Stuff You Should Know

Selects: How Spiritualism Works

March 7, 2026·1h 1m·3-min readconversationalculture
Podzilla Summary (3 min)
TLDR
This episode of Stuff You Should Know dives into the history of the spiritualist movement, which exploded in mid-19th century America after the Fox Sisters claimed to communicate with spirits through mysterious rapping sounds. What began as a teenage hoax spiraled into a widespread cult

Sign up to read the full summary

Free AI-powered recaps of every episode, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Fox SistersDan AykroydSir Arthur Conan DoyleHarry HoudiniAndrew Jackson DavisJoyce Carol Oates

Books

Revelations of a Spirit Mediumby Anonymous

Topics

American HistoryHistory Of SciencePop CultureTrue CrimeUs Politics

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Stuff You Should Know and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.