{"podcast":{"title":"American Hysteria","slug":"american-hysteria-830600","podcast_index_feed_id":830600,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/WIZD3928139307","website_url":"http://www.americanhysteria.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/dd283f36-bc4d-11ec-ba9c-4b3957402114/image/54d8b146fe8a810cecc27923d5b482ab.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"W!ZARD Studios","episode_count":305,"summary":"American Hysteria explores how fantastical thinking has shaped our culture – moral panics, urban legends, hoaxes, crazes, fringe beliefs, and national misunderstandings. Poet-turned-podcaster Chelsey Weber-Smith tells the strangest stories from American history and examines the forces that create the reality we share, and sometimes, the reality we don't.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-08T16:18:02.851094+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-hysteria-830600"},"episode":{"title":"Hysteria Home Companion: The Berners Street Hoax","slug":"hysteria-home-companion-the-berners-street-hoax","published_at":"2026-04-06T07:01:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-hysteria-830600/hysteria-home-companion-the-berners-street-hoax","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-hysteria-830600","url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIL8853983563.mp3?updated=1775446119","audio_url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIL8853983563.mp3?updated=1775446119","summary":"This is a Subscribers-Only episode from 2024 in which I tell our producer Miranda about a wild April Fools Day prank that took place in 19th century London involving hundreds of people from bakers and undertakers to bankers and politicians. If you like what you hear go to patreon.com/americanhysteria or subscribe on Apple+, we have a huge back catalogue with lots more stories like this one. Produced by Miranda Zickler Additional editing by Kaylee Jasperson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"This is a Subscribers-Only episode from 2024 in which I tell our producer Miranda about a wild April Fools Day prank that took place in 19th century Londo…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2654,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/american-hysteria-830600/episodes/hysteria-home-companion-the-berners-street-hoax/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-hysteria-830600/hysteria-home-companion-the-berners-street-hoax.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}