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
THE MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE
51 min
52
Context Clues: All the World Loves a Parade
40 min
53
Artificial Unintelligence with Perry Carpenter
75 min
54
Falling for Fascism (re-release)
26 min
55
BURIED ALIVE!
53 min
56
Context Clues: Grave Mistakes
43 min
57
A MASSIVE SEANCE Live Show Tour with YOU'RE WRO...
1 min
58
I Was a Teenage Poltergeist with Sarah Marshall...
91 min
59
SKIBIDI TOILET
57 min
60
Context Clues: Brr Skibidi Dop Dop Dop Yes Yes
58 min
61
The Untold History of the NYPD with Chenjerai K...
57 min
62
Taylor Swift Decoded with Pop Music Journalist ...
58 min
63
ELVIS IS ALIVE!
65 min
64
Context Clues: The King is Dead Probably
48 min
65
The Disney Gimmick That Conjured a Ghost with J...
51 min
66
Tarantism: Dancing Mania pt. 2 with Sarah Marsh...
75 min
67
Tarantism: Dancing Mania pt. 1 with Sarah Marsh...
58 min
68
Spider Slander: Confronting the Myths with Expe...
39 min
69
THE AVERAGE PERSON SWALLOWS EIGHT SPIDERS A YEA...
55 min
70
Rewind: BELIEVING IN THE BLAIR WITCH (Updated!)
22 min
71
Pretendians: Indigenous Identity Fraud with Rob...
51 min
72
A Terrorist Attack on the Furries with Nicky Wo...
50 min
73
Long Live the Ray Cat with Emperor X and Matt K...
55 min
74
TALKING TO THE FUTURE: NUCLEAR SEMIOTICS
64 min
75
Context Clues: Going Nuclear
40 min