Ancient Curses and Modern Lies

An ancient curse buried beneath a Dutch town square. A bathtub hoax that fooled America for decades. This week on The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore two remarkable stories about supernatural revenge, historical deception, and humanity's impressive willingness to believe just about anything. First, archaeologists in Heerlen, Netherlands, uncover a nearly 1,900-year-old Roman curse tablet inscribed with mysterious Greek writing, Egyptian magical symbols, and the names of four enslaved people. Who buried it, and what terrible fate were they hoping to unleash? The discovery opens a fascinating window into ancient Roman magic, binding spells, and the surprisingly personal grudges people once entrusted to the gods. Then, the bizarre true story of journalist H. L. Mencken and the Great American Bathtub Hoax of 1917. What began as an amusing piece of fabricated history involving a Cincinnati businessman, suspicious doctors, and President Millard Fillmore became an accepted historical fact. Even after Mencken confessed, the story refused to die. Plus, an ongoing Macarena-related medical emergency, questionable presidential facial hair, and a reminder that some things are considerably harder to get rid of than others. The Box of Oddities — strange history, bizarre discoveries, unexplained mysteries, and the wonderfully weird side of being human. Keep flying that freak flag! #BoxOfOddities #AncientCurses #RomanHistory #CurseTablet #BathtubHoax #HLMencken #WeirdHistory #StrangeHistory #Archaeology #Oddities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices