Heart Starts Pounding Season 2, Episode 41: The Winecoff Fire: The Deadliest Hotel Disaster in American History

1

Scary Campground Tales

Pack a bag, today we're going to a spooky campground. In this episode, we hear two terrifying campground tales. The first one is The Tale of The Solo Traveler- a tale of a girl who learns something may have been watching her while she camped. And then we hear a tale from a listener of a time when their husband's intuition while camping may have saved them both.

21 min

2

Hospital Hauntings feat. Hospice Nurse Julie

This episode is about the supernatural things that happen around the time of someone's death, either leading up to it or right after. We read stories from people who experienced the unexplainable right when their loved one died and hear from two healthcare workers about a supernatural phenomenon that is common when someone is dying.

33 min

3

Natalia Grace: 'Orphan' Horror Movie Come To Life (feat. Jeff Topolski)

Writer Jeff Topolski (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) joins us this week to answer the question: Was Natalia Grace Barnett a murderous woman parading as a child, or a victim of terrible adoptive parents?

38 min

4

Horrifying Tales from the Troubled Teen Industry

In the middle of the night, strangers ripped Zara from her bed and told her she was going to a troubled teen wilderness therapy program. Little did she know, the troubled teen industry would prevent her from going home for over three years.

35 min

5

Fatal Dose: Three Tales of Radiation Poisoning

A child with a deadly capsule. A rich playboy who lost his jaw and then his life. A fuel plant worker who absorbed more radiation than anyone in history. We're telling three stories about one of the deadliest forms of energy and the people that shouldn't have gone near it.

26 min

6

Deathbed Confessions: Chilling Secrets Revealed

Imagine if the final words you heard from someone were so bone-chilling that they forever altered your perception of them. These deathbed confessions rocked families, changed the course of police investigations, and showed where the bodies were buried.

27 min

7

Murder At Road Hill House: The Scandal That Shook Victorian England

When Mrs. Kent learned of the grisly murder of her three year old son, she had only one thing to say. "Someone in the house has done it". What would follow would be the biggest whodunit of the 19th century. The Kent family would have their dirty laundry hung out to dry as London's top detective investigated them all for the murder of Saville Kent.

40 min

8

Listener Stories: Terrifying True Ghost Stories

Spine tingling, bone chilling, and downright mysterious hauntings. Listeners share their own heart pounding tales about a headless cowboy, two separate ghost sightings in the military, and a girl who believes she may have gotten a sign from her deceased sister

34 min

9

Ghosts of War: Haunting Encounters in Afghanistan and Iraq

Ghosts of Russian soldiers, red eyed creatures made from smoke. These are real life horror stories from soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 2000's who saw the unexplainable.

33 min

10

Special Edition: Is There A Serial Killer In Austin Right Now?

Four bodies have been recovered from Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas this year, causing many to wonder- is there a serial killer currently operating, and are these drownings at all connected to similar ones five years ago?

21 min

11

The Greenbrier Ghost: A Haunting Tale of Murder and the Supernatural

Can a ghost point to the person who murdered them? In 1897, Zona Heaster Shue's mother thought Zona's ghost visited her in the night with vital information, and event that infamously became the only time a ghost's testimony was used in court. Known as the Greenbrier ghost, did Mrs. Shue really see her daughters ghost, or was there something else at play?

31 min

12

The Unsolved Mystery of The Lead Masks Case

Did something supernatural occur in Brazil in 1966? That's when two men were found deceased on Vintem hill wearing black suits and lead masks, with a note by them that read "4:30 PM be at the determined place. 6:30 PM swallow capsules, after effect protect metals wait for mask signal" We're going straight down the rabbit hole in this episode, into the world of the occult, seances, secret societies, and aliens. Buckle up.

29 min

13

Disney Deaths: Tragedy in the Happiest Place on Earth

You may have heard that "no one died at disney" but is that really true? Let's look into the deaths of Mark Maples, a 15 year old who died on the Matterhorn, Dollie Regina Young who died on the same ride, and Deborah Gail Stone, who was crushed on the America Sings Ride.

28 min

14

Supernatural Survival: Mysterious Near Death Encounters

From explorer Ernest Shackleton crossing the Antarctic, to famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, many famous stories of survival have included a supernatural being come to be known as The Third Man. Who is this presence that gives guidance and encouragement in extreme survival situations?

36 min

15

Lizzie Borden: A Fresh Look at a Classic Case

What really happened the morning that Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered with an axe, and why is it still unsolved? Let's dive into the real story, full of the twists and turns that make that day one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history.

36 min

16

Bonus: The Dark Psychology of Lizzie Borden (feat. Women & Crime)

Let's take a modern, scientific lens to last week's Lizzie Borden case, and try to understand why someone would commit this crime. Dr. Amy Schlosberg and Dr. Meghan Sacks, professors of Criminology at Fairleigh Dickinson University, join me today to break down the case with what we know today about criminology. Together, they host the Women & Crime podcast.

26 min

17

National Park Horror: True Stories of Terror

Dangers inside of National Parks, both strangers and freak accidents. We'll hear about people who got the sense something was watching them, feral people potentially living in the parks, as well as horror stories of people falling into geysers and off of the Grand Canyon.

36 min

18

The Monster With 21 Faces

In 1984, an anonymous group in Japan known as The Monster With 21 Faces tormented police, poisoned candy across the country and kidnapped a man. To this day, their identity and purpose remain one of Japan's greatest unsolved mysteries.

35 min

19

Listener Stories: Haunted Disney and More

A haunted ride at Disney, a mysterious man at a car wreck, and a haunted house being rented by college students. Welcome to the Heart Starts Pounding Campfire where we're sharing real-life terrifying stories.

40 min

20

Disney Deaths Pt. 2: The Disney Dark Ages

The "Disney Dark Ages" was a period of time from the late 90's to the early 2000's that marked the bloodiest era in the Disney parks' history.

28 min

21

Murder On The Lake: Finland's Greatest Unsolved Mystery

What happened the night of June 4th, 1960, when three teens were murdered at Lake Bodom in Finland? And why has no one ever been charged with the crime?

40 min

22

Harvard's Dirty Secret: Bejeweled Skulls and Grave Robbing

The manager of Harvard's Medical school was just indicted for selling human remains to oddities shops, but the history of Harvard's involvement in black market corpse dealings goes back over 250 years. Let's travel through the morgue, past the skeletons found in Harvard's walls, all the way back to the most high profile murder to ever happen at the school.

30 min

23

Folklore: Stories of Appalachian Horror

Witches in the woods, screams in the middle of the night, the most haunted piece of land in all of Appalachia. Bring a backpack, because we're going deep into the Appalachian wilderness to hear the most terrifying folklore around.

30 min

24

Morbid Medicine: History's Deadliest Cures

From drilling holes in your skull to eating tapeworms for weight loss, we're looking at some of the most morbid medical advice that's been given throughout history.

32 min

25

Nasubi: The Darkest Reality Show You Haven't Heard Of

When Nasubi was cast for the Japanese reality show Sweepstakes Life in 1998, he didn't know he'd spend the next 15 months in a studio apartment with no food or clothes. All while 17 million people across Japan were watching...

33 min

26

Haunted DC: White House Seances, Lincoln's Ghost, and More

We're diving into the two most haunted houses in DC, The White House and The Halcyon House. Who was the ghost that tormented Taft's staff, which first ladies are most often seen haunting the White House grounds, and who was the eccentric owner of one of DC's most haunted houses, The Halcyon House?

34 min

27

Vanished in The Wilderness Pt 1: The Professor Disappears

When Boris Weisfeiler embarked on a solo vacation to Chile, he never returned. What came next was a deeper and darker rabbit hole than anyone could have ever expected

31 min

28

Vanished in The Wilderness Pt. 2: The Cult

Why did Boris Weisfeiler disappear in 1985. And did the cult hiding out deep in the Chilean wilderness have anything to do with it? Today, we're exploring the Colonia Dignidad.

39 min

29

Terrifying True Urban Legends

We've all heard terrifying urban legends growing up, but what happens when they're based on real events... We're diving into some terrifying urban legends that ended up being true.

30 min

30

Dark Therapy: Brainwashing and Forced Confinement

What happens when the system that says it'll help you instead uses you as part of their sick experiment? We're looking into two stories of people who were promised help, and instead become stuck in a broken system and faced brainwashing, torture, and imprisonment.

35 min

31

Into Thin Air: The Unsolved Disappearance of Joan Risch

What happened to Joan Risch the last day she was ever seen?

35 min

32

Invisible Intruder: The Chilling Tale of the Denver Spiderman

Here's a good reminder to check every nook and cranny of your house tonight...

28 min

33

Cursed Movies: The Wizard Of Oz and The Exorcist

Can movies really be cursed? Today, we're looking at what's fact and what's fiction when it comes to The Wizard of Oz and The Exorcist being cursed.

38 min

34

Listener Stories: Ghost Children, Haunted Campgrounds, and More

A ghost who steals, ghostly wailing being heard in the night. These are terrifying stories from listeners.

38 min

35

The Devil's Bible and Other Haunting Tales for Halloween

In honor of Halloween, I'm sharing some of the most chilling tales I've heard this year.

39 min

36

Two Marys, Two Murders: A Houston Cold Case

In 2000, two Houston-area women named Mary Morris were murdered in their cars within a few days of each other. 23 years later, it's still not certain if the two were connected.

47 min

37

Human Sacrifice: Dark Rituals Throughout History

Human sacrifice has been a part of many cultures throughout history. But why did they do it? And more importantly, what was it like for the person being sacrificed? In this episode, we dive into ritual sacrifice in places like the Aztec Empire and Cahokia.

35 min

38

HSP x Murder With My Husband: Kaelyn and Payton Talk Strange Disappearances

I'm joined by my friend Payton from Murder With My Husband to bring you two stories of disappearances we could not stop thinking about. In 1928, the world's third richest man, Alfred Lowenstein, vanished mid-flight. On Halloween night, 2002, Chris Jenkins disappeared in Minnesota, leaving many to wonder if there was a 'Smiley Face Killer' operating in the shadows.

58 min

39

Thanksgiving Day Terror: The Unsolved Case of The Blount Family

On Thanksgiving Day, 1985, Susan Blount awoke to screams coming from her living room. What she would find remains one of the strangest cold cases in Texas today.

39 min

40

When Looks Kill: Mad Hatters and Other Deadly Trends in Fashion and Beauty

A woman loses the ability to move her arms, A man bursts into flames from seemingly nowhere, and one of the most notorious assassinations in history. What they all have in common may surprise you.

34 min

41

The Winecoff Fire: The Deadliest Hotel Disaster in American History

On the night of December 7th, 1946, a woman working the night shift at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia smells smoke. A few floors up, a man is woken by cries for help. Within two hours, almost half of the guests will be dead.

40 min

42

"Smee": A Christmas Ghost Story

A game of hide and seek takes a paranormal turn. In the spirit of the old Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories around the holidays, I present to you, a modern-day retelling of A.M. Burrage's ghost story, "Smee".

34 min

43

Beneath The Icy Depths: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Martin Family

On December 7th, 1958, Ken Martin, his wife Barbara, and their three young daughters drove east of Portland to get a Christmas tree and were never seen again. What initially appears to be an accident, starts to feel sinister as more is revealed.

40 min