Mad Gasser of Mattoon

Referenced in 1 episode

Definition

A phantom attacker reported in Mattoon, Illinois, in September 1944, blamed for spraying a sweet-smelling gas that left women nauseous and briefly paralyzed. Authorities concluded it was mass hysteria, though some theorize secret chemical testing.

Related episodes

36.07 - MU Podcast - Strange Powers of the Mind

Mysterious UniverseAug 21, 2026

Hosts Brandon Thomas and Joe Hodgdon dig into Warren Smith's 1968 book 'Strange Powers of the Mind' and its accounts of premonitions, mind reading and mental mastery. They cover a Wisconsin teen who ignored a fatal premonition, a Polish count buried alive under a baseball diamond, and a German mentalist who allegedly read a murderer's mind to find a hidden rifle. They also discuss the 1944 Mad Gasser of Mattoon panic, Kenyan witch doctors cursing soccer matches, and hypnosis used to boost athletes' performance.

FS 4