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The ghosts of Halloween past have something to tell us
Plus, seven life lessons worth keeping and a very suspicious bee.
Greg Sullivan
October 30, 2026 • Est. Reading Time: 4 minutes
“Suddenly the day was gone, night came out from under each tree and spread.”
― Ray Bradbury
Happy Halloween! We've got ghosts, Martians, and some unsettling truths lurking in the shadows. Marcus Librizzi digs into the history behind a few famous hauntings, while Orson Welles reminds us that a good scary story can get wildly out of hand. There's also some genuinely useful advice from our elders, and we've tallied your votes for the perfect Halloween.
Culture
History has a way of coming back to haunt us.
It's Halloween, so naturally, we're in the mood for a good ghost story. The kind that makes you check the back seat of your car or reconsider that midnight trip to the kitchen. But what if the most frightening part of a ghost story isn't the ghost at all?
English professor Marcus Librizzi has spent years collecting ghost stories, from the rocky coast of Maine to the Amazon rainforest. He's encountered phantom ships, disembodied voices, and apparitions that would make even the most committed skeptic sleep with the lights on. But he's also noticed something peculiar: Some of the most enduring hauntings have a surprisingly solid foothold in history.
Take a Pennsylvania coal miner whose handprint supposedly refuses to disappear from his jail cell. Or a Maine woman whose ghost is said to rise from the bottom of a lake. These aren't just spooky stories to tell around a campfire. And when Librizzi starts digging into what really happened, the ghosts might be the least unsettling part.
GOOD reader Pamela Graves shared this image from Old Lyme, Connecticut, that just gave me the best Halloween-eve vibes. I imagine this exact same spot at night under a full moon is enough to give the bravest souls pause.
Do you have a GOOD picture to share?
Send us your best images, and we may feature them as the image of the day. Be sure to tell us a bit about your pic.
If you’re carrying extra pounds you just can’t seem to shake, Simple can help. You don’t need a strict diet or intense gym plan. Simple’s science-backed, habit-based approach has helped users lose 20M+ pounds without calorie counting or food restrictions. Take our personalized quiz to get started!
A Halloween weekend poll
The good Halloween candy has mysteriously disappeared. What do you know?This is a poll, not an investigation. For now. |
Yesterday’s Results
Yesterday, we asked: One last decision: How are we spending our perfect Halloween? And 45.7% chose lights off, door unanswered, and a cozy night in bed. In second place, 39.1% opted for a movie at home while handing out candy. Our perfect Halloween mostly involves staying home.
Out with the trick-or-treaters. We have a route. (9.9%)
Hosting a costume party. The decorations have taken over. (5.3%)
Home with a movie, handing out candy between scenes. (39.1%)
Lights off, door unanswered. Wishing you all well from bed. (45.7%)
You’ve built our perfect Halloween. Here’s the plan.
Four days, four decisions, one reader-built Halloween.
Movie: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (38.0%)
Candy: Chocolate, with peanut butter as a welcome accomplice (63.4%)
Costume: A witch hat counts. We checked. (34.1%)
Evening: Lights off, door unanswered, and off to bed (45.7%)
So here’s the plan: put on a witch hat, stock up on chocolate and peanut butter, settle in with Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin, then turn off the porch light and call it a night. The people have spoken, and they’d very much like to be comfortable.
Happy Halloween!
Identity | Courtesy of Upworthy
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A fun personality test determines ‘how you love’ based on your animal archetype | ||
Are you a lion, an otter, a beaver, or a golden retriever? | ||
By Cecily Knobler | ||
In the never-ending quest to understand ourselves better, or at least have just one more distraction from whatever it is we should be doing, here comes the animal personality test. And the craziest part is (at least for me), it’s kind of accurate. | ||
The truth is, these days anyone can create their own personality tests. (And they do… and I’ve taken them.) Which Sex and the City character are you? Who is your inner Marvel superhero? What color is your heart? (Carrie, Ant Man, and black respectively.) | ||
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Well-being
Some advice doesn't sound like wisdom until the day you need it.
“If you get on the wrong train, get off at the nearest station. The longer it takes you to get off, the more expensive the return trip will be.” Thanks, Grandma. I’ll remember that next time I’m on a train. Except she wasn’t talking about trains. And the line hits different a year later, when you’re in the middle of an argument, a bad job, a doomed relationship.
Mark Wales gathers seven pieces of hard-earned advice that have a way of showing up right on time. There are lessons for regret, conflict, kindness, temptation, and that tiny, dangerous moment before you say the thing you cannot unsay.
Who’s a GOOD boy/girl?
Image of the Day has its own lane, but the pet pics keep arriving, and I am not made of stone. So every Friday, I’ll share one reader-submitted photo of a favorite pet. Want yours featured? Send it along.
GOOD reader Janeen Mieir has a unique pet. This bee is named Athena. <puts on glasses> Oh. OHH! Athena is a dog. My mistake. We regret the adorable error.
On October 30, 1938, a 23-year-old Orson Welles had some terrifying news for America: Martians had invaded New Jersey. His Halloween-eve radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds, presented as breaking news bulletins, frightened some listeners who mistook the fiction for reality.
Newspapers subsequently reported nationwide hysteria, though historians have since found the panic was greatly exaggerated. In other words, the scariest thing about the broadcast may have been how enthusiastically the media ran with the story.
Do you have something GOOD to share?
We’re always on the lookout for uplifting, enlightening, and engaging content to share with readers like you. If you have something you think should be featured in the Daily GOOD, let me know!
💬 From the group text…
Oh no… if I can’t find some serious self-control… I’m going to spend a lot of money on my display next year!
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Until next week, stay safe out there, you ghouls and ghosties. 🎃