Original subtitles

WILDMAN: A monstrous beast terrifies a small town.

VILLEMARETTE: It was half man, half animal,

like something out of a horror movie.

WILDMAN: Strange seizures prompt panic among teenagers.

MAROD: This is the story of a crazy epidemic

that shook an entire community.

WILDMAN: And a bewildering boom blows up in the sky.

[ Explosion ]

Across the island, there was this swath of destruction.

♪

WILDMAN: But first, a mysterious invasion from outer space.

They seemed to have found alien life.

WILDMAN: Amazing mysteries,

bizarre phenomena,

and chilling secrets.

I’m Don Wildman.

Join me on a journey beyond the unknown.

♪

It’s November 14, 1969, in Florida ‐‐

just 4 months after Apollo 11’s historic trip to the moon.

...three, two, one, ignition.

NASA’s next lunar mission blasts off from Kennedy Space Center.

It’s called Apollo 12.

Onboard are astronauts Charles Conrad,

Alan Bean, and Richard Gordon.

PORGES: They were all experienced Navy pilots,

the kind of folks you would want on your side

when you’re doing something as dangerous

as flying to the moon.

WILDMAN: Among their mission assignments

is to collect rocks and soil samples from the moon

and check for signs of life.

♪

After 4 days, Apollo 12’s lunar module

touches down on the moon’s surface.

Conrad and Bean step out onto the desolate landscape.

PORGES: The astronauts worked diligently,

collecting as much as they could ‐‐

samples of soil, samples of rock.

Anything they could get their hands on,

they wanted to take back and study.

WILDMAN: While they’re there, the two men do a little trash collection.

PORGES: They picked up a television camera

that had been left behind by an unmanned mission to the moon

2 years earlier.

♪

WILDMAN: After stowing the items in the lander,

the astronauts head home.

And on November 24th,

Apollo 12 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.

The mission is regarded as a complete success.

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

But the men are unable to bask in the glory of their triumph ‐‐

at least, not right away.

They are swiftly escorted back

to NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas.

The agency is concerned

that unknown microscopic organisms from the moon

could’ve hitched a ride to Earth.

PORGES: The threat of a pathogen or virus ‐‐

that was perhaps the most worrying threat of all

because if there was something on the moon

that humans had never encountered before,

our immune systems might not be able to cope with it,

and it could just ravage us.

It’d be sort of, like, smallpox in the New World.

♪

WILDMAN: Per NASA’s protocol,

Conrad, Bean, and Gordon are quarantined

inside a cramped Airstream trailer ‐‐

the same one on display at the U. S. Space and Rocket Center

in Huntsville, Alabama.

As the Apollo 12 crew members wait to be cleared,

NASA scientists carefully examine

each item from the mission.

Most of the objects check out.

But buried inside the camera’s insulating foam,

the scientists find something shocking.

Bacteria.

It appears NASA’s worst fears may have come true.

PORGES: For the NASA scientists,

this was a potential worst‐case scenario.

An alien virus could quite literally wipe out humanity.

WILDMAN: So, what is this mysterious microbe?

And is it a threat?

♪

Tasked with studying the bacteria

is NASA scientist Dr. Leonard Jaffe.

The doctor examines other objects

near the contaminated camera and finds more microbes.

It seems the alien germs are spreading.

PORGES: If this bacteria had come from the lunar surface,

that meant it had survived on this camera

for more than 2 years,

meaning it was one resilient strain

and potentially indestructible.

WILDMAN: Worried it might be a harmful pathogen,

the doctor monitors the astronauts

for any sign of sickness.

Fortunately, the crew seems fine.

But what the organism is remains a mystery.

Jaffe takes a culture of the bacteria

and sends it to a lab for analysis.

And the results are not what he expected.

The bacteria is not an unknown extraterrestrial microbe at all,

but streptococcus, a common germ that causes strep throat.

So how did this earthly organism end up on the moon?

To find out,

NASA orders a review of their re‐entry protocols.

Eventually, they determine

that the gear worn by the lab technicians

provides inadequate protection.

As a result, when the scientists opened the camera,

they inadvertently contaminated it.

Some lab technician who had strep throat

had put his tool on the camera and infected the camera.

♪

WILDMAN: With a crisis averted,

the Apollo 12 astronauts are released from quarantine.

Subsequent missions to the moon

prove that the lunar surface is lifeless.

As a result, NASA ends its post‐mission isolation protocol.

PORGES: Turns out there was no deadly space virus on the moon.

Thank goodness.

But it doesn’t mean there isn’t something like this out there.

♪

WILDMAN: Today, the mobile quarantine trailer from the Apollo program

is on display at the U. S. Space and Rocket Center

in Huntsville, Alabama.

It’s a reminder of the deadly dangers

some thought once lurked beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

♪

Alaska is one of the best places in the world

to see the northern lights,

which illuminate the sky every year

between September and March.

But the state also claims less predictable

and far more dangerous natural phenomena,

illustrated by a young family’s harrowing tale of survival

against the unbridled power of Mother Nature.

It’s a story of desperation, ingenuity, and luck.

♪

WILDMAN: July 9, 1958 ‐‐ Alaska.

31‐year‐old Howard Ulrich and his 8‐year‐old boy, Sonny,

are out for an evening of fishing in Lituya Bay.

EDWARDS: When Ulrich goes to anchor,

it’s tranquil, calm, and it’s a beautiful night.

WILDMAN: But the peace and quiet is about to be shattered.

Just after 10 P. M.,

they feel their 42‐foot‐long trawler begin to sway wildly.

♪

Ulrich and his son look up in terror

and see the mountains surrounding the bay

start to shake.

♪

EDWARDS: The land is literally heaving up into the air.

This is 15,000‐foot mountain moving up and down.

It is an unimaginable sight.

And he is looking at it astonished.

♪

WILDMAN: As they cling to their boat,

a massive earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale

rocks the region.

It triggers a colossal landslide on the side of the bay.

More than 40 million cubic meters of rocks

crash into the water,

creating an enormous tsunami hundreds of feet tall.

Ulrich and Sonny are directly in its path.

♪

EDWARDS: When Ulrich sees this wave,

he goes from awe to fear.

This wave is big enough

to wipe them completely off the face of the Earth.

WILDMAN: Ulrich tosses a life vest to his son

and fires up the boat’s engine.

Then he tries to raise anchor.

But it’s too late.

The wave is on top of them.

EDWARDS: Ulrich was terrified,

but he knew he had no choice but to try to survive.

WILDMAN: How will Ulrich and Sonny escape the colossal tsunami?

With only seconds to spare,

Ulrich steers the bow of his boat

into the massive wave and guns the engine...

[ Engine roars ]

...hoping to ride up and over it.

EDWARDS: Ulrich knew that the path was unlikely,

but it’s still his best option,

so he’s gonna turn the boat into the wave.

WILDMAN: The immense swell snaps the anchor chain.

The fishing vessel shoots up the face of the wave

and reaches the top.

But instead of going over,

the boat is swept up in its path.

Ulrich and his son are carried on the crest like surfers

as the wave pushes them to the other side of the bay.

Then, in what seems like an instant,

Ulrich’s boat is dropped back in the water.

♪

The father and son are shaken, but alive.

Just 20 minutes after the first tremors of the earthquake,

the Ulrichs are back in calm waters.

EDWARDS: Even though he’s battered and bruised,

he still lived to tell the tale of going head‐to‐head

with some of the strongest things

Mother Nature has thrown at anybody

and surviving.

♪

WILDMAN: In the days following the disaster,

a clearer picture of the wave’s destructive power emerges.

And Ulrich is shocked to learn the incredible breadth

of the wave’s damage.

The tsunami leveled thousands of trees

and killed 5 people.

And later, scientific surveys confirm

that the swell rose more than 150 stories,

making it the highest wave recorded in history.

EDWARDS: That wave was larger than the Empire State Building,

and it was larger than the Sears Tower.

WILDMAN: Ulrich and his son

refuse to let the traumatic event affect their lives.

They continue to sail their beloved trawler

in Alaskan waters for decades.

♪

Oklahoma City sits on top

of one of the largest oil fields in the country.

So much fuel is produced here that there’s even an oil rig

in front of the capitol building.

And located just a few blocks away

is an institution dedicated to unearthing

a very different type of treasure ‐‐

bones.

This is the Museum of Osteology.

The skeletons on display include...

an African bush elephant,

a white rhinoceros,

and a 40‐foot‐long humpback whale.

♪

But among these massive relics is a tiny artifact.

VILLEMARETTE: It’s about 3 inches wide and stands 7 inches tall.

It’s bright in color. It has a lot of orange.

And it’s made of keratin.

This artifact actually used to be alive.

It’s a very bizarre object.

WILDMAN: This item recalls a mysterious monster

that’s plagued a small town for more than 100 years.

This is a story about one of the most terrifying beasts

our country has ever seen.

♪

WILDMAN: Van Meter, Iowa ‐‐ October 1, 1903.

The local physician, a man named Dr. Alcott,

has just made an extraordinary claim.

According to this man of medicine,

he was lying in bed the previous night

when he was woken suddenly by a strange sound

coming from outside his house.

He says that when he went to investigate,

he was met by a terrifying sight.

♪

Lurking just beyond his window was a massive creature.

He claims the monster stood 8 feet high

and had bat‐like wings

and a massive horn protruding from his forehead.

VILLEMARETTE: The beast seemed to be half man, half animal.

It had a very large horn on top of its head,

and it emitted a light.

It was something he’s never seen before.

♪

WILDMAN: As word of the sighting spreads,

more villagers report seeing the enormous beast.

One man claims he saw it flying overhead.

Another says he watched it as it darted across his lawn.

And with no one able to identify it,

many fear the creature is some kind of supernatural demon.

VILLEMARETTE: He was quite scared of this strange creature,

this winged beast.

WILDMAN: Residents even give it a name ‐‐

the Van Meter Visitor.

It was something we would think came out of a horror movie,

but it was actually happening in this small town.

♪

WILDMAN: As sightings continue,

a group of townspeople band together

and determine to catch the beast and slay it.

As the story goes,

the impromptu militia tracks the monster

to an abandoned mine on the outskirts of town.

They trapped it.

They grab anything they could find

to close in the mine and trap the beast inside.

♪

WILDMAN: In the days and weeks that follow,

reports of the creature stop.

But one lingering question remains ‐‐

what was the Van Meter Visitor?

♪

♪

WILDMAN: It’s 1903.

Residents in the small town of Van Meter, Iowa,

are being terrorized by a mysterious flying monster.

♪

Locals have even dubbed the creature the Van Meter Visitor.

♪

For more than 100 years,

the strange legend of the Van Meter Visitor

remains an unsolved mystery.

Then, in 2013, a paranormal investigator named Chad Lewis

makes it his mission to identify the monster

once and for all.

Lewis is a very inquisitive guy.

He’s determined to figure out what this creature was.

He’s not gonna let this go unresolved.

WILDMAN: Lewis begins his investigation in the town of Van Meter itself.

He interviews local residents

and combs through old newspaper clippings in the library.

Based on these accounts,

Lewis compiles a comprehensive description

of the Van Meter Visitor.

It’s then that he comes to a remarkable realization ‐‐

the beast bears a striking similarity

to a rare bird native to Southeast Asia.

It’s called the rhinoceros hornbill.

VILLEMARETTE: People said that the creature had a large horn

and it emitted a light.

The hornbill is a very large bird with a very bright bill.

If the moon was to reflect off of it just the right way,

you could see how it could be a light.

If you haven’t seen this species before,

you would be frightened of it.

♪

WILDMAN: But what would a rare bird from the jungles of Southeast Asia

be doing in Iowa?

Lewis suspects that one such bird might have been part

of a private collection of exotic pets

and that it escaped in 1903.

♪

VILLEMARETTE: While we may not ever know exactly what this was,

most people agree that it was probably a rhinoceros hornbill.

♪

WILDMAN: Ashland, Nebraska, is home to an institution

that celebrates the region’s achievement in the skies ‐‐

the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum.

♪

Inside is the largest collection of Cold War artifacts

in the United States,

including a prototype of the world’s smallest fighter jet,

called the Goblin,

a U‐2 spy plane that flew reconnaissance missions

for the CIA,

and an SR‐71, the world’s fastest aircraft.

♪

But amid these aeronautical marvels

is one that has no obvious connection to flight.

MIRSKY: The artifact is about 36 inches wide.

It weighs over 200 pounds.

♪

The object almost makes you think

of a gigantic insect eye.

♪

WILDMAN: This item recalls a bizarre event

that seemed to be ripped

from the pages of a science fiction novel.

MIRSKY: This is the tale of a quiet island community

and a very loud boom.

♪

WILDMAN: April 2, 1978 ‐‐ Bell Island, Canada.

It’s a beautiful sunny day

on this tiny island off the coast of Newfoundland.

But just after 11 A. M.,

residents experience something extraordinary.

[ Boom ]

♪

MIRSKY: There’s a blinding light

and suddenly this gigantic boom.

WILDMAN: The blast leaves gaping holes in homes,

causes television sets to explode,

and even destroys a chicken barn.

There was this swath of destruction.

WILDMAN: Thankfully, no one is hurt.

But the incident leaves islanders rattled.

Well, something happened to the world

or someone dropping bombs or something.

WILDMAN: The strange explosion comes to be known

as the Bell Island Boom.

And with the cause still a mystery,

residents fear it could happen again.

MIRSKY: Folks on the island had to be wondering,

was that a one‐shot deal

or is this kind of thing gonna start happening now?

WILDMAN: Some argue the boom was caused by a supersonic passenger jet ‐‐

the Concorde.

The plane passes near Bell Island

on its flights between Paris and New York.

But that seems unlikely.

The Concorde could definitely cause a sonic boom,

but it was not capable of causing the damage

seen on Bell Island.

WILDMAN: Others suggest the boom was caused by a falling meteorite.

But there is no trace of debris in the area.

♪

As speculation runs wild, there’s a strange development.

The day after the blast,

2 suspicious men are seen around town interviewing island police.

MIRSKY: They didn’t offer any kind of explanation to the residents

for what they were doing there

or what they thought had maybe happened.

WILDMAN: Then, just as quickly as they arrived,

the strangers disappear.

♪

The visit sets locals on edge.

Soon, rumors start to swirl

of a top‐secret government conspiracy.

MIRSKY: The people on the island start wondering ‐‐

atomic bombs, government secrecy, even UFOs.

Maybe it was a satellite weapon that was being tested.

WILDMAN: So, what’s the truth behind the sinister Bell Island Boom?

♪

WILDMAN: In 1978, residents of Bell Island,

located just off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada,

witnessed an extraordinary series of events.

A sudden flash of light lit up the sky,

followed by a mysterious explosion

that blew out fuses, fried electric wiring,

and damaged buildings across the area.

♪

The source of the Bell Island Boom

remains a mystery until 2009,

when a journalist named Brian Dunning

hears about the strange event and decides to investigate.

MIRSKY: Brian Dunning ‐‐ he’s something of a science journalist,

and he’s also a well‐known skeptic.

WILDMAN: As he researches the story,

Dunning comes across an intriguing piece of information.

It’s a report that claims the 2 mysterious men

who visited the island after the boom

were from the United States’ leading authority

on nuclear research ‐‐

the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico.

At the time, the men were working

on a top‐secret military satellite program called Vela,

a prototype of which is on display

at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum

in Ashland, Nebraska.

MIRSKY: The Vela satellite was essentially

a sophisticated sensor to monitor the atmosphere

for signs of nuclear testing.

But the satellite was also perfect

for studying unusual weather events.

♪

WILDMAN: On the morning of April 2, 1978,

their satellite picked up an extremely rare type of lightning

called a superbolt.

[ Thunder crashes ]

A superbolt can be 100 times more powerful

than an average bolt of lightning.

It can strike 10 miles away from any rainfall,

even when there are clear skies.

And the location of the superbolt?

[ Thunder crashing ] Bell Island.

MIRSKY: What happened on Bell Island

was a really strange and rare occurrence.

[ Crashing continues ]

WILDMAN: The report claims that after they detected the superbolt,

the Los Alamos scientists immediately traveled

to Bell Island.

This was an incredibly rare opportunity

to study this phenomenon,

so it would excite any scientist.

WILDMAN: Brian Dunning concludes

that these must have been the same men

islanders saw talking to local law enforcement.

Today, most scientists accept the theory

that the Bell Island Boom was a rare and powerful superbolt.

[ Thunder crashes ]

♪

And this Vela satellite is on display

at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum

in Ashland, Nebraska.

It recalls the quiet island community

that was rattled by a bolt that went boom.

♪

This unassuming pocket watch

is linked to a desperate hunt for a notorious criminal.

SIECK: This is a story about one man’s dedication

to bring a terrible thug to justice.

♪

WILDMAN: It’s 1921.

Chicago is in the midst of a fearful crime wave.

Mobsters, bootleggers, and petty thieves

terrorize law‐abiding residents.

Chicago in the 1920s had the most crime

that anyone’s ever seen nationally.

It was a huge problem.

WILDMAN: But one man resolves to bring order back to the streets ‐‐

former journalist and newly appointed police chief

Charles Fitzmorris.

SIECK: Fitzmorris definitely had a lot to prove,

and he totally meant business.

He immediately started running raids on illegal gambling,

brothels, and speakeasies

and put these criminals behind bars.

WILDMAN: But no matter how hard he tries,

one vicious outlaw remains beyond Fitzmorris’ reach ‐‐

an Irish gangster known as Terrible Tommy O’Connor.

SIECK: Terrible Tommy O’Connor was called "Terrible"

because he actually did terrible things,

from armed robberies to assaults and even murder.

He got away with everything,

never being put behind bars for any of these crimes.

♪

WILDMAN: On March 20th,

Terrible Tommy guns down a police officer in cold blood

and flees the scene.

Enraged by the death of one of his own,

Fitzmorris unleashes the full force of his department

to track down the criminal.

SIECK: Police officers began going door‐to‐door

and interrogating associates of Terrible Tommy,

going to gambling halls, bars, brothels,

and trying to get tips on Tommy’s whereabouts.

[ Telephone rings ]

WILDMAN: Finally, in July, Fitzmorris gets a lead.

SIECK: Someone matching O’Connor’s description

was seen on a train.

He actually had gotten drunk, assaulted the porter,

and then fled the rail yard.

♪

WILDMAN: After an exhaustive search,

police officers find O’Connor hiding near the tracks

and arrest him.

SIECK: The Chicago Police Department and Chief Fitzmorris

were completely elated.

They actually had this killer in their grasp.

♪

WILDMAN: O’Connor is brought to trial

and convicted of murder in the first degree.

SIECK: A jury, by unanimous vote, found Terrible Tommy guilty,

and they sentence him to hanging at the gallows.

♪

WILDMAN: It seems Fitzmorris has finally closed the case.

SIECK: This was certainly considered a victory.

Fitzmorris believed he ended Tommy’s reign of terror.

♪

WILDMAN: But unbeknownst to the rookie chief,

something is about to happen

that will turn the entire case upside down.

Terrible Tommy had one more trick up his sleeve.

♪

WILDMAN: It’s 1921 in Chicago.

Rookie police chief Charles Fitzmorris

has just arrested the notorious murderer

Terrible Tommy O’Connor.

And the outlaw has been sentenced to death by hanging.

♪

[ Telephone rings ]

4 days before O’Connor is scheduled to be executed,

Fitzmorris receives some shocking news.

O’Connor has broken out of jail and is on the run once more.

It seems that the condemned man

grabbed a prison guard through the bars of his cell...

...threatened him using a gun

that had been smuggled into the prison,

and forced the guard to hand over the keys.

Then, O’Connor locked the guard up and fled.

But in his haste to get away,

he left behind this pocket watch,

now on display at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium

in Orlando, Florida.

Fitzmorris, for his part, is furious.

SIECK: Fitzmorris exploded in rage

when he found out the news about Terrible Tommy.

It must’ve been so embarrassing for the Chicago P. D.

to literally have Terrible Tommy slip through their fingers.

WILDMAN: And this time, a nationwide manhunt is launched

to track down Terrible Tommy O’Connor.

For years, sightings of the notorious crook

are reported across North America.

One witness claims to have seen him in the Midwest.

Others suggest he fled to Canada.

Some even claim that he sailed

to his ancestral homeland of Ireland

to fight alongside Irish nationalists.

SIECK: Despite years of searching,

the police were never able to locate him.

♪

WILDMAN: Although the day of O’Connor’s scheduled execution

is long past,

authorities leave the gallows in place

in hopes that he will one day be brought to justice.

But the infamous cop‐killer is never found.

And in 1977, the gallows are finally taken down.

To this day, we have no idea what happened

to Terrible Tommy O’Connor.

WILDMAN: In spite of the disappointing results of O’Connor’s case,

Chief Fitzmorris did achieve his goal

of bringing Terrible Tommy’s vicious reign to an early end.

♪

Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Rembrandt and Mondrian are just 2 of the famous artists

who have called this Dutch capital home.

And in the heart of the city is an institution

dedicated to one of the most iconic painters in history ‐‐

the Van Gogh Museum.

It houses the largest collection of works by Vincent Van Gogh.

♪

But amid the brightly colored paintings,

is a canvas that conceals a dark secret.

The artifact is 2 feet tall and one foot wide.

There’s a bold splash of bright green

against a sunlight‐yellow background

with the head of the artist, Van Gogh,

with a bandage across the ear.

♪

WILDMAN: This painting depicts a sinister event in Van Gogh’s life ‐‐

one mired in secrecy, intrigue, and scandal.

ROSTAND: This is a story about one of the world’s greatest painters

and the most famous ear in history.

♪

WILDMAN: Of all the artists of the 19th century,

perhaps none captures the imagination

like the Dutch Post‐Impressionist

Vincent Van Gogh.

His vivid colors, distinctive brush strokes,

and daring compositions

have influenced generations of painters.

But it’s not just his talent that makes him famous.

Van Gogh’s personal struggles are as much a part of his appeal

as any of his paintings.

ROSTAND: Van Gogh was the kind of poster boy, if you like,

of the starving, tortured, and tormented artist.

WILDMAN: And one troubling chapter in his life

stands out more than any other ‐‐

the disturbing decision by the artist

to cut off his own ear.

♪

The events leading up to this grisly episode

occurred in 1888.

Van Gogh was staying in the countryside

in the South of France, working alongside his mentor,

the celebrated French artist Paul Gauguin.

ROSTAND: They spent each day painting.

It was a wonderful, happy time for them.

WILDMAN: But the good times would not last.

According to an account written by Gauguin,

on December 24, 1888,

Van Gogh was found in his home unconscious,

covered in blood, and missing his left ear.

When asked what happened, Van Gogh refused to explain.

♪

Following this incident,

Van Gogh checked himself into a mental asylum.

There, he painted what would become his most famous works,

including this self‐portrait,

currently on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

♪

But sadly, his talent wasn’t recognized during his life.

ROSTAND: He was still unknown.

Van Gogh was tormented, troubled, living in poverty.

WILDMAN: In 1890, with his career a shambles,

Van Gogh committed suicide.

♪

In the wake of his death,

the tale of how he cut off his own ear

became the most famous part of his biography.

But more than a century later,

a shocking revelation will upend

everything historians think they know about the event.

One man was about to turn this legend on its head.

♪

♪

WILDMAN: Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh has an infamous claim to fame ‐‐

cutting off his own ear.

But what’s the real story behind this crazed creative?

♪

It’s 1999.

German historian Hans Kaufmann

is working on a book about the life of Vincent Van Gogh.

Kaufmann examines correspondence

between Van Gogh and his family in France.

And one letter from Van Gogh to his mentor, Paul Gauguin,

contains an intriguing piece of information.

What stoked Kaufmann’s curiosity was a letter

that refers to a pact of silence between Van Gogh and Gauguin.

♪

WILDMAN: The letter is dated just days after Van Gogh lost his ear.

That leads Kaufmann to believe

that the so‐called pact of silence

and what happened to Van Gogh’s ear must be related.

Intrigued, he turns his attention

to letters written by Gauguin.

And there, he finds a clue.

♪

In a letter from Gauguin to a friend,

the artist states in the weeks leading up to the ear incident,

his relationship with Van Gogh had soured.

Van Gogh had been suffering from drastic mood swings

and had frequently turned violent.

Kaufmann also learns that Gauguin’s talents

weren’t limited to his painting.

He was also a master swordsman.

Amongst all his belongings, he had this fine fencing sword.

WILDMAN: In light of this evidence, Kaufmann formulates a theory.

He believes that Van Gogh did not cut off his own ear

in a fit of depression.

Instead, Kaufmann suspects

the tension between Van Gogh and Gauguin

reached a boiling point.

A fight breaks out,

and Gauguin tries to defend himself

from a raging Van Gogh...

[ Sword clinking ] ...and slices his ear off.

WILDMAN: After the fight, Gauguin worried

that word of his violent act would reach the police.

So he cooked up a story about Van Gogh harming himself.

For his part, Van Gogh felt guilty about starting the fight

and never set the record straight.

Gauguin wants to avoid going to jail.

Van Gogh wants to preserve a friendship.

♪

WILDMAN: Today, Van Gogh’s "Self‐Portrait with Bandaged Ear,"

painted in 1889 while he was recovering from the injury,

is on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

It recalls the brilliant painter

whose most infamous act remains shrouded in mystery.

♪

A wool cap worn by a college freshman in the early 1900s,

a box containing bark from an elm tree

planted by Theodore Roosevelt in 1907,

and film cannisters with color footage

of the 1956 Rose Bowl football game

can all be found

at the Michigan State University Archives

and Historical Collections.

Located in East Lansing,

this institution traces more than 150 years

of the esteemed school’s history.

♪

But among these campus treasures is a mysterious dossier.

MAROD: The pages are about 8 1/2 inches wide

by about a foot tall.

Some have handwritten notations.

The outside cover is red with a purple geometric pattern.

♪

WILDMAN: These pages recall a tantalizing tale

of teenage romance

and a curious contagion not seen since the Salem witch trials.

This is the story of a crazy epidemic

that shook an entire community.

♪

WILDMAN: It’s February 1939 in Bellevue, Louisiana.

Students at the local high school are preparing

for one of the most anticipated events of the year ‐‐

the spring carnival dance.

MAROD: Everyone in this high school was thinking about, talking about,

planning for the spring carnival ball.

WILDMAN: A few days before the big event, the kids are decorating the gym

when a senior girl named Helen

suddenly begins acting strangely.

Her right leg begins mysteriously twitching.

It seemed like a muscle spasm, but it becomes persistent.

WILDMAN: Within minutes, Helen can barely walk,

and she has to be taken home.

♪

Over the next several days,

her mysterious illness becomes a hot topic around school.

All of these curious students were wondering

what was going on with Helen’s twitch.

WILDMAN: Then, another student comes down with the same symptoms.

MAROD: One of Helen’s friends, Milly,

also started spasming uncontrollably.

A day later, a third girl caught the twitches.

And then a fourth girl who was twitching so violently

that her friends actually had to hold her down to the ground.

WILDMAN: After a fifth girl is stricken with uncontrollable fits,

school officials summon a team of doctors.

♪

They screen the girls for neurological illnesses,

head trauma, and even polio.

But the tests all come up negative.

There was no evidence of anything wrong.

♪

WILDMAN: As more and more girls are stricken

with the strange seizures,

the high school descends into chaos.

MAROD: It seemed like the twitches were contagious,

and no one knew the cause.

♪

WILDMAN: As the high school epidemic reaches a fever pitch,

2 sociologists from Louisiana State University,

Edgar Schuler and Vernon Parenton,

take up the case.

MAROD: Edgar Schuler and Vernon Parenton

were 2 young academics

who were really looking to make their mark

with cutting‐edge research.

WILDMAN: Schuler and Parenton believe

the cause of the spasms isn’t physical.

The teenage twitching epidemic seems to recall

another infamous event in early American history ‐‐

the Salem witch trials.

In 1693 in Massachusetts,

2 young girls were suddenly stricken with convulsions

and began speaking in tongues.

The symptoms spread quickly to other young women.

And superstitious villagers suspected

the mysterious malady was the work of the devil.

Eventually, hundreds of people were accused of witchcraft,

and 20 women were sentenced to die on the gallows.

So could there be a link between

the so‐called Salem witches and these teenage twitchers?

♪

♪

WILDMAN: It’s February 1939 in Louisiana.

A group of girls at a small‐town high school

has been inexplicably stricken with violent spasms.

Their symptoms match accounts

from a notorious episode in America’s past ‐‐

the Salem witch trials.

Investigators start by interviewing patient zero ‐‐

Helen.

Instead of inquiring about her medical history,

they ask about her social life.

The girl tells them that just days before getting the shakes,

she experienced a devastating moment of teenage trauma.

To prepare for the spring carnival,

she was practicing the jitterbug with her boyfriend, Maurice,

when he suddenly became frustrated with her 2 left feet.

Helen was not skilled in dancing.

WILDMAN: It was then that Maurice dumped Helen for another girl,

who could really cut the rug.

MAROD: His attentions had started to shift

from her to a younger freshman named Gretchen,

who was a star tap dancer.

♪

WILDMAN: A few days later, Helen’s leg began to twitch.

And with that information,

sociologists Schuler and Parenton

have the curious case figured out.

Helen’s twitching was caused by anxiety

over having been ditched by her boyfriend.

And it spread to her friends via subconscious suggestion.

♪

It’s a psychological phenomenon called mass hysteria ‐‐

the same syndrome that many blame

for the Salem witch trials.

MAROD: Since the beginning of human history,

groups have responded to threats,

whether real or imaginary,

in all sorts of different, crazy ways.

♪

WILDMAN: But unlike the events in Salem,

the epidemic in Bellevue concludes peacefully.

The twitches went away, and life in the high school continued on.

This became one of the most important studies

of mass hysteria in recent history.

♪

WILDMAN: Today, the researchers’ original study

is part of the Michigan State University Archives

and Historical Collections in East Lansing.

It’s a reminder of the weird epidemic

that gave new meaning to the word "jitterbug."

♪