Ghosts didn't say 'boo' until the 19th century

19th-century Americans used technology to try to prove the existence of ghosts

In the 19th century, following technological advancements like the telegraph, phonograph, and others, efforts were made to capture proof of ghosts. These technologies seemed supernatural in their own right and emerged at the same time Spiritualism took off in the US, resulting in new approaches to connecting with the dead.

The history of ghosts, explained

The afterlife has perplexed humans across different periods, cultures, and belief systems. The desire to understand what comes next is often explored through the telling of ghost stories. Learn more about the spooky phenomena here.

Ghost hunting in the 19th century

This 40-minute podcast explores what it meant to hunt ghosts during the 19th century, when studying the paranormal was considered a mainstream scientific field. In 1847, a pair of sisters reportedly communicated with the spirit of a dead man...

Ghosts can work as powerful literary devices

Noteworthy American novels like Toni Morrison’s "Beloved" tell us how spirits help deliver information and greater truths unknown to the characters. Wondering about our souls is common in literature, and the phantoms in these tales offer a unique way of contemplating the complicated experience of being human.

The Ouija board originated in 19th-century America

The bizarre board game that helps people communicate with the dead at sleepovers first emerged in the 19th century as a business-minded response to the growing fascination with spiritualism. The Ouija Board has since generated an abundance of sales, as well as scientific research.

The science behind ghosts, explored

Every culture has them—restless spirits, haunted houses, things that go bump in the night. But why do we believe in ghosts? Psychologist and skeptic Dr. Chris French joins host Sony Kassam to explore the science behind the supernatural, from sleep paralysis and hallucinations to the brain’s pattern-making instincts.

Ancient ghost stories appeared in texts like 'The Odyssey'

Sharing ghost tales has been around for centuries. Ancient Mesopotamia, Rome, and Greece each had their own chilling stories about encountering spirits. Find mentions of specters in some of history’s most famous writings like the "Epic of Gilgamesh" and "The Odyssey."

Thomas Edison, eager to communicate with ghosts, tinkered with an apparatus called the 'spirit phone.'

Horror evolved from Gothic literature

Although creepy tales can be found in nearly every folk tradition, the roots of modern horror can be traced back to Gothic literature, which focused on the battle between humans and unnatural, evil forces.

Halloween originated with the Celtic festival of Samhain

Halloween, a holiday primarily popular in the US and Canada, originated 2,000 years ago with the Celtic people. The Celts interpreted this transition as when ghosts returned to the land of the living, leading to rituals like feasts, bonfires, and wearing costumes made of animal body parts on Oct. 31.

The word 'hoax' comes from the phrase 'hocus-pocus'

The famous phrase "hocus-pocus" combines liturgical Latin and gibberish. It's a silly series of words often said during magic tricks. The phrase naturally evolved into "hoax" over time and became a standard English word around the year 1800.

Ghost stories can help us process death

Scholar Coya Paz’s research into ghost stories indicated that people often use them to grieve and remember tragic histories. Paz notes that specters in stories almost always demand to be acknowledged. She also shares the three most common types of ghosts we hear about are either vengeful, unwelcoming, or comforting.

Toasting with an exclamation of 'cheers!' comes from the Anglo-French for 'the face.'

The word 'vampire' appeared in the English-speaking world in the 1730s

However, earlier mentions of creatures with similar characteristics existed throughout Medieval Europe. For example, people often spoke of revenants—restless dead creatures who tormented the living. Historians believe these stories grew in popularity in part because of influence from the Catholic Church, which was emphasizing the idea of purgatory. These older revenant stories eventually influenced modern vampire folklore.

Horace Walpole’s ‘The Castle of Otranto’ was the first Gothic novel

Walpole’s 1764 novel takes place in a haunted castle, with self-closing doors, moving pictures, and a wandering ghost—many of the tropes that would come to define the Gothic and horror genres, and influence other genres like fantasy.

The word 'toasting' goes back to the 17th century and likely refers to an outdated tradition about placing toast in wine.

Superstitious actors believe ‘Macbeth’ is cursed

Actors playing in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”—a story filled with ghosts, witches, and magic—call it the “Scottish play” out of superstition, a tradition since the play’s first production.

Writer Washington Irving was the first to call New York City 'Gotham,' referencing an Anglo-Saxon word for a village of fools.

The oldest recorded ghost drawing comes from ancient Babylon

An ancient Babylonian clay tablet in the British Museum presents a curious image of a ghost being led back to the afterlife. This artifact is believed to be the oldest known drawing of a spirit. According to Dr. Irving Finkel, this image is part of a guide to exorcise ghosts.

Ghost stories across cultures often trace back to traumatic events

From a bat-like demon in Tanzania to a malevolent woman figure hovering above your sleeping body, the four disturbing tales outlined in this NPR article offer a glimpse into how happenings from WWII or the Aztec Empire haunt people’s memories.

'1440 Explores' Episode 3: Why We See Ghosts and What Isn't There

Every culture has them—restless spirits, haunted houses, things that go bump in the night. But why do we believe in ghosts? Psychologist and skeptic Dr. Chris French joins host Sony Kassam to explore the science behind the supernatural, from sleep paralysis and hallucinations to the brain's pattern-making instincts. Together, they uncover why our minds see meaning—and sometimes ghosts—where none exist, and what that reveals about fear, memory, and our need to believe in something beyond the grave.

What ghosts eat around the world

This Thrillist article compiles a rich assortment of cultural beliefs and practices surrounding food for the dead. From Bengali folklore to Ancient Greek mythology, peruse through the different ways in which cultures around the world use food to maintain connected to the deceased.

The perception of haunted places is influenced by psychology, setting and suggestion

Gothic architecture and tragic histories contribute to the perception of hauntings. Infrasound and black mold can cause experiences reminiscent of paranormal phenomena. Although paranormal investigators use technology to seek natural explanations, many paranormal experiences remain non-falsifiable.

A 2020 poll found around 50% of Americans believe ghosts and demons are real

Ghosts are typically represented as sad and still retaining some of their humanity. Demons are more associated with evil and the devil, without any connection to being human.

Literary theorists distinguish between ‘terror’ and ‘horror’

In her essay “On the Supernatural in Poetry,” gothic novelist Ann Radcliffe defined “terror” as the lurking, unseen specter in a story—something that defined gothic literature. “Horror,” on the other hand, was the explicit portrayal of it. For her, the former was artistic, while the latter was cheap.

In 1639, Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony banned toasting

Like the Anglo-Saxons and the ancient Greeks before them, the American colonists tended to party when they got to toasting. That led to a 1639 law banning the practice, which they viewed as excessive and superstitious. Alcohol remained legal, but the hope was that banning toasting might reduce excessive drinking.

Dickens' earliest pieces were under the pseudonym 'Boz'

Dickens began working as a journalist in 1829, publishing his portraits of modern life under a pseudonym. In 1834, he used the pen name "Boz," a reference to his brother's childhood nickname, and eventually published a collection of his stories called "Sketches by Boz." By the 1840s, he'd ditched the pseudonym, enjoying his rarefied literary celebrity.

Early English fantasy writers built on horror and Gothic texts

After the success of 19th-century books like Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” readers were eager for more stories that deviated from realism. Early 20th-century texts like George MacDonald’s “Phantastes” and Lord Dunsany’s “The King of Elfland’s Daughter” met the moment, laying the groundwork for the fantasy genre.

The word ‘fantasy’ wasn't used to describe the genre until the 20th century

The word—at least as a word used to describe fiction—didn’t appear in the Oxford English Dictionary until 1949. Scholars believe that’s due to the arrival of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, an influential publication, and the rise in fantasy’s popularity following World War II.

Black cats got their frightening reputation in the Middle Ages

Though many cultures in Africa, Asia, and Europe recognize black cats as symbols of good fortune, they're associated with bad luck and America's spookiest holiday. Their association with evil didn't gain traction until the 13th century, as religious figures and European folklore drew connections between cats, Satan worshippers, and witches.

Scandinavians toast with an emphatic ‘skål!’

The word comes from the word for “bowl,” a reference to the vessels of alcohol early revelers passed around at celebrations. Now, the word more closely resembles “cheers!” In response, it’s polite to respond “takk,” or “thank you.”

Robert Burns published ‘Auld Lang Syne’ while trying to preserve the Scots language

The 18th-century poet collected folk songs from the language, which he worried was disappearing, when he heard an old man sing ‘Auld Lang Syne.’ Burns then revised some of the verses before publishing it in 1796 in an anthology called “Scots Musical Museum.” By the 1880s, it was being sung on the holiday in Scotland.

The temperance movement loathed toasting

The 19th- and 20th-century groups opposed to drinking alcohol viewed toasting as a vile practice that encouraged excess and debauchery. One reverend wrote in 1881 that "toasting is a relic of the vile custom of drinking to the honour, applause and commemoration of depraved men and women, whose persons should have been despised, and whose memories should be perished."

The ‘Universal Monsters’ series solidified horror as a film genre

Before 1931, most scary movies were billed as “mystery” or “suspense” with grounded explanations for anything "supernatural." That changed with “Dracula,” which presented the character as a real vampire who drank victims' blood. Universal continued adapting similar titles, including HG Wells’ “The Invisible Man” and Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories.

The ghost-hunting industry helps maintain historical buildings

There’s no shortage of spirit-obsessed customers in America, with an estimate that ghost-themed tours generate about $300M annually in the country.

Anglo-Saxons toasted the new year

The lord of a manor toasted his subjects at the start of a new year with the Old English phrase “waes hael,” which roughly translates to “be well.” “Wassailing” involved traveling from house to house, singing songs, and continuing to drink, a practice that eventually influenced caroling.

'The grotesque' describes a feature of Gothic literature

The term harkens back to decorative aspects of Gothic architecture, including mythical creatures like gargoyles. In literature, the grotesque describes similarly monstrous characters and situations.

Langston Hughes solicited ghost stories from his readers

Hughes had a column in the Chicago Defender newspaper for two decades. In 1951, he asked readers to send him their ghost stories, promising that he'd reward them with autographed copies of his books. He spent the next several months dedicating the column to the stories he received.

Horror exploded as a commercial literary genre in the late 1960s

Ira Levin’s 1967 novel “Rosemary’s Baby” showed publishers horror was a viable commercial genre. That was proven again in 1971, with William Peter Blatty’s “The Exorcist” and again in 1974 with Stephen King’s “Carrie.” The books dealt with societal fears (the occult, drugs, sex) during a time of political upheaval.

Ghost weddings used to be more common

Ghost weddings are marriages between two deceased parties, or one living and one dead partner. They satisfy departed family members’ needs for companionship and peace in the afterlife, according to Chinese spiritual beliefs. Unfortunately, since ghost marriages are pricey and can include the mingling of mortal remains, murderers and grave robbers have, at times, sought to supply spouses through nefarious means.

The ghost of Bobby Dunbar

In 1912, a four-year-old Louisiana boy went missing for eight months. Contemporary accounts differed in his mother's reaction upon seeing him; some claimed she was overjoyed, others that she didn't recognize him. Shortly after, a second woman claimed the child was hers, though he remained with the first woman. In 2004, DNA analysis determined the child had not been related to the family, suggesting the kidnapping was never solved.

Photographer William Mumler claimed to photograph ghosts

Spirit photographer William Mumler rose to prominence during the spiritualist movement in the United States. His photographs engrossed and bewildered both believers and nonbelievers. Though Mumler was tried for fraud, his methods were never discovered.

The term 'scientist' was coined in a 1834 book review by English polymath William Whewell, who needed an alternative to 'man of science' to describe Scottish writer Mary Somerville.

The first horror movie is believed to be George Méliès' 1896 short 'The Haunted Castle,' which pioneered special effects.

The history of curse words

While profane language is frowned upon in many circumstances, it remains an important part of human expression. This article explores the history of taboo words, and how they eventually creeped more into the mainstream. From 19th century Irish folk-saying “bejabbers,” to the dirty language in comedy routines by Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, discover a brief history of the swear words that have now become more prevalent in society.

Dr. Seuss was likely the first to use the word 'nerd' in print

The word appeared in 1950's "If I Ran the Zoo," but there are theories that the word (or forms of it) were already part of popular slang before the book was published.

Peruse the works of spooky 19th-century writer Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allen Poe is one of the central figures of Gothic and Romantic literature of the 19th century, penning famous short stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart" and the long poem "The Raven." This digital library collects over 130 of his works in one...

Former American President Abraham Lincoln is one of history’s most famous ghosts

Abraham Lincoln, Anne Boleyn, Pausanias, and the Maharajah Duleep Singh are just a few of the notable phantoms found around the world. Several White House occupants and visitors have claimed to see Lincoln, including Theodore Roosevelt, Grace Coolidge, and Winston Churchill.

The jump scare, a horror genre trope, was invented to keep costs low

RKO Pictures hired Val Lewton to produce horror films in the Universal model: small budgets, big spectacles. His first movie was 1942's "Cat People" and he used tension and offscreen terror to save money. A perfect example is the movie's jump scare, a misdirection technique that catches viewers off guard.

Contemporary horror novelists on their favorite scary stories

Ten of horror's best writers name the books that still give them nightmares. From established classics, like Stephen King's "IT" and Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House," to unexpected picks like Katherine Dunn's "Geek Love," this collection of scary stories is a perfect reading list for Halloween.