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Framingham, Massachusetts

Graves of John Cloyce & Abraham Rice

In 1777, two men were killed after being struck by lightning at the same time.
strange science

Podcast: Frozen Dead Guy

Near a Colorado mountain town, there's the frozen corpse of a Norwegian grandpa. We get the tale of how this came to be.
The Podcast Team June 7, 2023
On Tuckernuck Island, the American giant millipede is in danger of losing its head. Scientists don't know what is responsible for the unprecedented number of decapitations.
science

The Mystery of the Headless Millipedes

Every summer, hundreds of millipedes are murdered on one small Massachusetts island.
William von Herff May 26, 2023
death

Podcast: Close to the Edge

We all dream of the perfect vacation. This episode is about the opposite.
The Podcast Team May 10, 2023
The haunting by the entity known as the Bell Witch has resonated across centuries of American history.
haunted

The Elusive, Maddening Mystery of the Bell Witch

A classic ghost story has something to say about America—200 years ago, 100 years ago, and today.
Colin Dickey May 2, 2023
Madison Dry Goods Museum
Madison, North Carolina

Madison Dry Goods and Country Store

The upstairs museum delves into the Lawson family murder, whose eight victims were embalmed at this store in 1929.
Some families even set up a full spread on a picnic table.
cemeteries

Why Georgians Dine in Cemeteries for Orthodox Easter

Honoring the dead sometimes means breaking bread with them.
Helena Bedwell April 13, 2023
Snoopy
Monacnappa, Ireland

Blarney Castle Horse Graveyard

Horse cemetery on the grounds of Blarney Castle.
Metal guitarist and paper effigy artisan Koh Eng Keat sits on his motorcycle in front of a seven-foot-tall paper mansion. Keat runs 358 Custom Effigies Workshop with his father Koh Ah Bah where building elaborate papier-mâché effigies like this are just part of a normal workday.
funeral art

Meet the Punk Rocker Building Life-Sized Paper Effigies for Malaysia’s Ghosts

The doom metal guitarist builds papier-mâché BMWs, iPhones, and mansions—then it all goes up in smoke.
Marco Ferrarese February 24, 2023
Tokyo, Japan

Kimi-Chan

This sculpture bears a tragic backstory that may have inspired a hauntingly beautiful children's song.
objects of intrigue

Was This King Charles I’s Death Vest?

It is said the English monarch wore the sleeved waistcoat at his public execution in 1649.
April White November 17, 2022
The cookbook also includes instructions on decorating your own sugar skulls. Don't eat these: You'll chip a tooth.
cemeteries

A Cookbook for Dining With the Dead

Learn to make amaranth skulls, “buried” tamales, and other regional Día de Muertos recipes.
Sam O'Brien October 28, 2022
The cottage where Michael Cleary murdered his wife, Bridget, still stands in Ballyvadlea in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is shown here in an 1895 photograph.
murder

The Haunting True Story of Bridget Cleary’s “Changeling” Murder

There's more to this 19th-century crime than the dark side of fairy lore.
Sarah Durn October 21, 2022
Tuberculosis—or consumption, as it was known in the 1800s—was often associated with vampirism. Those suffering from the disease grew pale and weak, as seen in this photomontage from 1858.
vampires

The Real-Life Vampire Autopsies of the Victorian Era

When medicine and folklore collide, strange things happen.
April White October 14, 2022
Marietta, Ohio

Cawley & Peoples Mortuary Museum

What started as a display of antique hearses has grown into a museum exploring the history of the funeral industry.
The pie earned its place at the funerary table with luxurious, non-seasonal ingredients.
death

The Death of Pennsylvania’s Forgotten Funeral Pie

The sweet-yet-somber treat was the star of extravagant 19th-century funeral feasts.
Sam O'Brien August 22, 2022
The so-called “Nag’s Head Portrait,” possibly of Theodosia Burr Alston.
mystery

The Dramatic Life and Mysterious Death of Theodosia Burr

The fate of Aaron Burr's daughter remains a topic of contention.
Hadley Meares March 9, 2022
The memorial.
Glencoe, Scotland

Massacre of Glencoe Monument

A solemn memorial in a majestic setting that honors a 1692 tragedy.