The Indiana Cyclone: America's First Munchausen Case with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

01/15/24 • 75 min

2 Listeners

In this episode I tell podcaster Sarah Marshall a truly wild story I uncovered about the first recognized case of Munchausen Syndrome (Factitious Disorder) in the United States. An alleged professional wrestler and American folk anti-hero called the Indiana Cyclone faked symptoms of injury and illness while blowing through hospitals across the country from the 1950s to the 1970s, leaving a bizarre kind of terror in his wake.

Catch Sarah and I at SF SketchFest on Feb 2nd and Feb 3rd!

Make sure you listen to You're Wrong About and You Are Good (duh duh duh!)

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Hosted Chelsey Weber-Smith

Produced and Edited by Miranda Zickler

Music direction by Riley Swedelius-Smith

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catch Sarah and I at SF SketchFest on Feb 2nd and Feb 3rd!

Make sure you listen to You're Wrong About and You Are Good (duh duh duh!)

Check out our new merch line Folk Devils United

Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content

Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts

Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline

Hosted Chelsey Weber-Smith

Produced and Edited by Miranda Zickler

Music direction by Riley Swedelius-Smith

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

We Are All Pro Wrestlers with Entertainment Journalist BJ Colangelo

1 Recommendations

Pop culture correspondent and major Pro Wrestling fan BJ Colangelo and I discuss the quirky history of this manly soap opera, its changing landscape in terms of gender and sexuality, as well as the complicated psychology of kayfabe, in which staged performances are presented as genuine.

Read BJ's Review of The Iron Claw

Check out her podcast This Ends at Prom

Check out our new merch line Folk Devils United

Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content

Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts

Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline

Hosted Chelsey Weber-Smith

Produced and Edited by Miranda Zickler

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next Episode

The Paranormal Entertainment Industry with Sapphire Sandalo and Jim Perry

2 Recommendations

Today I'm joined by paranormal corespondent Jim Perry of the podcast Euphomet and Sapphire Sandalo of the podcast Stories With Sapphire as well as the TV shows Ghost Town Terror, Paranormal Caught On Camera, and Paranormal Nightshift. We'll discuss what it’s like to work on very different kinds of projects in the supernatural sphere and get a little behind the scenes look at classic reality ghost shows. We’ll talk about the dream of diversifying away from the formulaic industry of ghost bros and Christian-influenced endings to allow the paranormal to take different forms, understood in different ways by very different kinds of people.

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Learn more about Sapphire's work

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Hosted Chelsey Weber-Smith

Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler

Associated Producer: Riley Swedelius-Smith

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices