Dark Histories

Dark Histories

Author: Ben Cutmore Language: English Episodes: 100
Every two weeks, Ben Cutmore invites you into the shadowy corners of our past, where facts blur with folklore and case files remain stubbornly open. Dark Histories is less a lecture and more an exploration, weaving meticulous research into compelling narratives that linger long after the episode ends. You’ll hear detailed accounts of events that defy easy explanation, from long-forgotten crimes and bizarre hoaxes to oddities that shaped societies. The focus is always on the human stories within these enigmatic tales, told with a careful balance of skepticism and an appreciation for the strange. This isn't just about ghosts or monsters, but the very real, often unsettling peculiarities documented throughout history. Each installment of this podcast feels like piecing together a puzzle where some pieces are forever missing, offering no easy answers but plenty to ponder. It’s for anyone who finds themselves drawn to the edges of the map, where the documented record meets the unexplained. Settle in for a journey through the archives of the bizarre and the unresolved, where every story is a reminder that the past is rarely as simple as it seems.
Episodes
The Unsavoury Tale of the Maryland Snallygaster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:05
In the fall of 1909, a strange fear settled over the hills and farms of Maryland. Newspapers carried reports of a monstrous winged creature said to stalk the countryside with a host of bizarre descriptions pouring out fr…
Mary Pearcey & The Hampstead Tragedy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:45
In 1890, the murders of Phoebe Hogg and her infant daughter in Hampstead became one of the most widely reported criminal cases of the Victorian period. The investigation quickly centred on Mary Pearcey, whilst the public…
Amazing Stories & The Shaver Mystery [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:35
In 1945, the end of the second world war was approaching, atom bombs were on the way, and science fiction felt more like speculative prophecies than adventure stories. In the pages of pulp magazine, claims that ancient c…
BONUS: 10 Year Q+A [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:25
Hey everyone! Here is there first of the bonus episodes I have lined up to go along with the 10 year anniversary of Dark Histories! Thanks so much if you asked a question, and I hope you find something interesting enough…
The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDui [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:26
High in the mist-shrouded Cairngorms, where the winter wind bites like a vice, lies the domain of a long-spoken, unsettling presence. For over a hundred years, the climbers of Ben Macdui have told stories of a towering f…
The Ghost Ship Carroll A. Deering [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:30
In January 1921, a five-masted schooner was discovered run aground off the coast of North Carolina with no crew aboard and no clear signs of struggle. Personal belongings, navigation equipment, and the ship’s lifeboats w…
The Witches of Warboys [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:09
In the late 16th century, in the small village of Warboys, just outside Cambridge, everyday life was unsettled by growing fear and uncertainty, when family members of the local gentry began suffering from strange illness…
The 19th Century West Ham Vanishings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:06
The East London district of West Ham might be best known globally for the football team of the same name, but in the late 19th century, the area became famous for something much darker. West Ham, and in particular, a sin…
George Psalmanazar, The Man From Formosa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:29
In the early 1700s, when maps still had blank spaces and “here be dragons” felt like a reasonable warning, a stranger arrived in Europe with a fantastic story to tell. Calling himself George Psalmanazar, and claiming to…
George Joseph Smith: The Case of the Brides in the Bath [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:32
At the turn of the twentieth century, a pattern of unusual deaths began to surface, when three unrelated women were found drowned in their bathtubs, following a fit or a feinting. The cases seemed unconnected, scattered…