Just A Story: Urban Legend Podcast
133 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago - ★★★★ - 380 ratingsA weekly podcast taking a look at the stories that we tell over and over again. What our myths and misdeeds, fears and fables say about us as humans.
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Episodes
Ep 127: Ceci N'est Pas De L'art: Art Heists
August 31, 2018 22:00 - 2 hours - 137 MBWhat gives art its value? Is it beauty? Is it history? The artist’s signature? The fact that the piece is housed in a prestigious institution? Maybe it’s the story of the work of art and it’s creator. Maybe the legend of the art is as important as the work itself. Join us this week for the tales of art heists, forgeries, and true masters of their craft as we ask what makes a pretty painting, into art. Special Guest Story Teller: The Lonely Palette Podcast: http://www.thelonelypalette.com
Ep 126: Southern Gothic AF: Ghosts of Natchez
August 20, 2018 01:30 - 2 hours - 160 MBSometimes the character of a place is so apparent that one can help but feel the stories that formed it. Natchez, Mississippi is one of those places. History has always brought conflicted, complicated characters to this city on the bluffs, and it seems that those characters and the spaces that he inhabited are still around. Natchez held on tight to its history, and today, legends abound. Join us this week as we discuss the southern character itself, focusing on stories from this sleepy Missis...
Ep 125: Deal with the Consequences Later: Vigilantes
July 28, 2018 20:30 - 3 hours - 169 MBThere is a time honored tradition in America of elevating the heroes amongst us, who are willing to take matters into their own hands. They quickly become legends. We seem to love an antihero, and at no time was this more apparent than in the 1970s. The heyday of the vigilante film, saw such classics as Shaft, Taxi Driver, Foxy Brown, and Dirty Harry hit screens for the first time. So, what does this tell us (other than that Tarantino was a child of this era)? What can we learn by looking at ...
Ep 124: Can Music Save Your Mortal Soul?
July 09, 2018 01:30 - 3 hours - 172 MBRock and roll is here to stay, and that’s why some truly enduring urban legends have sprung up around the landmark hits and the bands that performed them. Before there was Instagram, or even MySpace; before AOL instant messenger, before MTV, or John Hughes; before arcades and shopping malls; before all that: there was rock and roll. For teenagers, by teenagers, about teenagers; rock was going to be a voice of its generation for generations to come. Music journalism, festivals and concerts cr...
Ep 123: Who Watches the Watchers: Shadow People
June 25, 2018 01:00 - 2 hours - 119 MBShadow People are an international phenomenon. As far as paranormal experiences go, seeing a fleeting dark figure in you peripheral vision, or waking up to a sensation of being unable to move as a dark figure stares at you, or seeing a dark silhouette in a spooky building; are very common happenings. However there is definitely more to these mysterious entities than meets the eye. Join us this week as we discuss the particulars of shadow people. From the Dark Watchers of Big Sur, to the Hat M...
Ep 122: Gorilla Nazi Uber Assassin Super Soldiers Are Coming for Us All
June 17, 2018 04:00 - 2 hours - 140 MBSo often when we picture an enemy, a true threat; they become bigger, stronger, faster, or smarter in our mind’s eye. So it’s only natural that for thousands of years, the terrifying ‘other’ has been painted as more than a man, and the warrior on the opposing side has been given super powers, if only in the imagination of those opposing him. Super soldiers are as natural a feature in stories as conflict, or war itself. Join us this week as we begin by discussing the star spangled poster child...
Ep 121: Death and Loving It: Necrophilia
June 03, 2018 00:30 - 2 hours - 121 MBFirst of all, spoiler alert... content warning ... ick alert, we are actually going to be discussing necrophilia and its many forms on this charming episode of Just A Story. So, yeah. Join us as we discuss the historical accounts, legal statutes, and cultural interpretations of necrophilia. From Carl Tanzler to Karen Greenlee and beyond, we’ll mention all the unmentionables. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod Instagram: justastory...
Ep 120: The Ballad of Nessie: The Loch Ness Monster
May 20, 2018 02:30 - 2 hours - 123 MBOkay. We’ve finally done it. It’s Nessie’s turn for the Just A Story treatment. The Loch Ness Monster is said to occupy the vast expanse of water in Scotland, but alas, our dear lake monster remains in the realm of myth to this day. Of course there are numerous sightings each year, but there are not so much in the way of proof. This raises obvious questions, like: when and how did these sightings start; what evidence has accumulated; and just what the loch is going on in that lake? Join us th...
Ep 119: For The Good Of All: Hell Town
May 13, 2018 03:00 - 2 hours - 135 MBHave you heard of that abandoned town in Ohio where absolutely every urban legend ever happened? No seriously. According to lore, Boston, Ohio (or Hell Town, if we are going with the lore) is home to all manner of phenomena and conspiracies. But what really happened there? And what happens when people on power act for the good of all, at the expense of the few? Join us as we explore the origins of helltown, the Osage reign of terror, and the time that the Bronx was burning.
Ep 118: Beyond Belief: Tulpas
May 07, 2018 00:00 - 3 hours - 166 MBWhat happened to Olivia Mabel? The internet wants to know. Could grief and longing have created an entity that took on thoughts all its own; after the death of her son? Why would anyone believe that could happen? Well, as you might have expected, it’s kind of a long story. Join us this week as we explore the roots of Theosophy and its founder Madame Blavatsky. We will discuss where the belief system drew on Tibetan ideas emanations and where the concept of the tulpa drifted into uncharted ter...
Ep 117: What Dreams May Come: This Man
April 29, 2018 02:00 - 2 hours - 116 MBWhen we close our eyes at night, we all become mysteries. Dreaming is one of the most miraculous and least understood things humans can do. It seems that many miraculous, misunderstood dreams have been spent on this man. Who is this man? Join us this week as we do our best to answer that question. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod Instagram: justastorypod Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375 Hel...
Ep 116: I Want To Believe: Alien Abductions
April 22, 2018 01:30 - 3 hours - 165 MBSo, how do we go from seeing disc in the sky (I hear it was all the rage in 1947); to spending time with aliens on their crafts and being probed? Seems quite a leap, no? Well brothers, sisters and gentle people of earth, it was a long strange trip. Join us this week as we talk about some truly historic abduction stories, like the one that started it all: the Betty & Barney Hill case. We’ll also discuss whether this type of story is a new imagining of the future, or a deeply hidden memory of ...
Ep 115: Cosmic Watergate: The Roswell Incident
April 15, 2018 00:30 - 2 hours - 126 MBWhen looking back to the Roswell Incident, it isn’t hard to imagine a cowboy with a thousand yard stare sitting next to his old friend with wraparound eyes surveying a southwestern scene, and saying, ‘So, this is where it all started.’. You see, once upon a time, in the lonely New Mexico desert all those years ago back in 1947, a flying saucer crash landed on a ranch. At least that is what the ARMY press release stated. It’s easy to see the how a UFO incident outed by the military would st...
Ep 114: Working Class Heroes: Paul Bunyan & Co
April 08, 2018 02:30 - 2 hours - 144 MBAmerican tall tales are an odd branch of the folkloric family tree. Younger than fairy tales, but older than urban legends; they seem to have descended into a kind of awkward adolescence around the end of WWII. Yes, they’re stuck at the kids’ table within the collective unconscious, and they totally don’t get their younger cousins’ pop culture references. How did this happen? Who decided we needed tall tales in the first place? What has become of American Mythology today? Join us this week as...
Ep 113: I'm The Prettiest! Mardi Gras Indians
February 10, 2018 02:30 - 1 hour - 91.2 MBEverything you’ve ever heard about New Orleans Mardi Gras is true. The floats, the beads, the craven apocalypse party - that is all there. What’s more surprising, is that there are parts of Mardi Gras that you haven’t heard of. Join us this week as we explore the secretive culture of the Mardi Gras Indians, and their role in creating the unique character of the city.
Ep 112: Edgar Allan Poe, Evermore
January 28, 2018 03:30 - 2 hours - 146 MBMost of the authors we meet in school don’t stick with us as personalities. We remember the stories they create more than we remember them. That’s not true for dear Edgar. In fact the lines between fact and fiction become so blurry when he’s nearby that it’s no small task to keep the man and his work separate. And that’s just the way he wanted it. Join us this week as we discuss a plethora of Poe urban legends. From his persona, to his death to the Poe toaster; to all the true stories he mold...
Ep 111: Larger Than Life: Giants
January 07, 2018 04:00 - 2 hours - 123 MBWhy do we like to imagine that the world was once full of giants? All cultures seem to have a version of a myth or legend that mentions that how much bigger our ancestors were once upon a time. Is it the idea that our human history was once part of something bigger and more fantastic? Sure, that is basically all nostalgia is, when you put it like that. But why have people believed it? Why have generations of people in every region of the globe, at some point in time *believed* that there were...
Ep 110: One More Story: It’s Not a Clip Show
December 24, 2017 03:30 - 1 hour - 93.2 MBThis week we put together some new stories that tie to some of our early episodes. We really just wanted to send the year out by looking back at what we’ve put together so far, and finding even more to explore. Maybe we all just want to catch our breath before we dive headlong into a whole new year. So we’ve taken the opportunity to revisit the stories we missed and the things that have changed since we finished these episodes. We also wanted to thank our listeners, so we’ve included some new...
Ep 109: Life In Plastic, It’s Fantastic: Toys & Gender
December 17, 2017 18:30 - 2 hours - 125 MBNo one in the history of Christmas has ever truly wanted nothing from Santa but their two front teeth. No, no, no, kids want toys. The modern contract between parents, children, Santa, and his army of elves is centered on this basic truth. But which toys? Should kids get only wholesome, politically correct playthings? Should boys and girls receive different toys? Do they want different toys? Join us this week as we try to get to the bottom of the gendering of children’s toys. Using Barbie as ...
Ep 108: Hi Walter...It's The Zodiac Speaking
December 10, 2017 02:30 - 2 hours - 149 MBPlaying detective is all fun and games until you uncover a real clue. Story-lovers have few universal traits. But for the most part, we love a mystery. We love to see disjointed snippets of information begin to form a meaningful picture, so of course we love to think we could solve a real case. And sometimes we get so carried away with that idea that we end up creating a brand new fiction. Join us this week as we discuss what went wrong with ‘Hi, Walter’ and decrypt some mysteries surrounding...
Ep 107: Warring Worlds of Media: Dear David
December 03, 2017 04:00 - 2 hours - 125 MBEach time a new media technology arises, people fear what it will mean for our culture. It’s as if the new platform threatens to melt away all our credulity and healthy skepticism melt away in the burning rapture of our wonderment. Whether it’s genre fiction, radio, television or social media - we were told to approach with caution when each arrived on the scene. But once in a generation a piece of fiction comes along that takes that apprehension, the unfamiliarity of a new medium, and clever...
Ep 106: I Got You Under My Skin: The Spider Bite
November 26, 2017 03:00 - 2 hours - 112 MBEver have a blemish that just seems ... weird? Worse than usual? Maybe it hurts or makes the entire area around it red, or it almost itches... whatever the case, once you’ve noticed it; you can’t forget it’s there. You know you shouldn’t pick, but you just can’t help yourself, and when you do ... OUT RUSH A HORDE OF BABY SPIDERS!! OH MY GOD! NO! I LIKED THEM IN CHARLOTTE’S WEB, BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH! AGH!!! - you might say. ‘Can that really happen?’ you might be saying... Lucky for you, w...
Ep 105: Snow Nor Rain, Nor Gloom of Night: Post Boy Road and The Pony Express
November 19, 2017 03:30 - 2 hours - 131 MBDelivering mail is not exciting. It’s certainly not fascinating. No, It’s definitely not in the business of providing thrills and changing history. And while you may not have picked up on my tone, I am being sarcastic; surprisingly enough. The story of mail delivery is the story of ideas being shared. So, from the early days of colonial era, the post boys who ran along the post roads were essential to, well, uniting the states. It’s no wonder that those struck down on the job, not having fulf...
Ep 104: A Light in the Attic: Lemp Mansion and Other Hidden Monsters
November 12, 2017 00:30 - 1 hour - 91.2 MBOnce upon a time a very rich beer brewer had a son and locked him away in the tippy top floor of his mansion. He didn't let him play with other boys or girls. He didn't let him out into the sunlight. He didn't eve let him exist in any official records. No, this boy was a secret, but one day, he would make himself known. This is the story of the Monkey Faced Boy of Lemp Mansion, but it's not the only one of its kind. Join us this week as we explore the hidden history of hidden rooms and the un...
Ep 103: Money For Nothin: Benevolent Billionaire
November 04, 2017 22:30 - 2 hours - 147 MBPicture it. You come upon a vehicle, maybe a limo, marooned alongside the highway. You offer your assistance, just because you’re a nice person. Sometime later on you receive a letter saying that you’re mortgage has been paid off; or a check with your name on it is dropped off at your house; or you learn you’ve been named in the will years later. The person you helped was incredibly wealthy, and they were incredibly grateful. Sounds like an 80s movie, doesn’t it? Join us this week as we take ...
Ep 102: What’s in the BOX?! - Dybbuk Boxes & Conjured Chests
October 29, 2017 02:30 - 2 hours - 129 MBCan objects be cursed? Haunted? Possessed? Can they kill people just by being nearby? Join us this week as we dive into two urban legends that begin in two very unlikely places. First, we’ll go back to a time when Jennifer Love Hewitt was America’s sweetheart and the biggest national debate we had going was over Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC, it was a kinder, gentler era. It was the internet infancy moment that allowed a spooky eBay listing to make the news, and spawned the legend of the Dybbuk...
EXTRA!: The Hex of Axe Murderer Jake Bird
October 27, 2017 02:30 - 55 minutes - 49.5 MBIs there more to the story of the Sacrifice Sect and Clementine Barnabet? Join us for this extra from our Patreon show where we dive into the story of the Axe Murder Jake Bird. Could he have been the Human Five? ***Please listen to episode 101 prior to this Extra****
Ep 101: Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans
October 22, 2017 03:00 - 3 hours - 169 MBSomewhere between the bayou and the Bywater; somewhere between Congo Square and the Cathedral; somewhere between Bourbon Street brochures and Big Chief's secrets, between what you imagine the Crescent City to be and what you cannot even imagine, hiding in Pirate's Alley, or buried in St Louis No 1, through wrought iron and sweet jasmine, clinging to a long, low note from a clarinet... yes, somewhere down yonder in New Orleans, there is Marie Laveau, and she is somewhere between the lady and t...
Ep 100: Vodou Crossroads Our 100th Story
October 15, 2017 03:00 - 2 hours - 158 MBAs we celebrate a true milestone moment, our 100th episode, we would like to invite you all to join us in exploring a cultural crossroads that has inspired our love of stories from the beginning. Join us this week as we discuss Vodou, the lore and legend which surrounds it and it’s deep connections to the island of Haiti. Did the revolution truly begin with a blood sacrifice? Are zombies real? What’s a lwa? Was Duvalier a dictator or something more terrible still? Did Vodou have something to ...
Ep 99: Like a Wolf, but Not a Wolf: The Loup Garou
October 08, 2017 02:00 - 2 hours - 144 MBIt’s ‘I Put a Spell on You’ Month all October! Happy Halloween?? There is an ancient legend that proclaims: “Darkness falls across the land/ The midnight hour is close at hand/ And whosoever shall be found/ Without the soul for getting down/ Must stand and face the hounds of hell/ And rot inside a corpse’s shell/ The foulest stench is in the air/ The funk of forty thousand years/ And grizzly ghouls from every tomb/ Are closing in to share your doom/ And though you fight to stay alive/ Your b...
Ep 98: All in the Family: Generational Curses and the Winchester Mystery House
October 01, 2017 02:00 - 3 hours - 172 MBIt’s ‘I Put a Spell on You’ Month all October! Happy Halloween?? When you really think about it, we all live in mystery houses. Secrets and blood are two things that really help shape our notions of ‘family’. Perhaps the most well known mystery house of all, that of Widow Winchester in San Jose, California had one more feature that helped define it, a family curse. Join us this week as we explore family curses throughout history. from the Hapsburgs and their ravens to Henry VII and his mo...
Ep 97: Finding Myself: Doppelgängers
September 24, 2017 02:00 - 2 hours - 143 MBWhether it's a ghostly double staring at you from across the street, or a mirror image whose expression doesn't quite match your own; finding 'twins' in unexpected places is quite unsettling. Having an experience like this can make us confront aspects of ourselves we'd really like to ignore; unmoor relationships with reality; and send even the most self-assured into an identity crisis. Doppelgängers are haunting manifestations of the uncanny, a thing that is, or almost is, and yet cannot be. ...
Ep 96: Old Times There Are Not Forgotten: The Lost Cause
September 17, 2017 03:00 - 2 hours - 151 MBHow can the adoration of a traitorous act against the US sit side by side with American patriotism? What are the intentions behind the lofty monuments and wistful narratives constructed in the south after the American civil war. Join us this week as we dive into a land where cotton was king, the belles were pure, the bondsmen were happy, the yankees were agitators, and the truth didn't matter. That's right. We're tackling the myth of the Southern Lost Cause.
Ep 95: The Man Who Never Dies & Knows Everything: Count St. Germain
September 10, 2017 03:30 - 2 hours - 138 MBThe secret to eternal life has long eluded all of us mortals. The secret to perpetual youth? Also a tricky thing to pin down. That has not stopped wild speculation about what these secrets might be, and who might know them. No, the gossip about immortals is as old as the fear of not being one of them. Lace up your best pair of wandering shoes, and join us as we try to locate the fountain of youth, and gaze at the many guises of the perpetual stranger cursed to roam the earth for eternity. Of ...
Ep 94: Monsters Beneath Our Feet, Minds in the Gutter: Alligators in the Sewers
September 03, 2017 03:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBWhen someone says, 'what is an urban legend?' Which story do you reach for to illustrate the concept. If you said, 'I just text them a link to your show,' you get a prize; but thats not the point. The point is, you probably, at some point in this hypothetical discussion, bring up the story of alligators in the sewers. Yes, this is, in many ways, the quintessential urban legend. It is necessarily urban, sufficiently widespread, and despite its easily disproven premise, quite persistently share...
Ep 93: We'll Eat You Up We Love You So: The Boogeyman
August 27, 2017 02:00 - 1 hour - 98.9 MBThe boogeyman will get you if you don't mind your manners... or go to sleep... or listen to your parents. Everyone knows that. But who is he? Where did he come from? What does he want? This week we will look at the shadowy characters who keep children in line and seem to have a natural appetite for destruction. Join us as we discuss villains from El Hombre de Saco to the Beast of Jersey. We'll also discuss Goya's Saturn, and the ways in which it shows it's not only our kids who should fear th...
Ep 92: Minutiae On Infinite Earths: Mandela Effect
August 20, 2017 01:30 - 1 hour - 94 MBThe Mandela Effect is a modern discovery that explains everything about why our current world has stopped making sense. It's a pretty great get-out-of-jail-free-card for the year 2017, which really does owe us all an explanation. What is the Mandela effect? You will have to join us to learn the mind-bending secrets of mysteriously changing vowels and subtle shifts in historical memories when compared to the facts. This week we are exploring alternate universes and the humans who have slipped ...
Ep 91: From Fleming With Love: James Bond
August 13, 2017 02:00 - 2 hours - 144 MBIt's that wonderful, whimsical twist you've been hoping for... Just A Story is once again becoming Just A Movie for one whole episode! This week we are taking a look at the spy who loved us all; drank martinis like it was January 28, 1919; and had license to both thrill and kill. We explore the legendary character James Bond and the man who dreamt him up, Ian Fleming. What makes us love Bond? Where did Fleming find his inspiration? And in the case of this bombastic, over-the-top series of sto...
Ep 90: Thoughts and Memories of Ravens
August 06, 2017 00:30 - 1 hour - 109 MBWhat is it about ravens that captures the collective imagination? With their prominence in so many cultures, and importance in so many legends the raven is an iconic symbol, and revered, though sometimes feared, creature the world over. Join us this week as we search for answers to questions to the riddles of ravens? We'll ask; what happens if they leave the Tower of London? Is the raven a symbol of good, or evil? And, just how smart are they? For more on this week's episode, and every episo...
Ep 89: Forty Whacks: Lizzie Borden
July 30, 2017 03:00 - 2 hours - 136 MBWe all know that Lizzie Borden took an axe. We know she gave her father forty whacks; her mother forty-one; and that she got away with murder. Or do we? Her father received under twenty axe wounds, her STEPmother under ten. The murder weapon was probably a hatchet; not an axe, but nothing rhymes with 'hatchet' in the same catchy way. If we are honest about the number of whacks we lose that attractive assonance with 'Borden' and 'forty'. Do these poetic elements justify Lizzie's bad wrap? What...
Ep 88: The Mystery of the Hereafter: Black Aggie
July 23, 2017 02:30 - 2 hours - 110 MBCemetery memorials are synonymous with gothic horror. Dark, haunting and beautiful they capture the imagination of those who wander in their midst. Chances are, though, if you are wandering through a cemetery, you're likely to ponder the kinds of thoughts that belong there: life, death, and the things that slip in between. One particularly notorious memorial statue was the Agnus Memorial. This sculpture was so imposing that the locals in Baltimore took to making up dark tales of its metaphysi...
Ep 87: It Was A Brilliant Cure, But We Lost The Patient: Asylums Part 2
July 16, 2017 02:00 - 2 hours - 121 MBYou may have noticed the irony that can be attached to the phrase, 'what do we have to lose?' So often things can go horribly wrong just after someone asks that fateful, seemingly rhetorical question. That's sort of what happened once people decided to stop just confining people with mental illness, and started trying to 'cure' them. Join us this week as we explore medical treatments for mental illness from shock therapy to lobotomy; and meet those whose voices sounded alarm from Kesey to Ken...
Ep 86: We're All Mad Here: Asylums Part 1
July 09, 2017 01:00 - 2 hours - 148 MBThe Lunatic Asylum has loomed large in the public imagination since its very establishment as an institution. We have never been sure what to do with the mad, to use the vernacular of a bygone era. Despite our admitted ineptitude, we have been more than willing to try and do something with them for ages. Most of the things we did for most of recorded history have been horrifying, barbaric and ineffective. Join us this week as we explore the history of asylums and treatments for the mentall...
Ep 85: Gen. Zaroff, I Presume: Hunting Humans
July 02, 2017 01:30 - 2 hours - 119 MBWe, as humans, enjoy our place atop the food chain. Whether it’s true or not, we’ve done a great job convincing ourselves we are basically invincible when it comes to predators. Lions, tigers, and bears, oh, balderdash. However, what if it wasn't an animal that was pursuing us? Join us this week as we explore the myth of Man the Hunter; the story of The Most Dangerous Game, and the truth that makes them resonant. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twit...
Ep 84: Betcha on Land They Understand: Mermaids
June 25, 2017 02:00 - 2 hours - 125 MBJoin us this week for a special broadcast from under the sea! We will be exploring the long history of people who live underwater and the various purported forms they've taken throughout history. From fish, to dolphins, to seals and even walruses; the human/animal hybrids who populate the seven seas are incredibly diverse, and we will discuss them all right here! Let's see if we can't figure out why the world has been, and continues to be, so enamored with mermaids and their mythic kin while ...
Ep 83: Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair
June 17, 2017 23:30 - 2 hours - 123 MBIn WWI an urban legend was born that has persisted for a century. Its parents? British intelligence officers. They spread a nasty story about the Germans turning their own war dead into soap. And it stuck. But have people been turned into soap? We'll examine the true stories of inhumane craft projects and the dirty secrets of notorious detergent-rendering diabolicals. We'll also look into real world war crimes that yielded their own array of macabre souvenirs, concluding with the story of Ils...
Ep 82: What's So Funny?: Jokelore
June 11, 2017 02:30 - 2 hours - 129 MBWhy do we tell jokes? They're sticky little stories with set-ups and punchlines, and they spread like wildfire. The epitome of the modern oral tradition, jokes have more to say than it might originally appear. Join us this week for a crash course in the history of gallows humor, and way it shaped the history of professional comedians in America. We'll also discuss the elusive line between profanity and art; humor and harassment; hysterically funny and horribly cruel. For more on this week's ...
Ep 81: Grave Concerns: Ancient Indian Burial Grounds
June 04, 2017 00:30 - 2 hours - 154 MBDo you know why that house, school, building, fairground, place, etc. is haunted? It's because it was built atop an ancient Indian burial ground. Or at least that is what popular culture would have you believe. Especially in the 1970s. Why is that idea so, pardon the pun, haunting? We'll explore the origins of the notion, and the ways in which its power has been reinforced by fact and fiction. We'll be tackling topics from pilgrim plundering, to Jacksonian jackassery; from Manifest Destiny to...
Ep 80: Ill Defined History: The F Word
May 28, 2017 01:30 - 2 hours - 132 MBIt seems like the history of definitions and dictionaries might be a bone dry topic. However, things are seldom what they seem. Things are complex, and complicated, and dark and ill-defined. Until they are not. This is the story of how words come to have definitions; and the battles, and madness, and passions that have shaped the language and the meanings we agree upon today. We'll kick this week off by exploring the fascinating false etymology of everyone's favorite foul word. Then learn abo...
Ep 79: The Strange Case Of...
May 20, 2017 23:00 - 2 hours - 125 MBThe monsters will get you, if you don't watch out. They're all around. They're just waiting for their chance to come out. Or are you waiting for yours? Join us this week for a series of strange cases as we learn that the worst place for monsters to hide, is inside. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod Instagram: justastorypod Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375 Help support the show: https://ww...