Category: Weird History

27 July 2022

The Monsters and Killers of Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

Ghost Ranch, located in Abiquiú, New Mexico, has it’s fair share of interesting stories. The 21,000 acre retreat was once the home and studio of modernist painter Georgia O’Keeffe who was infatuated with the barren landscape featured frequently in her art. The area is also an important palaeontology site with an impressively high concentration of dinosaur fossils. And, Ghost Ranch’s...

Categories Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

22 July 2022

A Deep Dive into the History of Niagara Falls’ Barrel Mania

As far as tourist towns go, Niagara Falls, Canada is well worth the pit stop — there’s really nowhere else like it. The Falls themselves, straddling the American and Canadian border on the southern end of the Niagara Gorge, are made up of three separate waterfalls: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls. The largest of...

Categories Weird History

18 July 2022

Himeji Castle, Thoughtography, and the Japanese Ghost Story that Inspired ‘The Ring’

In 2002 the English speaking world was horror-struck by a little girl named Samara who crawled out of a well and murdered her victims when they watched her cursed video tape. The Ring, a Hollywood remake of the hit Japanese film Ringu (1998) would kickstart a popular trend of J-Horror remakes including The Grudge (2004) and One Missed Call (2008),...

Categories Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

13 July 2022

The Yeti Footprints of Mount Everest, as Photographed by Eric Shipton

Whether you know them as Yetis or Abominable Snowmen, these ape-like creatures are the undeniable kings of snow dwelling cryptids. Similar to the North American Bigfoot, the Yeti is said to be a solitary creature who roams the snowy mountains of the Himalayas. While generally considered part of Sherpa (a Tibetan ethnic group’s) folklore, mountaineers in the region have recorded...

Categories Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

18 June 2022

The Tombstone Thunderbird Photograph and the Mandela Effect

The Mandela Effect: false memories shared by multiple people, often complete strangers. Paranormal researcher Fiona Broome coined the term in 2010 after recording her own false memory of South African President Nelson Mandela. According to Broome, she had a distinct memory of Mandela dying in prison during the 1980s – she even remembered watching the funeral broadcasted on international television....

Categories Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

13 June 2022

‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?’: Espionage, Witchcraft, and other Theories

On 18 April 1943 four boys made a grisly discovery in Hagley Wood in Worcestershire, England on a stretch of private residential property. While bird-nesting in the area, they came upon a large wych elm tree and one of the boys, Bob Farmer, climbed in the hopes of finding a bird nest. Instead, Farmer discovered a human skull complete with...

Categories Weird History

12 April 2022

Sacred Earth: The Neolithic Longstone on the Isle of Wight

Tucked near the village of Mottistone on England’s Isle of Wight is the Longstone, the remains of a 6000 year old communal long barrow from the Neolithic Period. The site sits at the foot of a large hill who’s peak features south views of the English Channel’s endless blue. A sense of peace is present when standing next to the...

Categories Weird History

26 March 2022

The Georgia Guidestones: Secret Societies, Ted Turner, and the Antichrist

Update: As of 6 July 2022 the Georgia Guidestones have been destroyed following a bombing by persons unknown. Known as an “American Stonehenge”, the Georgia Guidestones were mysteriously commissioned in June 1979 by a man under the pseudonym R. C. Christian and “a small group of loyal Americans”. According to Christian, the anonymous group spent the previous 20 years developing...

Categories Offbeat Travel/Weird History

23 February 2022

“What Drew Her Into Oblivion?”: The Disappearance of Silent Film Actress Marie Empress

Mary Ann Louisa Taylor, known by her stage name Marie Empress, was born on 26 March 1884 in Birmingham, England. Marie had a busy career as an actress, singer, dancer, and successful male impersonator, and garnered a reputation as a comedienne in Britain. She specialised in playing femme fatale, or vamp characters which led to confusion about her real persona...

Categories Weird History

8 February 2022

No, John Dee Didn’t Actually Translate the Necronomicon

Polarising American author HP Lovecraft (1890-1937) wrote some deeply unsavoury things during his lifetime. But his contributions to the realm of speculative fiction are so immense that it’s impossible to ignore his continued influence on the genres of fantasy, horror, and science fiction.

Categories Weird History