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Imagine being nearly Tetrised to death in the throes of a massive shipwreck. Now, imagine yourself sitting on a deserted island and watching as the remains of that ship are slowly beaten to death by the waves, and thinking “well, at least things can’t get any worse”. Then you meet the surviving crew and wonder if it’s too late to swim back to the wreck. On today’s episode: we’ll debunk the notion of the romance of life at sea by revealing why every famous mariner you ever heard of probably smelled like sun-baked sewage and ripe boils; we’ll discuss the only character in this show’s history that we’ve compared with Jim Jones, Machiavelli, and Charles Manson; and we’ll answer the age-old question, “how many people would you kill for a Klondike Bar”. And if you were listening to this on Patreon: I don’t know how many people died at your summer camp, but you would hear about the most insanely dangerous sleep away camp of all time; and you would hear the tale about a dire set of circumstances that led to the world record for the most people to be killed and eaten inside an area roughly the size of a school bus. If this were any other story, the instigating shipwreck would be an incredible disaster on its own. As it happens, I barely remember there was a shipwreck. Of all the stories we have covered, this is clearly going to be one of the most unhinged. Plus, you know my rule. If I’m telling you a story more than 400 years old, you know it has to be good. It’s lawless as hell, and the record keeping wasn’t great, but the drama is unstoppable. Until the end, when some people would die terribly in this dry run of the Lord of the Flies, while others would experience a little surgery with a hammer and chisel because of it. It is with no small amount of joy that I announce we will be adding a retrospective show called Doomsday Aftermath shortly that will allow you to re-experience early episodes with remastered audio, and a load of memories and behind-the-scenes stuff from the creation of that episode, and an update on what we’ve learned about the disaster itself since originally airing it. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff  All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

I read an awful lot so you don’t have to, so to save you some time, according to a book titled “Is Eating People Wrong”, it is. Well, on today’s story, I’m happy to say you won’t have to worry about cannibalism. There will be a body. And there will be some things that will happen to that body – the kind of stuff you wouldn’t wish on your grandmother, but no nibbling. Let me just say, this will be a very different kind of episode. On this episode: Welcome to our very first legal disastersode! We’ll see just how many people would have wanted to casually splork your freshly severed skull onto a pike during the medieval era; you will find out why Pope-Elects had the longevity of Spinal Tap drummers and what a complete bloodsport the early Papacy turned out to be; and if you thought putting a costume on a dog or cat was hard, you will find out how awkward and unwieldy it is to try and dress a half-desiccated corpse. And if you were listening to this on Patreon: You would learn about the long list of Popes that retired without putting out an autobiography, if you follow my meaning; you would hear about animals and insects that were convicted of everything from vandalism to manslaughter and publicly executed; and you would learn all the different kinds of legal alternatives paths medieval-you could opt for if you didn’t want to shell out for a lawyer. I don’t expect this episode to ruffle any feathers, but for those of your who adore the Pope, we are spending our time today looking at Popes that died, were murdered, murdered other Popes, got poisoned, got marooned, and otherwise met with an inglorious end. And two things. First, Pope on Pope violence was a real problem, and second, we’re always in the habit of ringing the church bell for victims of our story, as a way to honour or commemorate them. I didn’t count, but we ring the bell more times in this single episode than we probably do in a year under more fortuitous circumstances. I make the point, that coal miners had a safer job than early Popes. It is with the most luke-warm sadness that I tell you I’m no longer on Facebook or Instagram. The new Meta AI purged my account, so if you’d like to get in touch but could care less about social media, you can always find me at [email protected]. I may be slow to respond, but I’m honestly overjoyed by your letters. I hope you enjoy the show. P.S. Thank you to all who took part in our Kickstarter fundraiser. We achieved 165% of our funding goal and we couldn't have done it without you. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff  All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

A pilot friend of mine spent more time practicing touch and go landings than anyone I’ve ever met. His reasoning was, that take-offs and in-flight procedures are irrelevant, the only thing that means anything is the landing. I asked, what if your take-off was your landing, and he said zero stars, do not recommend. On today’s episode: you will learn what makes Florida such a sparkling tropical jewel for snow weary travellers; you will see what happens when a 200,000 lb plane lands on a 4,000 lb car; and you will hear about a disaster so incredible, a helicopter got put in a museum because of it. And if you were listening to this on Patreon… you would be hearing why pilots sound no more aroused about the bare of alarms than you do about coupons; you would learn about the incident that lead to boss bitch energy becoming no longer welcome in the cockpit; and for reasons, you would hear about the second shortest commercial air flight in the world. As you’ll hear, this is actually our second trip to The Potomac. Our USS Princeton Explosion of 1844 episode actually takes place a short walk away from today’s story. And I’ve been excited to do this episode because I watched it all unfold live on TV as a child, and it made a real impression on me. Arguably, it wrote the part of me that would go on to do this show into my DNA. In other news, our Kickstarter campaign for PEE PEE POO POO is over in less than 24 hours, and you won’t have to hear about it ever again. I really want to thank those who helped us out along the way. We made it to the top 10 percentile of funded campaigns, and now all we want to do is sell it into Mom & Pop game shops around the world. If you have a local gaming store you’re comfortable recommending for us to approach, let me know. I’m all ears. I’m all attitude on the mic and gratitude in my ticker. Last minute takers?  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nachosharkgames/pee-pee-poo-poo I can’t wait to share our next episode. Our first Legal Disastersode. It’ll get weird, word is bond. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff  All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

PEE PEE POO POO is finally LIVE! Yes, that’s really what it’s called. What is it, some of you ask? It’s the most childish-sounding adult party card game you’ll ever fall in love with. Imagine an oddly strategic game of Poker meets Go Fish, but with Pee, Poo, and Fart cards. If you've ever wanted to help the show and have a stupid amount of fun doing it, now's your chance. And if that's not your thing, but you appreciate the effort, you can always make a simple donation without purchasing anything from the site. Every little bit helps. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nachosharkgames/pee-pee-poo-poo This is something that somehow grew more serious the sillier it became. I’ve poured my heart into this, and I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who encouraged and supported us along the way. All we can ask now is to grab a copy and tell a friend. Even if the game isn’t for you, sharing the campaign helps more than you can know. Thank you for helping turn our ridiculously fun idea into a real thing. On this short update I'll also be announcing the winners of the behind-the-scenes contest I was running to help reward listeners for helping spread the word. I'll also talk about the next episode, which I hope to have out in less than two weeks, and it'll be a special one. I'm sure I've mentioned before, but I realize the story may be the subconscious nudge I needed to create Doomsday all these years later. I can't thank you enough for your consideration and support.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

Live. Laugh. Lava (or Lahar as one Patreon listener pointed out). Except in this case, less lava, and more mud, and ash, and trees and water, and buildings, and cars, and boulders the size of cars, and bits of roadways, and people, and all kinds of debris flowing as a fast-moving river with the consistency of wet concrete. On today’s episode: you will learn how native Colombians were able to send European visitors scrambling to their deaths with a word, including jumping into active volcanoes; I’ll teach parents of young children the best way to threaten your kids into letting you have a nap uninterrupted; and you will learn what happens when a town is transformed into the texture of a smoothie. And if you were listening on Patreon… you would meet the monster who invented shrapnel; you would learn why Yogi Bear was so content to be a nihilistic basket thief; and you would learn the Vegas odds of Yellowstone kerploding and bathing the continent in a thick blanket of claustrophobia in your lifetime. Oh yes. We don’t get to visit volcanoes often, but when we do, we tend to kill a whole whack of people, and today’s story is a great example. I mentioned in the last episode that if you weren’t familiar with the measurement of “whack”, it means a lot. By way of an update, things have stabilized. I’ve received a lot of stories and comments of support which I appreciate more than you know, including postcards from postcards and stories from Mick from Alaska (who was nearly killed by a bear), Sonja from Australia (who is regularly almost killed by drop bears), and Jenny from Colorado Springs (Jenny, I have been, and I would love to come back to spend more time there). It’s nice to be putting out episodes more frequently, and I’d like to keep doing so. I’m still on some thin ice here, as many of you understand, but with the launch of our new game almost here, there is at least the promise of things beginning to turn around. For those of you who’ve gone crazy helping support me and sharing word of the campaign, that’s all I could possibly ask for, and I appreciate you to the end of the world and back. The whole thing kicks off August 11th, and I’ve already heard from four people who want to help get copies into their local game shop. To me, that’s like someone offering up a kidney, and I couldn’t be more appreciative. HELP SHARE THE WORD OF POO I know it can feel weird to share. I made the game, and I still have trouble saying the name without having a reaction. But for an independent project like this to blow up, word-of-mouth is everything. Every share and mention genuinely helps more than you could imagine. Heading to our page and signing up to be notified when it starts (even if you’re not interested) helps just as much. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nachosharkgames/pee-pee-poo-poo Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

No one shows up to work expecting to make history, but today’s story shows how one small, irreversible decision created the one of the worst days at work in US History. If that “fork in the road” moment had played out in any other way, today’s episode would mostly just be me chatting up Texans and offering up some gardening tips. On today’s episode: we will be travelling to beautiful Corsica, and learning why people not from there think the locals are xenophobic, blood thirsty monsters; we’ll learn how when it comes to architecture and building quality, you can have things done cheap and fast but not safe; and you will hear the term “bleediest” used as an adjective And if you had been listening on Patreon… you would learn about a few of the most debilitating, teeth-spitting, femur shattering moments in the history of European football; you would learn the mostly tragic tale of the most famous head butt in history; you would learn the unexpectedly crazy history of soccer’s favourite shoe brand; and we would discuss the kinds of things your brain can’t unsee, including the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life, which just happened last week. We’re back, and things are beginning to return to normal. Thank you for your support and patience. On that note, as you will notice right off the top, I've been quietly developing an unusual game idea based on an awkward conversation with a dog which is getting rave reviews from testers. It’s an odd game, based on an odd story, which you can learn all about on Kickstarter. It is my pleasure to introduce PEE PEE POO POO: The Game of Laughter, Smiles and Farts. CLICK HERE TO SEE IT WITH YOUR OWN EYES It’s been a passion project, bringing this to life, and with your help, its success means NO MORE DELAYED DOOMSDAY EPISODES. I know it can feel weird to share. I made the game, and I still have trouble saying the name without having a reaction. But for an independent project like this to blow up, word-of-mouth is everything. Every share and mention genuinely helps more than you could imagine. Heading to our page and signing up to be notified when it starts (even if you’re not interested) helps just as much. WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? During the First THREE DAYS, as a listener of the show: you get a copy of PEE PEE POO POO for $7 off (that’s a 20% savings)you will be thrown into a draw for a chance to win three Free Doomsday T-Shirts you could also win one of three PEE PEE POO POO V.I.POO Tiers (a copy of the game, one of our T-Shirts, a paw-tographed framed photo of Eve, and a Limited Edition Golden Turd Card!Spread the word, save the show, share the poo!  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nachosharkgames/pee-pee-poo-poo Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

We've described some pretty fairly awful commutes on this show before. On today's very special "return-to-Africa" episode, all people wanted to do was get to work, but the weather got bad to the point where the road said "you shall not pass, your life is in danger". The train took a look at all this and said, "hold my beer”. On today’s episode: you will learn how the location of today’s story sounds toasty and hot to the uninitiated, but is actually one of the wettest places on earth; we will describe a claustrophobic and unenviable situation somewhere between the roller-skating in the back of the truck stunt from Jackass combined with the trash compactor scene from Star Wars; and I will actually say that no one choo choo chooses to be in today’s kind of disaster, which I only call out early to ask for your forgiveness. And if you were listening on Patreon: you would learn about the US military’s ambitions to turn its enemies into bee-coated, gay, diarrhea fanatics, and how they inspired Mikkos Cassadine’s aims of destroying the world in the 1980s; we’ll visit a place so rainy that you will have no choice but to assume I’m lying; and we’ll walk through a list of all the different, awful things that can happen to your spine. Also, at the end of this episode, I’m going to announce the results of a naming contest we held for our hungry gorilla friend, and I will share the story behind it, which, fair warning, is extremely emotional. People describe travel by rail as a romantic way to see the landscape. Well, I don’t know so much about that, but in this very special and intimate episode, a lot of people were brought closer together. I wanted to shout out Joyce Mokou Kontcheu (ask how to pronounce) who sent me my very first fan mail from Africa! That’s a big deal for me. This was one of those rare occasions where a starter disaster perfectly sets the stage for a much worse secondary disaster. I call it a cascading infrastructure failure. She called it a careless disaster that could have been avoided with a little common sense. She truly hoped I would cover it, so yes, of course I did. Merci, Joyce. And I didn’t have time to record a quick thing for our June Birthdays, so I wanted to shout out Charles Jewell and Kerry Ann Borthwick for another year around spinning around the sun in an otherwise cold and indifferent universe, wishing them a little birthday cheer, and thanks again to Hydra Corvi again for helping me with a little research on this one. From here we’re back in my hometown just long enough to make a little fun of the World Cup before jetting off to beautiful Corsica to watch the beautiful game and have a high statical chance of getting very, very hurt. Spoiler, in the safety segment, I’m going to tell you what to do if not-only are you impaled on a pole, but suspended above the ground by it like a bug pinned to a wall. Good stuff. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff  All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

You’ve maybe heard that during an accident, time slows. Truth is, it’s an illusion. Your brain flips into high-alert, and processes visual information in way higher detail, which makes the experience feel longer. Of all the episodes and stories we’ve shared on this show before, this is the one story you would absolutely not want to appreciate in high-detail slow-mo. On today’s episode: you’ll find out how cholera and typhoid-laced fart water led to the reinvention of one of the world’s cleverest and most innovative cities; you will find out why crapping on music could technically be considered a kind of self-care; and although you’re missing the context now, I’m going to advise you to potentially remove your fingernails at some point, and you might surprise yourself by agreeing And if you were listening on Patreon… you would hear the beloved tale of a potentially made-up cow that got the jimmy legs and vaporized a city; you would visit the most literally and purposefully vomit-inducing statue ever erected; and you would learn the fascinating history of transportation-based toilets. Today’s episode was supposed to be another minisode, but in the new-standing tradition, so much for that. It was also supposed to be bloodless, which it was, but it still managed to be incredibly disturbing and upsetting without it. I make that point that if we had dropped 800 lbs of blood on people, you would have been easier to get over. You ever hear of the 2008 case of a man experiencing severe untreated psychosis, attacked and decapitating his seat mate on a Greyhound Bus with a hunting knife in Manitoba, Canada? I believe the Dave Matthews Poop Bus Disaster of 2004 is far worse. I would want the members and families of the Dave Matthews band know I mean all this in good fun. Much better fun than the 120 people who ate 800 lbs of fudge from the sky on that August day. Again, good fun. I finish the episode with a few shoutouts. I also want to thank Hydra Corvi and Kerry-Ann Borthwick for helping me behind the scenes with a little inspiration. And as far as shout-outs go. On the next episode, I will be announcing the results of our Gorilla Naming Contest, and the explanation should be heart warming as hell. I would have had this all in the can sooner, but my personal life spirals around me and I’ve been struggling for a bit. Tourniquets, same story - lost to time but not forgotten. They’re in the mail, this week, promise. Special guests include: E. coli, Salmonella, Norovirus, Hepatitis, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff  All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

No one shows up to work expecting to make history, but today’s story shows how one small, irreversible decision created the one of the worst days at work in US History. If that “fork in the road” moment had played out in any other way, today’s episode would mostly just be me chatting up Texans and offering up some gardening tips. On today’s episode: you will find out why parts of Texas smell like money, and why that money smells unbreathably pungent and caustic; we will explore how there can come a point where calling something loud loses all meaning, and then your skin blows off; and we will learn about a disaster so catastrophic, that people who said “well, I’m glad that’s all over with” were treated to an encore. And because you are listening on Patreon… you will hear about a river or two that defied convention by bursting into flames; you will learn about the time a German industrial site tried to fly into space because it’s standard operating procedures director was actually a potted plant wearing a tie; and you will find out how British Petroleum basically became the Beatles of oil and gas disasters. They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and I believe it. You will too, after you understand the scale of today’s event and the resulting death toll. We’ll spend our time in Texas City, and I do make a point in the episode that Texas is a fine place, but if you had to pick a part of visit, Texas City might not be it. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart. Who would have thunk that the densest petrochemical infrastructure on Earth would make for a not-so-great picnic spot, but a great place to watch 4,000 pound ship anchors arc across the sky. It is my genuine pleasure to return here (hey Texas). We have a lot of listeners there, and I look forward to returning again in the future. In fact, if you’re from the Lone Star State and have a favourite disaster in mind, please chime in. I’m sorry if I’m a little under the weather in this episode. I’m was a little under the weather while making it, so I apologize if I any ennui got in the pudding. If it helps, the next episode will be bloodless and cheerier, but bloodless in a way that might actually make you wish for blood. You’ll just have to wait and see. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff  All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

I believe the most frightening vehicle to travel from point A to point B in would be a submarine – and I am including cable cars, and rocket sleds, and tightropes, and wingsuits, and early diving bells, and high-altitude balloon gondolas, and luge sleds, and the kind of fixed-wing plane where you have to walk on the wing, and human cannonballing, and ziplining over a volcano in that analysis. Let’s see if today’s story changes my mind. On today’s episode: you will learn why the history of victory in human warfare favours how much you resemble your own anus; you will to understand how your brain actually craps itself worse than your bowels when confronted with something enormous approaches unseen from underwater; and if you ever had a particularly bad day at work and felt really underserved by your employers desire or ability to do anything about it, this episode is doing that thing where it points back-and-forth between you and itself and nodding strongly. And if you were listening on Patreon… you would learn why the first recorded military submarine mission sounded like bad porno; you would see why life in a confined space can get you full-body duct taped to a chair with a gag in your mouth; and you would hear cautionary and sobering observations about the aromatic and claustrophobic life of a fellow listener who spent years in the silent service. I’m going to have you imagining everything from what a Roman solider would have thought watching a tank shell remove your co-workers head, to what it feels like to be slowly pulled into the spinning blades of a submarine, to the experience of free-balling it from the sea floor to the surface in a pressure suit which is said to be one of the most frightening emergency procedures in the world. I spend no small amount of time figuring out new and terrible ways for you to experience fear in a vehicle. There’s just something about going through a horror when you’re trapped in a moving conveyance that doesn’t obey or respond to your panic. I think a submarine is a perfect example, considering if you pull over and try to get out, everyone on board dies terribly. That said, it was my sincere pleasure to be able to bring this story to you today. It straddles the line between bad-day-at-work episodes and my-boss-sucks episodes. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff  All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

I do love a story where almost no one dies, but if you’ve listened to this show long enough, you know I also really do enjoy a bad day at work episodes where the opposite is true. In today’s story, no one dies. That said, some people are going to lose their hair and have their fingers soldered or arc-welded together at work.  On today’s episode: you will see how the simple act of going blabbity blah turned the most physically unimpressive animal on Earth into its most dangerous one; you’ll learn why I’m calling the scariest thing the sun will ever do to us – “Big Girl Summer”; and we’ll figure out why if today’s story ever repeats itself, we’ll all be discussing axes and hockey pads and squirrel recipes. And if you were listening on Patreon… you would hear how the early telegraph basically worked like He-Man’s sword and transformed jackasses into a-holes; you would learn just how bad every planet in the solar system wants you dead, and how they’d do it; and you would hear how today’s story plus Frankenstein plus NYC con artists directly led to the creation of all modern science fiction. Apparently, we’re experiencing a powerful solar storm as I type this, so this episode could not have come at a better time. I’ll calm you by saying no one dies in this episode – but today’s story covers an event at a time in history when people barely understood soap, and if and when it happens again in the modern age, we will all be scavenging the waste lands for non-perishable food and hockey pads. I was going to include a recipe for squirrel, but decided against it.  I hope you guys like it. I promise the next episode will have all kinds of blood and limbs and horror. No one dies in today's story, but some people do get badly burned, a scientist gets metaphorically burned by history, and by the end of our story, the “hero” of our story will switch from visions of grandeur, to homicide, to retirement. Long story short, more than a few people will get screwed in this episode. Some literally, some figuratively. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff (I’m truly sorry about those ads, they're not in my control) All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

There is a strong anthropological argument that controlled fire is humanity’s first invention. Among the many gifts it bestows upon us, being able to survive colder climates is one of them. As you will soon see, in today’s episode, that will not be an issue.        On today’s episode:  you’ll hear about one of the deadliest and most destructive forces on the planet can play a kind of peekaboo and then grow 300 feet tall and make you foul yourself; you will learn what the actual deadliest animals in Australia are (and number one will surprise you); and you’ll learn how one species of tree evolved in a way that makes it want to die as dramatically as possible. And if you were listening on Patreon… you would hear the story of how living dinosaurs defeated one of the world’s most experienced and battle-hardened armies; you would have a chance to meet the tallest and least flammable living thing on earth; and you would learn why arsonists are the stupidest, most selfish, and potentially even racist people you may ever meet, and how to disable one if you ever do. I wasn’t lying when I say I have a soft spot in my heart for Australia. In an alternate timeline, you are listening to this podcast with a slightly adopted Australian accent because I live there happily – and avoiding bushfires seemingly semi-annually. Today, Australians make up a big chunk of my listenership and I want to send more love your way. Step one was this love letter to their kiln-dried country. As a Canadian, we enjoy the fear in foreigner’s eyes when confronted face-to-face with a Canadian Goose, so as a fellow Commonwealth country, Australia feels like it’s wallpapered in people’s eight-legged, claw and toothed, venom spitting fears from airport to autopsy. It is my honour and delight to introduce non-native listeners to a whole new area of fear they’ve never even considered. And in spite of all the biting and kicking and venom and fire and hooves and claws and the laundry list of things that will go out of their way to make you stop taking pictures, and breaths, I still love to visit one day. If I never get to meet you, just know that I wish I could, and when tourists arrive asking about Drop Bears, be gentle with them. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff (I’m truly sorry about those ads, they're not in my control) All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

You might think the worst thing cheese can do is cause indigestion, or elevated cholesterol, or the need to punch more belt holes - maybe even the occasional fart sneaks out. But on today’s episode, you will learn, as it turns out, we’ve catastrophically underestimated it. On today’s episode: we’ll visit a postcard perfect country that’s ridiculously beautiful from top to bottom, but on a map looks vaguely testicular and chewed; you will walk through the history of cheese before sampling a platter of the world’s most nauseating varieties; and not to spoil anything, but today’s story is going to spiral into a kind of three-fer episode of flame-fueled claustrophobia. And if you were listening on Patreon… you would hear a short story of how a spiky Asian football turned my stomach inside out; you would learn how we’ve been preprogrammed by invisible senses that tell us everything from how many fingers we have to how much vomit you might need to project; and you would hear the story of the gigantic wheel of cheese that haunted the White House for years. We start this episode talking about some of the funkiest edibles to be found anywhere in the world, and recapping how many of them have killed people on this show. I’ll be the first to admit we use a pretty broad definition of “edible”, but the food product headlining today’s story is as traditional and straight-forward as food gets. We’re going to spend some time with a cheese called Brunost that is so sweet and giddyingly bad for you, many people think of it as more of a kid’s treat. You’ve probably never had the chance to try it yourself, but one of my best friends in public school was from Norway, and we regularly used to steal it from his dad, and I admit that this may have played a small part in his parent’s divorce, so for that, I am sorry. Now, I don’t know what your relationship with cheese is like, but I love the stuff. I don’t care if it’s from the UK or Scandinavia or India or where it comes from. As long as it came out of a cow and didn’t AIR BNB larva or age inside a skull or whatever separates “everyday cheeses” from “emotionally demanding cheeses”. I’m not saying I grew up with posters of cheese wheels all over my bedroom, I’m just not saying I didn’t is all. The worst thing I’ve ever seen it do is cause my old friend Larry to fart so hard he ended up in the hospital – he was fine, have no fear. I’m sure we’ve all burned our mouths on pizza cheese before, but the experience of today’s episode is something else. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff (I’m truly sorry about those ads, they're not in my control) All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.   Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

If you think the worst thing that can happen while skiing is trying not to scream while the ski patrol figures out why your leg’s bending that way, we have a lot to teach you about skiing. Spoiler: mountains can cook and kill people. Don’t say this podcast doesn’t teach you things. On today’s episode:  you will learn why Frankenstein was more graceful on stolen corpse feet than you are in snowboots; you’ll learn why diagonal tunnels basically act as nature’s secret logistical flamethrowers; and we’ll see how a $40 appliance permanently derailed a $30-million-a-year alpine operation and changed European history. And if you were listening on Patreon… you would hear about the industrial accident that unearthed the entire history of humanity in Western Europe; you would hear about all the terrible things that happened to the last King of England to die in battle before and after he actually died (spoiler: most of the injuries were after); and if you don’t know the story, we’ll tell you how Dionysus gave Damocles PTSD. This is one of those bad day at work/bad holiday episodes where everything that could have helped along the way was too expensive, and the one thing that was supposed to help someone was so cheap, it killed almost everybody. We’re going to learn a lot about just how weird and active fire can be. Most people picture fire like this: Flames burn, heat rises, you step back. That’s fine, if it’s burning in a free and open space. You have no chance of being suffocated by it, and it’s easy to play keep away with. In an open-air fire, heat rises and disperses, oxygen flows in from every which way, and the smoke just carries away on the breeze. In today’s fire, not so much. We will be facing less of a camp fire and more of a blow torch. This episode also marks our return to the European Alps, where we will discover an entirely different way of being afraid of mountains, so that’s fun! And as long as we’re learning to be afraid of new things, we’re also going to look at how everything around us, from the things we sit on to the clothes we wear, all break down into vaporized toxins that will absolutely make for not so good think before shutting you off for good. This is also an episode that extends our philosophy that any “vehicle” could double as a coffin, and funicular is a vehicle we’ve never explored before. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff (I’m truly sorry about those ads, they're not in my control) All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.   Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

The Yukon River is famous for its remoteness and scenic vistas and history, where very little may seem to happen – but in 1906, one man’s lack of situational awareness and fine-motor skills created the greatest, cattle-based pyrotechnics display the world had ever seen. On today’s episode:  you will see how miners and prostitutes used to travel in style in the far sub-Arctic North; you will hear about what may be the clumsiest bad-day-at-work episode we’ve ever discussed; and you will find out at what point an incinerating cow flips from piquing your appetite to inducing eye-watering vomit. And if you had been listening on Patreon… you would learn about the most unusual haunted home ever built in the history of human habitation; you would hear how today’s story could be considered more punishing than the Uruguayan Rugby Disaster, the Greeley Arctic Disaster and the Donner Party; and you would hear the debunked tale of a man in full diving gear who became part of a forest fire. I love getting to visit new and exotic places around the globe, but being chained to an office chair ten feet from where I sleep means these stories can be as close as I’ll ever get  to visit it, in the theatre of my mind, and I’m unendingly appreciative to listeners who provide the suggestions that let me do that. The Yukon River sits about 4,400 km (about 2,735 miles) from my door, so it’s a little far, but this is our first trip to the Yukon, and I couldn’t have been more excited by it. This absolutely bug-nuts story came courtesy of listener, Jonny Wilkie, a resident, and he inspired me to want to incorporate more minisodes from story suggestions you’ve all supplied that didn’t have enough beef on them to inflate into a full episode, but are just too damn good not to want to share. Also, this came out about 30% shorter than a regular episode, so they’re not-so-minisodes. No matter. I was going to add a cooking segment to today’s story, but opted for the quick and benign details of an open-air BBQ that flambés metric tons of food a lot quicker and grosser than you’d think. I settled for the details of the worst nature hike anyone’s ever attempted on this show. And that includes the students of Wolf Creek and the Uruguayan Rugby Team. Gun safety will play an important role in our story too. I will make the point how a single bullet can cause a lot of harm, and then we’re going to back it up, mark my words. ––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff (I’m truly sorry about those ads, they're not in my control) All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more  Facebook : www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast Instagram : www.instagram.com/doomsdaypodcast Twitter : www.twitter.com/doomsdaypodcast TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@doomsday.the.podcast Safety google off. We'll talk soon. And thanks for listening.   Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.