Dark Histories

Over the Christmas of 1716, during a time of political tension and uncertainty in England, strange events began to trouble Epworth Rectory. After nightfall, the home of Reverend Samuel Wesley was disturbed by unexplained sounds. Soft footsteps thumped in hallways, as dull thuds knocked on the walls and door latches rattled in their housings. The Wesley family spoke cautiously of a presence they...

In the summer of 1819, the whaleship Essex set sail from Nantucket, chasing fortune across the vast and indifferent Pacific. What began as a routine whaling voyage soon veered into a nightmare, however, when the hunted became the hunter, and the ship, until now known as one of the luckiest around, was smashed to splinters, leaving her crew adrift in an ocean without mercy. Their struggle was a...

In the autumn of 1954, France found itself gripped by a strange and unnerving spectacle. From quiet rural villages to bustling towns and cities, witnesses reported everything from flying discs, cigars and carrots, to little creatures in diving gear waddling beneath a glowing sphere. Newspapers buzzed with excitement as sightings unfolded night after night, spreading across the country like a...

In this week's episode of Yesterday Today I had a bit of a dive into teh murder of Mary Jane Kelly and how it was presented in the London papers, along with a few other oddities, like Barnaby and Burgho the bloodhounds and the insistence of drunk people to pretend they were a heavily hunted serial killer...------For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠⁠Support...

In the frozen landscape of Finnish winter, 1885, the quiet croft of Efraim Martin in Ylöjärvi became the center of local attention thanks to a series of unexplainable events that saw almost the entire neighbourhood crowd into the small farmhouse. Rumours of the devils and demons wound through the township, as neighbors swore they saw an invisible force cause havoc throughout the otherwise...

In the shadows of war-torn Paris, a charming young doctor lived a double life. Physician by day, and resistance fighter by night, his underground network promised salvation to those desperate to escape the Nazi grip. But in a time where trust was at a premium, the truth was not necessarily as it seemed. When Dr. Marcel Petiot’s home at 21 Rue Le Sueur became a concern to his neighbours as a...

This week we continue to look into the press around the time of Jack the Ripper and dig up a extremely peculiar story that's never really explained at all, about mysterious disappearing bread. Yep.------For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠⁠Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: ⁠⁠⁠http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠ or visit...

On a warm, overcast summer’s day of 1901, two English school mistresses strolled through the gardens of Versailles, unaware they were about to step into a defining moment in their lives. One minute in the present and the next in the past, Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain claimed to have crossed into a spectral vision of the court of Marie Antoinette. What began as a genteel outing...

In 1695, a small rural, farming community of southwest Scotland was shaken by strange events at the farmhouse of Ringcroft of Stocking. What began with the shuffling around of livestock, soon escalated into unexplained noises, stones thrown through the air and voices that no one could trace. Neighbors and ministers all flocked to witness the disturbances, but none could find a cause and no amount...

This week we look into some of the press reports from the second Jack the Ripper Murder, as well as some highlights of Hitchcock's Psycho release, from 1960. There's also sea serpents, haunted houses, and wise words that mean absolutely nothing, as far as I can tell...------For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠Support the show by using our link when you sign...