Wasps that are total mooches, an international acid-oozing nightmare, and a sphere… …of TERROR!  

This week, Ben delves into the strange tales of the secretive SPC - a shadowy global organization that, well, Secures, Protects, and Contains the unexplained things that threaten our earth. 

Sources:

"SCP-106" by Dr Gears, from the SCP Wiki. Source: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-106. Licensed under CC-BY-SA.

"SCP-799" from SCP Wiki. Source: SCP-779 - SCP Foundation (wikidot.com)

"SCP-2006" by weizhong, from the SCP Wiki. Source: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-2006. Licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Jeanne de Clisson was born into a life of luxury, but that doesn't mean she'd have it easy. Her fist husband died when she was just 19  years old, and her second husband was stolen away by a rival family. When her third husband was betrayed and murdered by king Philip VI, Jeanne refused to sit back and play the victim, instead becoming the vengeful pirate known as the Lioness of Brittany. 

Sources:

Climans, Kyle. Vengeful Facts About Jeanne De Clisson. Factinate. Last accessed on May 13, 2021. Vengeful Facts About Jeanne De Clisson, "The Lioness Of Brittany" (factinate.com)

Gillian, Joanna. The Revenge of Pirate Jeanne de Clisson, the Lioness of Brittany. Ancient Origins. March 25, 2020. The Revenge of Pirate Jeanne de Clisson, The Lioness of Brittany | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net)

This week, Ben takes us on another magical, mystical journey down the Yokai well with a quartet of Japanese mythical creatures. From a cucumber-and-butt eating turtle to a throat-chicken, as always, these do not disappoint. 

Source:

Meyer, Matthew. Yokai.com. Last accessed on May 11, 2021:

• Kappa: http://yokai.com/kappa/
• Kekkai: http://yokai.com/kekkai/
• Niwatori No So: http://yokai.com/niwatorinosou/
• Dodomeki: http://yokai.com/dodomeki/

It's not always better to burn out than to fade away. This week, Steve takes a look at a number of people who's untimely, undignified, or unbelievable deaths; from a lowly stable-hand to a king and a conqueror—the reaper spares no one. 

Wikipedia (All last accessed on April 28, 2021):

Hayes, Frank: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Hayes_(jockey)#:~:text=Frayling.,won%20a%20race%20after%20death.

Frederick, Adolf: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Frederick,_King_of_Sweden#Death

Eysteinsson, Sigurd: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigurd_Eysteinsson

Anderson, Sherwood: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherwood_Anderson#Death

Duncan, Isadora: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isadora_Duncan

Have you ever had an out-of-body experience, or a lucid dream? Or a nosy neighbor who waits until they're sure you're dead to check to see if you're okay?

This week, Ben reads I Discovered a New Level of Dreaming by an anonymous author who is clearly a Rick and Morty fan. 

Source:

I Discovered a Whole New Level of Dreaming. Creepypasta Wiki. Last accessed on April 27, 2021. https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/I_Discovered_A_New_Level_of_Dreaming 

The invasion at Normandy may be the most iconic moment of one of humanity's worst wars. What doesn't often get discussed, however, was the practice and planning that went into the operation. 

If it all went like Exercise Tiger, there might be a good reason why we don't tend to hear about this part of it. 

Source:

Exercise Tiger. Wikipedia. Last accessed on April 13, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_Tiger

When a father earns his own island, then turns it into a prospering business, his sons could have followed in his footsteps and been set for life. But like most teenagers, they decided to become pirates. This week, Ben talks about the famous pirate Barbrossa(s) and his siblings.

Source:

Pirates All - Barbrossa, His Brothers and Their Successors. Worldhistory.us. May 24, 2017. https://worldhistory.us/medieval-history/pirates-all-barbarossa-his-brothers-and-their-successors.php

Owen Parfitt lived a life of adventure and piracy, or so he said. While his tales may or may not have been totally factual, it's his mysterious end that leaves a lasting legacy. 

Source:

MacGowen, Doug. Owen Parfitt and HIs Mysterious Disappearance. Historic Mysteries. Last accessed on April 5, 2021. Owen Parfitt and His Mysterious Disappearance | Historic Mysteries

To exercise demons, you simply put on a copy of Richard Simmons' Sweating to the 80's. But if you want to exorcise them, you'll need to call in an expert. 

This week, Ben takes a look at two people who had to do the later, and disappointingly, zero who opted for the former. 

Sources:

Swancer, Brent. The Truly Harrowing Case of Anna Ecklund. Mysterious Universe. March 5, 2020. The Truly Harrowing Case of the Bizarre Exorcism of Anna Ecklund | Mysterious Universe

Wilson, Lara. The Exorcism of Clara Germana Cele - A Forgotten Story from 1906. Mysterious Universe. January 19, 2021. The exorcism of Clara Germana Cele – A forgotten story from 1906 | Mysteriesrunsolved

This week, we've got three more legends, as Steve talks about Scandinavia's surprisingly cognizant zombies, Beijing's ghost bus, and the water babies of the western United States. 

Source: 

Shaw, Gabbi. 15 Creepiest Urban Legends From Around the World. Insider. October 30, 2020. Urban legends from around the world (insider.com)