Believing the Bizarre: Paranormal Conspiracies & Myths Spontaneous Human Combustion and the Mysterious Death of Madge Knight
Nov 28, 2023
01:05:45
Spontaneous Human Combustion
The idea of spontaneous human combustion (SHC) has been puzzling and fascinating people since the 1600s. It got really popular after Charles Dickens wrote about a character dying from SHC in his novel "Bleak House."
The theory claims that people can just burst into flames from the inside, without any outside spark or fire source. But scientists are pretty skeptical - they point out that the human body is mostly water, with only small amounts of flammable stuff like fat and methane gas.
Plus, the crazy high heat needed to reduce a body to ashes doesn't match up with how little fire damage is usually seen around SHC cases.
Scientific analyses keep poking holes in the likelihood of SHC. Our bodies are soaking wet on the inside, not exactly tinderboxes ready to combust.
Even if someone did randomly catch fire, all that water would probably douse the flames pretty quickly. Comparing it to cremation, which takes temperatures over 1600°F for a long time, makes spontaneous combustion seem highly improbable based on things like tiny cigarette tips as the ignition source.
While SHC tales are gripping in novels and urban legends, the scientific consensus leans hard against it actually being a real phenomenon - more like an unsolvable mystery than something that happens.
So as fascinating as the whole spontaneous combustion concept is, most serious scientists think it's simply implausible based on human biology and the laws of combustion.
Mysterious ashes and burn patterns alone don't override our physical reality. Still, that lingering "what if?" makes spontaneous human combustion an irresistibly spooky idea that will probably keep getting retold for centuries to come.
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The idea of spontaneous human combustion (SHC) has been puzzling and fascinating people since the 1600s. It got really popular after Charles Dickens wrote about a character dying from SHC in his novel "Bleak House."
The theory claims that people can just burst into flames from the inside, without any outside spark or fire source. But scientists are pretty skeptical - they point out that the human body is mostly water, with only small amounts of flammable stuff like fat and methane gas.
Plus, the crazy high heat needed to reduce a body to ashes doesn't match up with how little fire damage is usually seen around SHC cases.
Scientific analyses keep poking holes in the likelihood of SHC. Our bodies are soaking wet on the inside, not exactly tinderboxes ready to combust.
Even if someone did randomly catch fire, all that water would probably douse the flames pretty quickly. Comparing it to cremation, which takes temperatures over 1600°F for a long time, makes spontaneous combustion seem highly improbable based on things like tiny cigarette tips as the ignition source.
While SHC tales are gripping in novels and urban legends, the scientific consensus leans hard against it actually being a real phenomenon - more like an unsolvable mystery than something that happens.
So as fascinating as the whole spontaneous combustion concept is, most serious scientists think it's simply implausible based on human biology and the laws of combustion.
Mysterious ashes and burn patterns alone don't override our physical reality. Still, that lingering "what if?" makes spontaneous human combustion an irresistibly spooky idea that will probably keep getting retold for centuries to come.
Patreon: Support Believing the Bizarre and get tons of extra content by joining our Patreon.
For updates, news, and extra content, follow Believing the Bizarre on social media:
Discord
Want to discuss the episode on the day it drops with Tyler and Charlie? Follow on Twitch and check out the extended Twitch streams every Tuesday.
Shop Merch: You can rep Believing the Bizarre and buy some unique merch
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