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Hysterical

Podcast by Stonegrave Media

English

Personal stories & conversations

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About Hysterical

In recent years, we’ve all become intimately familiar with pandemics and biological contagions. But, what happens when it’s the mind that’s infected? When communities under stress let fear overcome reason, and hysteria is the virus that spreads, what horrors await? This is Hysterical, a show about some of the most horrifying, bizarre, and strange episodes of mass hysteria in human history.

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7 episodes

episode The Werewolf of Bedburg | Hysterical #010 artwork

The Werewolf of Bedburg | Hysterical #010

In 1589, the small German town of Bedburg became the stage for one of the most infamous trials in history. Peter Stumpp—forever remembered as the Werewolf of Bedburg—was accused of unspeakable crimes: murder, cannibalism, incest, and making a pact with the Devil to transform into a wolf. His execution was brutal, his confession extracted under torture, and his story spread across Europe in lurid pamphlets that fueled a wave of fear. But how much of it was truth—and how much was hysteria? In this episode, we unravel the legend of the Bedburg Werewolf, exploring the clash of religion and politics in the Holy Roman Empire, the rise of witch hunts and werewolf trials, and the way fear can shape justice. Was Stumpp truly a monster, or the perfect scapegoat in an age desperate for order? Join me as we step back into the smoke-filled square of Cologne on Halloween night, 1589, and uncover what really happened when a man was burned as a beast.

27 Aug 2025 - 39 min
episode The Tanganyika Laughing Epidemic artwork

The Tanganyika Laughing Epidemic

In this episode of Hysterical, we dive into the bizarre Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic of 1962, where a simple giggle in a classroom quickly escalated into an uncontrollable outbreak affecting over a thousand people across East Africa. It all started when three schoolgirls at the Mission Girls' School in Kashasha village began laughing uncontrollably, and their laughter spread like wildfire, eventually affecting both children and adults in neighboring villages. Symptoms ranged from uncontrollable laughter to crying, fainting, and exhaustion, leaving medical professionals puzzled as no physical cause could be found. As the epidemic unfolded, we explore the social and cultural tensions in post-colonial Tanganyika, where the collision of traditional African beliefs with Western education may have contributed to the phenomenon. This episode examines the intersection of mental states, social connections, and physical health, revealing how a seemingly simple act of laughter became a powerful expression of collective psychological experience.

26 Apr 2025 - 51 min
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En fantastisk app med et enormt stort udvalg af spændende podcasts. Podimo formår virkelig at lave godt indhold, der takler de lidt mere svære emner. At der så også er lydbøger oveni til en billig pris, gør at det er blevet min favorit app.
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