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Astonishing Legends

Astonishing Legends

By: Astonishing Legends Productions
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The world is more mysterious than most people are comfortable imagining. We cross paths with the mystical from time to time and may not even notice it. If we do, we quickly return to our usually mundane daily existence. But what if we not only acknowledged the unknown, we investigated it and spoke with those in the know? That's what co-hosts Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, and co-executive producer Tess Pfeifle do at Astonishing Legends. Over 100 million downloads and hundreds of thousands of listeners have discovered the thrill of exploring the mysteries of our world, showing that the unknown can be both captivating and intriguing. Welcome to Astonishing Legends!Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • S2 Ep35: The Benevolent Warning

    S2 Ep35: The Benevolent Warning
    Sep 15 2026
    In tonight's dead letter, our listener named Mark is driving through western Michigan at two in the morning in 1978, working off a paper map and handwritten directions to a house he's never been to. He comes up a hill and into a curve on US 131, and there are four people standing in his lane. Two of them are waving him over to the right, and the other two have their arms raised above their heads in an X. Had they not been there he may have had a fatal collision, and when he went to find them shortly after, they had vanished.
    Relevant Prior Episodes
    Ep 102: Resurrection Mary Part 1
    Astonishing Legends · Spotify · Apple Podcasts
    Ep 116: Small Town Monsters
    Astonishing Legends · Spotify · Apple Podcasts
    Links and Further Reading
    Lydia: The Ghost of Jamestown Bridge, NCpedia
    A History of the Vanishing Hitchhiker, Beardsley and Hankey, 1943
    The Bray Road Beast, Small Town Monsters
    Jim Harold's Campfire: True Ghost Stories, Books 1 through 6
    Note: We call it the National Highway Transportation Safety Association in the episode. The ‘A’ is actually for Administration.

    We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • S2 Ep34: The Lady in the Rocking Chair

    S2 Ep34: The Lady in the Rocking Chair
    Sep 8 2026
    In tonight's dead letter, listener Mothmaiden remembers a time when she was four years old and an only child in a neighborhood with no other kids, and she had an imaginary friend named Cindy Cora who looked exactly like Betty Rubble from The Flintstones. Then on a sunny afternoon, in her own bedroom with the light coming through the window, she saw an elderly woman with white and gray hair piled high on her head, sitting in a rocking chair, calm and gentle and completely solid. Were these things connected?
    Relevant Prior Episodes
    Abduction at Devil's Den
    Devil's Den: The Reckoning Part 1
    Chris McKinnell and the Warren Legacy
    Dan, Susan, Micah Hanks and Missing Time
    Links and Further Reading
    Two-thirds of school-age children have an imaginary companion by age 7, University of Washington
    Note: We say about one in three for the invisible-only friends. In the study, about two thirds of kids have had an imaginary companion by age seven, and about one in three have one at the time they are asked.
    The psychological significance of play with imaginary companions in early childhood, Learning & Behavior
    Childhood amnesia, Wikipedia
    Ghosts and Apparitions in Psi Research, the Society for Psychical Research's Psi Encyclopedia
    Phantasms of the Living (1886) by Gurney, Myers and Podmore, Internet Archive
    Strange Intruders by David Weatherly
    Devils Den: The Reckoning by Terry Lovelace
    Contact (1997), Wikipedia
    Note: We say David Morse was one of the doctors on ER. He played Dr. Jack Morrison on St. Elsewhere.
    Sesame Street debuts, November 10, 1969, HISTORY
    Wall Street crash of 1929, Wikipedia
    The History of Bettys in Pop Culture, Refinery29
    Natalie and Tara on YouTube

    We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • Special: Richard Hatem's Light in the Dark Tour 2026

    Special: Richard Hatem's Light in the Dark Tour 2026
    Sep 4 2026

    Hey folks! We're gearing up to go to the Wet Hot Bad Magic Summercamp next week but after that we're back on our regular schedule! In the meanwhile here's a chat Scott and Richard had just a week ago about his new tour which is also CLOSE ABOARD!

    >>>>>>>>>>

    A special episode from our friend Richard Hatem. Richard is the screenwriter behind The Mothman Prophecies and a longtime friend of the show, and he hosts Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf. He invited Scott onto his podcast to talk about his upcoming Light in the Dark Tour 2026, a 10-day, six-city run of live shows in September that wraps up at the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. We liked the conversation enough that we're sharing it here on the main feed.

    Along the way, Scott and Richard get to such never-before-asked questions as: What scares our dogs? Where will Scott and Forrest be appearing live in September? Did Abbott and Costello get along? Can anyone find Scott's legendary "lost" appearance on Portlandia? Did Richard schedule too many shows on this tour, and will Susan ever forgive him? Find out the answers to these and many more questions on this episode.

    If you can make it to one of the tour stops, go. Tickets and dates are at the link below.

    Links

    Get tickets to Richard Hatem's Light in the Dark Tour 2026 LIVE: https://www.richardhatemsparanormalbookshelf.com/events
    Listen to Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf: https://www.richardhatemsparanormalbookshelf.com/
    Support RHPB on Patreon: https://patreon.com/RichardHatem
    Celebrate 2026 with 26% off all RHPB merch with offer code RHPB26. The discount is pre-applied at this link: https://richardhatem-shop.fourthwall.com/promo/RHPB26
    Need help with your personal writing projects? Richard is here to help. Get 20% off when you mention RHPB: https://www.richardhatem.com/

    Notes

    Get the answer to ALL of your Abbott and Costello questions here: Abbott and Costello Meet the Podcast
    Is your dog afraid of hiccups, just like Luna? Learn about your dog's weird fears here: Understanding Your Dog's Fear
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
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