American Hysteria

American Hysteria explores how fantastical thinking has shaped our culture – moral panics, urban legends, hoaxes, crazes, fringe beliefs, and national misunderstandings. Poet-turned-podcaster Chelsey Weber-Smith tells the strangest stories from American history and examines the forces that create the reality we share, and sometimes, the reality we don't.

Society & Culture
51
A MASSIVE SEANCE Live Show Tour with YOU'RE WRO...
1 min
52
I Was a Teenage Poltergeist with Sarah Marshall...
91 min
53
SKIBIDI TOILET
57 min
54
Context Clues: Brr Skibidi Dop Dop Dop Yes Yes
58 min
55
The Untold History of the NYPD with Chenjerai K...
57 min
56
Taylor Swift Decoded with Pop Music Journalist ...
58 min
57
ELVIS IS ALIVE!
65 min
58
Context Clues: The King is Dead Probably
48 min
59
The Disney Gimmick That Conjured a Ghost with J...
51 min
60
Tarantism: Dancing Mania pt. 2 with Sarah Marsh...
75 min
61
Tarantism: Dancing Mania pt. 1 with Sarah Marsh...
58 min
62
Spider Slander: Confronting the Myths with Expe...
39 min
63
THE AVERAGE PERSON SWALLOWS EIGHT SPIDERS A YEA...
55 min
64
Rewind: BELIEVING IN THE BLAIR WITCH (Updated!)
22 min
65
Pretendians: Indigenous Identity Fraud with Rob...
51 min
66
A Terrorist Attack on the Furries with Nicky Wo...
50 min
67
Long Live the Ray Cat with Emperor X and Matt K...
55 min
68
TALKING TO THE FUTURE: NUCLEAR SEMIOTICS
64 min
69
Context Clues: Going Nuclear
40 min
70
Magical Overthinking with Amanda Montell
63 min
71
Francine and the Wolves of Wall Street with Sar...
75 min
72
THE SOCIETY FOR INDECENCY TO NAKED ANIMALS
63 min
73
When Conspiracies Aren't Just Theories with Jou...
74 min
74
Bigfoot's Big Adventure with Author John O'Connor
51 min
75
GANG INITIATIONS (part two)
51 min