“HISTORY’S MOST VIOLENT GHOSTS” and More Terrifying True Stories! #WeirdDarkness

Nicolas Flamel, the alchemist from Harry Potter, was a real 14th-century Parisian bookseller who became legendary for supposedly discovering the secret to immortality—and some believe he faked his death in 1418 and is still alive today. Support our Halloween “Overcoming the Darkness” campaign to help people with depression: https://weirddarkness.com/HOPE IN THIS EPISODE: It’s what every non-muggle dreams of… to be able to turn any metal into gold and to create a magic potion to give one eternal life! So is the life of wizarding at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books. But was there a real Philosopher’s Stone? Was there a Real Nicolas Flamel who created it? (The Real Nicolas Flamel and the Philosopher’s Stone) *** In 1929 the Soviet Union decided seven days a week just too many to keep track of, and it’s easier to count by five – so in the USSR they suddenly began to live life with only five days per week. No more weekends. How do you think the citizens took that news? (What is Life in a Five Day Week?) *** While not nearly as well-known as its larger Bermudan brother, the Bridgewater Triangle in southeastern Massachusetts in the United States is home to strange tales itself, with the paranormal, unexplained, and even home to its very own cryptid. (The Eerie Inhabitants of the Mysterious Bridgewater Triangle) *** Author Margaret Helen James wrote, “There is an uncomfortable sort of ghostly terror, in beast form, that haunts the villages on the borders of the two counties, which is commonly called the ‘Hateful Thing’. I allude to the churchyard or hell-beast.” Something was terrifying people in the marshlands of a small county in England and tales of it can still bring nightmares to those who live there today. (The Hateful Thing of Geldeston)  CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:02:30.429 = The Real Nicolas Flamel and the Philosopher’s Stone 00:09:15.670 = The Hateful Thing of Geldeston 00:16:11.858 = ***Eerie Inhabitants of Bridgewater Triangle 00:36:50.673 = ***What Is Life In a Five Day Week? 00:47:00.746 = Show Close & Bloopers *** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break SOURCES and RESOURCES – and/or --- PRINT VERSION to READ or SHARE: “The Real Nicolas Flamel and the Philosopher’s Stone” from Wizarding World: https://tinyurl.com/yycxmws5 “The Eerie Inhabitants of the Mysterious Bridgewater Triangle” by Susannah Sudborough for South Coast Todayhttps://tinyurl.com/y5n3rjcb, and Wicked Local https://tinyurl.com/yxh7g6k2 “The Hateful Thing of Geldeston” by Stacia Briggs and Siofra Connor for Eastern Daily Press: https://tinyurl.com/y4z2bdc8 “What is Life in a Five Day Week?” by Genevieve Carlton for Weird History: https://tinyurl.com/y2u97jxy “Bogie Tales of East Anglia” by Margaret Helen James: https://amzn.to/3bWfAcP "Mysterious America: The Ultimate Guide To The Nation’s Weirdest Wonders, Strangest Spots, and Creepiest Creatures" by Loren Coleman: https://amzn.to/3spR8X3 =====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect,...

A routine radar stealth test in the Pacific takes a catastrophic turn when a lightning strike causes seven warships, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, to vanish from the ocean. “Contact Lost” by Keith Conrad Fully Produced Version: https://www.auditoryanthology.com/2025/06/17/contact-lost-by-keith-conrad/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OD1TsCGHUw

WDRadio Week of October 26, 2025 | The night is coming. Porch lights and decorations won't change what moves through the darkness on October 31st. Every plastic skeleton dangling from a suburban tree, every polyester witch costume hanging in a store window, every carved pumpkin glowing on a doorstep - they're echoes of something that began long before any of us were born, something older and more terrifying than most people realize. SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM TONIGHT’S SHOW: https://weirddarkness.com/HalloweensHeinousHistory The podcast version of the syndicated weekend radio show posts Sunday night/Monday morning at midnight after the show has aired nationally on radio stations Sunday evening.  #WeirdDarkness #HalloweenHistory #TrueHalloweenStory #DarkHistory #Samhain #CreepyHistory #HalloweenOrigins #SpookyHistory #HorrorHistory #TrickOrTreatHistory

In a world where handmade art is humanity’s last stand against the machine, the unveiling of a mysterious new artist named Orville threatens to shatter everything — because Orville isn’t human. “Mr. Replogle's Dream” by Evelyn E. Smith (Fantastic Universe December, 1956) Fully Produced version: https://www.auditoryanthology.com/2025/03/20/mr-replogles-dream-by-evelyn-e-smith/

In 1656, Croatian stonemason Jure Grando was buried alive after defying powerful monks, only to rise from his grave and terrorize his village for sixteen years—knocking on doors that meant death would soon follow, violating his widow night after night, and when villagers finally opened his coffin in 1672, they found him grinning with tears streaming down his face, immune to wooden stakes, screaming as they sawed through his neck in what became Europe's first documented case of vampirism. Support our Halloween “Overcoming the Darkness” campaign to help people with depression: https://weirddarkness.com/HOPE IN THIS EPISODE: Before Dracula ever set foot in Transylvania, the village of Kringa, Croatia, was haunted by Jure Grando—the first recorded vampire in European history. For sixteen years, his undead reign brought terror to the living and torment to his widow. But when the villagers finally rose against him, they unearthed a horror beyond imagination. (Jure Grando: The First Vampire) *** For nearly a millennium, a monstrous black dog with eyes like burning coals has stalked the foggy coastlines and ancient churches of East Anglia, leaving death and terror in its silent wake. From its first recorded appearance in 1127 where it led a spectral hunting party through Peterborough, to its most infamous attack in 1577 when it allegedly killed four churchgoers, the creature known as Black Shuck has become far more than just another ghost story. Through centuries of sightings and evolving folklore, this massive demon hound has transformed from a Viking guardian spirit into one of Britain's most enduring legends - one that some locals insist still prowls the shadows of Norfolk and Suffolk to this day. (Black Shuck: East Anglia’s Demon Hound) *** In 1857 London, the Bacon family's home became the center of supernatural chaos when mysterious sounds and flying objects drew crowds of over a thousand spectators to their modest Bermondsey residence. But when thirteen-year-old Caroline confessed to creating the ghostly disturbances using strands of hair to topple objects, her deception was revealed as an act of rebellion against her father and new stepmother. This tale of a fake haunting offers a poignant glimpse into Victorian family dynamics and the desperate measures one girl took to assert her independence. (The Bermondsey Poltergeist) *** In October 1975, what began as a late-night drive for two young men in rural Maine turned into an encounter that would haunt them forever. David Stephens had no memory of being taken aboard a massive UFO by mushroom-headed beings until months later, when hypnosis sessions revealed the terrifying truth about the hours he lost that night – an experience so profound that it would drive his friend Glen to flee the state and change both their lives forever. (Night of the Mushroom Men) *** Could the Moon's perfect positioning—exactly 400 times smaller than the Sun and precisely placed for total eclipses—be more than cosmic coincidence? Authors Christopher Knight and Alan Butler propose a mind-bending theory: that future humans (or their advanced robots) traveled back in time 4.6 billion years to construct the Moon, creating the exact conditions needed for life on Earth to emerge. Their provocative hypothesis suggests we might be caught in an infinite loop, with humanity traveling to the past to ensure its own creation, much like the ancient symbol of Ouroboros—a snake eternally consuming its own tail. (Did Time Travelers Build The Moon?) CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Lead-In 00:01:30.774 = Show Intro 00:05:48.071 = Jure Grando: The First Vampire 00:16:50.110 = ***The Bermondsey Poltergeist 00:29:33.917 = Black Shuck: East Anglia’s Demon Hound 00:45:53.712 = ***Night of the Mushroom Men 00:52:53.165 = Did Time Travelers...