In Part 3 of our Nellie Bly series, the whole world starts to pay attention. We’ll follow her from the publication of Ten Days in a Madhouse to her globe-circling race against the fictional Phileas Fogg. Along the way, Nellie becomes a household name, fields marriage proposals from strangers, and gets immortalized on trading cards and weird ads. But fame doesn’t make her lazy. She investigates shady servant agencies, interviews America’s most notorious female killer, and keeps writing stories no one else has the nerve to touch.

Nellie Bly, Nellie Bly podcast, Around the World in 72 Days, Ten Days in a Madhouse, female journalists, Gilded Age, investigative journalism, Lizzie Halliday, New York World, Joseph Pulitzer, Phileas Fogg, servant scams, 19th century media, women in journalism, historical women, Fresh Hell podcast

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In 1887, Nellie Bly got herself committed to one of the most notorious mental institutions in the country — not because she needed help, but because she wanted the truth. In Part 2, we follow Nellie through the gates of Blackwell’s Island, where the food was inedible, the baths were freezing, and silence wasn’t just expected — it was enforced. What she found wasn’t a place for healing. It was a place where sane women were driven to madness, and no one on the outside was asking questions. Until now.

Nellie Bly, Blackwell’s Island, Ten Days in a Madhouse, women’s history, asylum abuse, Victorian era, undercover journalism, 19th century mental health, Pulitzer, Women’s Lunatic Asylum, Bellevue Hospital, feminist history, true crime adjacent, Fresh Hell Podcast, Nellie Bly investigation, mental institutions, New York history, investigative journalism,J oseph Pulitzer, women journalists

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Before she became one of the most daring journalists in history, Nellie Bly was Elizabeth Jane Cochran — a smart, stubborn girl from Pennsylvania with very few options and even fewer rights. In this episode, we’re going back to the beginning: the poverty, the abusive stepfather, the letter that launched her career, and the fight to be taken seriously in a newsroom that didn’t want women there at all. This is the story of how Nellie broke in — and why no one ever forgot her once she did.

Nellie Bly,Pittsburgh Dispatch,feminist history,women journalists,19th century journalism,Elizabeth Cochrane,women's rights,Gilded Age,undercover reporting,Joseph Pulitzer,New York World,Blackwell's Island,Fresh Hell,podcast,true crime adjacent,history podcast,women in history, investigative journalism

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From flood panics and flaming cities to gas masks for comet poison, humanity has always had a flair for predicting the end of the world—with spectacular inaccuracy. In this special palate cleanser episode, Annie and Johanna walk us through some of the weirdest, funniest, and most deeply unserious doomsday predictions in history.

We'll cover the Great Flood that never came in 1524, London’s fire-and-666-fueled apocalypse panic in 1666, the comet hysteria of 1910 (featuring anti-comet pills), Y2K’s spreadsheet Armageddon, and yes, that time in 2012 when everyone thought the Maya were trying to kill us with a calendar. Add in some cults, bunkers, misinterpreted prophecies, and more than a few tinfoil hats, and you've got a full tour of the world's many failed finales.

Spoiler alert: we’re still here.

apocalypse, doomsday predictions, failed prophecies, end of the world, Halley’s Comet, Y2K, Mayan calendar, 2012 panic, Stöffler flood, Great Fire of London, Fifth Monarchists, cults, comet panic, Jehovah’s Witnesses 1914, doomsday cults, doomsday prepping, comet pills, planetary alignment, funny history, weird history, mass hysteria, Fresh Hell Podcast, Annie and Johanna, historical panic, end times, apocalypse myths, failed apocalypse

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Between 1960 and 1967, three children disappeared without a trace from the small city of Pirmasens, in southwest Germany. Walter Broschat. Klaus-Dieter Stark. Eveline Lübbert. All of them were between 9 and 10 years old. All vanished on a Friday. And to this day, not a single clue has been found.

In this episode, we revisit one of Germany’s most haunting cold cases. We’ll examine what we know about the disappearances, the man once known as the Waldmensch, the theories that still linger, and a documentary project by Eveline’s own cousin that’s keeping the case in the public eye more than 60 years later.

This is the story of a town that never got its answers—and of three families left with nothing but silence.

Fresh Hell Podcast, True Crime Germany, Pirmasens, Walter Broschat, Klaus-Dieter Stark, Eveline Lübbert, Missing children, German cold cases, 1960s, Waldmensch, Rasterfahndung, Southwest Germany, Unsolved mysteries, Child disappearances, German true crime, Henry Hauck, Spurlos Doku, Pfalz

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In this episode, we look at the brief and heartbreaking life of Dorothy Stratten—Playmate of the Month in August 1979, aspiring actress, and the victim of one of Hollywood’s most disturbing murder cases. We trace Dorothy’s rise from a Dairy Queen in Vancouver to the pages of Playboy, her toxic relationship with Paul Snider, her affair with director Peter Bogdanovich, and the events that led to her brutal murder in 1980 at just 20 years old.

We also talk about the dangerous power dynamics behind the glamour of the Playboy Mansion, Bogdanovich’s fierce criticism of Hugh Hefner, and the lasting legacy of a young woman whose life was cut short by control, obsession, and violence.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence (DV), it's crucial to seek help. Below are resources available in the United States, Austria, and internationally:

United States:

Austria:

• Women's Helpline Against Violence (Frauenhelpline): A 24/7 confidential service for women experiencing violence. Call 0800 222 555 or visit frauenhelpline.at.​

International:

Remember, reaching out is a vital step toward safety and support. These organizations are equipped to assist and guide you through the process.

Dorothy Stratten, Paul Snider, Peter Bogdanovich, Playboy, Hugh Hefner, Playmate of the Year, They All Laughed, STAR 80, femicide, domestic violence, true crime, Hollywood murder, 1980s, Playboy Mansion, Hefner criticism, Great Playmate Hunt, murder-suicide, exploitation of women, tragic celebrity deaths, Fresh Hell Podcast

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In this fifth and final part of the Lizzie Halliday story, Lizzie escapes the electric chair—but not justice. She continues to lash out, nearly killing the sheriff’s wife, and ultimately stabbing a beloved young nurse more than 200 times in what would become the first recorded line-of-duty death of a female law enforcement officer in the U.S.

Along the way, Lizzie makes a claim to her murdered husband’s pension, attempts to set multiple fires, and spins wild tales of murderous gangs and poisoned whiskey. We also hear from journalist Nellie Bly, who sits face-to-face with Lizzie—and walks away unconvinced by her claims of madness.

How many people did Lizzie really kill? We may never know. But it’s clear that, even behind bars, she was never finished causing harm.

Lizzie Halliday, female serial killer, true crime, historical crime, 19th-century crime, Matteawan Asylum, Nellie Bly, Paul Halliday, Sarah Jane McQuillan, Margaret McQuillan, Nelly Wickes, first woman electric chair, American history, murder trial, criminally insane, Fresh Hell Podcast

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After the discovery of two women’s bodies buried in the manure pile of the Halliday barn, the search for Paul Halliday continues. But as authorities dig deeper—literally and figuratively—they uncover even more horrors. Lizzie Halliday remains in custody, shifting between moments of eerie calm and violent outbursts, but she isn’t done hiding evidence just yet.

Meanwhile, the identities of the two murdered women are finally revealed, linking Lizzie’s crimes back to an old family connection. And as investigators follow the trail of missing persons, the question remains—just how many victims did Lizzie leave in her wake?

Lizzie Halliday, serial killer, true crime, historical crime, 19th-century crime, female killers, New York murders, Paul Halliday, Sarah Jane McQuillan, Margaret McQuillan, hidden bodies, buried secrets, mental asylum, insanity plea, arson, fraud, deception, crime history, Fresh Hell Podcast

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Lizzie Halliday has left a trail of destruction behind her...arson, theft, fraud, and at least one suspicious death! But in this episode, her crimes take a truly horrifying turn. After a year in a mental institution, Lizzie is released back into the care of her much older husband, Paul Halliday. His family and neighbors are already wary of her, and with good reason. Fires, violent outbursts, and unexplained disappearances follow wherever Lizzie goes.

When Paul vanishes without a trace, his family and neighbors start asking questions. The authorities arrive at the farm to search for him, but what they uncover is far worse than anyone imagined. And Paul? He isn’t the only one missing.

Listen now on your favorite podcast app. #FreshHellPodcast

Lizzie Halliday, serial killer, true crime, historical crime, 19th-century crime, female killers, New York murders, arson, horse theft, con artist, insurance fraud, Paul Halliday, missing persons, farm murder, asylum escape, violent outbursts, hidden bodies, Fresh Hell Podcast

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Lizzie Halliday is back, and somehow, she’s only getting started. In this episode, we pick up where we left off—with Lizzie abandoning another husband, scamming her way into new homes, and setting literal fires along the way. She takes her insurance fraud scheme to new levels, makes a scene at her father’s grave, and leaves a path of destruction across the Northeast. Meanwhile, a traveling peddler is found murdered in the Shawangunk Mountains, and Lizzie starts spending time with a new crowd. By the time she crosses paths with Paul Halliday, her next husband and soon-to-be victim, things are about to get much, much worse.

Lizzie Halliday, serial killer, true crime, 19th-century crime, female killers, historical murder, New York crime, arson, insurance fraud, con artist, scammer, peddler murder, Shawangunk Mountains, Romani history, Paul Halliday, Philadelphia fire, prison escape, Fresh Hell Podcast

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