What did you think of todays' episode?

I would say this is the beginning of a plethora of episodes, but we aren't trying to lie to all you good people.

BUT!

We are starting off with one of those glossed over points in American history. When I think about witch hunts in America, I immediately think of the Salem witch trials. However, there are other points in time, a lot more recently, that had a similar impact–The Red Scares. The Red Scare was hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S. As a curious cat, I wanted to learn more about these 20th century witch trials in America and I decided I would take you all along for the ride…for better or worse. In this episode, we will touch lightly on what is communism, fear of communism, the lead up and duration of the two Red Scares, and some major players in them.

What did you think of todays' episode?

Young and sweet, only from fifteen eighteeeeeen!

Who doesn't like a little ABBA tie-in?

But have you heard about the Dancing Plague of 1518? In 1518, a 'dance plague' saw citizens of French city Strasbourg reportedly dancing uncontrollably for days on end – with fatal results. It's a bizarre event that continues to fascinate those that have happened upon the story. But how did this begin? Just like a middle school dance, it takes one person dancing alone to the beat of their own heart before the rest join in. It was July, 1518, and a sweltering day at that; a woman named Lady Troffea steps into the square of Strasbourg and begins to dance. At first those around her only watch; curiosity getting the better of them as they stand and watch her dance dance dance with her hands hands hands. They watch a woman who will not, cannot, stop. She dances for nearly a week, occasionally tripping over her dancing shoes by exhaustion but largely unfazed by hunger, pain, or the need for sleep. There was no music to be heard. Where the music came from for this dance is a mystery; maybe it was internal, birds, the celestials–who knows!

Join Matt and I as we go into this not too conspiracy theory, but a little bit of a mystery.

What did you think of todays' episode?

Have you heard about Juliane Koepcke? At only 17 years old, she became the sole survivor of one of the worst aviation disasters. Juliane Koepcke was aboard LANSA Flight 508 on December 24, 1971 when it was struck by lightning, causing her to plummet 10,000 feet to the Amazon rainforest below. The plane was enroute from Lima to Pucallpa in Peru. Juliane was flying with her mother the day after graduating, making their way to her parents' research area in the Amazon.
After the plane was struck by lightning and torn apart, Juliane awoke still in her seat with severe injuries. Somehow, she not only survived the fall, but was the only passenger to survive the upcoming days.
Listen in for this short and sweet story of survival that would honestly be a featured story on Beyond Belief that I would assume was fabricated.