Today's True Weird Stuff - Sin Eater

The practice of people eating a meal after a loved one's funeral is common, but the combination of eating and death used to have a morbid relationship in some religions. Certain people were called upon to place bread on the deceased's body, then eat the bread as a way to "consume" the person's sins. They were known as Sin Eaters, and these social pariahs were doomed to carry the burden of others' sins into eternal damnation.

Today's True Weird Stuff - Madames of Mayhem - A True Crime Marathon

Today's True Weird Stuff - Ghost Ship

Today's True Weird Stuff - The Living Corpse

Taphophobia is the fear of being buried alive. During the Victorian Era, people being mistakenly buried alive was so common that extensive measures were taken to prevent it. But throughout history, there have been individuals like "Country" Bill White, a man who made a career out of burying himself alive for the fame and notoriety. He will forever be known as The Living Corpse.

Today's True Weird Stuff - Vanished

In 1768, Owen Parfitt was a crippled, old man sitting on his front porch like usual. When his sister returned to bring him inside, he was gone. It was impossible that he'd left on his own, and no one had seen a thing. Every search turned up empty-handed, and Owen Parfitt was never seen again. Was he kidnapped? Was he a victim of the supernatural? The disappearance of Owen Parfitt remains a mystery to this day.

Today's True Weird Stuff - Human Livestock

Today's True Weird Stuff - People Chow

Webster Edgerly was the creator of a social movement known as Ralstonism. His self-promoted pseudoscience was based upon his advocacy of racial eugenics and strict health and hygiene habits. That's why in 1902, Edgerly's Ralstonism movement would end up partnering with popular food brand Purina, whose whole-grain cereal Edgerly considered to be the perfect food for his faithful followers.

The Hobo King

In the decades before the Great Depression, it was common for folks known as hobos to wander from town to town searching for work, dangerously hopping on and off moving trains to reach their next destination. A man named Jeff Davis believed that hobos deserved a chance to care for themselves, and in 1913, he opened a hotel where hobos would provide for each other in exchange for lodging. This concept spread across the country, and Jeff Davis would become known as The Hobo King.

Today's True Weird Stuff - Revisiting Sea Demon 

You’re at the beach, standing at the water’s edge. Shielding your eyes from the sun glaring off the water, you gaze out at the far horizon. Did you see it? Was it a trick of the light or was it...a fin? You’re about to hear a shark tale unlike any other. One that makes Jaws look like Finding Nemo. This is the terrifying true story of...the Sea Demon.

Today's True Weird Stuff - Revisiting We The People

In honor of the 4th of July, here's the episode we did about Gouverneur Morris, the man who coined the term "We the People."