So weird they should be shows on History Channel
Conspiracy theories, bat-shit level shenanigans, and bizarre situations abound. Definitely give me your unhinged recs.
created by kathytrithardt
last updated May, 2026
Comments
What else deserves a place on this list?
Would The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris potentially be a good fit? It's about nineteenth-century surgery where surgery was considered almost entertainment. The goal was to be fast and showy... Which meant sometimes more than just the patient died during the surgery! (I got to see Lindsey Fitzharris give a talk a few years back and she is FANTASTIC!)
Oh my goodness, that is wild! Adding now, thanks for the rec!
Richard Preston has a few works that I think would fit here! My personal favorite is The Hot Zone (about ebola); that one is nonfiction but he has some fiction pieces as well (based in science).
Sounds fascinating! Thanks for the rec; added!
I have more (from my past an as archaeologist where we read these for fun) but a lot were not published in languages other than Hungarian. Otherwise I'd interest you in "Hungarians built the pyramids", "Hungarians founded Atlantis", "Jesus was a Hungarian prince" and "Ancient Greek is actually a bastardized version of Hungarian." :D :D
Bwahahahaa these all sound amazing!
Ooh! OOh! Do Invented Middle Ages by Heribert Illig! :D
I found something similar by a different author!
His "theory" fits this perfectly, but I can't see what it was ever published in English?
Now this looks fun
Right?! Got anything to add?
I don’t know how it might fit, but The Ice Pick Surgeon by Sam Kean is a non-fiction collection of some of the wildest “scientific” experiments performed across history.
Absolutely fits! I've read a little about this medical history, but definitely haven't read enough. Adding!
Ah I feel so special x
Check out Chad Lewis and Kevin Lee Nelson for a bunch of books on American weirdness...
Added a couple; thanks for the intro!
