In the summer of 1819,  the whaleship Essex set sail from Nantucket, chasing fortune across the vast and indifferent Pacific. What began as a routine whaling voyage soon veered into a nightmare, however, when the hunted became the hunter, and the ship, until now known as one of the luckiest around, was smashed to splinters, leaving her crew adrift in an ocean without mercy. Their struggle was a descent into fear, hunger, and the raw edge of human endurance that would go on to inspire the story of Moby Dick, though much of the darker elements would be left at sea, where such stories belonged.

SOURCES

Chase, Owen (1821) Narrative of the Wreck of the Whaleship Essex. Wesleyan University Press. NH, USA.

Heffernan, Thomas (1981) Stove by a Whale: Owen Chase & The Essex. Wesleyan University Press, NH, USA.

Philbrick, Nathaniel (2000) In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. Viking Press. NY, USA.

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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In the autumn of 1954, France found itself gripped by a strange and unnerving spectacle. From quiet rural villages to bustling towns and cities, witnesses reported everything from flying discs, cigars and carrots, to little creatures in diving gear waddling beneath a glowing sphere. Newspapers buzzed with excitement as sightings unfolded night after night, spreading across the country like a raging epidemic. It was the first major group of UFO sightings outside of America, and by the end of the year, more than two thousand reports were made from people from all regions of the country, and all walks of life. Was it signs of an impending alien invasion, or all the outcome of a collective delusion? That was the question posed at the time, and it’s still one that’s never really been answered.

SOURCES

Michel, Aimé (1958) Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery. S. G. Phillips Inc. NY, USA.

Graeme Rendall (2024) The French UFO Wave of 1954. Independently Published.

Gross, P. (2025). UFOS at close sight: the 1954 French flap sightings catalogue. Patrickgross.org. https://ufologie.patrickgross.org/1954/1954.html

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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠⁠

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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In this week's episode of Yesterday Today I had a bit of a dive into teh murder of Mary Jane Kelly and how it was presented in the London papers, along with a few other oddities, like Barnaby and Burgho the bloodhounds and the insistence of drunk people to pretend they were a heavily hunted serial killer...

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the frozen landscape of Finnish winter, 1885, the quiet croft of Efraim Martin in Ylöjärvi became the center of local attention thanks to a series of unexplainable events that saw almost the entire neighbourhood crowd into the small farmhouse. Rumours of the devils and demons wound through the township, as neighbors swore they saw an invisible force cause havoc throughout the otherwise peaceful home. The story spread like the winter frost, and soon the authorities themselves were forced to ask the question: was this trickery, or had the Devil truly come to Ylöjärvi?
SOURCES

Stenius, J. Harrison (2020) The Haunting of Martin’s Croft. Independently published, Finland

Aamaluheti (1885) The Devil’s Tricks. Superstition or Spiritism? Aamaluheti, Thurs 22 Jan 1885, p4. Tammerfos, Finland.

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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠⁠

Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: ⁠⁠⁠http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠ or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠

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or join our Discord community: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf⁠⁠⁠

The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the shadows of war-torn Paris, a charming young doctor lived a double life. Physician by day, and resistance fighter by night, his underground network promised salvation to those desperate to escape the Nazi grip. But in a time where trust was at a premium, the truth was not necessarily as it seemed. When Dr. Marcel Petiot’s home at 21 Rue Le Sueur became a concern to his neighbours as a sickly smelling smoke rose from his furnace, the illusion began to unravel. A resistance fighter, a Gestapo set up, or the scene of countless heinous crimes, the truth was as complicated to the police as it was for those who knew the doctor's friendly smile, and kind bedside manner.

SOURCES

King, David (2011) Death in the City of Light. Little Brown Book Group, London, UK.

Liverpool Echo (1944) Death House Doctor Hunt. Liverpool Echo, Mon 13 March 1944, p3. Liverpool, UK.

Rosbotton, Ronald C. (2015) When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944. Back Bay Books, NY, USA.The Standard (1946) Dr Petiot Executed In Paris. The Standard, Sat 25 May 1946, p12. London, UK.

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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠⁠

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The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: ⁠⁠⁠http://author.to/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we continue to look into the press around the time of Jack the Ripper and dig up a extremely peculiar story that's never really explained at all, about mysterious disappearing bread. Yep.

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The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: ⁠⁠⁠http://author.to/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠

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or join our Discord community: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf⁠⁠⁠

The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a warm, overcast summer’s day of 1901, two English school mistresses strolled through the gardens of Versailles, unaware they were about to step into a defining moment in their lives. One minute in the present and the next in the past, Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain claimed to have crossed into a spectral vision of the court of Marie Antoinette. What began as a genteel outing quickly turned uncanny, with silent figures, oppressive stillness, and an inexplicable sense of dread creeping over their heads. Was it imagination, delusion, a ghostly breach in reality or simply a fancy dress party run amok?
SOURCES

Morison, Elizabeth & Lamont, Frances & (1913) The Adventure. Macmillan & Co. LTD. London, UK.

Castle, Terry (1995) The Female Thermometer: Eighteenth Century Culture & The Invention of the Uncanny. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

Lamont, Mark (2021) The Mysterious Paths of Versailles: An Investigation of a Journey Back in Time. Independently Published.

Castle, Terry (1991) Contagious Folly: An Adventure & It’s Sceptics. Critical Inquiry, Vol. 17, No. 4 (Summer, 1991), pp. 741-772.

Iremonger, Lucille (1957) The Ghosts of Versailles: Miss Moberly & Miss Jourdain & Their Adventure. Faber & Faber LTD, London, UK.

The Daily Telegraph (1911) Books of the Day. The Daily Telegraph, 8 Feb 1911, p14. London, UK.

Sidgwick, Henry (1911) Review: An Adventure. Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, Vol XXV, July 1911, p353. London, UK.

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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠

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The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: ⁠⁠http://author.to/darkhistories⁠⁠

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Connect with us on Facebook: ⁠⁠http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast⁠⁠

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Or you can contact us directly via email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

or join our Discord community: ⁠⁠https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf⁠⁠

The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1695, a small rural, farming community of southwest Scotland was shaken by strange events at the farmhouse of Ringcroft of Stocking. What began with the shuffling around of livestock, soon escalated into unexplained noises, stones thrown through the air and voices that no one could trace. Neighbors and ministers all flocked to witness the disturbances, but none could find a cause and no amount of prayers could bring peace to the household, who lived under siege for almost an entire month, before, as suddenly as it started, the disturbances stopped, leaving nothing but unanswered questions and a pile of smouldering ashes.
SOURCES

Telfair, Alexander (1695) A true relation of an apparition, expressions, and actings of a spirit which infested the house of Andrew Mackie, in Ringcroft of Stocking… . Scotland, UK.

Maxwell-Wood, J. (1911) Witchcraft & Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland. J. Maxwell & Son, Scotland, UK.

Kirk, Robert (1815) The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies. Eneas Mackay, Scotland, UK.

Henderson, Lizanne (2006) The Survival of Witchcraft Prosecutions and Witch Belief in South-West Scotland. Scottish Historical Review, Vol 85, Issue 1. Edinburgh University Press, Scotland, UK.

Henderson, Lizanne (2019) Witchcraft and Folk Belief in the Age of Enlightenment. Scotland, 1670–1740. Scottish Historical Review, Vol 98, Issue 2. Edinburgh University Press, Scotland, UK.

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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠

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Connect with us on Facebook: ⁠⁠http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast⁠⁠

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we look into some of the press reports from the second Jack the Ripper Murder, as well as some highlights of Hitchcock's Psycho release, from 1960. There's also sea serpents, haunted houses, and wise words that mean absolutely nothing, as far as I can tell...

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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠

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Connect with us on Facebook: ⁠⁠http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast⁠⁠

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Behind the doors of an isolated farmhouse on the outskirts of Plainfield, Wisconsin, a trove of macabre secrets were stashed out of sight of the locals that blurred the line between reality and nightmare. Unearthed in 1957, the world of quiet, shy farmer, Edward Theodore Gein, revealed a bizarre story of grave robbing, body parts fashioned into household items, and a fascination with death that was almost unparalleled in its depravity. A psychiatrist's examination stated plainly that, “The overall picture was not that of a well person,” which was, perhaps, one of the greatest understatements in medical and criminal history.
SOURCES

Schechter, Harold (1998) Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, Original Psycho. Pocket Books, USA.

Borowski, John (2016) The Ed Gein FIle: A Psycho’s Confession & Case Documents. Waterfront Productions, Chicago, USA.

Chicago Tribune (1957) Tell Gein’s Crime Motive. Chicago Tribune, 21 Nov 1957, p1. Chicago, USA.

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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate, to the Octopus Murders and the Waco Siege, the world is full of deception, manipulation, and destruction. Listen to Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes every Wednesday as we explore the real people at the center of the world’s most shocking secrets and nefarious organizations.

Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes is a Crime House original powered by PAVE Studios. Follow the show now so you don’t miss a single story.

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