BALLOON BOY
American Hysteria12 Touko 2025

BALLOON BOY

In 2009, the news reported live as a six-year-old boy careened through the air at 7,000 feet trapped inside a homemade balloon craft. Millions tuned into the harrowing saga, but once the balloon finally hit the ground, no little boy was found inside. Details then emerged that seemed to indicate it was all a hoax created by a family as part of a PR stunt for a reality TV show. On this episode, we explore the story of Balloon Boy, ask whether the event was indeed a hoax, and look at the early history of the hot air ballooning craze in the 18th and 19th centuries where hoaxes and wild spectacles were a foundational part of the emerging scientific field. 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 at ⁠americanhysteria.com⁠ Sound Designer and Associate Producer: ⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠ Producer and Editor: ⁠Miranda Zickler⁠ Voice Actor: ⁠Will Rogers⁠ Written, Produced, and Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jaksot(288)

Gen Z and the Millennial with Gael from Teenager Therapy

Gen Z and the Millennial with Gael from Teenager Therapy

Gael Aitor is a senior in high school and the host of the podcast Teenager Therapy, a show where he and four other teenagers talk about mental health and the experiences they share with a rare and emp...

1 Maalis 202140min

American Hysteria: LIVE VARIETY HOUR (Watch the full show!!)

American Hysteria: LIVE VARIETY HOUR (Watch the full show!!)

Our Live Variety Hour is not your run-of-the-mill podcast live show, but an actual two-hour theatrical production performed in 2019. For the first time ever, you can get access to the full video on Pa...

22 Helmi 20212min

CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING

CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING

As the nation grapples with a volatile culture war over just what version of American history our children will grow up learning, in this episode we will see that the Public School has always been a c...

15 Helmi 202154min

We Were Teenage Conspiracy Theorists with Ellen Cushing

We Were Teenage Conspiracy Theorists with Ellen Cushing

Ellen Cushing's recent piece in The Atlantic called “I was a teenage conspiracy theorist” tells her story as a young Illuminati-truther during the post-9/11 years. Her history with conspiracy theories...

8 Helmi 202147min

Animatronic America with Sarah Marshall of 'You’re Wrong About'

Animatronic America with Sarah Marshall of 'You’re Wrong About'

Join me and our Disney darling of the day, podcaster Sarah Marshall of ‘You’re Wrong About’ and ‘Why Are Dads?’ as we discuss our love for Disney parks, the weird history of animatronics, and Disneyla...

1 Helmi 202147min

DISNEYFICATION

DISNEYFICATION

Disney has been presenting a fairytale reality within a reality since the 1920s, a far cuter reality that mimics our reality until reality is no longer reality at all. Make sense? For this episode, we...

25 Tammi 202156min

The Theater of Trash with Alissa Bennett

The Theater of Trash with Alissa Bennett

Alissa Bennett is co-host of The C-Word podcast on Luminary as well as a decorated historian of bad behavior. “By sifting through the cultural trash heap of history,” her podcast dives deep into the l...

18 Tammi 202140min

TRASH TALK SHOWS

TRASH TALK SHOWS

There are few pieces of popular culture as problematic as the trash talk shows of the 1980s and 90s. Many of us remember Jerry Springer, Geraldo, Jenny Jones, and so many others trying to outdo each o...

11 Tammi 202157min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

olipa-kerran-otsikko
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
i-dont-like-mondays
kolme-kaannekohtaa
poks
antin-palautepalvelu
kaksi-aitia
aikalisa
sita
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
rss-murhan-anatomia
mamma-mia
meidan-pitais-puhua
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
loukussa
rss-nikotellen
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-haudattu