Podcast Summary: Ripley’s Believe It Or Not – “Executed Because He Was Strong”

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Series: Ripley’s Believe It Or Not – 1 Minute Episodes
Episode: “Executed Because He Was Strong”
Date: December 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This brisk, one-minute episode from the legendary "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" radio series revives a moment from colonial American history, exploring the sensational and tragic fate of Reverend George Burroughs—executed during the Salem witch trials, not merely for what he believed, but for what he could physically do. The story illustrates the superstitions and dangerous logic of the time, making real an example of truth being stranger than fiction.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Framework of “Believe It Or Not”

• The episode maintains Ripley's signature style: an authoritative narrator delivers an odd, unsettling story from history, with the tagline "Believe It or Not" emphasizing its almost-unbelievable authenticity.

The Story of Reverend George Burroughs (00:42–01:35)

• Historical Figure: Reverend George Burroughs of Wells, Maine, brought to trial during the infamous Salem witch trials in 1692.
• Charge: Witchcraft, grounded not in evidence of practicing dark arts but in his physical strength.
  • "The only evidence was the testimony of witnesses who saw the defendant insert a finger in the muzzle of a heavy musket and hold it at arm's length, a feat the court thought was impossible without the aid of sorcery." (Ripley Historian, 00:54)
• Burroughs’s Plea: He pleaded that such strength was natural and had observed it done by Native Americans, but this cultural explanation did not convince the court.
  • "The defendant pleaded in vain that he’d seen an Indian perform the same feat of strength." (Ripley Historian, 01:08)
• Outcome: Despite the lack of genuine evidence, Burroughs was convicted and hanged—executed for being strong.
  • "He was convicted and hanged, believe it or not." (Ripley Historian, 01:15)

Additional Historical Anecdote

Prior to the central story, an episode snippet features another grim “Believe It Or Not” fact about Henry VIII, St. John Fisher, and Anne Boleyn:

• Anne Boleyn, after obtaining the head of St. John Fisher, is said to have been wounded by a tooth from the severed head—a wound that would never heal. She too was later beheaded.
  • "Anne Boleyn asked for the head and she slapped it rudely. One of the teeth pierced her hand and the wound never healed. Later, she too was beheaded. The Believe it or Not." (Ripley Historian, 00:45)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [00:54] Ripley Historian:
  "The only evidence was the testimony of witnesses who saw the defendant insert a finger in the muzzle of a heavy musket and hold it at arm's length, a feat the court thought was impossible without the aid of sorcery."

• [01:08] Ripley Historian:
  "The defendant pleaded in vain that he’d seen an Indian perform the same feat of strength."

• [01:15] Ripley Historian:
  "He was convicted and hanged, believe it or not."

Episode Structure and Flow

• [00:00–00:33]: Intro, advertisements (skipped per instructions)
• [00:33–01:35]: “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” segment begins, transitions from the Henry VIII/Anne Boleyn anecdote swiftly into the story of George Burroughs and his tragic fate in Salem.
• [01:35–end]: Outro and repeated ad content (skipped per instructions)

Listener Takeaway

In line with the remarkable brevity and punch of vintage radio, this episode spotlights the hazards of misunderstanding and superstition, with a tragic historical consequence. The case of George Burroughs stands as a chilling example: a man executed "because he was strong."

Memorable theme: Even the most extraordinary truths can sometimes be fatal in the wrong context—“Believe it or not.”