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PODCAST

History"s A Disaster

Bloody history and bloodier crimes. Andrew takes a weekly look at all things bloody. From natural disasters to man made atrocities

history documentary

All Episodes

19:13

The 1988 Carrollton Bus Disaster

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/08/10

Send us a text Sixty-three excited teenagers and four adult chaperones boarded a church bus on a sunny May morning in 1988, anticipating a day of roller coasters and fun at Kings Island Theme Park. No one suspected their joyful outing would become the deadliest drunk driving accident in American history—and reveal fatal flaws in school bus design that would transform transportation safety forever. The collision itself wasn't fatal. Larry Wayne Mahoney, driving with a blood alcohol level near...

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32:59

The Sinking of the Essex Part 3: Heartbreaks &...

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/08/03

Send us a text The final chapter of the Essex tragedy unfolds as a haunting testament to human survival instinct pushed beyond moral boundaries. After spotting land, the starved crew members experience a fleeting moment of hope—only to discover Henderson Island offers little salvation. Despite its lush appearance, fresh water remains scarce, forcing these desperate men to make an impossible choice: continue the journey or remain stranded. When tragedy forces them back to sea, nature's cruelt...

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28:01

The Sinking of the Essex Part 2: Thar She Blows

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/07/27

Send us a text The infamous true story that inspired Moby Dick unfolds in horrifying detail as we follow the crew of the Essex after their ship is deliberately rammed and sunk by an enraged sperm whale in November 1820. Twenty men, now stranded in three tiny whaleboats in the vast Pacific Ocean, face a harrowing fight for survival that will push them beyond human endurance. With their vessel destroyed in just ten minutes, the crew salvages what little they can—600 pounds of hardtack, limited...

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27:59

The Sinking of the Essex Part 1: The Real Life Moby Dick

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/07/20

Send us a text Massive whales hunted from tiny rowboats. Men covered head-to-toe in blood and oil. A ship sunk by an angry leviathan. Welcome to the brutal world of 19th-century whaling. "Oil makes the world go round." This simple truth connected our petroleum-powered present with a past fueled by whale oil. The Essex, an aging 87-foot whaling vessel from Nantucket, set sail in August 1819 under newly-promoted Captain George Pollard Jr. with a crew of twenty men. Most were inexperienced sail...

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14:15

The Monongah Mine Disaster

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/07/13

Send us a text America's deadliest mining disaster unfolded in an instant on December 6, 1907, when a broken coupling pin sent coal carts careening down rails, showering sparks through dusty mine air. What happened next would change mining safety forever. The Monongah Mining Disaster tells the harrowing story of miners trapped beneath West Virginia soil when explosions ripped through connected mines #6 and #8. With entrances collapsed, ventilation destroyed, and toxic gases filling every pas...

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15:28

The 2008 K2 Disaster

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/07/06

Send us a text Few mountains inspire both awe and dread quite like K2. Standing in the shadow of Everest's fame yet claiming a far deadlier reputation, the world's second-highest peak demands respect—one climber dies for every four who summit. During a fateful expedition in August 2008, that grim statistic would manifest in the mountain's deadliest single incident. After weeks of waiting for weather to clear, an international group of 25 climbers from multiple expeditions made their summit p...

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22:27

The 1999 Bourbonnais Amtrak disaster

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/06/29

Send us a text A semi-truck ignores flashing warning lights. An Amtrak train barrels forward at 79 miles per hour. Eleven lives are lost in the devastating collision that follows. The 1999 Bourbonnais Amtrak disaster stands as a sobering reminder of how quickly tragedy can unfold when safety protocols fail. The catastrophe began with truck driver John Stokes, who after a long day hauling steel, approached a railroad crossing in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Despite active warning signals, he attemp...

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14:21

The London Beer Flood of 1814

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/06/22

Send us a text Nobody expects to drown in beer. Yet on October 17, 1814, that's exactly what happened to eight Londoners when a massive vat at Horseshoe Brewery catastrophically failed, unleashing a 15-foot tsunami of porter beer through the impoverished streets of St Giles. The disaster began with something seemingly insignificant—a fallen iron hoop on a towering 22-foot wooden vat containing over 300,000 gallons of fermenting porter. Brewery clerk George Creek, with 17 years of experience,...

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14:07

Genoa Bridge Collapse

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/06/15

Send us a text On August 14th, 2018, the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy collapsed, resulting in the death of 43 people and causing significant destruction. Designed by Ricardo Morandi and opened in 1967, the bridge was a symbol of Italian engineering. However, on a rainy morning, pylon number nine disintegrated, and an 800-foot section of the bridge fell, crushing cars and buildings below. Rescue efforts began immediately, but many were already dead or seriously injured. Investigations into t...

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24:10

Texas City Disaster

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/06/08

Send us a text On April 16th, 1947, the SS Grandcamp, loaded with 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate, caught fire and exploded in Texas City, causing the deadliest industrial accident in US history and one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever. The explosion, fueled by ammonium nitrate and subsequent fires, destroyed much of Texas City's port, killing over 500 people and injuring thousands. The disaster led to significant changes in safety regulations for handling and transporting hazardous ...

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37:37

The Great Halifax Explosion

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/06/01

Send us a text On the morning of December 6th, 1917, the SS Mont-Blanc, loaded with nearly 3000 metric tons of explosives destined for France, collided with the SS Imo in the Halifax Harbor narrows, resulting in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. This catastrophic event claimed nearly 2000 lives, injured 9000 others, and decimated a large section of Halifax. This episode of 'History's a Disaster,' hosted by Andrew, delves into the circumstances leading up to the explosion, ...

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18:24

The Children's Blizzard

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/05/25

Send us a text On January 12th, 1888, a sudden blizzard struck the Midwest, causing over 230 deaths, most of them children, due to the lack of warning and severe weather conditions. This episode, hosted by Andrew, delves into the horrors of the Schoolhouse Blizzard, describing the rapid and deadly onset of the storm, and detailing the harrowing survival stories and tragic losses of those caught in its path. The episode highlights the failures in weather forecasting at the time, which led to s...

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25:29

Shackleton Expedition

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/05/18

Send us a text In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton embarked on the ship Endurance to be the first to cross the Antarctic continent overland with his 27-member crew. The journey quickly turned into one of the greatest survival stories in history when the Endurance became trapped in pack ice. Shackleton’s leadership kept the crew's morale up through harsh Antarctic conditions, ingenious survival efforts, and eventual rescue after a grueling 17-month ordeal. Although Shackleton didn’t achieve his ini...

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19:42

United Airline Flight 232

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/05/11

Send us a text On July 19, 1989, United Airlines Flight 232 suffered a catastrophic engine failure resulting in the loss of hydraulic controls, leading to a dramatic emergency landing. Despite the crisis, the quick thinking and skillful actions of Captain Al Haynes, First Officer Bill Records, and DC-10 instructor Denny Fitch saved 185 lives from what could have been a total disaster. The subsequent investigation unveiled a rare metallurgical flaw that caused the engine failure, leading to i...

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18:13

Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/05/04

Send us a text In this episode of History's a Disaster, host Andrew takes us through the tragic and mysterious sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior during a massive thunderstorm on November 10th, 1975. The episode details the ship's origins, its successful career, and the fateful final voyage alongside the Arthur M. Anderson. Theories surrounding the ship's disappearance are explored, including potential structural failures and storm damage. Despite extensive searches and mult...

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22:09

1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/04/27

Send us a text In this episode of 'History's A Disaster,' hosted by Andrew, we delve into the tragic events of the 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche in California. Leading up to March 31st, unprecedented snowfall and high winds triggered a massive avalanche at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, destroying buildings and rendering eight people missing. Despite rigorous avalanche control measures led by experts like Jim Plehn and Norm Wilson, the resort was overwhelmed by nature's fury. Rescue efforts were ...

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19:55

Whakaari Eruption 2019

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/04/20

Send us a text This episode discusses the tragic volcanic eruption of Whakaari Island on December 9, 2019. Host Andrew explores the sequence of events that led to the eruption during a guided tour, which resulted in 22 deaths and numerous injuries. The episode delves into the heroic efforts of survivors and rescuers, the aftermath of the disaster, and the legal consequences faced by the tour operators. It ends with an update on the current status of tours to the island and a call for listener...

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27:37

The Murder of Christopher Meyer

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/04/13

Send us a text The Tragic Murder of Christopher Meyer In this episode, Andrew delves into the harrowing 1995 case of 10-year-old Christopher Meyer, who disappeared while fishing in Aroma Park, Illinois. The investigation quickly led to the arrest of convicted child killer Timothy Buss, a man with a disturbingly violent past. The episode provides a detailed timeline of events, from Christopher's disappearance and the subsequent search efforts, to the arrest and conviction of Timothy Buss. The...

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20:41

1955 Le Mans Race Disaster

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/04/06

Send us a text In this episode of 'History's a Disaster,' Andrew delves into the tragic events of the 1955 24 Hours of LeMans racing event in France, where a catastrophic accident led to the deaths of 84 people, making it the worst disaster in motorsport history. The episode recounts the sequence of events, starting from the race's inception, highlighting the poor track design, lack of safety measures, and a fateful chain of decisions that resulted in the horrific crash. The aftermath of the...

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18:16

Spanish Flu

History"s A Disaster ·

2025/03/30

Send us a text The Great Influenza Epidemic: Misnamed, Deadly, and Unforgettable This episode of History's a Disaster, hosted by Andrew, explores the Great Influenza Epidemic of 1918, often misnamed as the Spanish Flu. The virus, caused by the H1N1 strain, spread in three waves during and after World War I, resulting in the deadliest pandemic in recorded history. Despite heavy censorship due to wartime, the flu's impact was devastating, affecting soldiers and civilians worldwide and killing ...

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60 results

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