How powerful is belief? Powerful enough to kill? To some indigenous Australians, the mere pointing of a bone can seal a terrible fate.
Episode 207 - The Seven Year Murder of Cindy James
For almost seven years Cindy James was harassed, attacked, and terrorized. Did Cindy have a vicious enemy who would not rest until she was broken or dead? Or was Cindy’s enemy much closer to home?
Episode 206 - The Mysterious Death of Jack Wheeler
Jack Wheeler was a stridently conventional man. West Point grad, military veteran, White House aide. Everything about Jack Wheeler was normal - until two days of strange behavior that culminated in his body being found at a landfill in Delaware, beaten to death.
Episode 205 - An Alan Smithee Film
Over 30 years, Alan Smithee directed more than 25 feature films. He was praised by Roger Ebert. He directed such stars as Richard Widmark, Burt Reynolds, Robert Duvall, Holly Hunter, Jodie Foster and Keanu Reeves. Alan Smithee was a major Hollywood player. It turns out, though, that Alan Smithee did not exist.
Weird Bit 34 - Robert Pakington and the Worst First
Robert Pakington was a wealthy English reformer during the reign of Henry VIII. Who knew that what happened to him on a walk to church in 1536 would change the world forever in a very ugly way.
Episode 204 - My Name is Dan Cooper - The DB Cooper Hijacking Part 3
As law enforcement gave up on ever catching the only successful hijacker in the nation’s history, the question became - who was DB Cooper? Was it the smoke jumper? The terrible skydiving instructor? The transgender woman? The mass murderer? Let’s find out.
Episode 203 - My Name is Dan Cooper - The DB Cooper Hijacking Part 2
The moment Flight 305 touches down in Reno, the authorities swarm. But DB Cooper had already leapt into the rainy night somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Where did he jump? Did he survive? And, if so, where did he go?
Episode 202 - My Name is Dan Cooper - The DB Cooper Hijacking Part 1
An aggressively normal man bought a one-way ticket on Flight 305 to Seattle, ordered a bourbon and soda, then told the flight attendant he had a bomb in his briefcase. And so started one of the most remarkable mysteries ever.
Weird Bit 34 - Jetpack Jerry
Jetpack Jerry (not his real name) has been spotted 6,000 feet up in the air around LAX. Alien? Angel? Psychotic? Eccentric billionaire? Awesome dude? That guy who invented the Segway (oh, wait, he’s dead)? Jetpack Jerry joins Lawnchair Larry and the Balloon Boy in the Weird World aviation hall of fame.
Video showing drone made to look like a man with a jetpack - we still don’t know why
Weird Bit 33 - Updates: Killer Bears in Japan and Murder Hornets in the US
Callback updates: Japanese brown bears wreaking havoc in Hokkaido and Murder Hornets coming back to America. Oh, and we forgot to tell you we are taking a little summer break, but we will be back soon.
Episode 201 - Inzomnia - Dying to Sleep
For one unnamed family in Italy, weirdly copious sweating, high blood pressure, dilated eyes, stiff limbs and impotence were more ominous than they might be for most people. For this family, they signaled the onset of not days of sleeplessness, not weeks, but months, maybe even years. That never ends well.
Episode 200 - The Montauk Project
When Ed Bielek saw the movie, The Philadelphia Experiment, something sparked in his primal memory. Something from his past in Montauk on Long Island, New York. In a flash, Bielek realized he could add to the lore of time travel, telepathy, and government conspiracies with his own remarkable experiences. Be forewarned, this episode goes to 11.
Episode 199 - The Philadelphia Experiment
It was an astounding event that crossed paranormal fields - aliens, teleportation, time travel, secret government conspiracies. It was the Philadelphia Experiment. It was also a fantastic movie in 1984 starring the unforgettable Michael Pare. Remember him? Also in Streets of Fire, Eddie and the Cruisers? Nothing? Well, it is still a remarkable story, so tune in.
Sources:
https://www.military.com/off-duty/2020/05/04/truth-behind-wwiis-creepy-philadelphia-experiment.html
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq21-1.htm
https://medium.com/the-mysterious-miscellany/https-medium-com-the-mysterious-miscellany-bending-reality-the-philadelphia-experiment-9959a496756f
https://people.howstuffworks.com/philadelphia-experiment.htm#pt1
Dunning, B. (2006, Dec. 24). The real Philadelphia experiment. Skeptoid Podcast, Skeptoid Media. Retrieved from http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4016
Episode 198 - The Accidental Tourist and The Disappearing Tourist: Carl McCunn and Atsumi Yoshikubo
Carl McCunn looked forward to another summer in the rugged Alaskan interior photographing wildlife. But what exactly did he say to the bush pilot he thought was going to pick him up when winter loomed? And Atsumi Yoshikubo wanted so badly to see the Northern Lights she walked into the wilds of Canada’s frozen north — to vanish off the face of the earth. The stories of Carl and Atsumi demonstrate the dangers of tourism.
Episode 197 - Denise Huskins and Her Supposedly Hoax Kidnapping
What would you do if you were kidnapped by an invader in the middle of the night? He holds you, he threatens you, he assaults you. But then what would you do if you were finally released and the police didn’t believe a word you said?
Sources:
https://abc7news.com/vallejo-gone-girl-kidnapping-case-denise-huskins-police-misconduct/6339403/
https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/How-Vallejo-police-mistook-kidnap-victim-Denise-13250455.php
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Vallejo-kidnap-victim-and-fiancee-accused-of-hoax-12757846.php
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-matthew-muller-plea-vallejo-kidnapping-20160928-snap-story.html
https://www.wired.com/2015/09/matthew-muller/
20/20 Episode
Weird Bit 32 - April Fool's Truthing
Discover which of our April Fool’s stories was real and which two were fake. Quasi-spoiler alert - we tricked most of you.
Episode 196 - The Phantom Slayer Murder Mystery Part 2
The Phantom Slayer commits his most horrific attack on a couple in their own home. Texarkana devolves into panic and paranoia. Will we ever know who this monster was?
Episode 195 - The Phantom Slayer Murder Mystery, Part 1
First you see a man walking toward your car in the dead of night in a deserted lovers’ lane. Then you see he is wearing some kind of hood over his head. Then you see he is holding a gun. The Phantom Slayer has begun his reign of terror in Texarkana.
Episode 194 - Hey Mr. Submarine Man
If you invented a working submarine, would you: A) Humble brag this in every conversation (“Oh, you started a yeast culture? Hm, that reminds me of when I made a working submarine in my garage.”), B) Go on Shark Tank and ask for a billion dollars to start Underwater Uber, or C) Use it to lure women into close confines to do something unspeakable? You can probably guess the answer.
Episode 193 - Of Ghost Grannies, Alien Bigfoots, and Shooting Up Peanut Butter and Mayo
It’s April Fool’s Day but no one is going to trick our listeners. Except us. Three strange stories. Two are made up, one is real. Your job is to figure out which one. Go to our Facebook page to vote on which story is real.