304 - The New England Vampire Panic

The Black Death or The Plague, was a devastating global plague pandemic that swept across Europe, Asia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353 killing a large percentage of Earth's population. On this episode we look at where it came from, how it spread and how it changed the course o ...  Show more

Terry Pratchett is one of the world's most beloved authors - writing humorous fantasy and science fiction including his Discworld series - but his life is just as fascinating, which is why he was voted for by the listeners to be our first topic for BLOCKtober 2026!This is a comed ...  Show more

Today, in honor of Halloween weekend, we're revisiting an episode about vampirism. Starting in the late 1700s and, small rural communities in New England were sometimes stricken with a panicked fear that the dead were feeding off the living.

While historians continue to explore the details of the infamous Salem witch trials, another, earlier panic swept through New England -- something modern historians often refer to as the "Vampire Panic." In part one of this two-part series, Ben is joined again with guest host ...

In part two of this two-part series, Ben is joined once again with guest host Alex Williams to explore the harrowing tale of the New England Vampire Panic, tracing how increasingly desperate communities resorted to ritualistic desecration of graves to combat the horrors of wha ...

In today’s episode, Genevieve will discuss the wild world of Victorian vampires. She'll discuss vampire panic and vampire autopsies of the 1800s, real vampires - or at least, folks who were believed to be real vampires, and the inspirations for everyone's favorite vampire, Dracul ...  Show more