Sarah is a journalist obsessed with the past. Every week she reconsiders a person or event that's been miscast in the public... more
"Our alleged serial killers deserve better than this." Was Elizabeth Báthory the most prolific serial killer of all time, or... more
Black cats and goblins and broomsticks and ghosts/ Covens of witches with all of their hosts/ You may think they... more
What could possibly go wrong when two skeptical podcasters try to summon a ghost? Join Sarah and Chelsey Weber-Smith (of... more
Kellie Carter Jackson, author of We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance, is here to take us on a... more
"Times can blind us to certain truths and later generations can see that laws once thought necessary and proper in... more
Or, is it legal to have gay sex in your own home? This week, Marcus McCann takes us back to... more
"As long as the law is male, women must be outlaws." — Linnea Johnson This week, Moira Donegan takes us... more
This week we travel back to the 80s, when America’s parents decided to freak out over some kids rolling dice... more
Maggie Mertens tells us a tale of the first women who fought to run the marathon, and of one woman... more
What is “originalism,” and what does it have to do with all these bribes? Mackenzie Joy Brennan has some answers.Find... more
The city of Cleveland will not be made to apologize for its balloons. Harmony Colangelo defends the mistake on the... more
This week, Taylor Lorenz fights our latest moral panic. Are phones really making kids anxious, or are kids just good... more
Alejandra Oliva, author of Rivermouth, came by to catch us up on the last few decades of American immigration policy--and... more
Sarah Archer came by to make an episode from scratch. What's the real history of the American housewife? Where did... more
Today, Princess Weekes takes us to meet the real Rosa Parks.Find Princess on YouTube: Princess’ video, “The 1920s Sex Scandal... more
Let's go outside in the sunshine. An extended cut of this episode is available for Patreon and Apple... more
He turned a bright spark into a flame.(Part 1 of 2!)You can buy Marcus McCann's book, Park Cruising: What Happens... more
Sarah talks with Chelsey Weber-Smith, host of American Hysteria, about some of their favorite hoaxes—from the Loch Ness Monster to... more
Celebrity correspondent Eve Lindley came by to tell us about Britney Spears' memoir The Woman in Me. This is part... more
In 1974, Robert Opel ran naked through the Academy Awards telecast, and into American history. Today, Michael Schulman, a staff... more
Blair Braverman tells us how the legendary story of one good dog is actually a story of two good dogs.... more
This week, writer Miles Klee tells us why we have to take our shoes off at the airport.Read Miles Klee... more
This week, Harmony Colangelo tiptoes through the tulips with us. You can find Harmony at This Ends at Prom here!... more
During what should’ve been Roe v. Wade’s 51st birthday week, Sarah and reproductive health policy reporter Megan Burbank take a... more
Sarah teams up with writer and editor Julie Kliegman—author of the hotly anticipated book MIND GAME—to look back at tennis's... more
The Exorcist turns 50 this week, so we invited Marlena Williams, author of Night Mother: A Personal and Cultural History... more
“The creatures outside looked from influencer to human, and from human to influencer, and from human to influencer again; but... more
Mulder and Scully were busy this week, so Monroe and Marshall are on the case. Did UFOs really travel across... more
This week, celebrity correspondent Eve Lindley tells Sarah about why we should all be thankful for Amy Winehouse. Note: this... more
This week, American Hysteria’s Chelsey Weber-Smith gives Sarah some exposure therapy.You can find Chelsey / American Hysteria here. Support You're... more
Forty whacks with a wet noodle, Bart! This week, Princess Weekes tells Sarah the true story of the crime of... more
"What is it about the culture that has conditioned us to favor the wants and needs and desires, however horrible,... more
Here's one from our bonus vault: you sent in your stories about moments when you found yourselves changing your minds,... more
Like so many other mostly imaginary topics, human trafficking is in the news again. Michael Hobbes—ever heard of him??—came by... more
This week, Heather Radke brings us a tale of pageants, eugenics, and butts.You can find Heather online here.You can see... more
This week, Sarah tells her favorite kind of story to American Hysteria’s Chelsey Weber-Smith: one where two girls hoaxed the... more
“Why don’t something happen?” Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow died in 1934, but their legend gets bigger every year. This... more
This week, we bring you a re-release from our bonus vault as Sarah tells Carolyn Kendrick about the making of... more
This week, Sports Illustrated’s Julie Kliegman volleys with Sarah about trans athlete Renée Richards’s fight for her right to play... more
Fly with us, lesbian seagull. This week Radiolab’s Lulu Miller brings us a story of queer nature and scientists in... more
“I felt that empathy like it was directed towards me, and it helped me feel like my unhappiness was enough.”... more
“What if you were writing a profile on someone named Janet and I was your editor, and I was like,... more
In 1988, twenty-year-old American figure skater Debi Thomas headed to the Calgary Olympics to face off against East German juggernaut... more
This week, we fight the real enemy with Allyson McCabe. Here's where to find Allyson online here.You can find Allyson's... more
This week, national treasure Amanda Knox talks with Sarah about what the American legal system claims to be for, what... more
This week, criminal justice correspondent Josie Duffy Rice dives into America’s obsession with prosecuting children. From 19th century houses of... more
This week, survival correspondent Blair Braverman tells Sarah the story of a Supertramp. In 1996, Jon Krakauer's book Into the... more
This week, a tale of two Shawns/Seans, their impossible dream, and the file sharing service that lived fast, died young,... more
In this episode, Carolyn and Sarah follow Karen from the height of her fame through her struggle to find independence,... more
Long ago and oh so far away, Carolyn and Sarah fell in love with Karen Carpenter when they saw her... more
This week, criminal justice correspondent Josie Duffy Rice dives into America’s obsession with prosecuting children. From 19th century houses of refuge to... more