Episode 271: The Sampoong department store collapse
It might have felt like just a bad day at work - cracks in the walls, the merchandise shaking on the shelves, the air conditioning needing t...
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Disaster Area
A podcast about disasters throughout history - what caused them, how people survived, and how we've responded to keep those disasters from happening again.
Episodes
20 of 290 episodesEpisode 270: The Nika riots
In 6th century Constantinople, Emperor Justinian would lead the Byzantine empire into conquering other lands, constructing impressive archit...
Episode 269: The 1972 Black Hills flood
We all know what a good strong summer thunderstorm looks like, and we know just how much rain one of them can douse us in. But on a warm Fri...
Episode 268: Pacific Southwest Flight 182
It was a beautiful Monday morning in San Diego on September 25, 1978 - sunny and hot with not a cloud in the sky. There was no reason whatso...
Episode 267: The sinking of the Doña Paz
When we think of deadly peacetime maritime disasters, Titanic is the first ship to come to mind. But there is a far deadlier disaster which...
The Mystery of the Missing Podcast Host
Or where have I been the past three months? (Alas, it's not as interesting as the title makes it sound.)
Episode 266: The Club Cinq-Sept fire
It should have just been a regular Saturday night dancing to rock music and having a good time at the relatively new dance hall outside of S...
Episode 265: The Cutter incident - part three
It would start with a headache, a fever, maybe a funny tummy. But soon enough your knee would give out, or your arm would hang limp, or you...
Episode 264: The Cutter incident - Part Two
It would start with a headache, a fever, maybe a funny tummy. But soon enough your knee would give out, or your arm would hang limp, or you...
RERELEASE: Episode 254: The Cutter incident - Part One
NOTE: This was released in May of 2025, but due to life being what it is, I didn't get to finish the final two parts of the episode. So I am...
Episode 263: Eastern Air Lines Flight 212
2001 was not the only year in which something tragic occurred on September 11th. On that day in 1974, eighty-two people would board a plane...
Episode 262: The sinking of the White Ship
King Henry I of England had grand plans for the future of his sole legitimate male heir, William Aetheling. None of those plans would come t...
Episode 261: The SS Sultana disaster - Part Two
On a cold April night in 1865, the calm across the waters of the Mississippi River was shattered by a sudden explosion - one which destroyed...
Episode 260: The SS Sultana disaster - Part One
On a cold April night in 1865, the calm across the waters of the Mississippi River was shattered by a sudden explosion - one which destroyed...
Happy birthday!/Plans for the New Year
It's the podcast's tenth birthday! Also, where we've been and where we're going.
Episode 259: The Big Bayou Canot rail disaster
In the early morning hours of September 22nd, 1993, a cross-country train departed from Mobile, Alabama, on its way to Miami. As it headed u...
Episode 258: The Sutherland Springs church shooting - Part Three
On a sunny Sunday morning in 2017, a man in an SUV pulled up outside a small white church in Sutherland Springs, TX. The people inside would...
Episode 257: The Sutherland Springs church shooting - Part Two
On a sunny Sunday morning in 2017, a man in an SUV pulled up outside a small white church in Sutherland Springs, TX. The people inside would...
Episode 256: The Sutherland Springs church shooting - Part One
On a sunny Sunday morning in 2017, a man in an SUV pulled up outside a small white church in Sutherland Springs, TX. The people inside would...
Bonus: The 1987 Guadalupe River disaster
A week ago, the Guadalupe River in Texas overflowed its banks and swept away dozens of campers. It turns out that this is not the first time...