BrainStuff Classics: Why Did London Once...

This four-legged prehistoric animal had a bony sail on its back and was probably scaly, but it was more closely to related to mammals than it was to dinosaurs. Learn about Dimetrodon and other synapsids in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.hows ... Show More

Samhain is a pagan holiday -- celebrated between the fall equinox and winter solstice -- that helped form modern, secular Halloween celebrations. Learn about Samhain in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holid ... Show More

After a tragic set of murders in 1974, the next residents at a grand old house in Amityville, New York, claimed the home was demonically haunted. Their story spawned a horror sensation. But was the whole thing a money-making hoax? Did the murderer really hear voices there? Learn ... Show More

In the mid-19th century, London was literally filling with corpses. When the city was in the grips of a cholera epidemic, the already-overfilled cemetaries couldn't handle the extra bodies. So when there's literally no room in the soil for another dead body, what's a city to do? ... Show More

When the dead could no longer be buried due to lack of space, people turned to storing them in tunnels underground. This may explain the many ghost encounters underneath the city of London, England.<br /><br />Find Edwin on Instagram and Twitter at @edwincov or over at edwin.fm<b ... Show More

From its ancient Roman roots to the rise of a global empire, London has seen centuries of triumph, tragedy, and transformation. Wander through its foggy streets, royal palaces, and historic landmarks as we explore the fascinating (and sometimes surprising) past of England’s capit ... Show More

<p>There was a brief period in the US, UK and Ireland when a dead body could fetch a pretty penny for a person willing to dig it up and sell it to surgeons for dissection. It turns out that there was no shortage of ghoulish types willing to do just that.</p><p> </p> Learn more ab ... Show More

In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore a host of scary, train-related topics, from the Victorian “railway madness” panic to ghost trains and more. (originally published 10/3/2024)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Join Greg Jenner in 17th-century London as an out of control fire razes much of the city to the ground. Why did it spread so quickly? Why wasn't it extinguished immediately? And why didn't anyone make the most of the opportunity to build a better London?The Historical Consultant ... Show More

In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the historic and psychological origins of necromancy: the ancient practice by which shamans, wizards and sorcerers sought communication with the dead. (Part 1 of 3, originally published 09/28/2023)See omny ... Show More

In 1827, Edinburgh, Scotland was a world centre for anatomical study, but there was a shortage of cadavers for medical students to dissect. Two men, William Burke and William Hare, spotted a grim business opportunity. They began sourcing bodies - by any means possible... In this ... Show More

The London Underground – often known simply as the Tube – is central to the city’s global identity. A pioneering feat of engineering at the time of its construction in the 19th century, on a typical weekday, the network now carries 5 million passengers between 272 stations, on 11 ... Show More

Every city has its drawbacks -- parking, for example, or crime, or the price of a decent pizza slice -- but in the 1800s London faced a particularly unusual and disgusting problem: the city literally stank. And this wasn't an occasional whiff of urine or hot garbage from an alley ... Show More