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The Mad Gasser of Mattoon: Illinois’ Strangest Unsolved Mystery
Episode 7
Published 10 months ago
Description
In the late summer of 1944, a quiet Illinois town was suddenly thrown into fear.Residents woke up paralyzed in their beds.A sweet, chemical smell drifted through open windows.And sightings of a shadowy figure sparked a panic that swept through Mattoon for nearly two weeks.Was someone really creeping through neighborhoods with a homemade gas sprayer?A factory chemist?A disguised prowler?A local eccentric?Or did the town accidentally create a phantom out of fear, wartime anxiety, and a few strange coincidences?In this episode, we dive into the real eyewitness accounts, the suspects the town whispered about, and how the Mad Gasser of Mattoon became one of the strangest unsolved mysteries in Midwestern history.
⸻About the showKat Has Questions is a curiosity-driven podcast about real stories that sound unreal — from unsolved crimes and strange history to the quietly weird corners of human behavior.
New episodes every week.⸻Sources & Further Reading- “Mad Gasser of Mattoon” — Wikipedia: overview of events, timeline, and common theories
- Belt Magazine: “Looking Back at the Mad Gasser of Mattoon — A Case of Mass Hysteria”
- Atlas Obscura: “Airing Out the Mystery of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon”
- University of Illinois Library: Historical summary and WW2-era context
- Eastern Illinois University (EIU) Archives: Newspaper clippings, victim list, and contemporary reporting
- Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology (1945): Early academic analysis identifying mass hysteria patterns
- Historian blogs and Illinois folklore sites discussing the Kearney incident, suspects, and local oral history
🎵 Music: “Scrunchy” by Night DriftLicensed by UppbeatLicense code: CAHWZR9T33BFXDNY⸻Contact📩 kathasquestionspod@gmail.comInstagram: @KatHasQuestions
Support the ShowIf you’re enjoying Kat Has Questions, follow the podcast, leave a review, or send in a weird historical mystery you want me to dig into next.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/kat-has-questions-true-crime-and-unsolved-mysteries--7346258/support.
⸻
About the Show
Kat Has Questions is a curiosity-driven podcast about real stories that sound unreal — from unsolved crimes and strange history to the quietly weird corners of human behavior.
New episodes every week.
⸻
Support the Show
Follow the podcast, leave a review, or send in a weird historical mystery you want me to dig into next.
Want to support Kat Has Questions and listen ad-free? Join the Supporters Club for $2.99/month.
⸻
Contact
📩 kathasquestionspod@gmail.com
Instagram: @KatHasQuestions
kathasquestions.com
⸻
🎵 Music: “Scrunchy” by Night Drift
Licensed by Uppbeat
License code: CAHWZR9T33BFXDNY
⸻About the showKat Has Questions is a curiosity-driven podcast about real stories that sound unreal — from unsolved crimes and strange history to the quietly weird corners of human behavior.
New episodes every week.⸻Sources & Further Reading- “Mad Gasser of Mattoon” — Wikipedia: overview of events, timeline, and common theories
- Belt Magazine: “Looking Back at the Mad Gasser of Mattoon — A Case of Mass Hysteria”
- Atlas Obscura: “Airing Out the Mystery of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon”
- University of Illinois Library: Historical summary and WW2-era context
- Eastern Illinois University (EIU) Archives: Newspaper clippings, victim list, and contemporary reporting
- Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology (1945): Early academic analysis identifying mass hysteria patterns
- Historian blogs and Illinois folklore sites discussing the Kearney incident, suspects, and local oral history
🎵 Music: “Scrunchy” by Night DriftLicensed by UppbeatLicense code: CAHWZR9T33BFXDNY⸻Contact📩 kathasquestionspod@gmail.comInstagram: @KatHasQuestions
Support the ShowIf you’re enjoying Kat Has Questions, follow the podcast, leave a review, or send in a weird historical mystery you want me to dig into next.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/kat-has-questions-true-crime-and-unsolved-mysteries--7346258/support.
⸻
About the Show
Kat Has Questions is a curiosity-driven podcast about real stories that sound unreal — from unsolved crimes and strange history to the quietly weird corners of human behavior.
New episodes every week.
⸻
Support the Show
Follow the podcast, leave a review, or send in a weird historical mystery you want me to dig into next.
Want to support Kat Has Questions and listen ad-free? Join the Supporters Club for $2.99/month.
⸻
Contact
📩 kathasquestionspod@gmail.com
Instagram: @KatHasQuestions
kathasquestions.com
⸻
🎵 Music: “Scrunchy” by Night Drift
Licensed by Uppbeat
License code: CAHWZR9T33BFXDNY