True Weird Stuff

Today's True Weird Stuff - The King of Western Swing: A Hollywood Star's Murderous Downfall   Spade Cooley was once one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Known as the King of Western Swing, he built an entertainment empire before jealousy, alcoholism, and violence destroyed his seemingly perfect life. In 1961, Cooley brutally murdered his wife, Ella Mae, at their California ranch, forcing their teenage daughter to witness the horrifying crime. The sensational murder trial exposed the terrifying truth behind his charming public persona, but Cooley's story would end with one final, extraordinary twist.

Today's True Weird Stuff - Poisonous Poo: The Dirty Secret of Lewis & Clark   In 1804, Lewis and Clark set out on their legendary expedition across the American West, unaware that their medicine was slowly poisoning them. Battling chronic constipation from a meat-heavy diet, they relied on powerful laxatives that contained toxic mercury. Nearly 200 years later, archaeologists discovered traces of mercury that confirmed a campsite along the Lewis and Clark Expedition's historic route. Could the mercury-laced medicine have also played a role in Lewis's mysterious death just three years after the expedition ended?

Today's True Weird Stuff - The Terrible Tale of Sawney Bean: Scotland's Cannibal Clan   For centuries, the legend of Sawney Bean has haunted Scotland. According to the terrifying tale, Bean and his wife, Black Agnes, raised a 48-member clan of cannibals in a hidden coastal cave, where they allegedly murdered and devoured more than 1,000 unsuspecting travelers. Their gruesome reign supposedly ended when King James VI launched a massive manhunt, uncovering horrors beyond imagination. But did Scotland's most infamous cannibal family ever really exist?

Today's True Weird Stuff - The Hermit of Gully Lake   In 1944, Willard MacDonald jumped from a moving military train to escape fighting in World War II and vanished into the wilderness of Nova Scotia, Canada. What began as an act of desperation became a remarkable life of solitude that lasted nearly 60 years. Known as the Hermit of Gully Lake, MacDonald survived brutal Canadian winters, lived in a tiny makeshift cabin, and refused to return to civilization even after he was no longer a wanted deserter.

Today's True Weird Stuff - The Ogress of Reading: The Serial Killer Who Murdered Babies for Money   In Victorian England, desperate mothers entrusted their babies to a seemingly compassionate nurse named Amelia Dyer. But behind her promises of loving homes lay a horrifying secret. Known as the Ogress of Reading, Dyer exploited the unregulated practice of “baby farming,” taking money to care for unwanted infants before murdering them and disposing of their bodies in the River Thames. When a gruesome discovery in 1896 exposed her crimes, investigators uncovered one of Britain's most shocking serial murder cases, with some estimates placing her victims as high as 400 children.

Today's True Weird Stuff - Your Beautiful Ankle - The Bizarre History of Ankle Beauty Contests   Once upon a time, a woman's ankle was considered so alluring that entire beauty contests were devoted to finding the prettiest pair. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ankle beauty contests became a bizarre sensation, with women hiding behind curtains while judges inspected, measured, and sometimes even caressed their feet and ankles. It's a forgotten chapter of history that's equal parts hilarious, creepy, and utterly unbelievable.   Get 15% off OneSkin with the code TRUEWEIRDSTUFF at https://www.oneskin.co/trueweirdstuff #oneskinpod #sponsored

Today's True Weird Stuff - For the Lady, a Lysol Douche   Today, you use Lysol to clean the kitchen or disinfect the bathroom. But for decades, it was marketed to American women for something far more intimate. Behind vintage ads promising “feminine hygiene” and marital happiness was a coded message about birth control at a time when contraception was restricted or illegal. Women were encouraged to douche with Lysol, even as its caustic ingredients caused burns, serious injuries, and death.  

Today's True Weird Stuff - Deadly Belle - The Serial Killer Who Lured Men to Her Murder Farm   Known as one of America’s most notorious female serial killers, Belle Gunness lured wealthy bachelors to her farm in Indiana, took their money, and buried their dismembered bodies. But when her farmhouse burned to the ground in 1908, investigators were left with one chilling question: Did Belle Gunness die in that fire, or did she pull off yet another deadly deception?

Today's True Weird Stuff - Tilt-A-Whirl: From a Kitchen Table to the American Midway   Long before the Tilt-A-Whirl became a fixture of carnival midways across America, it began with a strange little experiment involving an inventor, his young son, a wooden chair, and a kitchen table. Discover the surprisingly weird history of the iconic carnival ride, from Herbert Sellner’s original 1920s invention to the family tragedies and lasting legacy that made the Tilt-A-Whirl an American amusement park classic.

Today's True Weird Stuff - Olney House of Horrors: The R.C. and Eugene Horsch Serial Killer Mystery   A routine arrest near Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell lead police to a decaying house filled with hidden compartments, mysterious chemicals, fake IDs, and possible connections to multiple missing women. At the center of the investigation are Eugene Horsch and his late father, R.C. Horsch, a pornographer, counterfeiter, fugitive and author who once described himself as a serial killer. Did Philadelphia police stumble onto a house of horrors hiding decades of murder, or does the disturbing evidence point to something else?