Charlie Smith claimed to be 137 years old, a former enslaved man from Liberia, a Civil War vet, and the oldest man in America. For a time, people believed him. But after his death in Bartow, Florida, the records told a different story.

In this Strange Files episode, we look at the strange, charming, and very human tale of Charlie Smith, and why stories of impossible age become folklore, even when the truth catches up.

Before flying saucers became part of modern thought, people were already reporting strange lights, impossible machines, and unexplained objects in the sky. From the 1561 Nuremberg phenomenon to the 1896 mystery airship wave and the Aurora UFO crash, these are five strange cases that helped shape the myths and lore surrounding alien visitors.

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Theme Music by Matt Glass

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Hosted by Michael May

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©2026 Convergent Content, LLC

Filmmaker Adam Stilwell shares his experience seeing the Marfa Lights, and his attempt to find their source while accidentally driving to Mexico. His experience raises the same question that has kept this mystery alive for generations: what are people really seeing outside Marfa?

For decades, people have reported strange lights appearing in the desert outside Marfa, Texas. Known as the Marfa Lights, Marfa Mystery Lights, or Marfa Ghost Lights, these glowing orbs have been seen near Mitchell Flat and Paisano Pass, where they seem to hover, drift, split apart, or vanish in the darkness. Many sightings may be connected to distant headlights, atmospheric effects, and the strange visual conditions of the West Texas desert. But the story is not quite that simple.

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Theme Music by Matt Glass

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Hosted by Michael May

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©2026 Convergent Content, LLC

Re-Release of a classic episode.

In 1901, one of Canada’s most wealthy and powerful families found themselves players in a real murder mystery. Ada Redpath and her son, Jocelyn Clifford Redpath, were found shot to death in their home. The murder weapon (or weapons) were found near the bodies, and it was concluded to be a murder-suicide. Why then is this a mystery? Police never investigated, the bodies were hastily buried, and the Redpath family never spoke of that night. It’s a story filled with secrets and, maybe, lies.

With special guest, filmmaker Jesse Ikeman from the Business of Film Podcast!

Theme Music by Matt Glass https://www.glassbrain.com/

Instagram: @astudyofstrange Website: www.astudyofstrange.com

Hosted by Michael May

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©2026 Convergent Content, LLC -----

Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvdCKGN3pZ0 https://mcgillnews.mcgill.ca/s/1762/news/interior.aspx?sid=1762&gid=2&pgid=1224#:~:text=In%20the%20Redpath%20manor%2C%20servants,He%20perished%20hours%20later. https://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/redpath/interpretations/indexen.html https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maison_Redpath https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/mcr/article/view/18717/20459 https://www.mysteryquests.ca/quests/31/indexen.html https://www.amazon.com/Redpath-History-Sugar-House-v/dp/0920474675 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-redpath-canadian-bakebook-redpath-sugar-ltd/1125315060 https://medium.com/unsolved-canadian/was-there-a-murder-at-the-redpath-manor-84d7223ddc60 https://www.jhmoncrieff.com/r-is-for-redpath-mansion-murders/ https://www.frsthand.com/story/the-redpath-mansion-mystery https://dailyunsolvedmysteries.tumblr.com/ https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/the-other-redpath-mansion-mystery https://www.google.com/maps/place/1065+R.+Sherbrooke+E,+Montr%C3%A9al,+QC+H2L+1L5,+Canada/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4cc91bb64216fb15:0xc38a048146b94303?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbnMvl7fn8AhUKOkQIHQ1vBVEQ8gF6BAgSEAI

In 1922, on a farm in the Bavarian countryside, six people were killed in one of the most strange unsolved murders in history. Whoever the killer was, he might have been hiding inside the house for a day or more before the attack. Afterwards, he might have stayed. And while there are many terrifying aspects of this case, one that can be overlooked is the family’s personal turmoil that continues to fuel rumors and theories.

Send us your true scary stories and be featured on the podcast! Email astudyofstrange@gmail.com

Theme Music by Matt Glass

Instagram: @astudyofstrange

Hosted by Michael May

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©2026 Convergent Content, LLC

LINKS!

https://www.hinterkaifeck.net/

In 1987, an elderly couple in Atlanta called police after finding weird red droplets in multiple rooms of their home. The substance appeared on the floors, low on the walls, and under furniture in the basement. Lab tests confirmed the strangest detail: it was human blood, and it did not match either person living in the house.

This episode of A Study of Strange investigates the infamous Atlanta “Blood House” case, separating verified facts from urban legend. Nearly forty years later, the mystery of 1114 Fountain Drive remains one of Georgia’s strangest unsolved stories.

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Theme Music by Matt Glass

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Hosted by Michael May

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©2026 Convergent Content, LLC

A woman washes ashore in a mysterious hollow ship, carrying a box no one is allowed to open. A Spanish soldier instantaneously transports to Mexico City from Manila. And a Missouri inventor claims he built a time machine, then vanishes.

In this episode of A Study of Strange, we investigate three eerie tales of alleged time travel, teleportation, or treks across dimensions. Are these stories evidence of people slipping through time and space, or folklore shaped by fear, rumor, technology, and the human need to explain the impossible?

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Theme Music by Matt Glass

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Hosted by Michael May

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©2026 Convergent Content, LLC

The death of Gareth Williams in 2010 has become one of the most unusual and cryptic mysteries after his nude body was discovered padlocked inside a duffel bag. Williams was a "codebreaker" who worked for MI6. A lot of theories are still debated, including an accident during a sexual activity, or an elaborate hit carried out by foreign spies. Will we ever learn the truth behind this bizarre, unsolved death?

Send us your true scary stories and be featured on the podcast! Email astudyofstrange@gmail.com

Theme Music by Matt Glass

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Hosted by Michael May

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©2026 Convergent Content, LLC