This week we flip the script and present a handful of tales told to us by your fellow listerners.

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Just west of Chattanooga, Tennessee is the Nickajack Cave, a historic natural wonder flooded in 1967 due to the construction of the Nickajam Dam. Carved by the Tennessee River over millennia, the cave has a rich history filled with tales of the Chickamauga, Confederate soldiers, and even the notorious Man in Black, Johnny Cash. Today the cave is a wildlife refuge for a colony of endangered bats, but back in 1992, after it was shut off to the public for this purpose, a man named David Gant dared enter anyway, becoming trapped in the dark, underwater cavern without any air to breathe.

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In our most recent episode, we explored the life and legend of Robert Johnsons; however, there is one mystery that we left out! For over fifty years after his death, no one knew exactly where Robert Johnson was buried, and as a result, there are now three cemeteries that feature memorials to the blues legend.

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In 1931, Robert Johnson walked into a juke joint in Banks, Mississippi with a guitar strapped to his back. Only a little less than a year before he mysteriously disappeared from the Delta after being teased for his lack of musicianship. But now Robert Johnson was back and he was ready to take the stage and show everyone in that juke what he could do, displaying a musical mastery that left everyone shocked. From that day on, the legend of Robert Johnson has become one of the most notorious pieces of lore in American music-- a myth that claims Robert Johnson went down to the crossroads at midnight and sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for an otherworldy ability to play the blues.

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On Saturday, October 21, 1899 the New Orleans Times-Democrat ran an article under the headline: “Real Ghost Story. The Old Carrollton Jail Said to be Haunted.” Through the use of the exact words of police officers, the article chronicled eerie occurrences at the local jail. But while many of the police officers who served at the Carrollton Jail stated that they didn’t believe in ghosts, most agreed that the strange things happening there seemed to defy rational explanation; and over time, everyone stationed there had a tale to tell with reports as varied as disembodied footsteps and noises, to heavy furniture moving on its own, lights turning on and off, and objects moving without cause.

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On History Daily, we do history, daily. Every weekday, host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous event that happened ‘on this day’ in history.

Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July, 1969, when mankind reached the moon, History Daily is there to tell you the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world—one day at a time.

So if you’re stuck in traffic, bored at work—wherever you are, listen to History Daily to remind yourself that something incredible happened to make that day historic.

A co-production from award-winning podcasters Airship and Noiser.

Access ad-free versions of History Daily, Southern Gothic, and more chart-topping history podcasts with Into History, a podcast subscription channel made by history lovers for history lovers!

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It was a chilly evening in April of 1810 when Alexander Hostler sat alone in his room with a single candle flickering in the darkness. Only days before, Hostler’s lifelong friend Samuel Jocelyn, Jr. had been found dead, leaving the young man absolutely devastated. But on this particular night, his suffering was interrupted by the sound of a voice calling to him from the stillness– a voice all too familiar.

Join us as we explore the lore behind this classic Wilmington, North Carolina legend.

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On November 6, 1936 Verna Garr Taylor was found in a ditch on a rural road in Kentucky with a bullet hole through her chest. Suspicion immediately fell on her purported fiancé Henry Denhardt. The former Kentucky politician claimed Verna had committed suicide, but the evidence suggested otherwise, leading to one of the most sensational court cases in the history of the state.

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Since its grand opening on May 1, 1905, the Seelbach Hotel has stood as one of Louisville, Kentucky's most lavish and luxurious establishments. It has hosted an array of notable figures, from U.S. Presidents and legendary actors to notorious bootleggers and mobsters. As a result, the hotel is steeped in lore, with some claiming it was here that F. Scott Fitzgerald first encountered the inspiration for Jay Gatsby in the underground Rathskeller barroom, while others say Al Capone used the tunnels beneath the hotel to evade the law. Yet the most notorious resident of the Seelbach is the mysterious spirit of a lady in blue, an apparition as integral to its storied history as the men who helped build it.

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"The Witch of Pungo" Originally Aired in June 2022

On Wednesday, July 10, 1706, scores of people arrived at what is now known as Witch Duck Point on the Lynnhaven River in Virginia. They were there to witness a unique but brutal legal proceeding that would never again be carried out in the colony of Virginia– the trial of forty-six-year-old Grace Sherwood by ducking.

It is unknown exactly what happened when she hit the water, but what was clear to the folks who came that day was that Grace Sherwood survived and therefore she must be a witch. 

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