Haunted American History

January 31, 1874. The outlaw Jesse James and his gang pull off one of the most infamous crimes in the American Old West with the Gads Hill Train Robbery.

On History Daily, we do history, daily. Every weekday, host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous event that happened ‘on this day’ in history.
Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July, 1969, when mankind reached the moon, History Daily is there to tell you the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world—one day at a time.
So if you’re stuck in traffic, bored at work—wherever you are, listen to History Daily to remind yourself that something incredible happened to make that day historic.
A co-production from award-winning podcasters Airship and Noiser.

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Tales from the Shadows Weekend in Lancaster PA

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On Halloween night in 1936, a group of people gathered on the roof of Hollywood's Knickerbocker Hotel.
At the center of the gathering sat Bess Houdini, widow of the legendary escape artist Harry Houdini.
Ten years earlier, Houdini had died on October 31, 1926.
Before his death, he and Bess had agreed upon a secret message. If he could communicate from beyond the grave, she would know it was really him.
For a decade, she waited.
And on that Halloween night in 1936, she made one final attempt to reach her husband.
Now, exactly one hundred years after Houdini's death, we're exploring the strange, sometimes disturbing history of Halloween in America.
From ancient Irish traditions and Victorian fortune-telling rituals to the origins of trick-or-treating, we'll uncover how Halloween evolved into the holiday we know today.
We'll investigate the terrifying legend of poisoned Halloween candy and the true story of Ronald O'Bryan, the Texas father who murdered his own son with a poisoned treat.
We'll revisit the infamous 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast, the devastating 1963 Indianapolis Coliseum explosion, and Detroit's notorious Devil's Night fires.
And finally, we'll return to Harry Houdini.
A man who spent his final years exposing fraudulent mediums, yet left behind a secret message that people are still hoping to hear from the other side.
One hundred years after his death, the séances continue.
And if Houdini ever does return, we already know what he promised to say.
Haunted American History | Day 31 of 31 Days of Halloween
Happy Halloween

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On Halloween morning in 1984, smoke hung over the city of Detroit.
Over the previous three nights, firefighters had responded to an astonishing 810 fires.
Homes, businesses, and abandoned buildings burned as an annual tradition of Halloween mischief spiraled into something far more dangerous.
Detroit called it Devil's Night.
But the story of Devil's Night began centuries earlier, with a tradition of pranks, stolen garden gates, and one night a year when young people were allowed to get away with things they normally couldn't.
Tonight, we're investigating the dark history of Mischief Night and Devil's Night.
From the English villages where teenagers terrorized their neighbors to the Irish and Scottish Halloween customs that crossed the Atlantic, we'll explore how harmless pranks evolved into increasingly destructive American traditions.
We'll uncover the origins of Cabbage Night, Gate Night, Goosey Night, and the elaborate tricks that once turned entire communities upside down.
Then we'll travel to Detroit, where Devil's Night became synonymous with arson, abandoned buildings, and a city struggling to contain hundreds of fires.
We'll also examine the devastating Mischief Night fires in Camden, New Jersey, and the extraordinary community efforts that eventually brought these dangerous traditions under control.
Because long before Halloween became a night of costumes, candy, and haunted attractions, it was a night when the rules were different.
And sometimes, the consequences were deadly.
Welcome to Day 30 of 31 Days of Halloween

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Tales from the Shadows Weekend in Lancaster PA

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Deep in the Appalachian Mountains, families once believed that death could announce itself long before it arrived.
A bird flying into the house. Three mysterious knocks at the door. A dog howling through the night.
And sometimes, hidden inside the feather pillow of a dying person, a tightly woven ring of feathers known as a death crown.
For generations, the people of Appalachia passed down stories of witches, restless spirits, supernatural warnings, and strange rituals meant to protect their homes and families.
Tonight, we're exploring the dark folklore of the Appalachian Mountains.
From the Scots-Irish settlers who carried centuries-old superstitions into the American backcountry to the witch doctors who supposedly broke curses with silver bullets, we'll uncover the beliefs that shaped everyday life in the mountains.
We'll also investigate the Greenbrier Ghost, the remarkable case of a murdered woman whose alleged return from the dead helped expose her killer, and examine the histories behind the Bell Witch, the mysterious Brown Mountain Lights, and the legendary Mothman of West Virginia.
Finally, we'll trace the connections between Appalachian folk traditions and the Halloween customs still practiced today, including fortune-telling games, carved lanterns, and a particularly unsettling ritual involving an apple, a candle, and a mirror.
Because in the mountains, the supernatural wasn't always something hiding deep in the woods.
Sometimes, it was waiting inside your own home.
Welcome to Day 29 of 31 Days of Halloween

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Tales from the Shadows Weekend in Lancaster PA

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In August 1872, the Chinese community of Los Angeles gathered on a street where, just ten months earlier, a violent mob had murdered approximately eighteen Chinese men and boys.
They weren't there to celebrate.
They were there to feed the dead.
According to traditional Chinese beliefs, those who die violently, far from home, or without proper burial can become restless spirits. Hungry ghosts who wander among the living, searching for food, comfort, and a way home.
And every year, during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the gates of the underworld are believed to open.
Tonight, we're exploring the history and supernatural traditions of the Hungry Ghost Festival.
From the ancient Buddhist story of a monk attempting to save his starving mother to the elaborate offerings, ghostly performances, and unsettling superstitions surrounding Ghost Month, we'll discover how communities across Asia have welcomed the dead back into the world of the living.
We'll also investigate the legend of the Jiangshi, China's infamous hopping corpse, and the mysterious corpse drivers who supposedly transported the dead through mountain villages under cover of darkness.
Finally, we'll return to America's forgotten Chinese communities, where immigrant families exhumed their loved ones, carefully packed their bones, and sent them across the Pacific so they could finally rest at home.
Because in these traditions, the dead don't always return to frighten the living.
Sometimes, they're simply trying to find their way back.
Welcome to Day 28 of 31 Days of Halloween

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Tales from the Shadows Weekend in Lancaster PA

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