Curious Archive

The Chaotic Life of Saint Christina the Astonishing: Levitator, Tomb Dweller, Icon

Published date 18 August 2022 Categories Weird History

Christina the Astonishing lived her life in what appeared to be constant, unapologetic chaos. Was she chosen by God? Clinically insane? Deeply eccentric? Possessed by a demon? No one knew what to make of her 900 years ago, and there’s certainly no point trying to make sense of her today. Because as her story shows, she wasn’t called Christina the Astonishing for nothing.

HMS Eurydice: The Ghostly Ship that Haunts the Isle of Wight

Published date 8 August 2022 Categories Paranormal Encounters

In 1878, three-year-old Winston Churchill watched alongside his nurse as the HMS Eurydice sank off the coast of England’s Isle of Wight. The tragedy, which took the lives of over 300 men, would become one of the most devastating peacetime naval disasters in British history. According to legend, the phantom ship continues to sail off the coast of Sandown and...

The Monsters and Killers of Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

Published date 27 July 2022 Categories Paranormal Encounters / Weird History

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...

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

Published date 22 July 2022 Categories Weird History

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...

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

Published date 18 July 2022 Categories Paranormal Encounters / Weird History

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),...

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

Published date 13 July 2022 Categories Paranormal Encounters / Weird History

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...

Take an Interdimensional Ride with Japan and Korea’s Terrifying Elevator Game

Published date 24 June 2022 Categories Digital Mythology

We all know at least one urban legend. Bloody Mary, the Jersey Devil, Hookman, Robert Johnson selling his soul to the Devil, Krampus, Mothman, Owlman… and countless other legends of folklore that come from cultures all around the world. With the birth of the internet came an entirely new type of ‘friend of a friend’ storytelling called Creepypastas. Unlike urban...

The Tombstone Thunderbird Photograph and the Mandela Effect

Published date 18 June 2022 Categories Paranormal Encounters / Weird History

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....

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

Published date 13 June 2022 Categories Weird History

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...

Of Leprosy and Confinement: The Tragic Haunting of Uncle Hỏa’s Mansion, Vietnam

Published date 25 April 2022 Categories Paranormal Encounters

A haunted mansion. An ancient disease. A family with a dark secret.
The tragic legend of Hứa Bổn Hòa (aka Uncle Hỏa) and his ill fated daughter Lan is well known in Vietnam. But since Hứa Bổn Hòa was a real historic figure, it’s strange that this famous ghost story features a daughter that appears to be entirely fictional. Who exactly was Lan? Was her death as tragic as the legend says? And most importantly, did she ever actually exist?