One Strange Thing: Paranormal & True-Weird Mysteries One Strange Thing

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the science world was overwhelmed with new findings out of Australia. One particular species was assumed to be a hoax… and even when it was established that the platypus was, in fact, real? It didn’t make these strange creatures make more sense.

Hosted by Laurah Norton
Research by Anna Luria and Maura Currie
Written, Produced and Engineered by Maura Currie

Works Cited
George Shaw, “The Duck-Billed Platypus,” The Naturalist’s Miscellany, 1798.
NA, “Scientists Trying to Save…” The Washington Herald, 1928.
Abby Ohlheiser, “The platypus is so weird…” the Washington Post, 2015.
Natalie Zarrelli, “Why 19th-century naturalists…” Atlas Obscura, 2016.
Brian K. Hall, “The paradoxical platypus,” Bioscience, 1999.
Willey Ley, “Bring our private files…” Star Tribune, 1948.
James MacDonald, “The platypus is even weirder…” JSTOR Daily, 2018.
Gilad Bino et al, “The platypus: evolutionary…” Journal of Mammalogy, 2019.
Stephen C. George, “When scientists believed the adorable…” Discover Magazine, 2023.
NA, “The lying stones of…” Geological Society of London, 2017.
Jessica Leigh Hester, “The beautiful complexity of…” Atlas Obscura, 2018.
Annetta Black, “Objects of Intrigue: Fiji…” Atlas Obscura, 2013.
Douglas Main, “We knew platypuses…” National Geographic, 2020.
John Yoon, “What scientists learned from…” the New York Times, 2024.
Mindy Weisberger, “Platypuses glow an eerie…” LiveScience, 2020.
Lucie Cutting, “Woman spurred by platypus…” ABC, 2023.
Platypus

Laurah’s traveling all month — so while we cook up some strange new offerings for you, please enjoy this episode from our archives.

West Virginia isn’t the only region to boast its very own Mothman; since the mid-20 century, Chicago and the Lake Michigan area has had reports of flying humanoids, and those sightings have only picked up since 2011. Why have sightings of the Chicago or Lake Michigan Mothman increased, and what’s behind the mysterious wings in the sky? 

Hosted and Written by Laurah Norton
Researched by Bryan Worters and Laurah Norton 
Produced and Script-Edited by Maura Currie 
Engineered by Brandon Schexnayder 

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Copyright One Strange Thing Podcast LLC 2022

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Seth Breedlove, Dir. On the Trail of the Lake Michigan Mothman, 2020.
Tobias and Emily Wayland, “USPS Employee Reports. . .” Singular Fortean, 2020
Tobias and Emily Wayland, “Chicago Mothman Timeline. . . “ Singular Fortean, 2017.
Lon Strickler, Phantoms and Monsters, Chicago Mothman Sightings 2011-2017
Josh Terry, “People Keep Seeing. . .” Vice, 2018.
Robbie Telfer, “The Case of the. . .” WBEZ, NPR, 2019. 
Ted Slowik, “Chicago’s Mothman. . .” The Chicago Tribune, 2017.
Ryan Smith, “The Mothman Cometh?” The Chicago Reader, 2017.
Josh Vince, “Wing Freak Terrorizes. . .” The Chicago Patch, 2017.
Christopher Borelli, “Fantastic Beasts. . . “ The Chicago Tribune, 2019. 
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Centralia, Pennsylvania was a busy mining town until a fire of unclear origins started — and swept its way beneath the town. To this day, the mine shafts that built Centralia are destroying it. But could a curse be to blame for everything? 

Hosted by Laurah Norton
Research by Bryan Worters and Maura Currie
Produced and Written by Maura Currie 
Engineered by Brandon Schexnayder

Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/
Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThing
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Teenagers have been accused of latching on to each others’ behaviors forever. But how do we separate fads, social contagions, and honest-to-goodness crises? This episode, we dig into two instances of apparent mass hysteria at American high schools.

Hosted, Written, and Researched by Laurah Norton
Additional Research by Anna Luria
Produced and Engineered by Maura Currie

Works Cited

N/A, AP, “Girls Faint From. . .” The Yazoo Herald, 1976.
N/A, AP, “Fainting Rash Stops. . “ The Vicksburg Post, 1976.
N/A, AP, “Southern School Girls. . .” Petaluma Argus-Courier, 1976.
N/A, AP, “Reasons Probed For. . .” The Daily Herald, 1976.
N/A, AP, “Girl Students Hit. . .” The Marion Star, 1976.
N/A, AP, “Fainting Spells Making. . .” Neenah Menasha Northwestern, 1976.
David Harrison, “Absentees From Byrd. . .” The Roanoke Times, 2007.
Stuart Jeffries, “The Outbreak of. . .” The Guardian, 2007.
N/A, WSLS, “CDC Probing Strange Illness, 2007.
David Harrison, “Absentees From Byrd. . .” The Roanoke Times, 2007.
David Harrison, “School Calls In. . .” The Roanoke Times, 2007.
David Harrison, “School Officials: No. . .” The Roanoke Times, 2007.
David Harrison, “Test Find No. . .” The Roanoke Times, 2007.
David Harrison, “Twitching Arm Bothersome. . .” The Roanoke Times, 2007.
Lauren Hellowski, “William Byrd High. . “ The Roanoke Times, 2024.
David Harrison, “Stress Caused Twitching. . .” The Roanoke Times, 2007.
N/A, “Asbestos Removal Will. . .” The Roanoke Times, 2023.
Amanda Codispoti, “Board Paying For. . .” The Roanoke Times, 2007.
N/A, “CDC Probing Strange. . “ The Roanoke Times, 2007.
N/A, AP, “CDC Probing Twitching. . .” The AP, 2007.
Marvin Anderson, “School Confronts Strange. . .” The Roanoke Times, 2007.
Asbestos Information

Back in 2007, the world was thrilled to discover there was a new cryptid—or alien—or something—on the scene: The Fresno Nightcrawler. And even better, it was absolutely adorable (as long as you have a fondness for walking pants). But what evidence exists for this mysterious new creature? 

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Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/
Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThing
You can also subscribe to premium episodes on Apple Premium and Supercast!
Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OSTPod
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/
 and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607

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Chestnut Hill is a desirable neighborhood in the deliciously weird city of Philadelphia. But there’s very, very old American history there, too – so is it all that big a surprise that a mansion there is haunted? The real question is: between the death chair, the ghost boys, and the screaming parrot… who would film a music video there?

Hosted by Laurah Norton
Researched by Maura Currie and Anna Luria
Written, Produced and Engineered by Maura Currie

Bill Hayden, “Ghosts of Ney and Milton…” The News Journal, 1973.
Claire Huff, “The ghosts of Chestnut Hill,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 1976.
NA, “A high-spirited evening…” Philadelphia Inquirer, 1989.
Kevin Feeley, “My Neighbor’s Chestnut Hill…” BillyPenn/WHYY, 2015.
Beverly J. Smith, “A Magical Mystic Tour,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 1973.
Ron Avery. “Squire revels in domain…” Philadelphia Daily News, 1991.
Kaitlyn Foti, “Chestnut Hill’s Baleroy…” Chestnut Hill-Mt. Airy Patch, 2011.
Philly Ghosts
Chestnut Hill, PA
Ally Mullen, “Interview: Sean Pecknold,” Urban Outfitters Blog, 2012 (via Wayback Machine)