The mysterious disappearance of a group of nine Soviet hikers in 1959 has puzzled the world for decades. What happened? Was it simply horrible weather? A secret weapons test? Or, something otherworldly? That is the subject of this very Unpleasant Dream.
EM Hilker is our writer and researcher with additional writing by Cassandra Harold. Jim Harold is our Exe ... Show More
Jun 2025
The Room in the Tower - Unpleasant Dreams 84
After a brief hiatus, Unpleasant Dreams returns with a chilling classic from the early 20th century. This week, Cassandra Harold narrates E.F. Benson’s “The Room in the Tower,” a haunting tale first published in 1912 that explores the terrifying power of dreams—and what happens w ... Show More
35m 4s
Apr 2025
The Haunted Orchard - Unpleasant Dreams 82
This week on Unpleasant Dreams, Cassandra Harold is back narrating the eerie story, The Haunted Orchard . What better way to celebrate spring than a haunted orchard! Written by Richard Le Gallienne, the story touches on themes like memory, loss, and the invisible bond between the ... Show More
23m 26s
Oct 2024
Unearthed! in Autumn 2024, Part 1
Part one of this edition of Unearthed! is mostly updates - about two-thirds of the episode. The rest is weapons, medicine, and books and letters. Research: 19 News Investigative Team. “Exhumation of Cleveland Torso Killer’s unidentified victims now underway.” https://www.clevela ... Show More
45m 40s
Nov 2024
221. Why Are We So Pessimistic?
Are things really as bad as they seem? Has Gen Z given up hope for the world? And why was the father of positive psychology a lifelong pessimist? SOURCES:Albert Bandura, professor of psychology at Stanford University.David Brooks, author and opinion columnist. Andrew Grove, forme ... Show More
39m 8s
Mar 2025
Episode 659: The Unsolved Murder of Kristin O’Connell
On the night of August 14, 1985, twenty-year-old Kristin O’Connell left a party in Ovid, NY to go for a walk. Two days later, her nude body was discovered near a cornfield along a rural county road; she had been stabbed in the chest and her throat was cut. The unsolved murder of ... Show More
58m 23s
Sep 2023
Deadly floods in Derna
Earlier this week the deadly Mediterranean cyclone, Storm Daniel, swept through the small city of Derna in Libya, collapsing a 50-year-old dam in its wake, and triggering devastating floods which have killed over 5000 people. We speak to atmospheric scientist, Stavros Dafis, abou ... Show More
26m 32s
Feb 2024
Harrison G. Dyar, Jr., Entomologist and Tunneler
Harrison G. Dyar, Jr. is known today largely as a hobby tunneler. But he was also an influential entomologist, and his personal life was much more convoluted than any tunnel he ever dug.
Research:
“Allen v. Allen.” The Pacific Reporter, Volume 193. https://books.google.com/books ... Show More
41m 1s
Dec 2024
223. What About All the Questions We Haven’t Answered?
How can you learn to love uncertainty? Is it better to cultivate acceptance or strive for change? And, after 223 episodes, what is the meaning of life? SOURCES:Jessica Alquist, professor of psychology at Texas Tech University.Roy Baumeister, professor of psychology at The Univer ... Show More
44m 6s