"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

On October 14, 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure fell down a well in Midland, Texas. This week, Sarah tells our survival... more

They’re winsome and soft and so fun to cuddle/ With one of Ty’s Beanie Babies, you could never go wrong/... more

Put on your Docksiders for a stroll through history with Avery Trufelman, who shows us how Ivy style became “preppy,”... more

How did Poltergeist get that PG rating? Podcast legend Karina Longworth, host of You Must Remember This, takes us on... more

Our survival correspondent Blair Braverman is here to tell us the story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed... more

“Abortion is healthcare and abortion is a human right. Abortion is racial justice. It’s economic justice. It’s at the intersection... more

Why is it so hard to find the one thing you need? The Atlantic’s Amanda Mull is here to tell... more

This week, Mike and Sarah reunite to hunt for serial killers, and try to figure out whether they’re really endangered.... more

You may:1. Travel on the established trail2. Take the Hastings CutoffWhat is your choice?Chelsey Weber-Smith (American Hysteria) tells Sarah about... more

This week we’re taking the back roads with Rachel Monroe, who tells us how the most prolific serial killer in... more

Here’s some money, go see a Porn War. This week we’re going on a field trip to Times Square with... more

This week, Eric Michael Garcia tells Sarah about America’s barely forgotten pastime, plus the Supreme Court’s long history of horrifying... more

Sarah and Carmen complete their epic trilogy by meeting Rick Emerson on the edge of Mount Doom to discuss his... more

This week Carmen and Sarah read the rest of Alice’s bitchin' diary, and ponder the truths that only lies can... more

This week we’re dishing up a mouthwatering feast of history, gossip, and white collar crime. Guest Sarah Archer tells the... more

This week, Sarah tries to solve the mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident, in which nine experienced ski hikers fled... more

Where did all these prisons come from? WBEZ’s Shannon Heffernan is here to give us part of the answer, which... more

This week we begin our journey into the totally true not at all made up diary that has been scaring... more

We want to play a game. This week, Dana Schwartz stuffs us in an iron maiden and explains why the... more

How did the information superhighway get so gridlocked? Guest Anne Helen Petersen tells Sarah the story of how email took... more