Welcome to What The Heck season 4! This podcast explores unexplained phenomena using stories gathered from various sources, then applies an academic research method to find theories and solutions for each one. So far, we've been unsuccessful in finding any concrete answers, but a few of the stories we've covered have been solved. Today, we're looking at the Mad Gasser of Mattoon. In 1944, over the course of just over 2 weeks, the people of Mattoon, Illinois were attacked by a man who filled their houses with paralyzing gas. The police had to involve the FBI, but neither managed to catch the culprit. The police eventually said it was hysteria, but people disagreed with that decision. Who was attacked? Why were the police so intent on saying it wasn't real? What do people think happened instead? Listen in to find out!

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References for the episode:

Klickna, Cinda Ackerman. “The Case of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon | Illinois Times.” Illinois Times, Illinois Times, 1 May 2003, https://www.illinoistimes.com/arts-culture/the-case-of-the-mad-gasser-of-mattoon-11450083. 

“THE MAD GASSER OF MATTOON — American Hauntings.” American Hauntings, https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/madgasser. Accessed 10 June 2025. 

“The Mad Gasser of Mattoon – History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library – U of I Library.” University Library, University of Illinois, https://www.library.illinois.edu/hpnl/blog/the-mad-gasser-of-mattoon/. Accessed 10 June 2025. 

You can email Glen at whattheheckpod3@gmail.com with any of your spooky stories, unexplained events, mysteries that you want him to look at, or anything you'd like him to correct or address. Thanks for listening, and if you enjoy the podcast and think you know others who will like it, share it with them!

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