Calamity! Podcast

S2 E19: RMS Lusitania

December 14, 2020 02:26 - 1 hour - 81.7 MB

In May, 1915 a German U-boat came across the RMS Lusitania, a luxury passenger ship, about 11 miles off the coast of Ireland making its way to Liverpool. Despite it being a non-military vessel, the U-boat fired a torpedo that sank the ship within 18 minutes.

S2 E18: Seawise (Happy) Giant: The Largest Ship to Ever Sink

October 19, 2020 00:19 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MB

Not only was Seawise Giant the largest ship to ever sink, but it was the largest ship ever built! So why isn't it as famous as Titanic? Well, this was a crude oil tanker with a crew of only 50. Plus, this mammoth vessel ended up having a surprising Second Act after the sinking - and a decidedly more "happy" one.

S2 E17: The 1910 Stevens Pass Avalanche

August 16, 2020 20:18 - 1 hour - 89.4 MB

An express passenger train leaving Spokane and bound for Seattle ended up stranded on Stevens Pass when freak weather conditions caused a series of avalanches in late February, 1910. Then, after spending nearly a week parked by the small town of Wellington, a large slab avalanche swept the train 150 feet off the track, killing 96 people - the most deadly avalanche in American history.

S2 E16: Oklahoma City Bombing

August 10, 2020 04:04 - 52 minutes - 49 MB

In April 1995, a plot to bomb a federal building in Oklahoma City became the largest and most deadly domestic act of terrorism in the US. The explosion was far larger than the perpetrators intended, resulting in 168 deaths.

S2 E15: Benton Fireworks Disaster

July 14, 2020 03:22 - 43 minutes - 40.5 MB

On an otherwise quiet morning in May 1983, an enormous explosion rocked the small town of Benton, Tennessee. The ensuing investigation revealed Webb's Bait Farm was just a front for a lucrative, highly unlawful firework manufacturing business.

S2 E14: British Airways Flight 5390

July 07, 2020 02:37 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MB

Jaima hosts her first episode and gives us an adrenaline rush while discussing the harrowing tale of British Airways Flight 5390. Just a few minutes after take-off, a slight cabin pressure change ejected a window in the cockpit.

S2 E13: The Disappearance of Lady Be Good

June 23, 2020 05:16 - 50 minutes - 46.9 MB

A sand storm in Libya thwarted the efforts of a U.S. aircraft crew trying to return to its military base after a bombing mission during World War 2.

S2 E12: The 1972 Iran Blizzard

June 16, 2020 02:33 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MB

This episode explores how a freak snow storm in Iran quickly became the deadliest blizzard in recorded history.

S2 E11: Mt Tambora & The Year Without Summer

June 07, 2020 22:45 - 1 hour - 61.2 MB

In 1815, the largest volcanic explosion in recorded history triggered a chain of economic, political and health-related events around the globe. In fact, the eruption even managed to affect European arts from that era.

S2 E10: The Leopard of Rudraprayag

April 11, 2020 00:06 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MB

Over an eight-year period, a single leopard killed more than 125 people in the region of Rudraprayag, India. After many hunters failed, the leopard was eventually killed by hunter and author Jim Corbett.

S2 E9: The Empire State Building B-25 Crash

March 29, 2020 03:19 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MB

A routine assignment took a disastrous turn due to poor visibility over Manhattan in 1945. On July 28, The Old John Feather Merchant, a B-25 bomber, collided with the Empire State Building resulting in 14 deaths.

S2 E8: The 1925 Serum Run to Nome

March 23, 2020 03:26 - 40 minutes - 37.7 MB

An epic dog relay in Alaska saved thousands of lives in the city of Nome, which experienced a Diphtheria outbreak in the dead of winter.

S2 E7: The Guadalajara Sewer Explosions

March 10, 2020 05:16 - 1 hour - 75.3 MB

Poor city planning contributed to a series of devastating explosions in the Mexican city of Guadalajara in April of 1992. Although warning signs of the imminent disaster were clear, city officials were unfortunately reluctant to call for evacuation.

S2 E6: The Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire

February 29, 2020 05:22 - 58 minutes - 54.1 MB

A very popular, and therefore overcrowded venue in rural Kentucky was the scene of a disastrous fire on Memorial Day weekend in 1977. Despite tragedy, many of the club's wait staff rose to the occasion to help people trapped, lost, or injured.

S2 E5: The Cuyahoga River Fires

February 16, 2020 05:26 - 33 minutes - 31.4 MB

Due to extensive pollution, the Cuyahoga river in Ohio first caught fire in 1868. It unfortunately caught fire at least a dozen more times until the disaster site received national attention - and prompted legislation changes - in 1969.

S2 E4: Eastern Air Lines Flight 401

February 10, 2020 21:35 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MB

On December 29, 1972, Flight 401 was bound for Miami, but instead crashed into the Florida Everglades. There were 75 survivors, and 101 fatalities.

S2 E3: The Graniteville Train Crash & Chlorine Spill

February 03, 2020 04:59 - 53 minutes - 49.1 MB

A train collision in the middle of the night was startling enough for the residents of Graniteville, South Carolina, but the incident was worsened when no one could identify the mysterious, deadly contents of one particular train car.

S2 E2: The Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire

January 29, 2020 05:09 - 55 minutes - 51.4 MB

A busy two-lane tunnel under the Alps, connecting France and Italy, made world news when a cargo vehicle caught fire in 1999. Although fires in the tunnel were somewhat common, no one could have anticipated how quickly this particular burn escalated.

S2 E1: Nyos - The Exploding Lake

January 06, 2020 05:02 - 55 minutes - 51.3 MB

In 1986, a small lake in Cameroon caused a deadly disaster that baffled the international scientific community. Over time, however, they learned the secret Lake Nyos was hiding underneath its surface, and worked tirelessly to keep local villagers safe.

S1 E21: The 2008 K2 Disaster

December 23, 2019 05:31 - 1 hour - 72.7 MB

An unusually large group encountered calamity while attempted to summit K2 in August 2008. Although K2 is second in height to Mount Everest, it is notoriously more dangerous and technical to climb.

Episode 21: The 2008 K2 Disaster

December 23, 2019 05:31 - 1 hour - 72.7 MB

An unusually large group encountered calamity while attempted to summit K2 in August 2008. Although K2 is second in height to Mount Everest, it is notoriously more dangerous and technical to climb.

S1 E20: SS El Faro

December 16, 2019 02:56 - 55 minutes - 51.4 MB

On September 29, 2015, tropical storm Joaquin made several surprising moves, baffling weather forecasters, and sealing the fate of El Faro, an American cargo ship, on its route to Puerto Rico.

Episode 20: SS El Faro

December 16, 2019 02:56 - 55 minutes - 51.4 MB

On September 29, 2015, tropical storm Joaquin made several surprising moves, baffling weather forecasters, and sealing the fate of El Faro, an American cargo ship, on its route to Puerto Rico.

Episode 19: The Hillsborough Disaster

November 04, 2019 05:37 - 1 hour - 67.7 MB

In 1989, 96 football fans lost their lives due to crushing at a match. It took nearly 20 years, however, for the full story to come to light.

S1 E19: The Hillsborough Disaster

November 04, 2019 05:37 - 1 hour - 67.7 MB

In 1989, 96 football fans lost their lives due to crushing at a match. It took nearly 20 years, however, for the full story to come to light.

S1 E18: The Love Canal Disaster

October 25, 2019 04:21 - 1 hour - 60.5 MB

What started as a plan for an idyllic new neighborhood near Niagara Falls ended in pollution, evacuation, and disaster decades later.

Episode 18: The Love Canal Disaster

October 25, 2019 04:21 - 1 hour - 60.5 MB

What started as a plan for an idyllic new neighborhood near Niagara Falls ended in pollution, evacuation, and disaster decades later.

Episode 17: The Challenger Shuttle Disaster

October 16, 2019 04:28 - 1 hour - 80.1 MB

A highly televised, much-anticipated launch turned into tragedy when an O-ring failed on the Challenger Shuttle in 1986.

S1 E17: The Challenger Shuttle Disaster

October 16, 2019 04:28 - 1 hour - 80.1 MB

A highly televised, much-anticipated launch turned into tragedy when an O-ring failed on the Challenger Shuttle in 1986.

Episode 16: The Chilean Mining Accident

October 10, 2019 12:00 - 1 hour - 68.3 MB

In 2010, the entire world watched as rescue efforts were made to save the lives of 33 men trapped underground in the Atacama Desert. It was a herculean task of collaboration and problem-solving, motivated by a deep sense hope - both above ground and below.

S1 E16: The Chilean Mining Accident

October 10, 2019 12:00 - 1 hour - 68.3 MB

In 2010, the entire world watched as rescue efforts were made to save the lives of 33 men trapped underground in the Atacama Desert. It was a herculean task of collaboration and problem-solving, motivated by a deep sense hope - both above ground and below.

Episode 15: The Great Molasses Flood

September 30, 2019 03:10 - 1 hour - 66.6 MB

Disaster struck the North End neighborhood of Boston in January 1919 when unseasonably warm weather caused a poorly designed, overfilled storage tank full of molasses to explode. The wave of sticky goo crushed nearby buildings and engulfed unfortunate by-standers.

S1 E15: The Great Molasses Flood

September 30, 2019 03:10 - 1 hour - 66.6 MB

Disaster struck the North End neighborhood of Boston in January 1919 when unseasonably warm weather caused a poorly designed, overfilled storage tank full of molasses to explode. The wave of sticky goo crushed nearby buildings and engulfed unfortunate by-standers.

S1 E14: The Vajont Dam Mega-Tsunami

September 23, 2019 05:42 - 51 minutes - 47.8 MB

Local Italians were expecting a landslide in 1963 near the Vajont River, but no one anticipated how large it ultimately became, nor the mega-tsunami it created.

Episode 14: The Vajont Dam Mega-Tsunami

September 23, 2019 05:42 - 51 minutes - 47.8 MB

Local Italians were expecting a landslide in 1963 near the Vajont River, but no one anticipated how large it ultimately became, nor the mega-tsunami it created.

Episode 13: The Piper Alpha Explosion

September 16, 2019 04:38 - 58 minutes - 54.3 MB

The deadliest oil rig explosion in history occurred in 1988 off the coast of Scotland.

S1 E13: The Piper Alpha Explosion

September 16, 2019 04:38 - 58 minutes - 54.3 MB

The deadliest oil rig explosion in history occurred in 1988 off the coast of Scotland.

Episode 12: The Hindenburg Disaster

September 09, 2019 04:35 - 1 hour - 74.9 MB

On May 6, 1937, a German airship called the Hindenburg was about to land in New Jersey when disaster struck. It had crossed the Atlantic carrying nearly 100 passengers without incident, and was infamously photographed floating over Manhattan, but stormy weather and several unforeseen factors sealed its fate.

S1 E12: The Hindenburg Disaster

September 09, 2019 04:35 - 1 hour - 74.9 MB

On May 6, 1937, a German airship called the Hindenburg was about to land in New Jersey when disaster struck. It had crossed the Atlantic carrying nearly 100 passengers without incident, and was infamously photographed floating over Manhattan, but stormy weather and several unforeseen factors sealed its fate.

S1 E11: The Hartford Circus Fire

August 26, 2019 13:00 - 1 hour - 58.2 MB

In 1944, one of the most deadly structure fires in U.S. history took circus spectators by surprise in Hartford, Connecticut. War efforts and a packed performance scheduled were contributing factors to the destruction, but thankfully the city's quick response and preparedness helped the relief efforts considerably.

Episode 11: The Hartford Circus Fire

August 26, 2019 13:00 - 1 hour - 58.2 MB

In 1944, one of the most deadly structure fires in U.S. history took circus spectators by surprise in Hartford, Connecticut. War efforts and a packed performance scheduled were contributing factors to the destruction, but thankfully the city's quick response and preparedness helped the relief efforts considerably.

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