Melanie Dellas Blog | Strange Histories

Powerful Women in History

In honor of Women’s History Month, I'd like to focus on some of my favorite historical women and what made them great.

From Sweaty Cakes to Lizard Necks: Love Potions

Love is a many splendid thing, but what do you do when the one you love doesn’t love you back? Flowers? Poetry? Obsessive social media...

Christmas Monsters: Krampus and His Cranky Cousins

Many of us know about St. Nicholas (a.k.a., Santa Claus) and his cranky counterpart, Krampus, but did you know that Santa has several...

The Unusual History of Beer

(The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book on unusual histories, based on my podcast, Muse Stories: The Unusual History of Every...

Conductors of the Paranormal

For many people in the world, the belief in paranormal activity is a very normal thing. From hauntings to possessions and everything in...

The History Behind St. Valentine's Day

Sacrifices, whips and blood ... oh my! Everyone knows Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the United States on February 14 with candy, cards...

The Texas Chupacabra

A coyote with mange, or something more? Join me as I look at the what ifs of one of Texas' most famous historical creatures. The United...

Weirdly Wonderful: Strange & Unusual History