Question. Are you the kind of person that thinks: “I wish someone would tell me about history’s most disturbing, scandalous, and deeply unhinged events, but make it fun and glamorous? Ok good, in that case, you’ll probably deeply enjoy the Dark History podcast by Bailey Sarian.
Bailey has this completely unfair ability to take horrifying chapters of history, corruption, cults, cover-ups, con artists, and general human awfulness, and deliver them with so much charisma and humor that you’ll find yourself cackling one minute and staring into the middle distance the next, quietly reconsidering everything you thought you knew about the world. She is, in short, doing the Lord’s work while reporting on decidedly un-Lordly behavior. With a catalog packed full of episodes covering everything from corporate villains to historical scandals to full-blown societal collapses, here are the best episodes of Dark History to start with.
133: The Unknown Mother of the Civil Rights Movement
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
Many people are familiar with Harriet Tubman’s role in the Underground Railroad, but there was another woman who served as a powerful driving force behind it as well. She is someone who rarely gets mentioned in these conversations, and the Underground Railroad represents only a small fraction of everything she managed to achieve throughout her remarkable life.
113: A billion dollar curse: The Dark History of The Lottery
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
The largest Powerball jackpot ever claimed in history reached a staggering 2.04 billion dollars, a sum so enormous it would take the average American approximately 30,000 years of work to earn. While that kind of wealth sounds like a dream come true, there is a troubling side to lotteries that stretches all the way back to biblical times. From its early role in financing the founding of America to the unfortunate fates that have befallen some of its biggest winners, the lottery carries with it a surprisingly dark and complex history.
134: Meet the Gritty Gals who Shop up America’s Wild West
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
Almost everything widely believed about women who lived during America’s Wild West era turns out to be far from accurate. There is a common perception that women of that time spent their days in quiet domesticity, knitting, churning butter, and raising children. But the women who actually shaped that era were something else entirely. They were rough, they were tough, and they were every bit as sharp and defiant as the times demanded. The legacies they left behind are just as layered and complicated as those of any of the men who lived alongside them.
193: Dark Conspiracies and Unsettling Truths – a DH Compilation
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
After years of listeners mentioning they enjoy having Dark History on in the background, a special themed compilation was put together to make that experience easier. Welcome to Dark Conspiracies, a handpicked collection of the most mystifying episodes, covering everything from the surprising story behind the beloved Betty Crocker cookbook to the strange happenings in Alaska. The most unsettling part? Every conspiracy theory covered holds at least a grain of truth. It’s time to lock the door, light some candles, and dive into the dark side of some of history’s most chilling conspiracies.
23: Before COVID, there was Bubonic Plague in San Fran
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
A full 121 years before COVID swept the world, the United States came dangerously close to chaos when the Bubonic Plague made its way to San Francisco. The same disease known as the Black Death began spreading through the city, and almost immediately, politicians clashed with public health officials, dismissing the threat as overblown and even going so far as to label it a “Plague Fake.” In today’s episode, Bailey delivers yet another striking reminder of just how often the darkest chapters of history have a way of repeating themselves.
185: The Alaska Triangle: Disappearances, Dead Ends, and the Dark Truth Beneath It All
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
In a remote stretch of Alaskan wilderness larger than California, over 20,000 people have vanished without a trace, planes, hikers, and even politicians among them. It’s called the Alaska Triangle, and it has a way of swallowing people whole, leaving behind no wreckage, no signals, and no answers. The disappearances range from a military aircraft that vanished mid-flight to a congressman investigating JFK’s assassination who was never seen again. The deeper the investigation goes, the stranger things get, search crews reporting voices in the dark, rumors of an underground pyramid, and a government facility some believe can manipulate the weather. The Bermuda Triangle has nothing on this. The Dark History of the Alaska Triangle is about to mess with everything you thought you knew.
182: The Cult of Kellogg: Cornflakes, Celibacy, and Colonics??
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
When a Kellogg’s CEO was asked about struggling families and rising food prices, his response essentially suggested they eat cereal for dinner, which raised an interesting question: why do people eat cereal for breakfast in the first place? The answer leads straight to John Harvey Kellogg, the man behind the brand, and the origin story is anything but wholesome. Behind that familiar cereal box lies a world of cult-like health retreats, yogurt enemas, and a bizarre crusade against masturbation. This is the Dark History of Kellogg’s.
153: Creators Ruined By Their Creations: Great Ideas, Deadly Consequences
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
Lawrence Sperry, the inventor of autopilot, had a well-known weakness, and it wasn’t aviation. He allegedly used his own invention to step away from the controls mid-flight for intimate encounters, which may have contributed to a plane crash that left him and his companion mysteriously stripped of all their clothing when rescuers arrived. The media had a field day, and Lawrence became more of a punchline than a pioneer, overshadowing his remarkable contribution to flight. The irony is hard to ignore, the very invention Lawrence created nearly killed him. And he was far from the only creator to have a dangerous brush with their own creation. Some were not as fortunate as Lawrence.
57: The Witches are Coming – Hide Your Broom, Hide Your Goats
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
Welcome to the Dark History podcast, where spooky season is in full swing. Ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and witches, it wouldn’t feel complete without them. Witches in particular have long captured the imagination, but centuries ago, countless people devoted themselves to wiping them out entirely. Today’s episode explores the dark world of witch hunts, though not the ones that took place in Salem. The hunts being examined here make Salem look minor by comparison, reaching back to the original persecution that swept across the entire world.
106: The Dark History of Sugar: Slavery, Diabetes, And Addiction
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
With Halloween just around the corner, thoughts of candy and sugar are hard to avoid. But sugar has long carried a reputation for being harmful, which raises some compelling questions, is it truly as addictive as cocaine? Where does it actually come from? And are there hidden costs that most people never consider? As it turns out, the answers to all of those questions are far darker than anyone might have expected.
179: The Oil Scandal They Tried to Erase from History
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
A childhood crush on Robbie Sinclair from the TV show Dinosaurs meant that every Sinclair gas station, the one with the dinosaur logo, carried a certain nostalgic charm. But hidden behind that familiar branding was a dark secret that had been hiding in plain sight all along. Back in the 1920s, oil had become the new gold, powering everything from cars to airplanes, and the lessons of World War I made it clear that a military reserve supply was essential. With that much money on the table, greed was inevitable, and what followed was one of the biggest government scandals in American history, complete with corruption, shady backroom deals, and millions of dollars stuffed into a black briefcase.
189: The Wicked Truth Behind Hollywood’s Favorite Movie – The Wizard of Oz
Listen on: Pod.link | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts
Behind the glitter and magic of The Wizard of Oz lies a story MGM never wanted the public to know. What played out on that iconic set included toxic makeup, real on-set fires, starvation diets, chaos in Munchkinland, and a studio system that pushed a teenage Judy Garland to her limits. From the Tin Man’s near-fatal experience to asbestos used as fake snow, the dark reality behind Hollywood’s most beloved film is as shocking as it is disturbing. Today, Dark History follows the yellow brick road backstage to uncover the truth.