American History Hotline: Why Were There So Many Serial Killers in 1970s America?

Was it the rise of hitchhiking? Lead in the water pipes? Or was it something a little darker in our culture? Bob rings up private investigator and host of the podcast Hell & Gone: Murder Line — Catherine Townsend — to learn why there were so many serial killers in America during the 1970s. From Ted Bundy to the Night Stalker and John Wayne Gacy, we dive into the "golden age" of serial killers to see how difficult it was to catch predators in a world before DNA testing, cell phones, and surveillance cameras. But that also begs the question: Are there fewer serial killers today? Listen, and find out! GUEST: Catherine Townsend, host of Hell and Gone: Murder Line and Red Collar Listen to Bob Crawford's American History Hotline wherever you get your podcasts.

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American History Hotline: Why Were There So Many Serial Killers in 1970s America? is an episode from Operation Midnight Climax by iHeartPodcasts.

This episode is 33:36 long.

This episode was published on Dec 6, 2025.

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