Folklore and B/S

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Can people really burst into flames or were our ancestors just really bad at explaining fires? This week, Amber and Keegan dive headfirst into the strange world of spontaneous human combustion, where bodies turn to ash, slippers somehow survive, and absolutely nobody can agree on what happened. Along the way, we roast Victorian-era theories, question Farmer John, and ask the important scientific questions—like,do old people become more flammable?Grab a fire extinguisher and join us for one of history's hottest mysteries.

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Resources:

BBC News. (2011, September 23). “first Irish case” of death by spontaneous Combustion - BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-15032614 Cold Files. (2026, May 26). Death of Mary Reeser . Temperature and Time: The Death of Mary Reeser, 1951. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Mary_Reeser Cornelia Zangari Bandi — Grokipedia. Cornelia Zangari Bandi. (n.d.). https://grokipedia.com/page/Cornelia_Zangari_Bandi Howard, Krissy. "Is Spontaneous Human Combustion Real? The Science Behind This Baffling Phenomenon." AllThatsInteresting.com, March 24, 2024, https://allthatsinteresting.com/spontaneous-human-combustion. Accessed July 15, 2026. July 1, 1951: St. Pete Woman’s burning death baffles investigators. Florida History . (n.d.). http://www.floridahistorynetwork.com/july-1-1951-st-pete-womans-burning-death-baffles-investigators.html New Scientist. (2012, August 18). Journal of Physics Special Topics an undergraduate physics journal. The Big Burn Theory . https://journals.le.ac.uk/index.php/pst/article/download/864/796/1784 Spontaneous Human Combustion. (n.d.) Segen's Medical Dictionary. (2011). Retrieved July 15 2026 from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/spontaneous+human+combustion Team, R. (2025, June 25). 10 bizarre spontaneous human combustion stories. https://rankedfacts.com/oddities/10-bizarre-spontaneous-human-combustion-stories/ Weird Darkness. (2024). Matilda Rooney’s Christmas combustion - weird darkness. https://weirddarkness.com/matilda-rooneys-christmas-combustion/

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What happens when a song is played backward? Hidden messages, satanic panic, and one of music history’s strangest rabbit holes collide in this episode of Folklore & Bullshit. We dive into the origins of backmasking, the accusations that rocked the music world, and the question that still lingers: were these messages intentional, or were people just hearing what they wanted to hear?

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Sources:

Brain priming and environment | neurodivergent insights. (n.d.-a). https://neurodivergentinsights.com/brain-priming/

The devil wears headphones: A brief history of backmasking. (n.d.-e). https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/music/devil-wears-headphones-brief-history-backmasking

Elo’s fire on high... the backwards lyrics, turned around - youtube. (n.d.-b). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzmeKHv5k3o

Meet the beatles for real: Look-alike. (n.d.-c). http://www.meetthebeatlesforreal.com/2011/04/look-alike.html

Music’s biggest conspiracy theory: “Paul is dead” - the beatles story museum, Liverpool. (n.d.-d). https://www.beatlesstory.com/blog/paul-is-dead/

The Satanic message in “Stairway to heaven” - youtube. (n.d.-f). https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MnfdxPDKb08?cbrd=1

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Is Florida's infamous I-4 Dead Zone really the most haunted stretch of highway in the state? In this episode of Folklore & Bullshit, Amber and Keegan explore the eerie legends behind the I-4 Dead Zone, from ghostly hitchhikers and mysterious orbs to abandoned graves, cursed construction, and the chilling history of St. Joseph's Colony. Buckle up as they separate fact from folklore and ask whether there's more than bad traffic lurking on I-4.

Contact us: [email protected]

Resources:

Muncy, M., & Schultz, K. (2022). Freaky Florida the Wonderhouse, the Devil’s tree, the shaman of Philippe Park, and more. Arcadia Publishing.

The I-4 dead zone - florida’s Haunted Highway - Us Ghost Adventures. US Ghost Adventures . (2023, January 27). https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/americas-most-haunted-east/the-i-4-dead-zone-floridas-haunted-highway/

Norman, L. (2024, January 26). Florida highway tops this list of deadliest Interstates in the U.S., crash data shows. The Daytona Beach News Journal . https://eu.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2024/01/26/florida-highway-i-40crashes-accidents-fatal-dangerous-highway-list-interstate-4/72364253007/

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What happens when an invisible killer sweeps across a continent and fear spreads faster than the disease itself?

In this episode of Folklore & Bullshit, Keegan and Amber explore one of history’s darkest moments: the Black Death. From plague ships arriving in medieval Europe to the terrifying symptoms that devastated entire communities.

But the plague wasn’t the only thing spreading.

As fear took over, people searched for answers. They blamed poisoned wells, witches, “bad air,” and entire groups of people, leading to tragic consequences. We dive into the strange cures, terrifying beliefs, and the folklore that grew around one of history’s deadliest diseases.

References:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Plague. CDC. Updated July 25, 2024. Accessed July 8, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/plague/
2. World Health Organization. Plague. WHO. Accessed July 8, 2026. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague
3. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Black Death. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed July 8, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death
4. History.com Editors. Black Death. HISTORY. Updated May 19, 2023. Accessed July 8, 2026. https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/black-death
5. Benedictow OJ. The Black Death, 1346-1353: The Complete History. Boydell Press; 2004.
6. Kelly J. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time. Harper Perennial; 2005.
7. Cantor NF. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made. Free Press; 2001.
8. NPR. Did Surviving the Black Death Change Human Genetics? National Public Radio. Published October 19, 2022. Accessed July 8, 2026. https://www.npr.org/
9. Barreiro LB, Klunk J, and colleagues. Research on genetic adaptation following the Black Death. Published in Nature. 2022.
10. de’ Mussi G. Historia de Morbo. Fourteenth-century chronicle describing the siege of Caffa and the spread of plague.

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In this episode of Folklore and Bullshit, Amber and Keegan dive into the pirate legends of Florida's Amelia Island, exploring the eerie folklore surrounding Blackbeard and Captain Kidd. From ghostly sightings and buried treasure to voodoo curses, haunted marshes, and a headless pirate said to wander the shoreline, they separate history from legend while uncovering the fascinating stories behind two of piracy's most famous names. Along the way, they discuss surprising pirate facts, conspiracy theories, and share plenty of laughs and tangents that make folklore even more fun.

Resources:

Muncy, M., & Schultz, K. (2020). Creepy Florida Phantom Pirates, the Hog Island Witch, the demented doctor at the Don Vicente & More. The History Press.

Pirates of Amelia Island: Myth, legend, and a little bit of truth – Amelia Island. Amelia Island Florida . (2025, May 28). https://www.ameliaisland.com/blog/pirates-of-amelia-island-myth-legend-and-a-little-bit-of-truth/

Pirates, flags and buried treasure – folklore of Amelia Island | nassau county economic development board. Nassau County Florida. (2017, September 27). https://nassauflorida.com/blog/article/pirates-flags-and-buried-treasure-folklore-of-amelia-island