Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Episode: Moral Panics, D&D, Steam Tunnels and More (1979) [Archive Favorite]
Description: It’s August 17th. This day in 1979, a young college student by the name of James Dallas Egber III disappeared into a steam tunnel below his university, intending to commit suicide. But the story of his disappearance became a media - and moral - panic because of his affinity for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss what we know and don’t know about Egber’s troubled life, and why the D&D narrative was so pervasive.Don't forget to sign up for our America250 Watch newsletter, where you'll also get li...