River of Stink, Well of Hell

Freak Family Favorite (2022): The Great Stink of London and Yemen’s Mysterious Well of Hell

What happens when an entire city becomes so overwhelmed by human waste that the smell actually forces Parliament to take action? And what lies at the bottom of a mysterious desert sinkhole rumored to imprison evil spirits?

In this Freak Family Favorite from 2022, Kat and Jethro revisit two wonderfully strange stories from the archives of The Box of Oddities.

First, the Great Stink of 1858, when London's River Thames became a foul mixture of sewage, animal carcasses, and industrial waste. The stench was so unbearable that it helped inspire one of the most ambitious engineering projects of the Victorian era.

Then, deep in the desert of Yemen, a massive sinkhole known as the Well of Hell has terrified locals for centuries. Legends tell of imprisoned djinn, mysterious screams, and supernatural forces lurking beneath the earth. But when explorers finally descended into its depths in 2021, they discovered something extraordinary.

Ancient superstitions, bizarre history, hidden ecosystems, and a surprising amount of discussion about poop. All fueled by beer, donuts, and an ill-advised quantity of ice cream.

It's a Freak Family Favorite from 2022, on The Box of Oddities.

Keep flying that freak flag!

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