Andrew Ure: The 1818 Scientist Who Tried to Reanimate a Hanged Murderer | The Real Frankenstein

Back in 1818, the same year *Frankenstein* hit the shelves, a Scottish professor named Andrew Ure decided to see if electricity could actually bring a dead body back to life—so he hooked up a freshly executed murderer to a current and watched in fascination as the corpse twitched, "breathed," and even made terrifying expressions that sent witnesses into a panic.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources and full transcript): https://weirddarkness.com/AndrewUreREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/58czndx7FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: In 1800s numerous scientists were trying to find the reason for life in the hopes of staving off death or even bringing the recently dead back to life. But in 1818 one scientist named Andrew Ure attempted to do even more – to bring the brain of dead human back into the living. And ironically, his experiments took place the very same year the novel “Frankenstein” was published. (The Real-Life Dr. Frankenstein) *** They say the family that plays together stays together… but does that also mean that the family that crimes together does time together? We’ll look at a few true cases of parents committing crimes – and getting help from their children in doing so. (The Family That Preys Together) *** A hunter comes across a wild man in the woods… but what he hears from the humanoid doesn’t sound like a man at all. (The Man I Saw Through My Night Vision Scope) *** What would you do if you showed up to work one morning and your employer asked you to help dispose of a dead body? Don’t be so quick to say that would never happen. That’s just one part of the story of one of the most notorious crimes of 19th century America – the murder of John Parkman. (Dr. Coolidge Settles a Debt) *** Skipping church to go fishing might get you more than just a guilty conscience – especially if you believe the strange story of the Lambton Worm. (The Legend of the Lambton Worm)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Excerpt from Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”00:00:49.707 = Show Open00:03:06.456 = The Real-Life Dr. Frankenstein00:11:54.238 = The Family That Preys Together ***00:31:59.759 = The Man I Saw Through My Night-Vision Scope ***00:40:02.958 = Dr. Coolidge Settles a Debt00:50:44.058 = Legend of the Lambton Worm ***00:59:16.928 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“The Family That Preys Together” by Chrys for ListVerse: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2sv76asj“The Real-Life Dr. Frankenstein” by Rachel Souerbry for Weird History: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4pevzd6e“Dr. Coolidge Settles a Debt” from Strange Company: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/7tpj8wmv“The Man I Saw Through My Night Vision Scope” from PerpetualConnection: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4e6nrd3h“The Legend of the Lambton Worm” by Brent Swancer for Mysterious Universe: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/52t8cfnc(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: November 09, 2021