Historic Mysteries

The Villisca Axe Murders took place in the small town of Villisca, Iowa, in June 1912. An ax-wielding perpetrator viciously murdered the Moore family and their two house guests. Suspects, trials, and even confessions have come forward, but the person responsible for the Villisca Axe Murders remains unknown.  References Villisca Ax Murder House Iowa Cold Cases Legends of America Smithsonian Magazine Villisca Movie The Line Up House and History Atlas Obscura

In the rural town of Keddie, California, a mother and three children were attacked on Saturday, April 11, 1981. Three of them were murdered that night, and one of the children remained missing until years later. Although the identity of the murderer is still a mystery, new information has surfaced in the last decade and could help to solve the Keddie cabin murders.   References Corona, Marcella. “Clipping from Reno Gazette-Journal,” April 13, 2016. DMAC. “Keddie Case Cabin 28.” keddie28.com. Little, Jane Braxton. “New Evidence Revives Plumas County Quadruple Murder Case.” The Sacramento Bee, May 7, 2016. Metcalf, Victoria. “Keddie Murders Revisited – Following the Clues,” May 3, 2018. Metcalf, Victoria. “Keddie Murders Revisited Part 1: New Evidence Discovered Links Living Suspect to Grisly Scene,” November 15, 2019. Whelan, Micheal. “The Keddie Murders,” October 27, 2019.

Is it true that the real meaning of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song lies within encoded messages in the lyrics designed to teach Catholic lessons? Resources Snopes Good Housekeeping ABC 

Between 1986 and 1989, the Colonial Parkway thoroughfare in Virginia served as a serial killer's hunting grounds. The killer responsible for the Colonial Parkway Murders targeted couples as they sat in their vehicles, each incident taking two lives at a time. Six people are confirmed dead. Another couple remains missing and presumed killed.   Resources NPS.gov WTKR.com WRIC.com NBCNews.com FBI.gov Dailypress.com Huffingtonpost.com

Gloomy Sunday, written in 1932 by Rezső Seress, is known as the Hungarian Suicide Song and blamed for more suicides than any song in history. Is there really something about this song that compels someone to take their own life? Check out our article to hear the song (at your own risk!). Resources for this podcast include: Time Magazine IO9 Wikipedia  

Ever wonder why we celebrate Yuletide with traditions we're all familiar with? Here are 11 interesting things you never knew about Christmas.   Resources for this topic: Smithsonian Mag: Christmas stocking  History: History of Christmas Trees Evening Standard, Why Do People Kiss Under the Mistletoe Livescience: Magic Mushrooms May Explain Santa & His 'Flying' Reindeer Epistle.us: Have Astronomers Found the Star of Bethlehem? Norse Mythology Standard.co.uk: Mistletoe Plant Christian Answers

Baba Yaga eats people. She's wicked but all-knowing. If you're noble, she may let you live. The famous Slavic witch has many contradictions. You can find this article at Historic Mysteries. References: Famous Witches Witches in Slavic Mythology Myths Folk Tales from the Russian, 1903  The Confounding Crone of Slavic Folklore