The rise of the Ouija board in North America involves corporate intrigue, family betrayal, a lot of litigation, and very little spiritualism. Today’s episode covers how “talking boards” went from divination tool to big business. Research:  “Items Personal and Social.” Denton Journal. January 31, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/7111598/?terms=ouija&match=1 “’Ouija’ Board Her Advisor.” Baltimore Sun. March 26, 1905. https://www.newspapers.com/image/371127794/?terms=ouija&match=1 “Editor ‘Answers.’” Baltimore Evening Sun. August 23, 1911. https://www.newspapers.com/image/365492915/?terms=ouija&match=1 French, Chris. “The Unseen Force That Drives Ouija Boards and Fake Bomb Detectors.” The Guardian. April 27, 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/apr/27/ouija-boards-dowsing-rods-bomb-detectors “Ouija Killer Sentenced.” Spokesman-Review. July 9, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/567588953/?terms=%22dorothea%20irene%20turley%22&match=1 Clark, A. Campbell. “Automatic Writing. V.” The British Medical Journal, vol. 1, no. 1723, 1894, pp. 37–37. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20226992 “Ouija Board Maker Killed.” Evening Journal (Wilmington, Delaware). Feb. 25, 1927. https://www.newspapers.com/image/160190008/?terms=%22william%20fuld%22&match=1&clipping_id=99079163 Goodman, Edgar. “Pedigree of the ‘Witch Board.’” Omaha Daily News. June 13, 1920. https://www.newspapers.com/image/738037975/?terms=%22Fuld%20vs.%20Fuld%22&match=1 “Charge of Witch Hunting Enters Assault Case – Indian Woman is Accused of Attack With Hammer.” The Buffalo News. Oct. 26, 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/image/838894818/?terms=%22lila%20Jimerson%22&match=1 Waxman, Olivia B. “Ouija: Origin of Evil and the True History of the Ouija Board.” TIME. Oct. 21, 2016. https://time.com/4529861/ouija-board-history-origin-of-evil/ Cassie, Ron. “Not Dead Yet.” Baltimore Mgazine. https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/the-dark-and-fascinating-history-of-the-ouija-board-baltimore-origins/ “OUIJA!” The Norfolk Landmark. January 29, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/604944772/?terms=ouija&match=1&clipping_id=99064762 “The New ‘Planchet.’” Chicago Tribune. April 3, 1886. https://www.newspapers.com/image/349738032/?terms=%22talking%20board%22&match=1&clipping_id=99068585 “The President’s ‘Witch Board.’” New York Times. June 16, 1886. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/06/16/109786158.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 McRobbie, Linda Rodriguez. “The Strange and Mysterious History of the Ouija Board.” Smithsonian. October 27, 2013. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-strange-and-mysterious-history-of-the-ouija-board-5860627/ “True Stories of the Supernatural, Told by Readers of the Sun.” The Baltimore Sun. February 14, 1909. https://www.newspapers.com/image/371064146/?terms=ouija&match=1 “Lie is Passed to Ouija, and By a Woman!” Chicago Tribune. Jan. 25, 1921. https://www.newspapers.com/image/355093958/?terms=ouija&match=1 Connoly, James P. “Ouija board boom on? Yes, Says Ouija Board.” Baltimore Evening Sun. May 18, 1944. https://www.newspapers.com/image/369642710/ “William Fuld Made $1,000,000 on Ouija Board But Has No Faith in It.” Baltimore Sun. July 4, 1920. https://www.newspapers.com/image/372844631/?terms=William%20Fuld&match=1&clipping_id=99076192 “Partners at Odds.” Baltimore Sun. Dec. 5, 1901. https://www.newspapers.com/image/365328757/?terms=%22William%20Fuld%22&match=1 Rensink, Ronald A., et al. “Expression of nonconscious knowledge via ideomotor actions.” Consciousness and Cognition. February 2012. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221872925_Expression_of_nonconscious_knowledge_via_ideomotor_actions/download Murch, Robert. WilliamFuld.com. https://www.williamfuld.com/index.html “The Ouija Craze.” Catoctin Clarion. January 22, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/339101621/?terms=ouija&match=1&clipping_id=99064534 “Ouija-board Will Rejected by Supreme Court.” Newport Daily Express. Aug. 12, 1938. https://www.newspapers.com/image/659566078/?terms=Helen%20Dow%20Peck&match=1 “Former Beauty is Convicted.” Arizona Republic. June 11, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/117191175/?terms=irene%20turley&match=1 “Blame Ouija Board for Parent’s Death.” Bristol Herald Courier. Dec. 23, 1933. https://www.newspapers.com/image/585774218/?terms=irene%20turley&match=1 “Girl Kills Her Dad to Let Her Ma Wed Lover.” The Independent-Rcord. Dec. 27, 1933. https://www.newspapers.com/image/528011403/?terms=irene%20turley&match=1 “Aged Ouija Board Murderess Planning Insanity Defense.” Daily News. March 16, 1930. https://www.newspapers.com/image/412836335/?terms=ouija&match=1 Rogers, Donald. “Fickle Ouija Board Deserts Its Victim.” Oakland Tribune. July 22, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/106298034/?terms=irene%20turley&match=1 Eberle, Scott G., Ph.D. “The Ouija Board Explained.” Psychology Today. May 16, 2012. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/play-in-mind/201205/the-ouija-board-explained Olson JA, Jeyanesan E, Raz A. “Ask the pendulum: personality predictors of ideomotor performance. Neurosci Conscious.” National Library of Medicine. Aug. 2, 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5858027/ D’Agostino, Thomas. “Helen Dow Peck’s Amazing Will.” The Yankee Express. Dec. 18, 2020. https://www.theyankeexpress.com/2020/12/18/341774/helen-dow-peck-s-amazing-will See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2014 episode covers the 1930 vanishing of Joseph Force Crater. His missing person cases has fueled decades of speculation about what exactly happened to the New York State Supreme Court justice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly and Tracy talk about the prediction of Houdini's death, and Rose Mackenberg's abundant bravado. They also discuss the long road the movie 'Till" took to get to the screen, and the film's careful handling of Mamie and Emmett's story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The movie "Till" tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley and her son Emmett. Actor Jalyn Hall and director Chinonye Chukwu talked with the podcast about the research and planning that went into bringing this important historical event to life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rose Mackenberg spent decades working to uncover fraud taking place in the name of Spiritualism, first working for Houdini, and then on her own. In her work, she said she received messages from 1,000 dead husbands that never existed. Research: “Says Lawmakers Consult Mediums.” New York Times. Feb. 27, 1926. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1926/02/27/98846926.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 “Houdini to Appear.” Evening Star. Feb. 21, 1926. https://www.newspapers.com/image/618515204/?fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjYxODUxNTIwNCwiaWF0IjoxNjYzNTk5MzU4LCJleHAiOjE2NjM2ODU3NTh9.B3_XUq4J-qd4aqWqqKe1SI5DVkQq6h7mOHCD_T8D-LY Edwards, Gavin. “Overlooked No More: Rose Mackenberg, Houdini’s Secret ‘Ghost-Buster.’” New York Times. Dec. 6, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/06/obituaries/rose-mackenberg-overlooked.html Williamson, E.W. “Spirit Fakers of City Fatten on War Grief.” Chicago Tribune. Aug. 5, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/371848849 Mackenberg, Rose. “Her Business Is Exposing Spirit Fakers.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Sept. 12, 1937. https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/138984895/?clipping_id=81525804&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjEzODk4NDg5NSwiaWF0IjoxNjYzNTk4NjcxLCJleHAiOjE2NjM2ODUwNzF9.9dPqyrWvZ5eDs0bMQcmYOXPCMJwJQN1mN2tz1KdgctQ “Houdini Urges Bill to Curb Mediums.” Evening Star. Feb. 26, 1926. https://www.newspapers.com/image/618515404/?clipping_id=81527215 Hartman, William C. “Hartmann’s Who’s Who in Occult, Psychic and Spiritual Realms.” 1925. http://www.ehbritten.org/docs/1925_hartmann_whos_who_in_occult_psychic_and_spiritual_realms_r.pdf “Christ Coming in 2,000, Says Pastor.” Inidianapolis Star. Dec. 1, 1924. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46052740/christ-coming-in-2000-says-pastor/ Lee, Karen. “The Astonishing Adventures of Houdini’s Favorite Detective.” Newspapers.com. July 20, 2021. https://blog.newspapers.com/astonishing-adventures-of-houdinis-favorite-detective/ Welshimer, Helen. “Made a Frump out of Herself to Expose the Fake Mediums.” Ogden Standard Examiner. Aug. 15, 1937. https://www.newspapers.com/image/596893320/?terms=Rose%20Mackenberg&match=1 “Pastor Defends Klan.” Indianapolis News. Oct. 2, 1922. https://www.newspapers.com/image/39565036/? “HINTS OF SEANCES AT WHITE HOUSE.” New York Times. May 19, 1926. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1926/05/19/98379175.html?pageNumber=26 “Magician Pulls Local Minister Out of Audience.” Indianapolis Star. October 13, 1925. https://www.newspapers.com/image/104820857/?terms=%22Magician%20Pulls%20Local%20Minister%22&match=1 “’Not Interested,” Say Coolidges of Spiritualism.” Atlanta Constitution. May 19, 1926. https://www.newspapers.com/image/397965606 Mackenberg, Rose. “When Crime Poses as Spiritualism.” San Francisco Examiner. March 12, 1939. https://www.newspapers.com/image/458113189/ Polidoro, Massimo. “Final Seance: The Strange Friendship Between Houdini and Conan Doyle.” Prometheus Books. 2010. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2009 episode from previous hosts Katie and Sarah covers Harry Houdini, once known as the world's greatest magician. Houdini's reputation still resonates with modern fans of illusion and magic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy and Holly discuss WWII submarine warfare as it related to Helen Duncan’s story. Tracy also shares her experience visiting the Mütter Museum when it was hosting an exhibit titled “Imperfecta.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1639, doctor Edward May published a 40-page text about a serpent he found in the heart of a 21-year-old man during a post-mortem examination. We don’t know exactly what it was, but there are plenty of theories. Research: Bush, Sargent Jr. “Bosom Serpents before Hawthorne: The Origins of a Symbol.” American Literature , May, 1971, Vol. 43, No. 2 (May, 1971). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2924236 Church, William Selby. “The Rise of Physiology in England: The Harveian Oration Delivered Before the Royal College of Physicians, October 18th, 1895.” Adlard. 1896. Denham, D.A. “A most certaine and true relation of a strange monster or serpent found in the left ventricle of the heart of John Pennant, gentleman, of the age of 21 years.” Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 71, Issue 5, 1977, Page 455, https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(77)90066-9 Eades, Bentley Gerald. “The Jacobean and Caroline Stage Vol-ii.” The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1941. Healy, Simon. “KYNASTON, Sir Francis (1587-c.1649), of Oteley, Ellesmere, Salop; later of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster and Covent Garden, Mdx.” he History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604-1629, ed. Andrew Thrush and John P. Ferris, 2010. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/kynaston-sir-francis-1587-1649 May, Edward. “A most certaine and true relation of a strange monster or serpent found in the left ventricle of the heart of John Pennant, Gentleman, of the age of 21 yeares.” London : George Miller. 1639. https://archive.org/details/b3033973x Morris, Thomas. “The man with a snake in his heart.” http://www.thomas-morris.uk/man-snake-heart/ Pender, Stephen. “Examples and Experience: On the Uncertainty of Medicine.” The British Journal for the History of Science , Mar., 2006, Vol. 39, No. 1. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4028546 Pennant, Thomas. “The History of the Parishes of Whiteford and Holywell.” B. and J. White. 1796. Perella, Chrissie. “Teratology: ‘Monster’ as a medical term.” Historical Medical Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. https://histmed.collegeofphysicians.org/for-students/teratology-monster-as-a-medical-term/ Richardson, Ruth. “Pennant's serpent.” The Lancet. Vol. 357, Issue 9260. 3/24/2001. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)71674-3/fulltext Ross, Alexander. “Arcana microcosmi.” London : T. Newcomb. 1652. https://archive.org/details/b30329140/ Slights, William W.E. “The Narrative Heart of the Renaissance.” Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme. Winter/Hiver 2002. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43445471 The Public Domain Review. “A Monster in the Heart: Edward May’s A Most Certaine and True Relation (1639).” https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/heart-serpent Woolley, Benjamin. “The herbalist : Nicholas Culpeper and the Fight for Medical Freedom.” HarperCollins, 2004. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Helen Duncan is sometimes described as Scotland’s last witch, or the last person imprisoned for witchcraft in Britain, or the last person to be tried under the UK’s 1735 Witchcraft Act. None of those are quite accurate. Research: Undiscovered Scotland. “Helen Duncan.” https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/d/helenduncan.html “Scotland’s Last Witch.” Modern Scotland. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/modern/oddities_modern.shtml “Britain's 'last witch': Campaign to pardon Helen Duncan.” 6/15/2012. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-18456106 Atkins, Harry. “Helen Duncan: Britain’s Last Witch.” History Hit. 6/10/2022. https://www.historyhit.com/helen-duncan-britains-last-witch/ Brown, Laura. “Helen Duncan.” The Scots Magazine. https://www.scotsmagazine.com/articles/series/a-z-of-great-scots-helen-duncan/ Price, Harry. “The Cheese-Cloth Worshippers by Harry Price.” Leaves from a Psychist's Case-Book (Victor Gollancz, 1933). Meier, Allison C. “Ectoplasm and the Last British Woman Tried for Witchcraft.” JSTOR Daily. 9/13/2018. https://daily.jstor.org/ectoplasm-and-the-last-british-woman-tried-for-witchcraft/ Team Mighty. “A British Woman Was Convicted Under a Witchcraft Law During WWII.” The Archive. 9/7/2021. https://explorethearchive.com/helen-duncan McPherson, Hamish. “The truth about the UK's last witch Helen Duncan.” The National. 5/8/2018. https://www.thenational.scot/news/16209915.truth-uks-last-witch-helen-duncan/ Schnuer, Jenna. "SPIRITED AWAY: After a devastating Royal Navy loss, military authorities felt duty bound to keep a careful eye on a famed Scottish mystic." World War II, vol. 34, no. 1, June 2019, pp. 64+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A581176173/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=c973ec6a. Accessed 2 Sept. 2022. Gaskill, Malcolm. "Britain's Last Witch." History Today, vol. 51, no. 5, May 2001, p. 6. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A74483221/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=5c15ccbd. Accessed 2 Sept. 2022. Gaskill, Malcolm. "Duncan [née MacFarlane], (Victoria) Helen McCrae (1897–1956), medium." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Date of access 7 Sep. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/66217 Collins, B. Abdy. “Spiritualism and the Law.” The Modern Law Review , July 1945, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jul., 1945). https://www.jstor.org/stable/1090340 Old Bailey Trial Series. “The Trial of Mrs. Duncan.” C. E. Bechhofer Roberts, General Editor. 1945. UK Parliament. “Witchcraft.” https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/religion/overview/witchcraft/ UK Parliament. “Which Witch(Craft Act) Is Which?” 10/28/2020. https://archives.blog.parliament.uk/2020/10/28/which-witchcraft-act-is-which/ Vagrancy Act of 1824 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1824/83/pdfs/ukpga_18240083_en.pdf Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1951/33/pdfs/ukpga_19510033_en.pdf Earls, Averill and Marissa Rhodes. State Secrets: Helen Duncan’s Famous Witchcraft Trial.’ Dig: A History Podcast. 7/3/2022. https://digpodcast.org/2022/07/03/cheesecloth-spiritualism-and-state-secrets-helen-duncans-famous-witchcraft-trial/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 2019 episode covers England’s largest and deadliest set of witch trials. They were largely influenced by one man, Matthew Hopkins, who was known as the Witchfinder General.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.