True Weird Stuff

By Now! MediaSociety & Culture Documentary Science History

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True Weird Stuff episodes

October 16 The Ogress of Reading - The Serial Killer Who Murdered Babies for Money
Today's True Weird Stuff - The Ogress of Reading: The Serial Killer Who Murdered Babies for Money

In Victorian England, desperate mothers entrusted their babies to a seemingly compassionate nurse named Amelia Dyer. But behind her promises of loving homes lay a horrifying secret. Known as the Ogress of Reading, Dyer exploited the unregulated practice of “baby farming,” taking money to care for unwanted infants before murdering them and disposing of their bodies in the River Thames. When a gruesome discovery in 1896 exposed her crimes, investigators uncovered one of Britain's most shocking serial murder cases, with some estimates placing her victims as high as 400 children.
1 hr 33 min
October 09 Your Beautiful Ankle - The Bizarre History of Ankle Beauty Contests
Today's True Weird Stuff - Your Beautiful Ankle - The Bizarre History of Ankle Beauty Contests

Once upon a time, a woman's ankle was considered so alluring that entire beauty contests were devoted to finding the prettiest pair. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ankle beauty contests became a bizarre sensation, with women hiding behind curtains while judges inspected, measured, and sometimes even caressed their feet and ankles. It's a forgotten chapter of history that's equal parts hilarious, creepy, and utterly unbelievable.

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1 hr 43 min
October 02 For the Lady, a Lysol Douche
Today's True Weird Stuff - For the Lady, a Lysol Douche

Today, you use Lysol to clean the kitchen or disinfect the bathroom. But for decades, it was marketed to American women for something far more intimate. Behind vintage ads promising “feminine hygiene” and marital happiness was a coded message about birth control at a time when contraception was restricted or illegal. Women were encouraged to douche with Lysol, even as its caustic ingredients caused burns, serious injuries, and death.

1 hr 32 min
September 25 Deadly Belle - The Serial Killer Who Lured Men to Her Murder Farm
Today's True Weird Stuff - Deadly Belle - The Serial Killer Who Lured Men to Her Murder Farm

Known as one of America’s most notorious female serial killers, Belle Gunness lured wealthy bachelors to her farm in Indiana, took their money, and buried their dismembered bodies. But when her farmhouse burned to the ground in 1908, investigators were left with one chilling question: Did Belle Gunness die in that fire, or did she pull off yet another deadly deception?
1 hr 42 min
September 18 Tilt-A-Whirl: From a Kitchen Table to the American Midway
Today's True Weird Stuff - Tilt-A-Whirl: From a Kitchen Table to the American Midway

Long before the Tilt-A-Whirl became a fixture of carnival midways across America, it began with a strange little experiment involving an inventor, his young son, a wooden chair, and a kitchen table. Discover the surprisingly weird history of the iconic carnival ride, from Herbert Sellner’s original 1920s invention to the family tragedies and lasting legacy that made the Tilt-A-Whirl an American amusement park classic.
1 hr 28 min
September 11 Olney House of Horrors: The R.C. and Eugene Horsch Serial Killer Mystery
Today's True Weird Stuff - Olney House of Horrors: The R.C. and Eugene Horsch Serial Killer Mystery

A routine arrest near Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell lead police to a decaying house filled with hidden compartments, mysterious chemicals, fake IDs, and possible connections to multiple missing women. At the center of the investigation are Eugene Horsch and his late father, R.C. Horsch, a pornographer, counterfeiter, fugitive and author who once described himself as a serial killer. Did Philadelphia police stumble onto a house of horrors hiding decades of murder, or does the disturbing evidence point to something else?
1 hr 36 min
September 04 Revisiting Bloody Benders: America’s Killer Family (Airdate 9/4/2026)
Today's True Weird Stuff - Revisiting Bloody Benders: America’s Killer Family (Airdate 9/4/2026)

For pioneers traveling the lonely Kansas prairie, the Bender family's roadside inn seemed like a welcome refuge from the hardships of the frontier. Then, travelers started disappearing. As suspicion turned toward the seemingly ordinary family, one of America's most chilling frontier mysteries began to unfold. By the time authorities arrived, the Benders had already disappeared, leaving behind countless questions surrounding this serial killer family.
39 min
August 28 Revisiting Charlie No-Face - The Tragic Truth Behind the Green Man Legend
Today's True Weird Stuff - Revisiting Charlie No-Face - The Tragic Truth Behind the Green Man Legend

For decades, teenagers in western Pennsylvania whispered about a faceless figure walking the roads at night. They called him Charlie No-Face, or the Green Man. But behind the urban legend was Raymond Robinson, a real man horribly injured in a childhood electrical accident, who chose the cover of darkness because daylight brought cruelty, fear, and stares.

49 min
August 21 Revisiting Rest In Peace: The Church Built Over a Pit of Corpses
Today's True Weird Stuff - Revisiting Rest In Peace: The Church Built Over a Pit of Corpses

In the 1800s, London was running out of room for the dead. At Enon Chapel, bodies were crammed beneath the church floor while worshippers gathered above the stench of decay. As overcrowded graveyards became a public health nightmare, George “Graveyard” Walker exposed the horrors hiding beneath the city’s chapels and burial grounds.
1 hr 19 min
August 14 Revisiting Hammer Time - The Hollywood Love Triangle That Ended in Murder
Today's True Weird Stuff - Revisiting Hammer Time - The Hollywood Love Triangle That Ended in Murder

In 1922, former showgirl Clara Phillips became convinced her husband was having an affair with 19-year-old Alberta Meadows. What followed was one of Los Angeles’ most sensational crimes: a jealous confrontation, a claw hammer, and a murder so brutal the press gave Phillips a chilling nickname: the “Tiger Woman.”
55 min

About True Weird Stuff

From the publisher's feed

True Weird Stuff is the award-winning podcast hosted by Sheri Lynch. Surprising, odd, bizarre - and sometimes insane. Always true. Let us tell you a story…