Unusual true stories from forgotten corners of the past

Singular Discoveries is my free email newsletter featuring brand-new stories, personal recommendations, and extras from my notebooks. It's published about once a month. Sign up here:

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LATEST

The Bog Body Murder A 2,000-year-old discovery unlocks a cold-case confession; PLUS leaving Substack, RIP Paul Brown, digital warnings 3 September, 2026

The Tombstone Pterodactyl Encounters with a flying lizard: PLUS Christmas conundrum solved... 8 December, 2022Thirty-Two Days Adrift A fight for survival in shark-infested waters; PLUS palaeontology and plane crash. 11 May, 2023The Titanic Rescue The unsung heroes who saved 700 souls; PLUS Old Egyptian Pyramid and New English Journey. 13 July, 2023Crushed by a Steam Roller An epidemic of grisly flattenings; PLUS Putin's kill list and a great-grandmother's guide to murder 9 October, 2025

2026The Bog Body Murder A 2,000-year-old discovery unlocks a cold-case confession; PLUS leaving Substack, RIP Paul Brown, digital warnings 3 September, 2026Note: Most posts prior to July 2026 are hosted on Substack.World Cup Willies A bumper World Cup summer special featuring ghostly grounds, forgotten champions, missing trophies and more... 18 June, 2026The Detective Who Investigated Shakespeare's Grave Robbery A Scotland Yard spycatcher investigates Shakespeare's skull theft AND the Whitechapel Murders...; PLUS Frank Chambers revealed! 21 May, 2026The Woman Who Haunted Shakespeare's Grave Why has there never been a movie about Delia Bacon? A Shakespeare's Skull thread-pull... 7 May, 2026The Man Who Stole Shakespeare's Skull Was the Bard's skull really stolen from its cursed grave?; PLUS London Falling, The New Mafia, The Umbrella Man, John & Paul 23 April, 2026Music and the Microbe Cloudbuster uses organ to kill bacteria; PLUS Umbrella murder, Escape from Ponar, Beatles book, Substack Nazis 12 February, 2026Countess as Dope Fiend Morphine murder mystery leads to Great War thread-pull; PLUS: Black Dahlia / Zodiac claim and AI update 22 January, 2026

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2024Lord of the Cave A family of Brits in a Connecticut Yankee cave; PLUS 2024 round-up 12 December, 2024The Belle of Shepton The Vanishing Bank Manager part 4; PLUS virtual research assistant verdict, podcast, and book offer 5 December, 2024The Cedar Box The Vanishing Bank Manager part 3; PLUS Troubles on TV, and Hollywood's most bankable writer 28 November, 2024The Mysterious Miss Vining The Vanishing Bank Manager part 2; PLUS dark web kill list, and a haunted museum 21 November, 2024The Vanishing Bank Manager The mysterious disappearance of William Lidderdale; PLUS Lord Lucan, and a shipwreck hunter 14 November, 2024The Great British UFO Hoax Read my latest extraordinary true story; PLUS Testing Waymo's driverless cars; and podcast award news 17 October, 2024Edinburgh Ex-Footballer Shipwrecked Yet another George Wilson: How a Scottish sportsman and famous newspaperman survived a disaster at sea 12 September, 2024The Many George Wilsons Bonus summer special read: Is the name “George Wilson” following me? 8 August, 2024Twelve Boys Rout Fascist A sand battle on a Weymouth beach; PLUS How I made the Singular Discoveries podcast; and the Summer of George 1 August, 2024Forgotten on Death Row The haunting tale of Charles Douthitt's endless wait for execution; PLUS new IP picks 11 July, 2024Fooling With a Whirlwind Man loses hat, shirt, in tornado encounter; PLUS cheese related murder plot 13 June, 2024Is There a Man in the Moon? Intelligent aliens hold up a mirror to the Earth; PLUS whale book, lollipop man, Erik Larson extract 9 May, 2024The Snowdrop: Bonus Content More on the remarkable story of the Scottish whaler that was lost in the Arctic 18 April, 2024The Snowdrop: Lost in the Arctic When his ship is wrecked in frozen seas, a young Scottish whaler sets off on an epic quest to find help 11 April, 2024Tyne Bridge Paperback The paperback edition of my book The Tyne Bridge is out today; PLUS the epic story of the Brooklyn Bridge 21 March, 2024Chasing a Monkey A primate pursuit leads to a purveyor of exotic pets; PLUS Everest disaster, Into The Wild bus, Space Shuttle disaster and Moonwalkers 14 March, 2024Awful Murder in Seattle "One of the most unusual and fiendish crimes ever committed"; PLUS problematic pilgrim, Pablo podcast, publishing programme 8 February, 2024A Tomb of Giants Do ancient bones prove the existence of humongous humans? PLUS whale of a romance, poltergeists, podcasts 18 January, 2024

2023A Christmas Singular Discovery Boy finds festive fortune in foraged firewood; PLUS books and other stuff of the year 14 December, 2023Queen Victoria's Giraffe Earth's tallest animal on a "veritable voyage of death"; PLUS special guest Daniel Gray on fish and chips 9 November, 2023The Ghost of Mecklenburgh Street A 200-year-old haunted house; PLUS special guest Danny Robins goes Into the Uncanny; ALSO new podcast teaser! 12 October, 2023Singular Discoveries: The Podcast An audio series telling unusual stories from forgotten corners of the past. 26 September, 2023Two Starlings on a Chimney Pot A startling tale of hidden treasure; PLUS special guest Oliver Franklin-Wallis on the dirty truth about our waste; ALSO paywalls, blockbusters, and a… 7 September, 2023A Child at the Bottom of a Well Rescue and recriminations in Oxfordshire; PLUS Atomic Power and Auschwitz Escape. 3 August, 2023The Titanic Rescue The unsung heroes who saved 700 souls; PLUS Old Egyptian Pyramid and New English Journey 13 July, 2023Singular Discovery of Spanish Coins Needy villagers find buried treasure; PLUS Mr Inbetween, Criminal, The Wager 22 June, 2023Thirty-Two Days Adrift A fight for survival in shark-infested waters; PLUS palaeontology and plane crash 11 May, 2023The Dog and the Dinosaur: Deleted Scenes Extra good stuff from the brontosaurus hunt story; PLUS The Beatles at Stowe and the Klondike Gold Rush 20 April, 2023The Dog and the Dinosaur The true story of the great brontosaurus hunt; PLUS Charlton brothers, lost brothers, new David Grann 11 April, 2023The Man Who Rode the Bear A fleeing murderer and a furious grizzly; PLUS WWI trenches, WWII landing craft, and America's first serial killer 23 February, 2023Death of an Angel A new true crime blockbuster; PLUS IP Picks (plus "what the heck is IP?") 19 January, 2023Messages from the Sea A note in a floating coffee tin tells a sad tale; PLUS 2023 preview: true crime, dinosaurs, grizzlies, whales... 5 January, 2023

PODCAST

The Singular Discoveries Podcast is a narrative history series telling unusual stories from forgotten corners of the past. Just like the newsletter, except it's made for your ears instead of your eyes.The 2023/24 series has eight episodes telling six different stories (two of the stories are two-parters). I tried to make it more than just read-aloud versions of the written stories — there’s a host, guest voices, music, sound effects, even some immersive spatial audio. There’s also a bonus "behind-the-scenes" episode. I hope you'll enjoy it. You can listen to the podcast on Soundcloud.NOTE: This podcast features AI-generated voices alongside human voices. [I no longer use generative AI in any of my work.] Read "How I made the Singular Discoveries podcast" for more.

episodes

ABOUT SINGULAR DISCOVERIES

Welcome to Singular Discoveries. I'm Paul Brown. I write about unusual true stories from forgotten corners of the past. In this newsletter, I share interesting stories and engaging recommendations, highlight my latest published work, and reveal bonus content from my notebooks.The Singular Discoveries newsletter is published about once a month, or whenever I've got something interesting to share. Subscribe to get each edition delivered straight to your email inbox. It's completely free. You can see previous editions in the archive.

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Unusual true stories from forgotten corners of the past.

A Newsletter by PAUL BROWN

My free email newsletter features brand-new stories, personal recommendations, and extras from my notebooks. It's published about once a month, or whenever I've got something interesting to share. Enter your email to subscribe.