer of his day, pretty much everyone followed his research, predictions, and writing. Yet as Ben, Noel and Max discover in today's episode, Lilly was also an occasional detective -- and wh ... Show More
44m 10s
Aug 18
Francis Scott Key was Kind of a Jerk
Love it or hate it, every American recognizes the Star-Spangled Banner. The lyrics come from a poem written by a lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, based on his experience watching an attack of Baltimore's Fort McHenry. The story itself is pretty inspiring -- but as ... Show More
43m 17s
Oct 2017
SYMHC Classics: New England Vampire Panic
<p>Today, in honor of Halloween weekend, we're revisiting an episode about vampirism. Starting in the late 1700s and, small rural communities in New England were sometimes stricken with a panicked fear that the dead were feeding off the living.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your a ... Show More
37m 53s
Jul 2022
Episode 500: The Salem Witch Trials Part I - Get Your Buckles!
<p>In this, Episode 500, the boys begin the story of one of the darkest chapters in New England's History. Traveling all the way back to The Salem Witch Trials of 1692, satanic panic sweeps across Massachusetts and the Puritan Church's fear of the Devil paves a path for the hangi ... Show More
1h 51m
May 2023
331: American Witches
It’s 1647, and in New England, where puritan settlers live in fear of God’s wrath and a hostile indigenous population, there are rumours coming from Boston, and up the Connecticut valley, that witches are to blame for the death of local children…
In today’s episode, Tom and Domin ... Show More
55m 6s
Aug 2022
Episode 501: The Salem Witch Trials Part II - Titters Over Time
<p>The boys are back to continue the tale of Salem's Witches, who at this point have become a major issue in several New England communities, and as various "witches" are round up, one after another, the examinations for the Salem Witch Trials themselves begin.</p>
<p><p><strong> ... Show More
2h 15m
Oct 2021
SALEM EPISODE 1: Introduction
In 1692, 19 members of a small New England community were hanged for witchcraft. Over the course of the year, young girls convulsed and barked like dogs, women confessed to flying on poles to satanic sabbaths, and villagers recounted seeing ghostly apparitions and translucent cat ... Show More
18m 10s
Oct 2024
Inside the Witch Trials: Salem | Fear In A New World
We often think of the witch trials as something in the deep and distant past.But, as we'll hear in today's episode, the attitudes and behaviour that led to witch trials is as present today as it was then.In this third and final episode of our limited series, Inside the Witch Tria ... Show More
43 m