Episodes 305
Avg. Duration 50m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.4 (3,372)
Since Nov 2018
Latest Episode Jun 2026

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Open to Sponsors Features Guests

Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
84%
Hosting
rss.pdrl.fm

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About This Podcast

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.

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Recent Episodes

DATING APPS

Jun 08, 2026 1h 6m

In the early 1990s, match.com debuted as the first major dating app on the world wide web, but it was far from the earliest way that people used technology to meet other hopeful singles. For this…

THE GAY AGENDA (Pride Rewind)

Jun 01, 2026 37m

This is a rerelase with a new introduction! The purse-carrying, tutu-wearing purple Teletubby Tinky Winky was outed as a homosexual in 1999, capping off a decade of conspiratorial anti-gay writings…

Our 300th Episode with Sarah Marshall

May 25, 2026 1h 28m

We are celebrating our (estimated) 300th episode of American Hysteria with a little Chelsey Weber-Smith Q&A session hosted by Sarah Marshall of You’re Wrong About. It’s been a strange journey,…

The Voyager Golden Record with Riley Swedelius-Smith and Miranda Zickler

May 18, 2026 1h 25m

During the 1970s, a ragtag group led by American astronomer Carl Sagan set out to create and then launch into deep space an audio time capsule of sounds, songs, and messages that would represent the…

The Disturbing World of Cute Cat AI with Panic World

May 11, 2026 1h 21m

Warning! Extremely weird episode! In a world where AI creations are taking over social media, we are seeing more and more bafflingly bizarre content overwhelm apps like YouTube, TikTok, and…

Introducing: No Such Thing

May 07, 2026 12m

We’re excited to share a preview of a new podcast we think you’d enjoy: No Such Thing. No Such Thing is a show where three best friends and journalists settle their dumb arguments — and yours — by…

THE BENNINGTON TRIANGLE pt. 2 with Sarah Marshall

May 04, 2026 1h 26m

When the Bennington Five disappeared in Southwest Vermont between 1945 and 1950, the local refrain became: Don't go into the woods while wearing the color red. For part two of our series, former…

THE BENNINGTON TRIANGLE pt. 1 with Sarah Marshall

Apr 27, 2026 1h 28m

At Bennington College in southwest Vermont, tales of a curse have been passed around for 75 years. Known as the Bennington Triangle, the nearby mountains and forests were the sites of five mysterious…

Introducing: History Daily

Apr 24, 2026 16m

Today we bring you an episode of another great podcast: History Daily. Every weekday, host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous…

Blowing Up the Georgia Guidestones with Tyler McBrien

Apr 20, 2026 50m

In 1980, a Stonehenge-esque monument called the Georgia Guidestones appeared in the rural county of Elbert. Financed and designed by a mysterious donor, it presenting ten guidelines for mankind,…

Black Magic with Gruff Webb

Apr 13, 2026 1h 3m

Take a seat in our old, ornate theater for the confounding wonders of this traveling magic show. For this episode, my dear friend is here, the artist, musician, cowboy, sailor, and now magician,…

Hysteria Home Companion: The Berners Street Hoax

Apr 06, 2026 44m

This is a Subscribers-Only episode from 2024 in which I tell our producer Miranda about a wild April Fools Day prank that took place in 19th century London involving hundreds of people from bakers…

DINOSAURS pt. 2

Mar 30, 2026 1h 1m

Prior to becoming stars of the stage, screen, and of wondrous World’s Fairs, dinosaurs had to be uncovered, dug out, studied, and finally, displayed. Prehistoric fossils became a valuable treasure…

DINOSAURS pt. 1

Mar 23, 2026 1h 5m

The dinosaur craze of the 1990s, inspired largely by the Jurassic Park movies, led to a legion of children dreaming of becoming paleontologists. In the century before, these beloved prehistoric…

The Spooky Side of Pokémon with Guide to the Unknown

Mar 16, 2026 1h 25m

The extended media universe of Pokémon has been an obsession for young people since the late 1990s, and for this goofball episode my friends from the Guide to the Unknown podcast are here to dive…

The Corporate Takeover of Caring with Dr. Mara Einstein

Mar 09, 2026 1h 19m

Have you ever been suspicious of a corporation showcasing their commitment to the environment, to marginalized groups of people, or to those suffering through a deadly disease? Dr. Mara Einstein is…

BUGS!!!!!! with Akilah Hughes

Mar 02, 2026 1h 2m

We have had many media panics about swarms and hordes, about infestations and plagues of dangerous insects and arachnids that promise to rain destruction down on the defenseless American public. My…

Talking to the Future: Nuclear Semiotics (rerun)

Feb 23, 2026 1h 7m

[We are taking a break this week so please enjoy a re-release of one of our favorite episodes!] How do we warn people 10,000 years in the future about nuclear waste sites that will remain extremely…

JINGLES pt. 2 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Feb 16, 2026 1h 32m

If you thought the first part of our series was catchy, wait til we enter the modern era where all the jingles that played throughout our lifetimes will be activated like sleeper cells inside us. For…

Introducing Mind Games

Feb 12, 2026 1m

We’re excited to share a preview of a new podcast we think you’d enjoy: Mind Games. What if you could hypnotize yourself into a better you? Or.... secretly hypnotize others into giving you anything…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does American Hysteria have?

American Hysteria has published 305 episodes since November 2018, covering topics in History, Society & Culture.

Is American Hysteria still active?

American Hysteria is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 50m.

How do I contact American Hysteria for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for American Hysteria, including email and social media links.

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