Disaster Area
247 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★ - 711 ratingsA podcast about disasters throughout history - what caused them, how people survived, and how we've responded to keep those disasters from happening again.
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Episodes
Episode 234: The 1906 San Francisco earthquake - Part Three
April 14, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 98.4 MBIt's early in the morning on a Tuesday when you're awakened by the shaking of your bed, of your entire home. You think for a moment it's the end of the world. You and your family make it out of your home, even though so many others do not. For a moment, you think you are safe. Then, you smell smoke. Videos: A Trip Down Market Street, San Francisco - April 14th, 1906 Disaster by the Bay: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake Document...
Episode 233: The 1906 San Francisco earthquake - Part Two
April 07, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 103 MBIt's early in the morning on a Tuesday when you're awakened by the shaking of your bed, of your entire home. You think for a moment it's the end of the world. You and your family make it out of your home, even though so many others do not. For a moment, you think you are safe. Then, you smell smoke. Videos: A Trip Down Market Street, San Francisco - April 14th, 1906 Disaster by the Bay: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake Document...
Episode 232: The 1906 San Francisco earthquake - Part One
March 31, 2024 19:19 - 47 minutes - 75.5 MBIt's early in the morning on a Tuesday when you're awakened by the shaking of your bed, of your entire home. You think for a moment it's the end of the world. You and your family make it out of your home, even though so many others do not. For a moment, you think you are safe. Then, you smell smoke. Videos: A Trip Down Market Street, San Francisco - April 14th, 1906 Disaster by the Bay: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake Docu...
Episode 231: The Peshtigo fire
March 06, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour - 115 MBThe deadliest fire in American history happened not in Chicago, but in a small Wisconsin town to the north of Chicago on the exact same day - October 8th, 1871. Videos: Watch now: The story of the tabernacle in the Peshtigo Fire Lake Michigan shipwreck; sank during 1871 Peshtigo Fire Articles and books: Firestorm at Peshtigo, by Denise Gess and William Lotz The Great Midwest Wildfires of 1871 Wisconsin Shipwrecks: The George L. Newman
Episode 230: The sinking of the USS Thresher
February 28, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour - 152 MBOn April 9th, 1963, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Thresher departed Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for depth tests in the Atlantic. It would never return. Videos: Second Saturday: The Loss of the USS Thresher Finding the Titanic | Bob Ballard: An Explorer’s Life Articles and books: U.S. Naval Institute: What Killed the Thresher? Arlington National Cemetery: USS Thresher memorial Titanic Discovery was By-Product of Military Quest The Death of the USS Thresher: The Story Be...
Episode 229: The Collinwood school fire
January 31, 2024 17:05 - 1 hour - 176 MBThe deadliest school fire in American history took place on - of all days - Ash Wednesday, March 8th, 1908, in the Cleveland suburb of Collinwood just after first period ended. Within a half hour, 172 students and three adults would be dead, or close to it. Videos: Cleveland Public Library: Collinwood school fire Articles and books: The Collinwood Tragedy: The Story of the Worst School Fire in American History, by James Jessen Badal The neighborhood never forgets Collinwood sch...
Review: Society of the Snow
January 11, 2024 06:59 - 1 hour - 125 MBJennifer stops rewatching the movie long enough to review the movie. Spoilers ahead!
Episode 228: Dan Air Flight 0034
January 01, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour - 116 MBYou'd think if your plane crashed fifty meters from the end of the runway, you'd be saved. You'd be wrong. Videos: Disaster Breakdown: Locked into Disaster Articles and books: The Lever of Death: The crash of Dan-Air flight 0034 Department of Trade report on the accident
Bonus: Society of the Snow
December 19, 2023 05:43 - 1 hour - 111 MBJennifer talks about "Society of the Snow," the award-nominated adaptation of the Pablo Vierci book about the survival story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. "Society of the Snow" comes out in select theaters on December 22nd and on Netflix on January 4th. (No, Jennifer has not seen it yet. Although dear God, does she want to.)
Episode 227: The North Hollywood shootout - Part Two
December 08, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 126 MBOn one February morning in 1997, a pair of men dressed in dark clothes entered a North Hollywood bank. What followed would be one of the most frightening things many Americans had ever watched live on TV up to that point. Videos: Zero Hour: The North Hollywood Shootout North Hollywood Bank Shootout_February 28, 1997 Articles and books: 20 years ago, gunbattle terrorized North Hollywood – and shocked America Chilling portrait of robber emerges Jury Unsure If Cops Let Shooter D...
Episode 226: The North Hollywood shootout - Part One
December 01, 2023 17:06 - 1 hour - 112 MBOn one February morning in 1997, a pair of men dressed in dark clothes entered a North Hollywood bank. What followed would be one of the most frightening things many Americans had ever watched live on TV up to that point. Videos: Zero Hour: The North Hollywood Shootout North Hollywood Bank Shootout_February 28, 1997 Articles and books: 20 years ago, gunbattle terrorized North Hollywood – and shocked America Chilling portrait of robber emerges Jury Unsure If Cops Let Shoote...
Episode 225: The Who concert crush
November 23, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 142 MBIt was just supposed to be a great night out seeing one of the best rock bands in the world. It turned out to be anything but. Videos: What Really Happened During The Who Concert Disaster? We Explain The Who: The Night that Changed Rock Articles and books: Crowd surge at a Who concert killed 11 people in 1979: ‘It was so strong, it just tore us apart’ The Who concert 40 years later: Survivors and victims' families relive tragic night in Cincinnati They Survived the Who Conce...
Episode 224: The 2019 Whakaari eruption
November 17, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 166 MBWe all heard the news four years ago about a group of foolish tourists who made the mistake of visiting an active volcano and died as a result. Or at least, that's how the stories made them sound. Videos: The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari (Netflix) Sky News Australia airs Krystal Browitt video of tour guide warning Trapped in the Volcano Articles and books: Eruption of Whakaari (White Island) kills ten people: September 10th, 1914 This is the family that owns the Whakaari vo...
Episode 223: Pan Am Flight 103 - Part Two
November 03, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 98.3 MBIt's the first night of winter on a windy night in Scotland when a loud noise broke the quiet over a small village. What followed was a fiery nightmare caused by the cruel intentions of others. Videos: Air Crash Investigations: Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie Bombing: Smithsonian special on Paramount+ Articles and books: AAIB report on Pan Am Flight 103 Skygods, by Robert Gandt Colonel Gaddafi 'ordered Lockerbie bombing' Anger at Lockerbie bomber welcome Pan Am Jet Crashes...
Episode 222: Pan Am Flight 103 - Part One
November 01, 2023 04:00 - 58 minutes - 91.4 MBIt's the first night of winter on a windy night in Scotland when a loud noise broke the quiet over a small village. What followed was a fiery nightmare caused by the cruel intentions of others. Videos: Air Crash Investigations: Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie Bombing: Smithsonian special on Paramount+ Articles and videos: AAIB report on Pan Am Flight 103 Skygods, by Robert Gandt Colonel Gaddafi 'ordered Lockerbie bombing' Anger at Lockerbie bomber welcome Pan Am Jet Cras...
Episode 221: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquke and tsunami - Part 3
September 29, 2023 19:00 - 1 hour - 157 MBIn the third part of our story, we look at the train disaster caused by the tsunami and the aftermath of the disaster. Videos: Compilation in chronological order of videos of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami The man who Filmed the Tsunami - Shocking footage of the Indonesian disaster Thunderbolt 1000 Siren Productions: Sri Lanka Train Disaster 18 Years Later The Wave That Shook the World Tsunami: Caught on Camera 2004 Boxing Day tsunami playlist Articles and b...
Episode 220: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami - Part 2
September 22, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 113 MBFirst came the earthquake, then came the wave. Videos: Compilation in chronological order of videos of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami The man who Filmed the Tsunami - Shocking footage of the Indonesian disaster Thunderbolt 1000 Siren Productions: Sri Lanka Train Disaster 18 Years Later The Wave That Shook the World Tsunami: Caught on Camera Articles and books: One train, more than 1,700 dead 10 years after tsunami, Utah man recovers, composes music linked ...
Episode 219: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami - Part 1
September 15, 2023 16:00 - 58 minutes - 98.6 MBOn December 26th, 2004, the world experienced one of the deadliest natural disasters we will ever see in our lifetimes. In part one, we will look at the earthquake which was just the start of a horrific tragedy. Videos: Compilation in chronological order of videos of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami The man who Filmed the Tsunami - Shocking footage of the Indonesian disaster Thunderbolt 1000 Siren Productions: Sri Lanka Train Disaster 18 Years Later The Wave That Shoo...
Episode 218: The Chilwell munitions factory explosion
August 01, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 153 MBOn a hot summer day in 1918, the night shift workers at the National Shell Filling Factory No. 6 in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire, England, arrived as per usual. One hundred and thirty-four of them would be dead within an hour and a half. Videos: Nottingham Forgotten Heroes #9 The Chilwell Munitions Workers The History Chap: The Chilwell Munitions Factory Explosion Articles and books: A History of the First World War in 100 Moments: When corpses fell from the Nottinghamshire sky His...
Episode 217: The I35W bridge collapse
July 21, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 149 MBRush hour is bad enough. The bridge you're on collapsing as you cross it during rush hour is even worse. Videos: I Survived ...: Virginia Tech and the I35W collapse 20/20 In An Instant: Rush Hour Disaster I-35W Bridge Collapse Structure and Components and Initial Failure 10 years later: Survivors reflect on the 35W bridge collapse Articles and books: NTSB: Design errors factor in 2007 bridge collapse Questions Rise About Previous Knowledge Of Bridge Hopes Dim in Minn...
Episode 216: The Club Q shooting
July 01, 2023 02:00 - 1 hour - 153 MBOn the eve of the Transgender Day of Remembrance in 2022, a person armed with a rifle walked into Club Q, an LGBTQIA+ club in Colorado Springs, CO. What followed was a bloodbath. Videos: Video of Club Q shooting suspect previous threat WATCH: Club Q shooting survivor on how LGBTQ people are ‘continually being dehumanized’ Watch: Suspect accused of killing five people in the Club Q mass shooting appears in court Club Q Mass Shooting Survivor: It Was Home And To Not Have That ...
Bonus: The OceanGate submersible implosion
June 26, 2023 23:14 - 1 hour - 141 MBWhile we are still close to the actual disaster for a regular episode on the subject, Jennifer takes an hour and a half to discuss the implosion of the OceanGate submersible on its dive down to the wreck of the Titanic.
Episode 215: The Rhoads Opera House fire
June 01, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 140 MBIn a small Pennsylvania town, the play set to be performed on a cold Monday night in January drew hundreds of people to the Rhoads Opera House. One hundred and seventy of them would never make it home alive. Videos: The Rhoads Opera House Fire: Legacy Of A Tragedy Articles and books: Midwinter Mourning and A Town in Tragedy, by Mary Jane Schneider Trapped in the Third Act: The Rhoads Opera House Fire, Boyertown 1908
Episode 214: The Indiana State Fair stage collapse
May 19, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 184 MBWhen the sky darkened and the winds picked up at the Indiana State Fair on August 13th, 2011, those fans waiting for country band Sugarland to perform were worried the concert might be delayed. But there was something far more deadly for those in the audience to worry about. Videos: State Fair Tragedy: 10 Years Later Indianapolis stage collapse compiled raw footage w/ State Fire radio audio Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse - Weather Moments Before Sugarland Opens Up About Traged...
Bonus: The 9/11 Museum
May 16, 2023 04:41 - 1 hour - 120 MBJennifer recounts her visit to the 9/11 Museum in New York City.
Episode 213: The Amagasaki train derailment
April 28, 2023 16:00 - 2 hours - 195 MBEvery day we head off to work or school or wherever else we might be headed with the hope we will arrive there safely. But while we might feel like we can depend on ourselves to keep safe, sometimes our lives are in the hands of pilots, drivers, or engineers who are under extraordinary pressures we have no clue about until it's too late. Videos: Seconds From Disaster: Runaway Train (S 6, Ep 5) Trapped Underground for Hours After Horrific Train Crash (S 1 Ep 3) Fukuchiyama Derailmen...
Episode 212: The Grenfell Tower fire - part three
March 15, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBIt was just a little house fire. It should have gone out in no time. In a safer building, it would have. But within an hour and a half of the first call to 999 that night, Grenfell Tower was fully ablaze. Videos: Grenfell: The Fire of London Grenfell: The Worst Tower Block Fire in London History Grenfell Tower tragedy in 3D 12 Firefighters have Terminal Cancer Since 2017 Rescue First Reports of Grenfell Tower fire New video timeline shows how the Grenfell Tower fire unfolded ...
Episode 211: The Grenfell Tower fire - part two
March 08, 2023 17:00 - 42 minutes - 68.4 MBIt was just a little house fire. It should have gone out in no time. In a safer building, it would have. But within an hour and a half of the first call to 999 that night, Grenfell Tower was fully ablaze. Videos: Grenfell: The Fire of London Grenfell: The Worst Tower Block Fire in London History Grenfell Tower tragedy in 3D 12 Firefighters have Terminal Cancer Since 2017 Rescue First Reports of Grenfell Tower fire New video timeline shows how the Grenfell Tower fire unfolded ...
Episode 210: The Grenfell Tower fire - part one
March 01, 2023 17:00 - 52 minutes - 84.8 MBIt was just a little house fire. It should have gone out in no time. In a safer building, it would have. But within an hour and a half of the first call to 999 that night, Grenfell Tower was fully ablaze. Videos: Grenfell: The Fire of London Grenfell: The Worst Tower Block Fire in London History Grenfell Tower tragedy in 3D 12 Firefighters have Terminal Cancer Since 2017 Rescue First Reports of Grenfell Tower fire New video timeline shows how the Grenfell Tower fire unfolded ...
Episode 209: The sinking of the SS Princess Sophia
February 01, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 147 MBHave you ever been stranded in your car in the middle of a snowstorm? Now imagine there are 350 other people in the car with you, and you're all stuck in that storm in the middle of an Alaskan canal for nearly two days. People come to rescue you but can't get any closer. And with every passing hour, your car groans and threatens to sink. That was what happened to the SS Princess Sophia in 1918. Videos: Disasters of the Century: The Princess Sophia Sinking The Sea Hunters: The Princess ...
Episode 208: The 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision
January 17, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 162 MBAh, flying in the 1950s. Fancy clothes, good food, smoking in the airplane, and the chance to see sights you’d never get to see otherwise. Two planes flying over the Grand Canyon on a summer day in 1956 should have passed by perfectly fine, and probably would have on any other day. But tragedy would strike over one of the most beautiful places on Earth, changing the aviation industry in one horrifying moment. Videos: Fatal Collision Over the Grand Canyon | America's Worst Disaster | Unit...
Episode 207: The Humboldt Broncos bus crash
December 21, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 152 MBOn April 6th, 2018, the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team from Saskatchewan, Canada, were on their way to a playoff game in Nipawin. They weren't expecting the semi-tractor trailer headed westbound on Highway 335 - right into their path. Videos: Humboldt: The New Season How the Humboldt bus crash happened Special coverage of the tragedy in Humboldt, Saskatchewan W5: Jaskirat Sidhu, the 'Humboldt Driver,' speaks about the tragedy Articles and books: Agreed Statement of Facts...
Episode 206: The Bazar de la Charité fire
December 01, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 186 MBThe start of the summer season in Paris in the 1890s could arguably be the Bazar de la Charité, sort of a rummage sale for the wealthy to benefit the poor. The height of Parisian’s female society passed through its doors each year, and May 4th, 1897, was no different. But the presence of the bazaar’s biggest novelty - a cinematograph showing films by the Lumière brothers - also led to a gruesome tragedy. Videos: Visit to the site of the charity fire on Rue Jean Goujon Documentaire sur ...
Episode 205: The Boston Marathon bombing - Part Two
November 23, 2022 05:00 - 2 hours - 203 MBOn April 15th, 2013, runners in Boston were approaching the finish line of the city's esteemed marathon at ten minutes to three in the afternoon when a large explosion tore through the crowd. Thirteen seconds later, a second one went off down the street. The manhunt for the men who committed the attack would last several days and take over the entire metropolitan area. Videos: The Days That Shaped America: Boston Bombing Nova - Manhunt Boston Bombers Boston Marathon Documentary - Ama...
Episode 204: The Boston Marathon bombing - Part One
November 16, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 104 MBOn April 15th, 2013, runners in Boston were approaching the finish line of the city's esteemed marathon at ten minutes to three in the afternoon when a large explosion tore through the crowd. Thirteen seconds later, a second one went off down the street. The manhunt for the men who committed the attack would last several days and take over the entire metropolitan area. Videos: The Days That Shaped America: Boston Bombing Nova - Manhunt Boston Bombers Boston Marathon Documentary - ...
Episode 203: The Nepalese royal massacre
September 09, 2022 16:00 - 2 hours - 221 MBThe family dinner party was in full swing, despite the host needing to be carried out in a drunken stupor only twenty minutes earlier. But this is no ordinary family. This is the royal palace of Nepal, and the host - Crown Prince Dipendra - is about to return, angry and armed. Videos: Zero Hour : The Nepalese Royal Massacre Why Nepal's Prince Organised A Royal Massacre | Asia's Monarchies | Real Royalty Articles and books: Love and Death in Kathmandu: A Strange Tale of Royal Murder, ...
Episode 202: The San Juanico disaster
August 24, 2022 04:19 - 1 hour - 117 MBThe Mexico City suburb of San Juan Ixhuatepec was the home of poor immigrants, working-class families, dozens of large businesses, and a Pemex oil and gas company site - at least, until November 19th, 1984. Videos: Ciudadano Infraganti Explosiones de San Juanico 1984 Articles and books: San Juan Ixhuatepec remembers one of world's worst industrial disasters Three decades on, survivors of worst Pemex blast still want answers Mexican Blast Stirs Anger, Criticism Center for Chemi...
Episode 201: The 1995 Chicago heat wave
August 12, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour - 195 MBFor five days in July of 1995, the city of Chicago baked underneath record temperatures, and behind closed doors people suffered for days - the poor, the elderly, the disabled. By the time the heat wave was over, over 750 people were dead. Sources can be found at http://disasterareapodcast.wordpress.com/.
Episode 200: Trans American Flight 209
July 19, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBSurely this can't be the 200th episode! It is the 200th episode, and don't call me Shirley. Videos: "Airplane!" "Airplane II: The Sequel" Articles and books: Internet Movie Plane Database - Airplane! Bulls vs. Lakers Box Score: March 7th, 1980 Airplane! script Airplane II script
Episode 199: Apollo 1
June 22, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour - 190 MBThere is always bound to be a first - the first person to climb Mount Everest, the first person to run a four-minute mile, the first woman to become president. But there are terrible firsts, and in this episode we discuss the first major tragedy of the American space race. Videos: Apollo 1 Audio - January 27th, 1967 Articles and books: The Astronaut Wives Club, by Lily Koppel Apollo 13, by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger Deke, by Deke Slayton and Michael Cassutt Chasing the Moon...
Episode 198: The Christchurch mosque shootings
May 26, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour - 169 MBA man armed with semi-automatic weapons and a livestreaming camera walks into a place full of people he hates and commits a mass murder. It shouldn't be something we see more than once. But now we have.
Bonus: Disaster Area road trip Part 2: The New Yorkening
May 10, 2022 03:58 - 1 hour - 156 MBIn which Jennifer describes her visits to disaster sites in New York City last week, including the 9/11 Memorial, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, and the 1920 Wall Street bombing.
Episode 197: Operation Yellow Ribbon
May 01, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 170 MBWe all hope that in a moment of great need, we would do the right thing. When the airspace over the United States closed on September 11th, the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, did just that.
Episode 196: The 1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak
April 21, 2022 05:07 - 1 hour - 138 MBIn fifteen minutes one Friday in April of 1967, one tornado slashed through the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn, leaving dozens dead in its wake. But it wasn't the only tornado to strike the area that afternoon.
Episode 195: The San Bernardino massacre
April 13, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour - 178 MBIt was just supposed to be a typical office training session masked as a Christmas party - the speeches, the boring videos, the slideshows that probably could have been an email. But at 11 AM, everything changed when a person dressed all on black entered the conference room and began shooting. Then it got worse - they weren't alone.
Episode 194: The 1989 San Bernardino train wreck
April 06, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour - 137 MBFirst, the train ran off the rails. Then, fire rained from the sky. Hell, it seemed, had come to San Bernardino.
Episode 193: TWA Flight 3
March 02, 2022 17:00 - 2 hours - 206 MBWhen Hollywood legend Carole Lombard boarded TWA Flight 3 on January 16th, 1942, in Las Vegas, she hoped to be home in only a few short hours. She and the twenty-one other people on board only made it thirty-three miles closer to home.
Episode 192: The Erfurt latrine disaster
February 18, 2022 17:00 - 56 minutes - 91.2 MBWhat do you get when you have sixty noblemen in a cess pit? One of the most disgusting disasters of all time.
A quick announcement!
February 15, 2022 05:51 - 5 minutes - 8.86 MBI just wanted to share some news regarding the podcast for those of you who don't follow the social media accounts or Patreon. Nothing terrible, I promise.
Episode 191: The 2020 Calabasas helicopter crash
February 11, 2022 17:00 - 2 hours - 200 MBWhen we all first heard basketball legend Kobe Bryant had died, the world was in disbelief. But the how of it all made everything so much more tragic.