Summary
This episode delves into the dark history of the Ouija board, exploring its origins, the spiritual movement that popularized it, and the infamous Fox Sisters. It discusses the board's rise to fame, the eerie predictions and murders associated with its use, and the demon Zozo that is said to haunt it. The conversation also touches on skepticism regarding the board's effectiveness and the scientific explanations behind its operation, culminating in the cultural impact of the film 'The Exorcist' and the subsequent fear surrounding Ouija boards.
SourcesSmithsonian Magazine – History of the Ouija Board
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-strange-and-mysterious-history-of-the-ouija-board-5860627/
Library of Congress – Spiritualism in America (19th century origins)
https://www.loc.gov/collections/spiritualist-pamphlets/articles-and-essays/spiritualism/
American Psychological Association – Ideomotor Effect explanation
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/03/ideomotor
Britannica – Ouija Board overview and history
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ouija-board
Museum of Talking Boards (historical archive of spirit boards)
https://www.museumoftalkingboards.com/
The Atlantic – The Cultural History of the Ouija Board
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/10/the-ouija-board-and-the-science-of-the-ideomotor-effect/280930/
History.com Editors – Spiritualism Movement in America
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/spiritualism
Scientific American – Why Ouija Boards Seem to Work
Brandon R. Schrand, Spirits of the Past: Ouija Boards and the Rise of American Spiritualism
Jeffrey Sconce, Haunted Media: Electronic Presence from Telegraphy to Television
Mitch Horowitz, Occult America
Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World (ideomotor + psychology angle)
