logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
43m 37s

Typhoid Mary: Original Super-Spreader?

History Hit
About this episode

Mary Mallon aka "Typhoid Mary" is a macabre figure who spread disease and death everywhere she went. But there's a lot more depth and humanity to Mary's history than this. She's someone who is hard to resist when you get to know her (despite all the Typhoid...). Anthony Delaney tells Maddy Pelling the story.


Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  


You can take part in our listener survey here.


After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Who was the Last Witch of Scotland?
<p>With the nights closing in, what better time to re-visit a favourite episode of ours.</p><br><p>In 1727, Janet Horne of the Highland community of Dornoch became the last person in Britain to be tried and executed for witchcraft.</p><br><p>As the poet Edwin Morgan put it; They ... Show More
29m 2s
Nov 20
Could you Survive the Medieval Apocalypse?
<p>For Medieval Europe, the Apocalypse wasn’t just a metaphor - it was very real and very imminent.</p><p>We are talking about the four horsemen, locusts the size of horses, the beast of the abyss, the Whore of Babylon, and, obviously, the anti-christ.</p><p>We’re going to go thr ... Show More
45m 18s
Nov 17
Why Did Henry VIII Kill Catherine Howard?
<p>In 1540 Henry VIII was getting old, and his eyes turned to teenager Catherine Howard.</p><br><p>He fell hard and fast for Catherine - his "rose without a thorn" - but when he found out about her past, all hell broke loose.</p><br><p>Amidst all the panic and confusion, who was ... Show More
52m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 19
The Real Virgin Mary
Why has the idea of the Virgin Mary’s virginity been so important?What does this tell us about the relationship between Christianity and sex? And what else do we know about this woman?Joining Kate today to help her get to know more about Mary, her life and her influence is author ... Show More
42m 5s
Jan 2019
Introducing Root of Evil
When Elizabeth Short, also known as "The Black Dahlia," was brutally killed in 1947, it gripped the entire country. More than 70 years later, it remains America's most infamous unsolved murder. Many believe Dr. George Hodel was the killer, thanks to an investigation by Hodel's ow ... Show More
4m 44s
Sep 26
History's Worst F*ckboys: Rasputin
Rasputin presented himself as a mystic healer, and preached that the only way to salvation was through sin — which sometimes, if rumour is to be believed, manifested in orgies.It's definitely giving f*ckboy behaviour.How did he make his way from poverty to the Russian royalty inn ... Show More
29m 5s
Oct 17
Wife-Swapping Magician of the Tudor Court
The 16th century was a dangerous time to be talking about magic and hidden forces, so how did John Dee end up being invited into Elizabeth I's court?He was an astronomer, occultist and alchemist who dedicated his life to understanding how celestial activity influenced life on ear ... Show More
38m 54s
Aug 21
Tudor True Crime: Murder of Amy Dudley
**WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of suicide**On 6 September 1560, Amy Robsart Dudley died after falling down a staircase at Cumnor Place in Oxfordshire. But did she fall? Was she pushed? Or did she throw herself down the stairs? These questions exercised Tudor courti ... Show More
40m 32s
Aug 2024
Life Lessons From Historical Women
<p>When women's stories aren't being flat-out ignored from the history books, they can often be sidelined.</p><br><p>Well not here! Joining Kate today is the comedian and author of <a href="https://www.welbooks.co.uk/shop/p/life-lessons-from-historical-women-by-eleanor-morton" re ... Show More
35m 48s
Nov 9
Episode 347 - The Witch of York | Mother Shipton
Born in a storm and cackling instead of crying, Mother Shipton wasn’t your average baby—she was England’s most powerful witch and prophetess. From dark rumors about her mysterious birth in a Yorkshire cave to a lifetime of magic and prophecy, her story has haunted England for cen ... Show More
1h 4m
Nov 4
Introducing Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder
Hey Dateline fans! As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder an all-new original podcast series from NBC News Studios. Hosted by veteran journalist Andrew Goldman, Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder, is sure to hook listeners, in ... Show More
3m 46s
Aug 11
Molière: Satire, Scandal & the Stage
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Jan Clarke to explore the life, legend, and legacy of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin — better known as Molière. From his audacious rejection of bourgeois expectations to his controversial plays that rattled the Catholic Church and deligh ... Show More
49m 38s