Notorious Narratives

Taphophobia is the fear of being buried alive, which to be honest seems like a pretty reasonable fear. But during the Victorian era a mix of sketchy science and sensationalist media led to the creation of an entire industry surrounding the fear of being buried alive. From safety coffins to smoke enemas, Jen will explain the Victorian Era's legendary buried alive tales and the most bizarre methods of ensuring that only the dead were buried.

Off the coast of the Bronx lies a small strip of land with a big story to tell. Throughout the past two centuries this small swath of land has seen tragedy, hardship and gore. Strap in as Robin tells you the past, present and future of this unassuming landmark.

Christmas is celebrated in a myriad of different ways, and some of them are quite bizarre. And by bizarre we mean strange, and here at Notorious Narratives, we love strange. From Krampus to mummies to pooping logs, Robin takes you on a yuletide sleigh ride through the oddest holiday traditions around the world.

As winter sinks its teeth in, we harken back to warmer days and summer breezes. Many of us respond to warm weather by heeding the sweet siren call of the beach, but in the summer of 1916, the carefree summer would turn deadly. In this episode, Jen sinks her teeth into the story of a series of shark attacks at the Jersey Shore that inspired one of the greatest films in history.

The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau was beautiful, charismatic; but most importantly quite powerful. At a time in history where women were not typically in positions of control, Marie held sway over the New Orleans elite. But was it magic, voodoo or something far more sinister? In this episode, Jen introduces you to one of the most legendary characters in the bayou. 

If you are anything like us, you have always been fascinated by the unknown and unsolved mysteries. One of our favorites are the moai of Easter Island. So in this episode, Robin gets down to business and does her homework all while proving to Jen that there were no aliens involved. After this episode you will be ready for trivia night.

The idea of leprosy may evoke feelings of fear in many of us; fear of contagion, fear of outbreak. Though for most of us this idea is far removed - the stuff of history. But on the beautiful windswept shores of the island of Molokai, this history is alive and well. It was here in this paradise that nearly 8,000 men, women and children were exiled and quarantined beginning in the 1860s. In this episode, Jen will explain the history and treatment of leprosy as well as the quarantine at Kalaupapa.

In this special turkey day episode, Jen and Robin talk about the REAL and bloody history of the American holiday of Thanksgiving. Also, Robin shares some of her favorite fun facts about the holiday and the foods that are traditionally eaten.

As the holidays approach we start to think of all those special favorite foods that get served up at family functions, like mom's sweet potatoes or grandma's apple pie. But what if your dad's goal was to eat every animal on earth? Well, I guess that means that you might have a more exotic palate than most. Instead of avocado toast it is mice on toast for brunch. In this episode, Robin introduces you to The Buckland Family- The Victorian Family who tried to eat every animal on earth.

While the prospect of a flood of free beer may be appealing to some, this bizarre disaster was catastrophic to the neighborhood of St. Giles in London. The tidal wave of 135,000 gallons of porter left death and destruction in its wake. This week, Robin will tackle the infamous tale of The Beer Tsunami.

1964 was a busy year, The Beatles, Vietnam and Yetta. Well maybe you don't know Yetta, but this Presidential candidate had some wild ideas for shaking up the government. How do you feel about putting truth serum in Senate's water supply? In this week's episode, Jen will tell you the tale of the housewife that shook up the 1964 Presidential election.

Every area has their regional ghost story. But few of these are as well documented as that of Tennessee's Bell Witch. The story of The Bell's Witch is the tale of a spirit that harassed the Bell Family in the early 19th century in rural Tennessee. This story has brought investigators and curiosity seekers from all around for the last two centuries. So gather round, in this episode, Jen will tell you her hometown ghost story.

In the 19th century, one of the most legendary showmen scoured the earth for outstanding human specimens to be displayed at his sideshow of human attractions. These people spent their lives and deaths in the public eye. In this episode, Robin introduces you to some of the amazing men and women who lived this life.

This enigmatic area of the Atlantic Ocean has been known, in legend, to swallow up ships, planes and people. As far back as Shakespeare this part of the open ocean has been known to inspire stories of otherworldly events. Regardless of which theory you subscribe to, there is no doubt that this story is a Notorious Narrative.

New England is known for its beautiful fall foliage, amazing Halloween celebrations and it's history of superstition. Over 200 years after the Salem Witch Trials another such epidemic swept through the minds and imaginations of the people of New England. This time it wasn't witches but vampires. Citizens became convinced that their recently deceased loved ones were vampires, rising from the grave to feed upon the living. Find out all the bloody details in this episode.

Beneath layers of ash lies the ancient remains of a once bustling city that was destroyed when over the course of the two days that Mount Vesuvius rained down fire, rock and ash from the sky. Though the city of Pompeii thrives today there is still much to be learned as the excavation of the ancient city is still taking place.

Your teacher probably skipped this one in you US History class. The nightmare tale of The Donner Party is one of the most frightening tales in American History. You will cringe with fear and disgust and be horrified at the lengths that some will go to for survival. But most importantly you will learn an important lesson...Never Take a Shortcut!

Between the 14th and 16th centuries Europe was home to a number of illnesses that ravaged the population, some well known, some weird and bizarre. In this episode, Robin dances us through the topic of Choreomania. It is a weird and wild ride through some truly strange history.

Known as the most prolific female serial killer of all time; the story of Elizabeth Bathory will horrify and haunt you. Was she a cold-blooded murderer? A wild narcissist? Or a woman trying to keep up in a man's cruel world? You decide.

Beneath the city streets of Portland, Oregon lies a secret system of tunnels that led from many of the most notorious brothels and bars to the waterfront. Rumor has is that men and women were kidnapped or Shanghaied by way of these tunnels. Join Jen and Robin as they delve into the seedy underworld of turn of the century Portland.