Whether it is happening more often or social media is simply making it more visible, stories keep appearing from people who say reality suddenly opened up.

They describe waking up, seeing beyond the illusion or gaining access to something hidden beneath ordinary life.

Some call it a spiritual awakening.

The Tanganyika laughter epidemic sounds impossible: in 1962, three schoolgirls in Kashasha began laughing uncontrollably—and then it spread.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

Original 1963 medical report:
https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA00089176_6171

PubMed record:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13973013/

Harvard University research archive:
https://dash.harvard.edu/entities/publication/73120378-c9c1-6bd4-e053-0100007fdf3b

#TanganyikaLaughterEpidemic #Tanzania #StrangeHistory #MassPsychogenicIllness #UnexplainedPhenomena

This documentary explores the Lake Nyos disaster, one of the deadliest and strangest natural disasters in modern history. Discover how volcanic carbon dioxide accumulated beneath the crater lake, what may have triggered the rare limnic eruption, why the gas remained close to the ground and how entire communities were overwhelmed before they understood what was happening.

What happened to the thalidomide babies—and how did a medication prescribed for morning sickness cause one of the most devastating pharmaceutical disasters in modern history?

This medical-history documentary investigates the thalidomide tragedy, the thousands of babies born with severe congenital disabilities, and the survivors who are still living with its consequences today.

This video explores:

• How thalidomide acquired its reputation for safety

• Why it was prescribed to pregnant women

• What happened to the babies exposed during pregnancy

• How doctors connected thalidomide to the birth defects

• Why the medication reached thousands of Americans despite never receiving full FDA approval

• How Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey resisted pressure to approve Kevadon in the United States

• How the tragedy transformed drug testing, informed consent and pharmaceutical regulation

• What happened to the people once called “thalidomide babies” as they grew into adulthood

More than 10,000 affected babies are estimated to have been born worldwide, although the true number may never be known. Many died before or shortly after birth. Those who survived are now older adults, and many continue living with the lifelong physical and emotional consequences of thalidomide exposure.

The expression “thalidomide babies” can make this sound like a tragedy frozen in the past. It is important to remember that these babies grew up. They became children, adults, parents, professionals and advocates—and their story is still unfolding.

Subscribe to Freaks Audiobooks for more strange rabbit holes, forgotten history, unexplained phenomena, medical scandals and true stories that reveal how quickly something presented as safe can change thousands of lives.

RESEARCH AND FACT-CHECKING SOURCES