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Madame Vesta

Madame Vesta’s Spirit Concert Exposed

Paranormal
Elmer McCurdy's grave

Elmer McCurdy: The Outlaw Who Outlived All Others

Human Oddities
sylvester the mummu

Sylvester, the Mummy of the West

Human Oddities
Kenneth Arnold flying saucer

The Flying Saucers That Didn’t Attack Seattle in 1952

Misc.
Mozart

When Mozart Was Commissioned By a Ghost

Paranormal
Sideshow Hall of Fame

Sideshow Hall of Fame Inducts the Class of 2022

Human Oddities
madame brockman

The Cuter Side of the Other Side

Paranormal

The Ghosts of Dickens’s Past

Books, Paranormal
Ghost

A Ghost is Busted: The 12-Year-Old Who Spooked a New Jersey Town in 1900

Paranormal
madame clifford

Houdini’s Tales of Sword Swallowers, Fire Eaters, Poison Defiers, Human Ostriches, and Other Miracle Mongers

Books, Misc.
Chasing Ghosts

Haunted Sites, Miraculous Mediums, and Spirits Through the Centuries in Your Weird Historian’s New Book, “Chasing Ghosts”

Books, Paranormal
flying saucers

When Flying Saucers Spoke and a Few People Listened

Human Oddities

For Those Who Like Reading about the Writing of the Insane

Books, Misc.
Jack the Ripper Police News

Jack the Ripper, Hypnotism, and Murderous What-Ifs

Books
clock-eyed boy

The Time the Clock-Eyed Boy Had His Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Human Oddities
Carhenge in Tim O'Brien's Roadside Pics & Picks

Roadside Attractions and Other Curiosities with Ambassador of Odd, Tim O’Brien

Books
Gabriel Green the UFO candidate

Promises of Utopia: A Look Back at Kennedy vs Nixon vs the UFO Spacemen’s Candidate

Misc., Politics
Great Throwdini

Don’t Mess With the Knife Thrower: The Great Throwdini Talks Impalement Arts and Murderabilia

Human Oddities, Misc.

The Day a Baboon Walked the High Wire at Coney Island

Curious Creatures, Misc.
Anastacia's Antiques

For Sale: All the Things You Didn’t Know You Needed at Anastacia’s Antiques

Misc.
Where the sword goes, according to the late nineteenth-century book, Magic: Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions, Including Trick Photography

Jack Hill Was Not the Sharpest Sword Swallower

Human Oddities
Queen of Outer Space

Forget Martians—What About Life on Venus?

Science
Brett Loudermilk with three swords swallowed

The Sword Swallower Who Almost Won America’s Got Talent: Meet Brett Loudermilk

Human Oddities
swearing parrot

The Curious Sale of the Damn Parrot Who Wouldn’t Shut the Hell Up

Curious Creatures
Barber And Shoemaker Duel

A Few Cases of Duels That Didn’t Happen in the Old West

Misc., Politics
The Elephant Man

Reminiscences of the Elephant Man, Now Available

Books, Human Oddities
baby cage

When Baby Cages Were a Thing and Safety Wasn’t

Misc.
bearded-lady-jail

The Time a Bearded Lady Went to Jail to Grow a New Beard

Human Oddities
Evatima Tardo, as featured in The Coffeyville Daily Journal, September 23, 1897.

The Woman Who Laughed at Death: A Chat About Evatima Tardo with Bess Lovejoy

Human Oddities
Thomas Schweicker, armless wonder.

Thomas Schweicker, the Calligrapher Who Didn’t Need Hands or Arms

Human Oddities
Vampires and Vampirism

Just a Little Vampire Miscellanea

Books, Curious Creatures
Chris Carberry Alcohol in Space

Cheers! From Mars! A Conversation About Alcohol in Space with Explore Mars CEO, Chris Carberry.

Books, Science
The Phenomenon. UFO documentary.

Talking UFOs and Extraterrestrials with Lee Speigel of The Phenomenon

Paranormal
Magic Papers.

The Art of the Art of Magic: An Interview with Philip David Treece

Books
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, circa 1920. Photo by Bain / Public Domain.

“We Don’t Have Meat Here” and Other News from the Afterlife

Books, Paranormal
A Spiritualist medium raises a piano.

The Piano Medium That Played the Crowd

Paranormal
The Talking Dead: A Collection of Messages from Beyond the Veil, 1850s-1920s. (Curious Publications)

Excerpt from The Talking Dead: An Interview with Abe Lincoln

Books, Paranormal, Politics

The Sight of Hell is Now On Sale—For Under Ten Bucks

Books
Did Houdini practice escape stunts in here? Image courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions.

In Case You Didn’t Know, Houdini’s Bathtub Could Be Yours

Misc.
Spirit Slate Writing and Kindred Phenomena

Everything You Need to Know About Spirit Slate Writing and, of course, Kindred Phenomena

Books, Paranormal
The Big Book of Mars, by Marc Hartzman (Quirk Books)

Launching Everywhere on Earth: The Big Book of Mars

Books, Science
Ghost photo of William T. Stead.

When Automatic Writing Brought Us Words from Beyond the Grave

Paranormal
"Spirit Bride" headline from the November 5, 1927, edition of the Allentown Morning Call.

Meet the Man Who Got Jilted By His Spirit Bride and Sued

Paranormal
Spectropia, or, Surprising spectral illusions : showing ghosts everywhere, and of any colour, 1864 (Yale University, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library).

How to See Ghosts in the Comfort of Your Own Home

Books, Paranormal
James Freeman and Kate Fugate surrounded by spirits. Photo by Kyle Jarrard, @georgiabuckphotography on Instagram.

A Few Not-So-Odd Questions for Freeman and Fugate Oddities.

Human Oddities, Misc., Paranormal
The Davenport Brothers, with instruments being played by spirits, 1869.

Rope Escapes, Musical Ghosts, and the Mysterious Magic of the Davenport Brothers

Paranormal
The Devil's Bible can be seen in full 3D through a stereoviewer. Marc Hartzman Collection.

Satan, the Rumplestiltskin of the Devil’s Bible

Books
George Romondo, the eccentric mimic. Wellcome Collection.

Meet George Romondo, the 18th-Century’s Most Eccentric Mimic

Human Oddities
Mutoscope at the Museum of Interesting Things. Photo by Marc Hartzman.

The Museum of Interesting Things is Exactly as Promised

Misc.
Another page from Matthew Ralston's "Talking Heads" featuring a ventriloquism dummy called Uncle Eddie.

Fun and Horror with Ventriloquism Through History

Books, Misc.
Alfred Pilgrim cabinet card, circa 1890.

Alfred Pilgrim: The Boy Who Lived without Arms and Legs

Human Oddities
Martin Van Butchell

Martin Van Butchell: The Man Who Embalmed his Wife and Cured Carbuncles 

Human Oddities, Science
Headless portrait by Samuel Kay Balbirnie, circa 1900.

Chin Up, Head off: Headless Portraits in the Victorian Age

Misc.
Louella Gallagher, knife-throwing mom.

The World’s Greatest Knife-Throwing Mom (and the World’s Bravest Daughters)

Human Oddities
Lot 104: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Side Show. Erie Litho, 1930s. Photo courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions.

Circus Posters, an Electric Chair, and Other Ways to Make Your Home More Interesting

Curious Creatures, Human Oddities, Misc.
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