Episodes

  • Trailer
    Oct 12 2023

    The history of mankind is riddled with fear. Fear of terrible forces of nature and dangerous new technology. Fear of revolutionary ideologies and supposedly ominous numbers. Inventors in the 19th century patented dozens of “safety coffins” with notification devices like bells and hollow tubes, so that anyone afraid of being buried alive could rest easy. In 1999, ordinary citizens went to great lengths to guard against an apocalypse they feared would strike at midnight on the new year. Some of these fears still exist today, while others have been lost to history.

    In The History of Fear, we go on a journey through time, through the collective fears of entire eras and countries, and trace the often terrifying and strange roots of those fears all the way to where they give us goosebumps today. Written by German author Francis Nenik and narrated by actress Ellen Pompeo, this series is sure to surprise you, intrigue you, and make your heart beat just a little bit faster.

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    1 min
  • Episode 1: The Fear of Bacteria
    Oct 12 2023
    At the turn of the 20th century, kissing loses its innocence. Germs are everywhere, especially the mouth. They have always been here, but with the rise of bacteriology, people must suddenly contend with a new world full of tiny, invisible enemies.
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    57 mins
  • Episode 2: The Fear of Friday the 13th
    Oct 12 2023
    Friday the 13th is statistically a day like any other. In the eyes of many people, however, it is the unluckiest day of the year. But where does this fear come from?
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    48 mins
  • Episode 3: The Fear of Comets
    Oct 12 2023
    Comets have always fascinated people - and frightened them at the same time. Over the years, they’ve transformed from mere harbingers of disaster to the potential disasters themselves.
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    40 mins
  • Episode 4: The Fear of Being Buried Alive
    Oct 12 2023
    Around 1800, the fear of being buried alive reaches its peak. Philosophers and doctors urgently ask, how can we be sure someone is truly dead? And if they’re still alive, what if we bury them before they wake up?
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    36 mins
  • Episode 5: The Fear of the Bermuda Triangle
    Oct 12 2023
    According to legend, things are not right in the area between Florida, Puerto Rico and Bermuda. Ships and planes disappear without a trace, and rational explanations seem to fall short. What is it about the Bermuda Triangle that strikes fear into the hearts of the public?
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    43 mins
  • Episode 6: The Fear of the Year 2000
    Oct 12 2023
    No other year has awakened so many expectations and fears as the year 2000. Many of the seeds for these fears are planted in the summer of 1958, when a programmer notices a computer bug that will slowly unfold into an apocalyptic fantasy.
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    47 mins
  • Episode 7: The Fear of Witches
    Oct 12 2023
    The witch hunt reaches its peak in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. The English colonies in the Northeast of the USA also become the scene of witch trials. In Salem in 1692, almost 150 people are convicted of witchcraft and 20 executed in 9 months.
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    43 mins