If history has shown us anything, it’s that humans are easily motivated by fear. Just what some of those fears have been, though, is more than a little frightening.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Michelle Muto, and music by Chad Lawson.
Humans have long practiced the art of building walls and fortresses in an effort to gain control or find safety. But no place is safe from the danger we bring upon ourselves, and sometimes those tragedies stay right where they started.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Robin Miniter and Carl Nellis, and music by Chad Lawson.
Humans have spent thousands of years building systems to keep us as safe as possible. But eventually, each of us will have to stop and rest, letting down our guard and opening ourselves up to perhaps our darkest and oldest of enemies.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Carl Nellis, and music by Chad Lawson.
Human ingenuity knows no bounds. Along with creating all manner of new technology, and ever more complex levels of knowledge, another thing we are good at inventing is ourselves. And sometimes that alteration can become the stuff of legend.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Marcet Crockett, and music by Chad Lawson.
Folklore is often about danger and how we, as a community, might avoid it. But real life sometimes becomes a mirror of those fears, and leaves us wondering why no one saw it coming.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Marcet Crockett, and music by Chad Lawson.
Some of the oldest and most popular parts of folklore are the ghost stories. Whether told around a campfire, or red about in the safety a well-lit room, they are always fun, and often chilling. But there’s so much more to ghosts than wispy visions and rattling chains.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Allie Steed, and music by Chad Lawson.
There’s a lot that science has explained away. Mysteries that left us cowering in fear. Events that challenged our feelings of security and control. But even after all that progress, there are still some unexplained stories that left to haunt us.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Michelle Muto, and music by Chad Lawson.
Humanity has always been very good at making the best of a bad situation. Either by burying the past, or at least by building distractions that take the focus off of it. But no matter how beautiful those distractions are, our past always leaves a mark.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Marcet Crockett, and music by Chad Lawson.
We often speak in lofty terms about all that humans are capable of achieving, and much of that is true. But looking backward in time, we can also see moments when that potential has led to horrible tragedy. And we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Allie Steed, and music by Chad Lawson.
The way we treat the past is a great lens into the character of humanity. Sometimes we elevate it, but all too often we work to bury it. And while the excuse might be to make room for the march of progress, it also allows us to hide our worst mistakes and most painful tragedies.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Marcet Crockett, and music by Chad Lawson.
Humanity has grown over the millennia by passing on knowledge through teachings and guides. Even today, how-to books are best-sellers, and people are more hungry than ever to learn and grow. But some lessons aren’t worth passing on, and in a few cases, they’ve even been incredibly destructive.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Allie Steed, and music by Chad Lawson.
Folklore is our legacy. We humans have carried it with us everywhere we’ve gone in the world, and it anchors us to our roots and our community. But it also does something else: it gives us a place to hide our fear, to put it on a leash and control it. And there’s one story in particular that does that better than most.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Michelle Muto and music by Chad Lawson.
Folklore is our legacy. We humans have carried it with us everywhere we’ve gone in the world, and it anchors us to our roots and our community. But it also does something else: it gives us a place to hide our fear, to put it on a leash and control it. And there’s one story in particular that does that better than most.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Carl Nellis and music by Chad Lawson.
We like it when things go according to plan. Even when it comes to death, we long to have some semblance of control over our path. So when those best-laid plans are disrupted by the unexpected, it’s only natural to assume the worst.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Taylor Hagerdorn, and music by Chad Lawson.
There’s nothing more certain in life than death. No matter how rewarding or challenging our days on this planet might be, for as long as humans have been around, we’ve viewed death as something akin to slumber, however natural or untimely it might be. But not all that sleep are left undisturbed.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Michelle Muto and music by Chad Lawson.
The human tendency to study the unknown—to dig deep and search for the bedrock of truth at the bottom of the mystery—is one of our most enduring qualities. But while that tenacity has helped scientists unlock much of our world, it has also led us to unusual ideas. And you’d be surprised what they recorded about it.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Marcet Crockett and music by Chad Lawson.
We all love a good hiding place. Whether it’s the child who tucks the key to their diary under their pillow, or the parent who hides away the holiday gifts, humans have proven themselves to be fond of secret places. But if the stories are any indication, there’s one place in England that was better than most at doing what we love.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Taylor Hagerdorn, and music by Chad Lawson.
While the ocean represents opportunity and hope to a lot of people, it also holds more mystery than most of feel comfortable with. Yes, we’ve explored it in search of new lands and discoveries, but we’ve also lost so much in the process. Amazingly, though, some things that are lost occasionally return.
Written, researched, and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with music by Chad Lawson.
Before cell phones and internet access, learning about the world around us took a lot of time. Along the way, there would be gaps in our knowledge—holes that human cultures tended to fill with folklore. And while the creatures they invented to fill those gaps were amazing, it’s how close they often got to reality that makes those stories truly frightening.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Michelle Muto, and music by Chad Lawson.
The longer humans stay in one place, the more progress and community we seem to create. But at the same time, we bring our darkness with us, and over time it begins to stain a place with shadows of pain and tragedy. And the older the city, the darker the mark.
Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with research by Robin Miniter, and music by Chad Lawson.