Ben goes back to the ever-fruitful stable of Japanese myths this week; this time exploring what are three of the most known stories of ghosts and demons. For some reason, they involve a lot of sex, and (rightfully) vengeful lovers. 

Source:

Meyer, Matthew. Various (see links). Yokai.com. Last accessed on June 16, 2020.

• Oiwa
• Okiku
• Okiku Mushi
• Otsuyu

One day in 1897, a neighbor boy sent on an errand found the recently married Elva Zona Heaster's lifeless body at the foot of her stairs. Her mother suspected foul play, but nobody else seemed to put the pieces together. And then a ghost appeared.

Sources:

Eight Amazing History Stories. Today I Found Out. July 16, 2012. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/07/8-history-stories/

Sonaik, Matt. The Ghost Who Helped Solve Her Own Murder. Mental Floss. September 24, 2014. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30608/elva-zona-heaster-ghost-who-helped-solve-her-own-murder

This week, Ben read's KillaHawke1's La Bruja; a cautionary tale that teaches us to be cool with our terrible writing abilities, and to always treat old women well. Or, at least don't murder them. Especially when you know them to be powerful witches. 

Source:

Killahawke1. La Bruja. Creepypasta Wiki. Last accessed on June 2, 2020. https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/La_Bruja

This week, Ben reads Indefinitesilence's Hanging Man Hill; a creepy pasta that is truly electrifying. Follow one young man's journey as he learns that making new friends is stupid and should never be done. 

Source: 

Indefinitesilence. Hanging Man Hill. Creepypasta Wiki. Last accessed on May 19, 2020. https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Hanging_Man_Hill

War is often a hellish, confusing time filled with violence and misfortune. When you have soldiers from numerous countries who cannot speak the same language, things become even more complicated. As it turns out, adding a ton of alcohol to the mix doesn't actually help. This week, we take a look at the famed Battle of Karansebes. 

Sources: 

Austro-Turkish War (1788-1791). Wikipedia. Accessed on May 7, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Turkish_War_(1788%E2%80%931791)

Battle of Karansebes. Wikipedia. Accessed on May 7, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kar%C3%A1nsebes

Mendes, Claudia. Punch Drunk at Karnsebes—The Austrian Army that Fought Itself. War History Online. February 19, 2019. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/the-battle-of-karansebes.html

This week, Ben explores the short career of parachute inventor Franz Reichelt. When Franz's initial successes were followed by months and months of failure, there was only one thing he could think to try that might finally bring him the fame he desperately desired. And in a way, it did. 

Sources:

Grundhauser, Eric. The Sad Tale of the 'Flying Tailor'. Atlas Obsura. November 14, 2017. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/flying-tailor-eiffel-paris-france-parachute

Paoletti, Gabe. Franz Reichelt: The Man Who Died Jumping off the Eiffel Tower. All That's Interesting. October 26, 2017. https://allthatsinteresting.com/franz-reichelt

Kasana, Tanuj. Franz Reichelt: Dressmaker Who Jumped off the Eiffel Tower With Self-designed Parachute-suit. STSTW. August 26, 2019. https://www.ststworld.com/franz-reichelt/

As a teen, Diogo Alves struggled to hold a job. This was largely due to the fact that he hated working, and loved drinking and gambling. Fed up with his life of labor, Diogo embarked on a new career: Robbery and murder. And for far too long, he proved to be very good at both. 

Sources: 

10 Interesting Stories that will Surprise Even The History Buffs. All That's Interesting. November 22, 2017. https://allthatsinteresting.com/interesting-stories

Diogo Alves. Wikipedia. Last accessed on April 28, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogo_Alves

In a lot of ways, Robert Liston was a pioneer in the field of emergency surgery and amputation. He was one of the first surgeons to use anesthetic, for instance. Surgery in the 1800's was brutal, but Robert set a number of records. Some of them were even good.

Sources:

Dunea, George. Robert Liston - The Fastest Knife in Town. Hektoen International. Spring 2016. https://hekint.org/2019/06/13/robert-liston-the-fastest-knife-in-town/

Jones, Andrew J, Robert R Nesbit, and Steven B Holsten. Time Me, Gentlemen! The Bravado and Bravery of Robert Liston. The American College of Surgeons. 2016. https://www.facs.org/-/media/files/archives/shg-poster/2016/05_liston.ashx?la=en

Saints and Sinners: Robert Liston. The Royal College of Surgeons of England Bulletin. Last accessed on April 21, 2020. https://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1308/147363512X13189526439197

A fishing trip with your beautiful girlfriend who may or may not look Nordic, her cantankerous father, and a bunch of ox. What could go wrong? Turns out, a lot of things. Check out this week's crypto-creepypasta, The Fishing Trip by Shadowswimmer77. 

This week, Ben takes us down a terrible (in more ways than one) techno-horror path as he reads H3man3694's 'Journey to the Dark Web.' 

Stop starring. 

Source:

H3man3694. Journey to the Dark Web. Creepypasta Wiki. Last accessed on March 31, 2020. https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Journey_to_the_Dark_Web