Haunted History | HISTORY
Explore the history behind famous ghosts, haunted places, the rise of Spiritualism and efforts to communicate with the dead, and the legends that have kept supernatural stories alive for centuries.
Explore the history behind famous ghosts, haunted places, the rise of Spiritualism and efforts to communicate with the dead, and the legends that have kept supernatural stories alive for centuries.
Ghosts
8 Famous Figures Who Believed in Communicating with the Dead
Spiritualism’s popularity waxed and waned throughout the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, and surged on the heels of major wars and pandemics.
The Lingering Legend of Abraham Lincoln’s Ghost
Stories of a ghostly President Lincoln wandering the corridors and rooms of the White House have persisted for more than a century.
Why Do We Picture Ghosts Wearing White Sheets?
The familiar image of a ghost draped in a white sheet has roots in centuries-old burial traditions, theater and popular culture.
When a 19th-Century ‘Spirit Photographer’ Claimed to Capture Ghosts Through His Lens
In the post-Civil War era, when many Americans were reeling from loss, a photographer claiming to capture ghosts on film enjoyed swift business.
Digital Exclusive
Explore famous ghosts, haunted places, Spiritualism, attempts to contact the dead and the legends that have kept supernatural stories alive.
Spiritualist Movement
When two young sisters claimed to communicate with ghosts in the mid-1800s, they soon became celebrity mediums and unwittingly spurred a trend.
Daniel David Palmer, creator of chiropractic, claimed the core principles of spinal adjustment were delivered to him during a séance.
From tables to trumpets, spiritualists used these tools of the trade to summon the dead.
Here's how the Ouija board become one of pop culture’s most enduring symbols of the occult.
Haunted Places
The classic short story is an example of early American folklore. But tales of headless horseman date back to the Middle Ages.
A grieving widow and mother oversaw construction of the maze-like Victorian-era mansion.
From the infamous nuclear disaster zone near Chernobyl to Henry Ford’s doomed jungle paradise, learn the stories behind six of the world’s most famous vacant towns and villages.
When teenage boys vandalized towns on Halloween of 1933, town leaders created parties, parades and haunted houses to keep them occupied.
Monsters and Myths
As rain poured down, conflicts between Mary Shelley and her fellow vacationers reached a boiling point.
While the 1897 novel 'Dracula' launched a genre of literature and film about vampires, a 1922 knock-off film cast the villain in a whole new light.
Historical graves reveal corpses with iron rods through their chests, sickles across their necks and padlocks on their feet.
A few of the accused may have been actual pedophiles or serial killers, but many were beggars, hermits or recent émigrés who were tortured into confessions.
