Weird Historian

Marc Hartzman
  • 5.0 (8)
  • HISTORY

Human anomalies, Spiritualists, quack scientists, and other odd characters and stories from the weirdest pages of history. All brought to you by author Marc Hartzman.

  1. 09/15/2025

    Freaky Things and Live Shows: George the Giant’s Strange Museum of Oddities and Wonders

    Meet George “The Giant” McArthur, a sideshow performer who swallows swords, eats fire, pounds nails into his nose—and collects oddities. Oh, and he was also in Tim Burton’s wonderful film, Big Fish. We first met more than 20 years ago at showman Bobby Reynold’s home while I was writing American Sideshow. As Halloween nears, he’s opening George the Giant’s Strange Museum of Oddities and Wonders for the 7th year in Bakersfield, California. Among those oddities and wonders are two-headed animals, breast milk soap, a killer bat, paintings made in human blood, true crime objects, and as you’ll hear from George, much more.  If you’d like to hear about how George got started in the world of sideshow, please check out my other podcast, co-hosted with sword swallower Dan Meyer, To The Hilt. Find George the Giant online: GiantsOddities.com Facebook Instagram

    35 min

  2. 08/22/2025

    The Martians Are Coming! Author David Baron Speaks About His New Book, "The Martians"

    Is there life outside of Earth? More than a hundred years ago, there was widespread belief that intelligent Martians were an advanced civilization and contact with our interplanetary neighbors was inevitable. Science journalist and author David Baron explores this early fascination with Martians in his new book, THE MARTIANS: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America (Liveright: Aug. 26, 2025), and discusses the many strange and amazing extraterrestrial tales with Weird Historian.

    28 min

  3. 06/07/2021

    Ripley’s, Roller Coasters, and Roadside Attractions: A Chat with Ambassador of Odd, Tim O’Brien

    Tim O’Brien is a photojournalist, publicist, and author who’s covered the odd and unusual throughout his career, from sideshows and carnivals to roller coasters and roadside attractions—and during his time with Ripley’s, just about everything in between. In this episode, you’ll hear about his strange adventures over the years, including his travels to capture America’s biggest and weirdest roadside attractions for his new book, Tim O’Brien’s Pics and Picks: The Huge, the High, the Half-Buried. See Tim’s books here: https://tinyurl.com/p2e8k6dr And for more weird stories, visit https://www.weirdhistorian.com

    52 min

  4. 05/25/2021

    Don’t Mess With the Knife Thrower: The Great Throwdini Talks Impalement Arts and Murderabilia

    The Rev. Dr. David Adamovich is better known as The Great Throwdini—the world’s fastest and most accurate knife thrower. In this episode of Weird Historian, you’ll hear how he discovered his unusual talent for throwing knives, how he developed the Veiled Double Wheel of Death, how he gets through airports with bags of knives, and much more. You’ll also hear about his new venture as the curator of a massive serial killer murderabilia collection. See more at knifethrower.com and serialkillermurderabilia.com.

    47 min

  5. 03/18/2021

    The Sword Swallower Who Almost Won America’s Got Talent: Meet Brett Loudermilk

    If you watched Season 15 of America’s Got Talent, you probably remember Brett Loudermilk—the guy with the pink hair who made Sofia Vergara freak out on stage when he asked her to pull a sword from his throat. Find out how Brett got started in the world of sideshow and how his talents took him on a journey to NBC’s national stage. Plus, for those who don't already know, you'll hear what it's like swallow live frogs—and bring them right back up, safe and sound.

    51 min

  6. 02/02/2021

    The Woman Who Laughed at Death: A Chat About Evatima Tardo with Bess Lovejoy

    In the late nineteenth century, a visit to a dime museum would offer all sorts of wonders, from magicians to sword swallowers to various human oddities. And if you were lucky, you might've seen Evatima Tardo get nailed to cross and bitten by poisonous snakes. Talk about entertainment. Tardo felt no pain nor suffered any ill effects from the venom. How might this have been possible? What led to this unusual and seemingly risky career choice? Find out as Weird Historian talks with Bess Lovejoy. Lovejoy is the author of “Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses,”and has written for the New York Times, The Boston Globe, Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and many other publications. Her recent story about Tardo's extraordinary life was published by the Wellcome Collection.

    46 min

  7. 01/03/2021

    Cheers! From Mars! A Conversation About Alcohol in Space with Explore Mars CEO, Chris Carberry

    When we take our next giant leap and put boots on Mars, or launch space tourism, we’ll want to raise a glass and toast to the achievement. Hear about the last, present and future of alcohol in space from author and Explore Mars CEO, Chris Carberry.

    30 min

  8. 11/25/2020

    Are We Alone? Talking UFOs with Lee Speigel

    In this interview with Lee Speigel, co-producer and co-writer of The Phenomenon, Weird Historian looks to the sky for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Recorded on Nov. 2, 2020.

    57 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Human anomalies, Spiritualists, quack scientists, and other odd characters and stories from the weirdest pages of history. All brought to you by author Marc Hartzman.

Information

  • Creator
    Marc Hartzman
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Marc Hartzman