A walk on the weird side of history
Welcome to this week's Link Dump! IS EVERYBODY HAPPY??? What the hell was the Whitechapel Mount? Fair play for cannibals. The "wonderful year" 1759. The mysterious Great Serpent Mound. Why the number 17 was not popular in ancient Rome . BREAKING: Scientists have just discovered dogs. (Note: Cats can tell if you're sad, too. They just usually don't care.) The lady who was eulogized as "phosphate of…
Via Newspapers.com This odd case of a man and his apparent doppelganger appeared in the “Vancouver World,” July 21, 1894: "There is a mystery now of five years standing in the lumber regions of Northern Pennsylvania," said George W. Culp of the Upper Susquehanna Valley, “the clearing up of which would give a great deal of satisfaction to the people in that region. Five years ago John Shehan came…
"Dayton Daily News," October 6, 1966, via Newspapers.com Investigating a violent death can be difficult enough if it is uncertain whether it is a case of suicide, or murder. When even trying to establish the identity of the victim leads everyone down various rabbit holes, and the unfortunate corpse gets permanently misplaced…well, have some pity for the police detectives involved. 32-year-old Mary…
Welcome to "Weekend Link Dump: The Musical!" The bombing of LaGuardia Airport. When dead bodies were asked to pick out their murderer. The amulet that could rewrite the history of Christianity. The world's most haunted museum. That's the boast, at any rate. It may be time to stop insulting the dodo bird. The U.S. Navy and the Soviets compete to find a crashed F-14 jet. 15th century…
Via Newspapers.com This eerie little tale appeared in the “Shamokin News Dispatch,” November 26, 1929: To have been haunted day and night by the apparition of his wife who passed away just a month ago with the result that he could not sleep and then went into a state of nervous collapse, is believed to have been the cause of the sudden death yesterday of William Waslouksas, 55, of Minersville.…
In 1981, the journal of the Northern Earth Mysteries Group (now known simply as “Northern Earth,”) published an article by Frank E. Earp where he described a fairly indescribable “close encounter” he and some friends had years before. It is a notable story, as it is one that blurs the lines between standard UFO sightings and traditional fairy lore. In the mid 1960’s Britain was in the grip of UFO…
Welcome to this week's Link Dump! Just watch out for the Strange Company HQ bouncer. He doesn't play games. Disaster hits HMS Queen Charlotte. A shipwreck that is a "monument to 19th century diplomacy." The "golden age of languages." The ancient Greeks sure liked to put curses on each other. Scientists come up with a lot of really, really, bad ideas. The fight to keep a murderer behind bars. The…
Via Newspapers.com This account of a particularly lively poltergeist appeared in the “Edmonton Journal,” August 15, 1939: The Germans have a word for it; so have the Africans of the West Indies. The disciples of Herr Hitler call it "poltergeist"; the children of Mother Africa speak of it in awesome breath as "duppy" or "duppy 'pon de 'ouse.' The German word "poltergeist" is made up of the words…
"Illustrated Police News," June 7, 1879, via Newspapers.com Evil and depravity can have a certain fascination if they are cloaked in a benign or attractive exterior. It is doubtful that true-crime researchers would still be talking about Ted Bundy if not for the fact that those who knew him thought he was perfectly normal. And there is a reason why the Devil is often depicted as a handsome man.…
Welcome to this week's Link Dump! Featuring music from the Strange Company Orchestra! The forgotten Fifth Crusade. The gangs of 1970s Brooklyn. A visit to Waltham Abbey. A memorial to a murdered postmaster. How ancient humans regarded eclipses. How new technology is finding old cities. U-Boat action off the coast of Gaza, 1917. Ancient Egyptian princesses were probably damn good archers. The rise…
Via Newspapers.com This account of a strange figure that seemed to take fashion tips from the Ku Klux Klan appeared in the “Syracuse Post Standard,” December 8, 1901: CAZENOVIA, Dec. 7.-The usual calm of this quiet village has given way to unwonted excitement. Strong men do not venture out at night unarmed, and even the most daring urchins have suddenly discovered a new charm in an evening at…
Some people make it into the history books by becoming world leaders. Some do so through acts of daring or heroism. Some do so by creating immortal works of art. And some, like the hero of today’s post, do so by eating an entire sheep in one sitting. It’s a funny old world. About all we know for sure about Nicholas Wood of Harrietsham, Kent, England, is that he would have been a devil at today’s…
Welcome to this week's Link Dump! And greetings from the Strange Company mail room! A teenager who died in the American Revolution has finally been identified. An ancient Roman fossil collector. The strange case of the "Leavenworth Look-Alikes." The legend of what may have been the first underwater tunnel. Casual snapshots of the Romanovs. The strange case of the Beale Ciphers. A diplomat's widow…
Via Newspapers.com A ghost that was, you might say, all things to all people was reported in the “Moncton Transcript,” February 1, 1922: London, Jan. 30-Eastbourne is being troubled, or entertained, by a "ghost" mystery. A strange apparition has been seen several times gliding along the Crumbles, near the fishermen's huts, and across Fishermen's Green. As the place is within 800 yards of the spot…
Just to show that life is full of unexpected turns, on June 18, 1178, a group of medieval English monks threw a fine puzzle in the laps of astronomers that lingers to this day. On that day, shortly after sunset, five monks at the abbey of the Christ Church of Canterbury (on the site of Canterbury Cathedral,) noticed that something very odd was happening in the sky. Gervase, who was Canterbury’s…
Welcome to this week's Link Dump, which is so action-packed, not one, but four hosts were required! Two ships from the "dawn of naval aviation." It turns out that wild chimpanzees are pretty good drummers. If you're planning to visit the Grand Canyon, maybe think twice about that. I was in a happier frame of mind before I learned that there is a spider that can outrun humans. A really confusing…
Via Newspapers.com This account of an extremely weird cloud (?) appeared in the “Caledonian Mercury,” January 18, 1821: COSENZA. On the 29th Nov. last, about half-past six in the evening, there suddenly appeared, on the west of the horizon, a luminous body, more brilliant than the moon at its full. This body had the figure of a dragon. After passing with great velocity across the horizon, it…
"Norwich Evening News," February 3, 1970, via Newspapers.com If you’re at all familiar with my Twitter/X or Facebook feeds, you know that I periodically share old newspaper reports about the seemingly endless varieties of mayhem carried out by goats. ( Why do I do this? It’s just how I roll, I guess.) So, you can imagine how delighted I was to learn of the following story, which just may be the…
Welcome to this week's Link Dump, where we wish our fellow Americans a happy 250th birthday! The unveiling of the Victoria Cross. A handy reminder that Robin Hood was no hero. One really freaking long tennis match. The motivations of Richard, Duke of York. "Somebody's father" at the battle of Gettysburg. Why we call it a "honeymoon." The dog who loved trains. Now that all other problems on Earth…
Via Newspapers.com This unnerving account of the mysterious deaths of two sisters appeared in the “Patriot News,” March 24, 1968: A soft sigh, a stare of horror, a piercing scream and death that as yet is unexplained…that was the fate of Beverly Stephens and her sister, Patricia, who died in almost identical circumstances five years apart. Neither girl uttered a word before she died. Neither gave…
During the 1950s, Martin Caidin was the official historian for America’s Fifth Air Force during his stint in A-2 military intelligence. In that capacity, he had full access to military combat files. In his book “Ghosts of the Air,” he described a story he found in one of those files that was reported from air force operations in North Africa during WWII--a story that he admitted was “flatly…
Welcome to this week's Link Dump! Our hosts for this Friday are Goldie and Brownie! Because why not. A plague outbreak from over 5,000 years ago. A case of explosive revenge. A medieval communication network. How angry fishermen saved the American Revolution. A remarkable amber pendant. The liver-eating cannibal of the Old West. Catherine Crowe's ghost hunt. That time when humans nearly became…
Via Newspapers.com On this blog, we’ve met mysterious Women in Black. Not to mention the occasional Women in White. So, who’s up for making the acquaintance of a Welsh Woman in Yellow? The “Bradford Weekly Telegraph,” February 18, 1905: A silent woman, shimmering in a bright yellow light, with gleaming eyes and up-lifted knife, is the latest ghostly form to be reported from South Wales. She has…
"Owensboro Messenger," January 29, 1911, via Newspapers.com Early in 1910, American newspapers breathlessly carried the story of what appeared to be a particularly shocking double homicide. This account comes from the "Republican News Item" for January 6: The mystery of the death of Miss Grace Elosser, of Cumberland, Md., and Charles E. Twigg, of Keyser, W. Va. her fiance, appears as deep as it…
Welcome to this week's Link Dump! Oh, God, the Strange Company staffers are bar-hopping again. A case of avenged honor. The most famous dog of the Middle Ages. The legend of King Arthur in Greenland. A Welsh village that became a casualty of WWII. The rise and fall of masquerade balls. In which science proves that stolen french fries taste better. Two newly-discovered sermons by St. Augustine.…