The Squonk

Pennsylvania’s saddest, ugliest, and somehow most adorable cryptid, the squonk,  is here to teach you a valuable lesson. And to melt. There’s that, too. Hosted and Written by Laurah NortonResearch by Laurah NortonProduced by Maura Currie Engineered by Brandon Schexnayder Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/STRANGE and use promo code STRANGE at checkout!   This episode originally ran on the mainfeed as Episode 98.One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries explores the archives of the unexplained, blending rigorous historical research with a wry, skeptical wit to investigate true supernatural stories and baffling mysteries that made headlines.Dive into our Episode Mystery Archive — a curated, topic-organized source for documented hauntings, UFO sightings, cryptids, folklore, and bizarre true mysteries. Check it out here! https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/episodes-by-topic-mystery-archive Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@onestrangething Copyright 2026 The Fall Line Podcast LLC - One Strange Thing PodcastWe work with Amplitude Media Partners (AMP) to power our advertising and grow with the right sponsors. Contact AMP with any ad inquiries; [email protected].  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Folklore can be fun, can’t it, strangers? It can also be downright terrifying, especially when used to frighten children into being good: everyone from Dolly Parton to Thomas Jefferson seems to have heard of Rawhead Bloody Bones and the cautionary tales of dark woods, drafty attics, and even lakes. But where did all the monstrous behavior begin? We try to find out. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/STRANGE and use promo code STRANGE at checkout!   Hosted and Written by Laurah NortonResearch by Laurah Norton and Anna Luria Engineered by Rachel Boyd/Southern Gothic media One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries explores the archives of the unexplained, blending rigorous historical research with a wry, skeptical wit to investigate true supernatural stories and baffling mysteries that made headlines.Dive into our Episode Mystery Archive — a curated, topic-organized source for documented hauntings, UFO sightings, cryptids, folklore, and bizarre true mysteries. Check it out here! https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/episodes-by-topic-mystery-archive Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@onestrangething Copyright 2026 The Fall Line Podcast LLC - One Strange Thing PodcastWe work with Amplitude Media Partners (AMP) to power our advertising and grow with the right sponsors. Contact AMP with any ad inquiries; [email protected].   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the science world was overwhelmed with strange new findings out of Australia. One particular species was assumed to be a hoax… and even when it was established that the platypus was, in fact, real? It didn’t make these strange creatures make more sense.Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/STRANGE and use promo code STRANGE at checkout!  Hosted by Laurah NortonResearch by Anna Luria and Maura CurrieWritten, Produced and Engineered by Maura CurrieOne Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries explores the archives of the unexplained, blending rigorous historical research with a wry, skeptical wit to investigate true supernatural stories and baffling mysteries that made headlines.This episode was originally released  as Premium Episode 54.Dive into our Episode Mystery Archive — a curated, topic-organized source for documented hauntings, UFO sightings, cryptids, folklore, and bizarre true mysteries. Check it out here! https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/episodes-by-topic-mystery-archive Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@onestrangething Copyright 2026 The Fall Line Podcast LLC - One Strange Thing PodcastWe work with Amplitude Media Partners (AMP) to power our advertising and grow with the right sponsors. Contact AMP with any ad inquiries; [email protected].  Works Cited George Shaw, “The Duck-Billed Platypus,” The Naturalist’s Miscellany, 1798.NA, “Scientists Trying to Save…” The Washington Herald, 1928.Abby Ohlheiser, “The platypus is so weird…” the Washington Post, 2015.Natalie Zarrelli, “Why 19th-century naturalists…” Atlas Obscura, 2016.Brian K. Hall, “The paradoxical platypus,” Bioscience, 1999.Willey Ley, “Bring our private files…” Star Tribune, 1948.James MacDonald, “The platypus is even weirder…” JSTOR Daily, 2018.Gilad Bino et al, “The platypus: evolutionary…” Journal of Mammalogy, 2019.Stephen C. George, “When scientists believed the adorable…” Discover Magazine, 2023.NA, “The lying stones of…” Geological Society of London, 2017.Jessica Leigh Hester, “The beautiful complexity of…” Atlas Obscura, 2018.Annetta Black, “Objects of Intrigue: Fiji…” Atlas Obscura, 2013.Douglas Main, “We knew platypuses…” National Geographic, 2020.John Yoon, “What scientists learned from…” the New York Times, 2024.Mindy Weisberger, “Platypuses glow an eerie…” LiveScience, 2020.Lucie Cutting, “Woman spurred by platypus…” ABC, 2023.Platypus  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We take a trip with Resurrection Mary, Chicago’s most famous hitchhiking ghost, down Archer Avenue and into the history that surrounds her endless treks to her eternal home: Resurrection Cemetery. As vanishing hitchhikers go, she might just be the most infamous. . . and perhaps the most beloved, too.  Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/STRANGE and use promo code STRANGE at checkout!   Hosted and Written by Laurah Norton Research by Laurah Norton and Anna Luria  Engineered by Rachel Boyd/Southern Gothic media  One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries explores the archives of the unexplained, blending rigorous historical research with a wry, skeptical wit to investigate true supernatural stories and baffling mysteries that made headlines. Dive into our Episode Mystery Archive — a curated, topic-organized source for documented hauntings, UFO sightings, cryptids, folklore, and bizarre true mysteries. Check it out here! https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/episodes-by-topic-mystery-archive   Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/ Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus  episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607 Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@onestrangething Copyright 2026 The Fall Line Podcast LLC - One Strange Thing Podcast We work with Amplitude Media Partners (AMP) to power our advertising and grow with the right sponsors. Contact AMP with any ad inquiries; [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In January 1996, the small Brazilian city of Varginha became the center of one of the most famous UFO stories in South American history. Multiple witnesses, including three young women, reported seeing a strange creature with a large head and red eyes lurking in the streets, while others claimed the military had captured one or more living beings and recovered a crashed craft. To this day, Varginha is often called the "Brazilian Roswell." In this special episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, Vanessa Richardson is joined by Laurah Norton to investigate the Varginha incident. For more, follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes. https://pod.link/1828469754 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the late 19th century, in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, the hodag—a monster that sprung up in the tall tales of local logging camps— made its national  debut when one was supposedly captured alive and put on display at a county fair. We are very sorry we missed it.  Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/STRANGE and use promo code STRANGE at checkout!   Hosted and Written by Laurah Norton Research by Laurah Norton and Bryan Worters  Produced by Maura Currie  Engineered by Brandon Schexnayder  This originally ran as episode 94. One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries explores the archives of the unexplained, blending rigorous historical research with a wry, skeptical wit to investigate true supernatural stories and baffling mysteries that made headlines. Dive into our Episode Mystery Archive — a curated, topic-organized source for documented hauntings, UFO sightings, cryptids, folklore, and bizarre true mysteries. Check it out here! https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/episodes-by-topic-mystery-archive   Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/ Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus  episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607 Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@onestrangething Copyright 2026 The Fall Line Podcast LLC - One Strange Thing Podcast We work with Amplitude Media Partners (AMP) to power our advertising and grow with the right sponsors. Contact AMP with any ad inquiries; [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you gave us a nickel how many goatmen we’ve covered on this show, we’d have 10 cents; it’s not a lot, but more than one might expect. This time, we’re visiting Maryland to dive into the story of a violent, possibly axe-wielding monster and the Prince George’s County  teenagers and pets it apparently enjoyed terrorizing in Bowie, along Fletchertown Road. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/STRANGE and use promo code STRANGE at checkout!   Hosted and Written  by Laurah Norton Researched by Anna Luria  and Laurah Norton Engineered and  Produced by Southern Gothic Media/Rachel Boyd One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries explores the archives of the unexplained, blending rigorous historical research with a wry, skeptical wit to investigate true supernatural stories and baffling mysteries that made headlines. Dive into our Episode Mystery Archive — a curated, topic-organized source for documented hauntings, UFO sightings, cryptids, folklore, and bizarre true mysteries. Check it out here! https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/episodes-by-topic-mystery-archive   Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/ Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus  episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607 Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@onestrangething Copyright 2026 The Fall Line Podcast LLC - One Strange Thing Podcast We work with Amplitude Media Partners (AMP) to power our advertising and grow with the right sponsors. Contact AMP with any ad inquiries; [email protected].  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We’ve covered murderous clowns, motel clowns, and . . . honestly, we forget how many iterations have popped up, like jack-in-the-boxes, over the years. But this time, strangers, we’ve got what may be the most unique experience of all: a vintage story that combines UFOs, clownery, a possible robot, children with surprisingly good social skills, and the most unsettling berry-eating experience we’ve ever been exposed to in our five-year tenure. Enjoy.  Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/STRANGE and use promo code STRANGE at checkout!   Hosted By Laurah Norton  Written and Researched by Laurah Norton and Maura Currie  Engineered and Produced by Maura Currie This is Premium Episode 83, appearing for the first time on the main feed.  One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries explores the archives of the unexplained, blending rigorous historical research with a wry, skeptical wit to investigate true supernatural stories and baffling mysteries that made headlines. Dive into our Episode Mystery Archive — a curated, topic-organized source for documented hauntings, UFO sightings, cryptids, folklore, and bizarre true mysteries. Check it out here! https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/episodes-by-topic-mystery-archive   Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/ Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus  episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607 Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@onestrangething Copyright 2026 The Fall Line Podcast LLC - One Strange Thing Podcast We work with Amplitude Media Partners (AMP) to power our advertising and grow with the right sponsors. Contact AMP with any ad inquiries; [email protected].  Works Cited:  Norman Oliver, “Ghost or Spaceman ’73?” The BUFORA Journal, February 1978.  N/A, History Disclosure, “Two Children Have a Close Encounter With a Strange Humanoid.” 2018. N/A, “The Sandown Clown: Exploring…” On the Wight, 2023. Tom Oldham, “The Mystery of The…” VICE, 2025. Test Card F (via Test Card Fandom Wiki) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The lava beds of Central Oregon produced one of the most involved (and fascinating) creature features of the early 20th century: the mythic lava bear. And, of course, all of the humans who argued about it, hunted it, and attempted to have scientific discussions regarding its existence. We sure do love history, strangers.  Ready to clean out your closet and make some extra money? download the Vinted app for free and start listing. With no seller fees, you keep every dollar you earn - and for a limited time, enjoy free shipping in the US on Vinted! https://www.vinted.com/app Hosted and Written  by Laurah Norton Researched by Anna Luria  and Laurah Norton Engineered and  Produced by Southern Gothic Media/Rachel Boyd One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries explores the archives of the unexplained, blending rigorous historical research with a wry, skeptical wit to investigate true supernatural stories and baffling mysteries that made headlines. Dive into our Episode Mystery Archive — a curated, topic-organized source for documented hauntings, UFO sightings, cryptids, folklore, and bizarre true mysteries. Check it out here! https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/episodes-by-topic-mystery-archive   Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/ Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus  episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607 Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@onestrangething Copyright 2026 The Fall Line Podcast LLC - One Strange Thing Podcast We work with Amplitude Media Partners (AMP) to power our advertising and grow with the right sponsors. Contact AMP with any ad inquiries; [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Some say that a werewolf once lived in Georgia -- a young woman, Emily Burts, who was born 20 years before the Civil War. Sound like an unusual set up for a lycanthropic tale? We thought so, too.  Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/STRANGE and use promo code STRANGE at checkout!   Hosted,  Written, and Researched by Laurah Norton Produced by Maura Currie  Engineered by Brandon Schexnayder This episode originally ran as Episode 87. One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries explores the archives of the unexplained, blending rigorous historical research with a wry, skeptical wit to investigate true supernatural stories and baffling mysteries that made headlines. Dive into our Episode Mystery Archive — a curated, topic-organized source for documented hauntings, UFO sightings, cryptids, folklore, and bizarre true mysteries. Check it out here! https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/episodes-by-topic-mystery-archive   Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/ Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus  episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607 Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@onestrangething Copyright 2026 The Fall Line Podcast LLC - One Strange Thing Podcast We work with Amplitude Media Partners (AMP) to power our advertising and grow with the right sponsors. Contact AMP with any ad inquiries; [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.