Spontaneous Human Combustion: Real Phenomenon, Unsolved Mystery, or Space Lasers?
The Darkives: Serious history. Told not so seriously

Spontaneous Human Combustion: Real Phenomenon, Unsolved Mystery, or Space Lasers?

Jul 24, 2026
30:39
E53
-(0)

About this episode

support the show https://patreon.com This week Jamie and Leo dig into spontaneous human combustion. We go over the the cases, the wick effect theory that might explain it, and question... how does a human body burn to ash while the chair next to them survives? For centuries people have been found burned beyond recognition in rooms that barely show a scorch mark. No accelerant. No external ignition source. No good explanation. Coroners have listed it as an official cause of death. Scientists have spent decades arguing about whether it's real. Starting with a knight in the 17th century, then to Mary Reeser, who was found reduced almost entirely to ashes in her St. Petersburg, Florida apartment in 1951 (with only her left foot remaining- still in its slipper), and finishing with Michael Faherty, whose 2010 death in Galway, Ireland became the first case in the history of that country officially ruled as spontaneous combustion by a coroner. The cases are bizarre, the evidence is strange, and even Jamie isn't sure what to believe. Also... Somewhere in here we go completely off the rails on the existence of aliens. Amaze! Amaze! Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Leave a rating and a comment or share us to a friend. Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Theme music: Ways of the Wizard- geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through : Pixabay

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full
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