Doomed to Fail
By: Taylor Pineiro, Farz Sokhansanj
Language: en
Categories: History, Comedy, True Crime
We bring you stories of history's most notorious disasters and epic failures. Join us as we analyze the red flags and ask the important questions. How did things go so wrong? Could these disasters have been avoided? Join us as we laugh, learn, and explore the most epic failures of all time.
Episodes
Ep 229: The downfall of society - Black Friday
Dec 15, 2025We love stuff, but the idea of going to a store for that stuff sounds insane. Today, Farz will talk through the history of Black Friday - why do we do Thanksgiving when we do? Why do we like sales so much? Would you murder someone for a PlayStation (say no)?
Happy Franksgiving & Merry Christmas!
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Ep 228: Pull a comb through your coal black hair - Zoot Suit Riots
Dec 08, 2025Hey Pachuco! It's 1943, and we're in Downtown Los Angeles! LA's population has just grown exponentially - partly with people from Mexico brought into the US specifically to address the labor shortage after all the Japanese Americans were taken into internment camps (not good!) - and partly because the US needs every young man to join the war and there are tens of thousands of 18-20 year old servicemen from a deeply segeragated American South in town.
Tensions are high! The fashion among young Mexican men is the Zoot Suit - oversized jackets, big pants, and l...
Duration: 00:45:28227: Don't try the punch - Sidney Gottlieb & MKUltra
Dec 02, 2025Let's do some highlights of MKUltra because it is a can of worms! We'll talk Sidney Gottlieb America's 'poisoner in chief' who used LSD (and other drugs) to try to reprogram minds. Spoiler - you cannot do that.
Source
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=poisoner+in+chief&i=stripbooks&adgrpid=183397944181&hvadid=779569029006&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9031388&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=1797291272736522472--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1797291272736522472&hvtargid=kwd-813245151278&hydadcr=22536_13821197_8233&mcid=b8bb19d08331358680d1db8c8161b8af&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_81f3pp8mjh_e
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Duration: 00:42:40Ep 226: Deadliest Mutiny Ever - Batavia
Nov 24, 2025Man we love a good mutiny! This, however, is a bad one. The deadliest one in history! It's 1628, and the Dutch East India Company is up to no good... We'll talk about the syphilis-addled brain of Jeronimus Cornelisz, who staged a mutiny, killed a TON of people, and ultimately was executed for all the wildly unnecessary shenanigans.
Grab a Dramamine and join us!
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Ep 225: Gambling Away Millions - Terrance Watanabe
Nov 17, 2025What would you do if you had millions and millions of dollars? Terrance Watanabe managed to gamble away the most money in history - he came from the family that invented the catalogue 'Oriental Trading'. If you were a kid in the 90s, you know what we're talking about!
Learn about the dangers of gambling - including all the stuff you can do on your phone these days!
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Duration: 00:36:25Ep 224: Crowd Chaos - The Hillsborough and Happy Valley Disasters
Nov 10, 2025Today, we have two stories of disasters at sporting events. First, we'll talk about the 1989 Crowd Crush at the Liverpool / Nottingham Forest FA Cup game at Hillsborough Stadium in the UK. Poor planning and new leadership ended in the deaths of 97 people.
Then, we will go back to 1918 to the Happy Valley Racecourse Fire where over 600 people were killed when grandstands made of bamboo fell into food stands with open flames.
Finally, we'll talk about how you can stay safe in a crowd, from knowing your exits at all times to ma...
Duration: 00:36:24Ep 223: Too Short to Fail - Quibi
Nov 03, 2025Imagine you've been unstoppable - created the most popular websites and movies in the history of well, websites and movies... what would be next? You see everyone on their phone all the time out in public, and think - that's it! Shows JUST for your phone!
Sounds kind of dumb, but whatever - the only thing that could possibly go wrong would be if people were trapped in their houses and devoted to their TVs in a way that they hadn't been in ages.
Right - That was Quibi - phone on...
Duration: 00:30:27Ep 222: Blame it on the Rain - Milli Vanilli
Oct 27, 2025Read Fab's Book!
"You Know It's True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli"
https://www.amazon.com/You-Know-Its-True-Vanilli/dp/B0FP4P554H
We're back with the epic rise and fall of Milli Vanilli! We're old enough to remember, and we still delight in their smash hits!
But it's obviously also a tragic story of fame, the music industry, race, culture, and creative freedom.
We'll talk about our stars Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus - how they found each other in 1980s Germany, rose...
Duration: 00:55:39Re-Release: DID SHE DO IT??? - Lizzie Borden
Oct 22, 2025Did this case enthrall you when you were a child?? I remember the song, and being sure she did it from the TV movie... but after researching I'm just not as convinced!
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Ema...
Duration: 00:48:29Ep 221: Defending your right to say it - The ACLU & Freedom of Speech
Oct 20, 2025Voltaire kind of said, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." And that's pretty much Freedom of Speech in the US. You CAN say stuff, you aren't immune to consequences, but the basic right does exist.
Today we'll talk about the founding of the ACLU, and the time that they supported the right to have a bad opinion.
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Duration: 00:26:59Re-Release: The Notorious JTR - Jack the Ripper
Oct 17, 2025It's Victorian London - and if you aren't rich, things are awful. (That's actually a pattern of all of humanity and of all time if you take a second to reflect on the greed.) Imagine, though, that it's specifically the kind of awful where you are on the streets selling yourself for money in order to buy crappy booze and sleep in an even crappier rooming house if you can.
Taylor read a lot of books for this - and although she doesn't believe that DNA evidence will ever find Jack the Ripper - she d...
Duration: 00:59:56Can you recommend a Murder podcast?? -- True Crime Episodes: Part 3
Oct 17, 2025Episodes:
Ep 1 - Part 2: Mommy Dearest - Lori Vallow & Chad DaybellA doomsday cult, missing children, and murders that shocked the nation.Ep 3 - Part 2: Trouble in Celebration - The Todt Family MurdersA quiet Florida town rocked by family annihilation.
Ep 8 - Part 1: Terror in the Capital - The DC SnipersTwo men who turned daily errands into fatal targets.
Ep 18 - Part 1: BFFs Gone Wrong - Bernie TiedeThe small-town funeral director who killed his wealthy friend.
Ep 20 - Part 1: Call the Keystone Cops - It's Fatty ArbuckleHollywood’s first scandal, a death... Duration: 00:03:20
Re-Release: Ghosts, Murderers, & Dead Bodies - The Cecil Hotel
Oct 15, 2025Farz & Taylor met in 2013 when they started working at a startup in Downtown Los Angeles.
We understand that some people like DTLA, but Taylor personally lived in New York City for 13 years before this and has never set foot in a worse place than the area around Pershing Square.
We say that because the Cecil Hotel is just a block away from where we worked, and as soon as we got into the neighborhood, Elisa Lam's body was found in a water tower. That's not the only thing to happen there, from the Night Stalker c...
Duration: 00:49:49Re-Release: Absolutely no way to stop mass shootings - The Port Arthur Massacre
Oct 13, 2025In 1996, Australian weirdo Martin Bryant killed 35 people in the deadliest shooting in Australian history. He's the worst, annoying and rude, he killed his landlords and tourists, going on a spree that shocked the nation.
Australia followed up with a mass gun buyback program that has made Australia safer from gun violence, but it still has all those bugs.
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Duration: 00:46:54Can you recommend a Murder podcast?? -- True Crime Episodes: Part 2
Oct 10, 2025Episodes:
Ep 107 - Australia's Gun Horror: The Port Arthur MassacreThe shooting spree that reshaped Australian gun laws.Ep 111 - Michigan's own 1970s Serial Killer - John Norman CollinsMichigan’s “Co-ed Killer.”
Ep 120 - South American Nightmares: Luis Garavito & Pedro LopezTwo South American serial killers whose victim counts are staggering.
Ep 123 - Trip down memory lane: What happened to the Cecil Hotel?Murder, mystery, and a building cursed by crime.
Ep 129 - Mother of Sparrows: The Vengeance of Saint Olga of KievHoly vengeance written in blood.
Ep 139 - Paradise Lost: Murde... Duration: 00:06:08
Re-Release: Three Guys One Hammer - Murderers in Ukraine
Oct 10, 2025This is our most popular episode ever. We can only assume that you people are kind of gross and Google this trio often. Here's the story of young men who murdered over 20 people, tortured animals, and filmed it all.
Buckle up for this depraved tale from Eastern Europe.
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Duration: 00:41:53Re-Release: Footprints in the Snow - The Hinterkaifeck Murders
Oct 08, 2025Imagine you live on a farm in Germany. It's winter. Your maid quits because she hears footsteps in the attic, you find a newspaper from a faraway town in the yard, and there are footsteps in the snow coming towards your house, but NOT leaving???
You would, of course, be right to be scared. Let's revisit the story of the Gruber family (and their NEW maid who was only on the job ONE day) and how their bodies were found in the barn. Someone had killed them, stayed and taken care of the animals for a...
Duration: 00:41:36Re-Release: He 10000000% did it - OJ Simpson
Oct 06, 2025Let's revisit one of the most famous murders of the 20th century - and a highlight from our tenth episode! So, OJ Simpson absolutely killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. It's a tragedy that there was no justice and his poor poor kids.
Anyway! Does anyone even read these descriptions?? This is the first of several murder rereleases!
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Duration: 01:01:50Can you recommend a Murder podcast?? -- True Crime Episodes: Part 1
Oct 03, 2025Oh boy do we have a lot of Murder episodes!! We started off mostly doing true crime before we pivoted to history and some true crime and other fun things! This is part 1 of three of our Murder episodes! Re-releases on the way!
Episodes:
Ep 4 - Part 1: Tragedy in Manchester - the murder of Kelly Anne BatesA teenage girl trapped in one of the UK’s most horrifying abuse-murder cases.Ep 5 - Part 2: You can just leave your family, calm down! - The Murdaugh Family MurdersWealth, power, and scandal collide in a Sout... Duration: 00:10:16
Re-Release: Destroying Cultures isn't Cool - Friar Diego De Landa & the Mayans
Oct 01, 2025Speaking of religious history - here's a re-release of our episode on Friar Diego De Landa & the Mayans. There are many Maya people still living in Central / Meso America. They have a rich culture, but they did have tons of written history burned away by Spanish Friars - because Jesus would want you to do that? It's heartbreaking, and Taylor will always be mad about that.
If you are tempted for a moment to say 'but it stopped human sacrifices' I'll stop you there & ask you to please see our episode 145 about Witch Hunts. #bless
... Duration: 00:55:14
Can you recommend a Religious History podcast?
Sep 26, 2025Religion has sparked wars, inspired art, toppled empires, and comforted the faithful. In these episodes, we explore the stories where belief shaped human history in unforgettable and sometimes unsettling ways.
Episodes:
Ep 5 - Part 1: Divorce is fine, calm down! - The Story of Anne Boleyn & Henry VIIIWhen Henry VIII wanted out of his first marriage, he set off a chain reaction that changed religion across Europe. Anne Boleyn’s story is one of love, power, and a church forever altered.Ep 6 - Part 2: Love you Forever! - The Story of the Taj Maha... Duration: 00:05:38
Ep 220: One for you, Sixteen for me - Sybil & her Multiple Personalities
Sep 23, 2025Sources:
Sybil - by Flora Rheta Schreiber - https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/sybil-by-flora-rheta-schreiber/259328/item/84207467/?#edition=4801599&idiq=3086510
Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case - By Debbie Nathan - https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/sybil-exposed-the-extraordinary-story-behind-the-famous-multiple-personality-case_debbie-nathan/271028/?
Today, we delve into the 1970s sensational 'novel non-fiction' book 'Sybil.' Sybil is the heroic journey of a woman plagued with 16 separate personalities - they came from [and trigger warning here] horrific childhood abuse and were eventually merged with the help of her psychiatrist. The book made A LOT of m...
Duration: 00:54:19Re-Release: Cut it out, do literally anything else - Climbing Mt. Everest
Sep 19, 2025Imagine you have a lot of money and months of free time, so you decide to climb the highest mountain we've got. That's good for you, but if you die there, you stay there, and recently, there's a line to the top.
In this re-release, we'll discuss the first time, tragic times, and the sherpas who keep the whole thing going. Aren't they the heroes?
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Duration: 00:40:15Re-Release: Paradise Lost - The Salton Sea
Sep 17, 2025Remember the 1950s? We don't either, and it wasn't like, ideal for women and minorities... but there WAS this idea of a place you could go to get away - think Palm Springs now (if you ignore all the unhoused people, which you should not, someone should do something about Palm Springs).
ANYWAY - here's a re-release of a time when men tried to create a paradise by changing nature, and they absolutely did not.
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... Duration: 00:42:42Re-Release: Lost in Time - The burying of Pompeii from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius
Sep 15, 2025Let's go back to our Volcano Series for Natural Disaster Week! Today, we'll tell the story of how Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. We'll cover what type of volcano, the warnings of doom, the cities themselves, how Nero sent help, how they were discovered centuries later, and how climbing Mt. Vesuvius is hella boring.
This was part 2 in our 7 part series that you can find anywhere you listen!
🌋 Volcanoes
Ep 38: Volcanoes Pt 1 - Mt. Toba's Echo: Journey into Earth's Cataclysmic Past
A prehistoric eruption so massive it... Duration: 00:47:14Can you recommend a Natural Disaster podcast?
Sep 12, 2025🌋 Volcanoes
Ep 38: Volcanoes Pt 1 - Mt. Toba's Echo: Journey into Earth's Cataclysmic Past
A prehistoric eruption so massive it may have nearly wiped out humanity.Ep 42: Volcanoes Pt 2 - Time Capsule of Tragedy: Exploring Pompeii's Frozen History
Mount Vesuvius destroys—and preserves—an entire Roman city in one day.Ep 46: Volcanoes Pt 3 - The Silent Summer: Tambora's Echo in Time
An eruption in 1815 caused global famine and the “year without a summer.”Ep 51: Volcanoes Pt 4 - Krakatoa: Exploring the Tectonic Plates Beneath the Cataclysmic Eruption
One of the loudest sounds in history... Duration: 00:09:57Ep 219: A wild way to dispose of a body - The Murder of Helle Crafts
Sep 08, 2025We've said it before, and we'll say it again - divorce is an option. It's not great, people will be sad, kids will be traumatized, but it's WORSE to be the child of a murderer and not have a mom.
Today, Farz tells us about how Helle Crafts's husband, Eastern Airlines pilot Richard Crafts, thought that the best way to keep sleeping with floight attendents would be to get rid of his wife, and her body. We won't spoil it here, but it's gross (not goopy though!).
Join our Founders Cl...
Duration: 00:32:14Can you recommend a Book podcast?
Sep 05, 2025Episodes:
Ep 7 - Part 1: Dorian Gray-t Expectations - Oscar Wilde's wild rideOscar Wilde’s wit, scandal, and downfall - the wild ride of one of literature’s sharpest voices.Ep 23 - Part 1: Our Lady of the Night - Mary ShelleyMary Shelley, teenage author of Frankenstein, inventor of science fiction, and survivor of endless tragedy.
Ep 79 - Germany's love affair w/ 1st Nation culture: The story of Karl MayThe strange case of Karl May - Germany’s most popular writer who inspired a national obsession with the American West.
Ep 97 - A Famous British W... Duration: 00:07:30
Ep 218: Mystery Deaths at the Bicentennial - Legionnaires' Disease
Sep 02, 2025It's 1976 - thousands of US Veterans in the American Foreign Legion meet up in Philly for a few days of meetings and camaraderie (and we assume not talking about trauma because it was the 70s).
Staying at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel, hundreds of men would get sick when they returned home, and over 30 would be dead in the next few days.
What caused the Legionnaires (and some people who just walked by the hotel) to get sick? Send in the CDC (Rest in Power), shock your hot tub, and throw away yo...
Duration: 00:38:29Can you recommend an Animal podcast?
Aug 29, 2025Ep. 47: Doomed to fail species? The story of the passenger pigeon
Once the most abundant bird in North America, they darkened the skies in flocks of millions—until humans hunted them into extinction.Ep 179: A Friend Till The End & Beyond - Hachikō
The dog who waited at a Tokyo train station every day for his owner, even years after the man had died.Ep 215: Nowhere to Echo - Whale Entrapment
When whales become trapped in icy waters, it’s a race between nature and human intervention to save them.Join our Founders Club...
Duration: 00:02:42Ep 217: James and the Giant Bitcoin - James Howells
Aug 25, 2025What would you do if you accidentally threw away a fortune? In this episode, we dig into the story of James Howells — the IT worker who tossed out a hard drive holding thousands of Bitcoins, worth hundreds of millions of dollars today. From the rise of cryptocurrency to the landfill treasure hunt that captured global headlines, we explore how one mistake turned into one of the most expensive “oops” moments in history.
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Duration: 00:37:26Can you recommend an Ancient History podcast?
Aug 22, 2025Ep 2 - Part 2: Nero: The Fiddling Tyrant
Rome’s most infamous emperor, accused of burning his own city and fiddling while it fell into chaos.Ep 12 - Part 2: Ancient Sport Rivalries - The Nika Riots
What started as a sports rivalry in Constantinople exploded into a massacre, leaving thousands dead in the Hippodrome.Ep 38: Volcanoes Pt 1 - Mt. Toba's Echo: Journey into Earth's Cataclysmic Past
A volcanic eruption so massive it nearly wiped out humanity. Prehistoric disaster at an unimaginable scale.Ep 42: Volcanoes Pt 2 - Time Capsule of Tragedy: Exploring Pompeii's Frozen History
... Duration: 00:03:54Ep 216: Ancient Incendiaries - Greek Fire
Aug 18, 2025Let's go back to ancient warfare, shall we? We'll talk about all the things you can fill a clay pot with to throw at enemies—spikes, bees, boiling hot sand—use your imagination!
Then, we will discuss the mysterious Byzantine weapon, Greek Fire. From a siphon, it could shoot white hot fire onto enemy ships, causing pain, devastation, and setting the water aflame.
How Greek Fire was Used to Target Enemy Ships - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPUgvYZ5UDk
The UnXplained: Greek Fire Is Every Sailor's Deadly NIGHTMARE - http...
Duration: 00:39:54Can you recommend a Plane Crash podcast?
Aug 15, 2025Ep 68 - You're Cleared for Disaster: The Tenerife Airport Crash of 1977
The world’s deadliest aviation disaster didn’t happen in the air—it happened on the runway. Two jumbo jets, thick fog, and a fatal misunderstanding.
Ep 77 - Cloudy with a Chance of Terror: Cumulonimbus
Towering thunderclouds that can tear planes apart. Pilots fear them, passengers don’t see them coming.
Ep 80 - Stratospheric Secrets: SR-71's Classified History
The fastest jet ever built, shrouded in Cold War secrecy. We peek inside its classif...
Duration: 00:05:22Ep 215: Nowhere to Echo - Whale Entrapment
Aug 11, 2025Let's talk about whales, from what we do and do not know about mammals, to the incredible things that animals have to endure!
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Duration: 00:43:28Can you recommend a Medical History podcast?
Aug 08, 2025The history of medicine is equal parts miracle and nightmare. These episodes prove it.
Ep 98 - The Never-ending Story: Henrietta Lacks
Ep 135 - Useless Harbinger of Death?: The Appendix
Ep 141 - Look for The Helpers: Thalidomide Babies
Ep 214: Terror for Peace - The Firebombing of Tokyo
Aug 04, 2025Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb - by James M. Scott - https://www.amazon.com/Black-Snow-Curtis-Firebombing-Atomic/dp/1324002999
The Brutal Bombing of Tokyo 1945 | The Deadliest Bombing in History - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-iS8ZQjr1c
Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast - The Firebombing of Tokyo - Episode 416 -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkWVi5s85lo
Today, let's talk about Operation Meetinghouse - the overnight firebombing of Tokyo on March 9-10, 1945. USAAF General Curtis Le...
Duration: 00:52:57Can you recommend a Business podcast?
Aug 01, 2025Ep 27: Cruising through History: The Rise and Fall of the Edsel
Ford’s flashy new car was supposed to be the future. Instead, it became the most famous flop in automotive history.Ep 33: Getting rich quick always works: The story of Charles Ponzi
Ep 112 - Squeeze your Juice and have it too: Juicero
Ep 128 - Cas...
Duration: 00:03:55Ep 213: A Good Thing Exists - Morgan's Wonderland
Jul 28, 2025Today, in good news, Farz tells the story of San Antonio's kindest philanthropist, Gordon Hartman! Gordon created Morgan's Wonderland - an amusement park that makes attending amusement parks possible for people with disabilities. We'll talk about the mission of the park, the cool rides they created to make sure that everyone can ride safely.
Learn even more at https://morgans.org/
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Ins...
Duration: 00:24:53Can you recommend a Pop Culture podcast?
Jul 25, 2025When people go wrong, the spotlight melts them faster. These episodes explore crimes, courtroom chaos, PR disasters, and unforgettable headlines.
Ep 10 Part 1 – OJ & Nicole Simpson
A brutal double murder, a televised Bronco chase, and the most infamous trial of the 20th century. Whether he did it or if he did it—America was never the same.Ep 18 - Part 1: BFFs Gone Wrong - Bernie Tiede
Ep 18 - Part 2...
Duration: 00:09:06Ep 212: Death at Dutchman's Pass - The Great train wreck of 1918
Jul 21, 2025Let's go back to a time when trains weren't automated and there was A LOT of room for human error. We talk about the 'Swiss Cheese Model' of disasters all the time and this is a classic case. Late trains, overcrowded passenger cars, neglecting to look at a log book, having the "go" sign up when it should have been "stop" - this case has it all.
We'll also talk about how the story was lost in the ends of WWI and the Jim Crow south.
Join our Founders Club on Patreon to...
Duration: 00:31:28Can you recommend an Engineering Disaster podcast?
Jul 17, 2025From molasses tsunamis to space shuttle tragedies, here are some of history’s most infamous engineering disasters.
Ep 20 - Part 2: Oh The Humanity!!! - The Hindenburg
A luxury airship explodes mid-air in front of a live radio broadcast. Hydrogen, hubris, and horrific design come together in one fiery crash.Ep 26 - Part 1: Under Pressure - The Byford Dolphin & The Titan Submersible
What happens when pressurization systems fail under extreme ocean depths? People don’t just die—they implode.Ep 61: Engineering Disasters Part 1 - The 1981 Kansas City Hyatt Skywalk Collapse
Two walkways, a design... Duration: 00:09:16Ep 211: Playing With The Devil's Venom - The Nedelin Catastrophe
Jul 14, 2025Post WWII, where did all the Rocket Scientists go? Specifically, where did all the GERMAN Rocket Scientests go? Essentially, they went to the highest bidder; some, like Werner von Braun, went to the US, and others went to Russia. Today, we'll tell the story of the race to get a bigger and better ICBM - and how, in a rush to show strength, an undetermined number of people were reduced to ash in The Nedelin Catastrophe.
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We wo...
Duration: 00:32:41Can you recommend a Medieval History podcast?
Jul 09, 2025Traditionally, the Middle Ages (which is easier to spell) is the time from the 5th century to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. We could also pull it a little later into the birth of the Renaissance, and we might as well bookend this with the Mona Lisa.
The space between the Nika Riots and the Mona Lisa is about 1000 years, and a lot happened.
🏛 Early Medieval (c. 500–1000 CE)
532 - The Nika Riots: In Constantinople, under Emperor Justinian, what starts as a sports riot turns into a full-blown class riot with many people being hacke...
Duration: 00:08:46Ep 210: Do Whatever You Want!! - Action Park, New Jersey
Jul 07, 2025Oh, the sweet simplicity of an unregulated water park in the 1980s! You 100% would get injured, you might die, but you'd have an awesome time. Let's discuss Gene Mulvihill and his obsession with creating bigger, better, more dangerous water park attractions! We'll dig into the details and the danger. Strap in (actually, there are no straps, so just hang on) for a wild ride!
Sources:
Calss Action Park - https://www.classactionpark.com/
Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park
By Andy...
Duration: 00:46:28Ep 209: History Repeated - Israel, Iran, and Iraq
Jun 30, 2025Let's dive into the history between Iran, Israel, and Iraq. You probably won't be surprised to know that there has been conflict in the Middle East as long as there have been humans.
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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@doomed.to.fail.pod Duration: 00:27:28
Ep 208: The Mayor of Castro Street - Harvey Milk
Jun 23, 2025For our last story for Pride Month, let's talk about Harvey Milk. Harvey was only in politics for a few years but he was groundbreaking in that he was an out gay man who encouraged others to also come out and share who they are. We'll cover Harvey's early life in NY, his time in the Navy, and what ultimately led him to Castro Street in San Francisco!
Source - The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life & Times of Harvey Milk
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-mayor-of-castro-street-the-life-and-times-of-harvey-milk_randy-shilts/279686/?
Join our F...
Duration: 00:49:11Ep 207: Hey Ladies!!! - Sappho
Jun 18, 2025To continue our look at LGBTQ+ history let's talk about Sappho! While we cannot put modern definitions onto ancient people, we do assume that Sappho had relationships with women based on her love poems to women. She ran a school for women on the isle of Lesbos (you get it) and we are still discovering fragments of her work!
Join us as Taylor reads Farz a love poem, and he says 'Sorry, I zoned out.
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Duration: 00:30:01Ep 206: Our new departure time is in 18 years - Mehran Karimi Nasseri
Jun 16, 2025Let's talk about the true story behind the movie 'The Terminal' it's not nearly as romantic IRL! Mehran Karimi Nasseri was trying to get to the UK from Iran when some paperwork needed to be filled out in France... and he just, didn't do it. For 18 years. If you're like anyone else in the world, you hate being at the airport overnight - so this is actually a tragedy of mental illness and less of a bureaucratic nightmare.
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Duration: 00:21:44Ep 205: Under Pressure - Japan Airlines Flight 123
Jun 11, 2025Have I said before that I think that we think that talking about plane crashes would just make our deaths in one TOO ironic? So this is saving our lives. Let's talk about the horror of the short trip that was Japan Airlines Flight 123 - A fully filled, gigantic plane with over 500 people- that lost control 12 minutes into the flight, then they wobbled around in the sky for THIRTY MINUTES before crashing.
Learn more about this horrible tragedy with us!
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<... Duration: 00:36:14Ep 204: Fancy a Duel after the Opera? - Julie d'Aubigny
Jun 09, 2025Today we dive into the oft-requested story of the dueling, opera singing, bi-sexual Julie d'Aubigny! We'll tell the tale of her remarkable life, from a court mistress, to dueling on the streets of Paris, to burning the body of a nun to run away with her girlfriend! Lots of twists in this one!
Happy Pride!
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Duration: 00:33:44Ep 203: Couple Breaks in the chain! - Hands Across America
Jun 04, 2025Today, we dig into the 80s culture of celebrity charity work! From Live Aid to 'We Are the World', we started a trend where massive movements were spearheaded by celebrities. USA for Africa, the organization responsible for We Are the World & Hands Across America, stands for 'United Support of Artists for Africa' (we wouldn't have guessed that, because it makes no sense).
What IS Hands Across America, you ask? It's exactly what you sound like, a human chain of people holding hands, for 15 mins, for $10 a person. It did end up raising money to fight hunger in...
Duration: 00:29:40Ep 202: Ok Place, Totally Wrong Time - Not so Lucky Dragon #5
Jun 02, 2025Let's talk about the unlucky crew of the Tuna Fishing ship Lucky Dragon #5. Thousands of miles from Japan, the crew was laying lines when the US tested its Castle Bravo nuclear bomb in Bikini Atoll. The Lucky Dragon was well within the 'Safety Zone,' which we know is not a thing. They ended up trudging back to Japan, only to slowly succumb to all the radiation they experienced. We ALSO talk about Hisashi Ouchi, who was hit with the largest dose of radiation in history in the Tokaimura nuclear accident.
Asking for a friend, w...
Duration: 00:32:04Ep 201: The Living Market - Organ Transplants Pt 2
May 30, 2025Today we travel to the darker side of organ transplants - when demand is greater than supply, that creates a market, right? Well, yes, but also this time people have to be cut open.
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Duration: 00:33:15Ep 200: Disaster on the Graveyard Shift - Chernobyl
May 27, 2025Let's talk about the most expensive disaster of all time! The meltdown at Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. A safety test that was anything but 'routine' ended in an explosion of radioactive material, and everything became poison. We'll talk about the USSR, Nuclear Power, the disaster itself, and the aftermath.
This is episode 200!! We are so excited to have gotten this far, thank you so much for listening!!
Sources:
The Chernobyl Disaster [Ben Fogle] - Parts 1-3 (Documentary 2022) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tsr...
Duration: 01:15:50Ep 199: Missed the "Mark" to Market Accounting - Enron
May 21, 2025Sources -
Movie - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron:_The_Smartest_Guys_in_the_Room
Book - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smartest_Guys_in_the_Room_(book)
For this episode, Taylor got to read the book behind her favorite documentary of all time - 2005's "The Smartest Guys in the Room" - That's right, liars and grifters, we're stuffing money in offshore accounts and shredding the paperwork - we're talking Enron!!!
From the meteoric rise of "The World's Leading Company" (whatever that means!) to sto...
Duration: 01:13:08Ep 198: I'll take one of those! - Organ Transplants pt 1
May 19, 2025Today, in part 1 of Organ Donations, we talk about the history and the rules behind giving someone your organs. It does get a little gross when we learn that lungs come apart into 'lobes' but it's probably still a good thing to know!
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Duration: 00:50:09Ep 197: Gotta Have High Hopes - The DeFeo Family
May 14, 2025Today, we talk about the incident before the horror in Amityville, Long Island. 23-year-old Ronnie DeFeo murdered his entire family, parents, and four siblings, at 3:15 in the morning. He shot them in their beds while they were sleeping, then he took a bath and went to work. Ronnie would later claim it was a demon, and the grifters who moved in later would say the house was haunted. Lots of great content ensued.
We'll talk about what happened to the DeFeo family, some conspiracies, the aftermath, and some dashed 'high hopes.'
J...
Duration: 00:34:07Ep 196: Table for 87? - The Donner Party
May 12, 2025Consider, of course, the definition of 'doomed.' In 1846, several families left the Midwest in pursuit of the California Dream. Eventually, George Donner would be named their leader, and they would follow the Hastings Cutoff for a quick shortcut west. The rest is history.
Of the 87 travelers, 48 will survive, mostly women & children. All will encounter incredible hunger, fear, and destitution before they reach California. Join us as we tell the stories of these families who risked everything for a better life.
(There is also cannibalism, don't worry.)
The Indi... Duration: 00:59:47
BONUS: Fun in the sun - Ghost Ships
May 09, 2025Why not do a Friday Re-release!?! Let's take a break from the horrors IRL and talk about The Mary Celeste and the MV Joyita - two ships found drifting with no people... where did the people go??
Bonus bonus - you shoud watch the movie 'Ghost Ship' from 2002
Bonus bonus bonus - Gabriel Byrne played Professor Bhaer in 1994's "Little Women"????
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<... Duration: 00:53:27BONUS: Queen of Hearts - Marie Antoinette
May 07, 2025Grab your forks, friends - we're having cake! Today, we re-release Taylor's episode on our dear Marie Antoinette. Yes, we hold her dear - she was just a kid put in a ridiculous situation, YES, she cosplayed being poor, YES, she was addicted to gambling. BUT she was also a good mother.
Bonus - there's a time slip in this episode that we LOVE. In the Moberly–Jourdain incident, two teachers in 1911 saw Marie at her cottage, where she shouldn't have been (since it was 1911).
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Duration: 00:58:45BONUS: Re-Release - The 2008 Financial Crisis
May 05, 2025It's a re-release! Let's revisit Episode 45, where we talked about the financial crisis of 2008—what do you remember? Taylor worked at a hedge fund, and she remembers the yearly 'work trip' moving from the Bahamas to..... the Hamptons.
How did we get there, and what can we learn from the experience?
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Duration: 00:36:35Ep 195: The men who wrote the Dictionary - Professor James Murray & Dr. W. C. Minor
Apr 30, 2025Today Taylor tells the story of "The Professor and the Madman" - how the Oxford English Dictionary was created in the late 1800s. Professor James Murray took up the almost impossible task of cataloging the entire English Language, and asked for the public's help. One volunteer sent in over 10k definitions (which all include quotes and several references) - his return address was the Insane Asylum at Broadmore. Was he a Dr. or a patient??
Sources
The professsor and the madman - https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-professor-and-the-madman_simon-winchester/248697/item/5257676/?
Joi...
Duration: 00:36:02Ep 194: The Vatican State: How did it come to be?
Apr 28, 2025Discover the rich history of the Papal States and the evolution of the Catholic Church in our latest episode! Learn about the intriguing interplay between politics and faith from Jesus to Napoleon. Don’t miss out on this deep dive into history! #PapalStates #CatholicChurch #HistoryPodcast Join our Founders Club on Patreon to get ad-free episodes for life! patreon.com/DoomedtoFailPod We would love to hear from you! Please follow along! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doomedtofailpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doomedtofailpod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@doomedtofailpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@doomed.to.fail.pod Email: doomedtofailpod@gmail.com
Duration: 00:36:42Ep 193: How fast can this go? Più veloce!! - Enzo Ferrari
Apr 24, 2025Let's talk fast cars and family rivalries! Today, we talk through the Ferrari and Lamborghini families, and how their patriarchs worked to have the fastest engine available, and not necessarily the coolest looking car. I think that just happened to happen!
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Duration: 00:23:36Ep 192: A Scenic Crash in Antarctica - Air New Zealand Flight 901
Apr 22, 2025Join us for the sad tale of Air New Zealand's flight 901 that crashed in Antarctica in 1979. But first we need a little bit of context and we revisit several Doomed to Fail Episodes:
The Franklin Expedition Ep 58
Volcanoes - between 38 and 71
Antarctica - Ep 158
Mt. Everest - Ep 95
Then we get to the story of the trip, which sounds amazing until it isn't.
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Duration: 00:31:43Ep 191: Ancient Voices in Modern Warfare - Navajo Code Talkers
Apr 16, 2025This is the incredible story of the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II! We'll talk a little about the history of the Navajo and how the United States really wanted them to forget their heritage, and especially their language. Navajo children were sent to boarding schools and forced to learn English, so much so that they were punished if they spoke any of their native language at school. Of course, they still spoke Navajo (an extremely complex language that you have to learn from birth or you have no chance) at home.
Forward to WWII, the U...
Duration: 00:45:47Ep 190: Suicidal pilots: Germanwings Flight 9525
Apr 14, 2025At this point, maybe if we talk about plane crashes enough, the irony would be TOO intense if we actually died in one! Let's go back 10 years to March 2015, when Germanwings pilot Andreas Lubitz was absolutely not in the right headspace to fly a plane. We dig into the mental health of pilots, why some of them don't get help, and why those who do are stigmatized. Andreas, for example, was on a new medication, coupled with his history of depression, he took over the cockpit and crashed Germanwings flight 9525 on purpose. It's awful.
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Duration: 00:28:02Ep 189: The worst/best time making a movie - The Island of Dr. Moreau
Apr 10, 2025Farz started this episode with, "I don't know if people are going to be interested in this!" and then proceeded to tell the most hilarious and interesting story! In loving memory of Val Kilmer, Farz walks us through the insane 1996 production of "The Island of Dr. Moreau." From Val being the worst to the director disguising himself as an extra to whatever the hell Marlon Brandon was doing --- it's a wild ride!
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Duration: 00:48:11Ep 188: Hear the one about the libertarian town taken over by bears? - Grafton, NH
Apr 08, 2025Today, Taylor talks us through the story of Grafton, NH, and the "Free Town Project." Grafton, like much of New England, has been home to Black Bears for thousands of years (maybe longer? We're not Bear Historians). The Abenaki people hunted them and lived with them. The Europeans almost hunted them to extinction, but with some new regulations, the population revived
Join us now in Grafton, where a gaggle of Libertarians moved in the early 2000s, looking for a life of freedom from taxation and government meddling; Live Free or Die is the state motto, after all...
Duration: 00:35:35Ep 187: Ezra Klein inspired: Abundance prescribed for mental health
Apr 03, 2025In our latest episode, we dissect the failures of the mental health system in America. With insights from experts and historical context, we explore how we got here and what can be done to make a change. Don't miss it! #MentalHealthReform #DoomedToFail
Today we talk about the history of Mental Aslymns in the context of Ezra Klein's new book, Abundance.
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Duration: 00:39:45Ep 186: Flying the Skies above India & Breaking Barriers - Sarla Thukral
Apr 01, 2025Today, we close out Women's History month with the story of Sarla Thakral - who received her pilot's license in 1936 and was one of the first women pilots in India. Today, the average number of women pilots in India is double the global average! We'll learn about the support Sarla got from her husband, his tragic death, and her second act as an accomplished fashion designer!
https://vivchavan.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/indias-first-women-in-air-indias-first-lady-pilot-sarla-thakral/
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Duration: 00:21:17Ep 185: Mapping the Earth from Space - Dr. Valerie L. Thomas & her career at NASA
Mar 26, 2025We love science projects & women in STEM! Today, we're talking about a winner, Dr. Valerie L. Thomas and her contributions to science while working at NASA. Dr. Thomas broke all the barriers to lead some incredible projects. One, the Landsat Satellite Program, starting in the 1970s is still in operation taking pictures today (We're at Landsat 9), and her work with mirrors and 3D images with her 'Illusion Transmitter' is a huge part of modern 3D imaging!
Learn more with us! #science
Sources:
https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Hel...
Duration: 00:32:16Ep 184: Rejection turned to Destruction - Hitler, Pol Pot, & Stalin
Mar 24, 2025We've all heard how Adolf Hitler was rejected from art school... today we'll dive into the details, how being a poor non-student in Vienna led him to the back rooms of rebellion - and eventually to the horrors of WWII. Did you know that Pol Pot of Cambodia was similarly rejected by the Paris elite while in college? Also, Stalin was rejected by the Church and kicked out of the seminary. Would history have been the same if these guys had found a more productive outlet in their 20s???
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Duration: 00:49:22Ep 183: Devil in The Big Easy - Delphine LaLaurie
Mar 21, 2025In the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter, a mansion stood as a symbol of wealth and prestige—until its horrifying secrets were exposed. Madame Delphine LaLaurie was a socialite, a woman of influence, and a monster lurking behind the grandeur. What truly happened inside her infamous home? Was she a sadistic torturer, or has history twisted her tale into something even darker?
Join us as we unravel the gruesome truth, the legends, and the unanswered questions surrounding one of America's most infamous women.
🔪 History, horror, and hauntings collide in this chilling episode! 🔪
Join o...
Duration: 00:30:41Ep 182: Hitler's Least Favorite Spy - Virginia Hall
Mar 17, 2025Now, let's talk about a hero of WWII! Virginia Hall was an American woman who wanted to work in Europe, specifically France, to help the French Resistance stop the Nazis from taking over. Unfortunately, two things - she was a woman, and they only allowed women to type, and she shot her own leg off while hanging out with friends in Turkey.
Well, if the US didn't want her, the Brits would take her - Virginia joined the SOE (spies!) and spent 15 months in France, messing with the Nazis, getting a huge group of supporters t...
Duration: 00:44:17Ep 181: Hitler's Favorite Film Maker - Leni Riefenstahl
Mar 12, 2025We mentioned Leni in Episode 117 when we discussed the Berlin Olympics in 1936. She is the director who created the 'Olympia' film, breaking barriers as a woman and adding invaluable skills to the craft of filmmaking.
Leni also denied and denied and denied that she was a part of the Nazi Propaganda Machine --- and she got to live to 101!! Today, we'll talk about how there is literally no way she didn't know (if you can go over Goebbels's head right to Hitler, you don't NOT know what is going on).
Plus, he...
Duration: 00:45:31Ep 180: The Beast of Belsen - Irma Grese
Mar 10, 2025History, as we know, is filled with uplifting stories - it's also full of awful stories that are sometimes difficult even to imagine, like his one.
Today, Farz tells us about one of the worst concentration camp guards, Irma Grese. Her depravity, often sexually arousing for her, stands out even among the stories of WWII. We discuss how we're sure that even if there hadn't been a war, Irma would have ended up doing something awful with her life.
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Duration: 00:35:47Ep 179: A Friend Till The End & Beyond - Hachikō
Mar 05, 2025Today, we learn the adorable story of the Huskie Hachikō, who waited at the train station for his owner for years after his death. Hachikō isn't the only dog who remained loyal to his owner until his own death. There's obviously Fry's dog in Futurama & many other real-life examples.
Taylor wants to remind you that she isn't anti-dog. She just doesn't want one, and she believes that there are many others who feel the same, but they are afraid to speak out. It's ok, you are safe here.
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Duration: 00:23:18Ep 178: The Miracle Worker & The Miracle - The Helen Keller story
Mar 03, 2025Today starts our Women's History Month coverage! We remind you that nobody is perfect, women, like all genders, contain mulititudes.
Taylor starts off with the story of Helen Keller - from the disease that took her sight and hearing at 19 months - to an international superstar and advocate for disabled people, Socialism, and women. How did she go from her silent dark world to a graduate of Radcliffe and a prolific writer?
She couldn't have done it without her Teacher, Anne Sullivan, who dedicated her life to working with Helen, even wh...
Duration: 00:38:16Ep 177: What's the worst that could happen? - The The Münster Rebellion of 1534
Feb 26, 2025Let's travel a century or so in the future from Britain's Peasant Revolt to what happened in Germany after they had their own. It's fully the Renaissance now, but don't tell that to Anabaptist Jan Matthis; he's planning for the End Times. We're going to have a city under siege, a Preacher who (surprise, surprise) wants to be a King and marry everyone, and a lot of good old-fashioned torture.
We recommend the 1993 made-for-German-TV movie with Christoph Waltz - per usual he's evil AND adorable.
There are two Jans and three Bernards in this story!<...
Duration: 00:38:26Ep 176: Who's to say Virgin Blood doesn't stop aging? - Elizabeth Bathory
Feb 24, 2025Let's get creepy for Women's History! Farz walks us through the tale of Elizabeth Bathory, who murdered countless peasants in her Transylvanian castle. Did she bathe in their blood to stay young?? Did she just like killing people? How many places in a castle can you hide a body???
If you live in a castle and know that answer please email us.
Main Source:
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/135/
No Blood in the Water: the Legal and Gender Conspiracies against Countess Elizabeth Bathory in Historical ContextRachael Leigh Bledsaw...
Duration: 00:34:47Ep 175: Just stop watching award shows - Psychology of celebrity obsession
Feb 21, 2025Let's talk about celebrities & our obsession with them. Farz will walk us through some examples, from fun things like Taylor having a Prince William poster to very scary things like someone sitting on the Queen's bed while she slept. Why do we feel connected to people we've never met, and how can they feel safe with so many strangers knowing intimate details of their lives?
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Duration: 00:27:19Ep 174: We're men, we're men in tights (Tight tights!) - Geoffrey Chaucer
Feb 18, 2025Poetry Professor Taylor will be walking us through the life and times of Geoffery Chaucer! Just kidding - a normal person who doesn't understand Middle English at all, Taylor, will walk us through this story today!
We tie back to last week's peasant revolt to talk about how Chaucer's apartment was above the Aldgate - so he would have watched people rush into London. We also talk about the precipice of change in this time period - in hindsight, it's easy to see we're on our way to The Renaissance, but we're pretty sure some f...
Duration: 00:37:53Ep 173: Revenge of the Monarch - Jamal Khashoggi
Feb 13, 2025Today, Farz tells the story of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who dared to talk about the ruler of Saudi Arabia. After years in exile, Jamal decided to go to Turkey to get married, which sounds great, except he had an ex-wife in Saudi Arabia and a currently very much still married wife in the US. When he needed to get proof from the Embassy that he wasn't married (to the first one, under Islam) he was killed.
Learn more about this tragic story, & the history of Saudi Arabia with us!
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Duration: 00:35:10Ep 172: What do you mean I can't wear drip? The Peasants' Revolt
Feb 11, 2025Summer Of Blood Peasants Revolt Of 1381: Jones, Dan
The 1300s were rough in England. There's the plague; there's the 100 Years War, and there's serfdom. An interesting thing that happened after the Black Death killed 50% of the population was that workers were worth more - there were 50% fewer serfs, so they started to be asked to be paid more! That obviously wasn't going to fly with the Lords; you see if they paid their serfs more, then THEY would make less money, they the Lords, you see what I mean? They couldn't possibly.
This w...
Duration: 00:40:23Ep 171: Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? - John Wilkes Booth
Feb 05, 2025Here's the way to explain how famous John Wilkes Booth was BEFORE - imagine, it's 1996, you are 14, Leonardo Dicaprio is the most handsome person you have ever seen AND we just learned that he can do Shakespeare (We are are SURE that understanding Shakespeare in any way makes you smart, so you are trying) -- THEN Leo kills someone. You have to take down your Teen People pictures of him as you sob and listen to "Young Hearts Run Free."
Does that make sense?
John Wilkes Booth came from the most fa...
Duration: 00:52:39Ep 170: Another reason to fear flying - the Überlingen disaster
Feb 03, 2025Photos from wikipedia and - https://plane-crashes.fandom.com/wiki/2002_%C3%9Cberlingen_mid-air_collision
Welp. Farz likes to jostle our nerves, and today is no exception! We're going to talk about a mid-air collision - not the most recent one, but the one that happened in 2002. A DHL plane and a smaller jet collided mid-air; the smaller jet was full of Russian Children on a trip to the beach (and to make it worse, they missed their first fight; this was a second chartered one).
Next comes a story of justice and...
Duration: 00:31:11Ep 169: Who did you say owned Oreos? - The US Food System
Jan 29, 2025Today, Farz takes us on a journey through the history of the US Food System. We'll talk about who owns what, what they want you to eat, and why they want you to eat it!
Don't forget to start prepping for your Victory Garden, America!
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Duration: 00:52:18Ep 168: Everybody's Baby - Baby Jessica & her Well
Jan 27, 2025Do you remember October 1987? If you were around, there is no way that you missed the live CNN coverage of Jessica McClure stuck in a well (essentially, an 8-inch pipe; "well" is generous) in Midland, TX. It was the second time that CNN's live reporting attracted millions of viewers (the first was when The Challenger exploded the year before). May we also suggest watching 'Everybody's Baby' the TV movie with Patty Duke! The YouTube we link to has commercials! It's great.
Happy to report that Jessica is thriving today!
Photos from Peo...
Duration: 00:29:33BONUS: Real Life Stories - Incarcerated Firefighting with Brett Crawford
Jan 26, 2025In today's bonus episode, Taylor talks with formerly incarcerated firefighter Brett Crawford. We reached out to Brett from a comment he left on a very 'gotcha' headline from the NY Times. He graciously spent some time with us to talk about his experiences in prison and in recovery. In times like the LA Fires, the news is so hectic, and we hope this can help us all understand our shared humanity just a little bit better.
Follow Brett here - https://www.instagram.com/brettcrawfordinc/
https://www.surr3al.com/
...
Duration: 00:59:50Ep 167: Blood on the Water - The USS Indianapolis
Jan 23, 2025Let's talk about one of the worst Naval disasters in US history. At the end of WWII, the United States needed to get the uranium for the atomic bomb closer to Japan. Enter the USS Indianapolis - a ship that was just repaired from a kamikaze attack in the Battle of Okinawa. Nobody onboard knew what their mission or cargo was, but it was completed without incident.
HOWEVER, on the way back to Guam they were spotted by a submarine. 6 torpedos, with 2 hits later it's going to be a harrowing 4 days in the water.
There...
Duration: 00:54:26Ep 166: Ye Olde Traditions: Presidential Inaugurations
Jan 21, 2025Well, well, well! Why do we do all the festivities around a presidential inauguration anyway? Today, let's look at some of the most famous speeches and learn the history behind the US Presidential transfer of power, from Washington's inauguration in downtown NYC to the tradition of leaving a letter for your successor! Some of our favorites will include FDR's jab at Hoover and JFK's subtle nods at Eisenhower!
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Duration: 00:30:48Ep 165: Hot Coffee Comin' Up - Poor Stella Liebeck
Jan 16, 2025Ew. You've heard this story but not the details! Stella was in New Mexico on Feb 27, 1992 when she stopped for a coffee at McDonald's. She then spilled the coffee in her lap -- and OMG the injuries are horrific. She sued McDonald's (as she should have because, again, OMG)
Then we spent the 90s making fun of her because, of course, coffee is hot. We were terribly terribly wrong. This coffee wasn't hot, the McDonald's coffee of the 90s was lava-level dangerous. Google at your own risk.
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Duration: 00:28:54Ep 164: Incarcerated & Fire Fighting - California's Conservation Camps
Jan 13, 2025In an effort to try to understand WTF is going on as Los Angeles burns, Taylor spent a lot of time this week looking for misinformation and trying to find facts in this mess. It's wildly complicated; we're glad we don't work in accounting for a state or large city. One thing is for sure thank you Cal Fire for all you are doing to stop this disaster.
One thing that stood out is that 800 or so of the firefighters in LA right now are currently incarcerated. We go back to the 13th Amendment, which says that e...
Duration: 00:58:43Ep 163: Deep Blue Something - Tom & Eileen Lonergan
Jan 09, 2025This is one to sit out if you are scared of the ocean! Today, Farz tells the story behind 'Open Water' and how Tom & Eileen Lonergan went diving at the Great Barrier Reef and never came back.
A nightmare.
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Duration: 00:30:22BONUS: Real Life Stories - Getting the Polio Vaccine with Taylor's Dad, Mark!
Jan 07, 2025Co-Host Taylor interviews her dad, Mark, who was born in 1953! We talk DDT trucks, the Polio Vaccine, and what it was like to just not have to worry about it anymore!
Were you at any of our historical events??? We'd love to interview you too!
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Duration: 00:11:28Ep 162: Sugar Cubes for the Masses - The Polio Vaccine
Jan 06, 2025Hello 2025! Let's start talking about all the work that went into the Polio vaccine & our current mostly polio-free world! From an endemic disease that had been around for all time to the resurgence in the 1900s, Polio was a 'childhood' disease that people just expected to happen. Until our dear FDR was afflicted, and the March of Dimes changed philanthropy forever. Learn about fundraising, testing, and the two different polio vaccines this week with us on Doomed to Fail!
Some sources:
Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky - https://www.thriftbooks.co...
Duration: 00:50:51See you next year!
Dec 23, 2024Thank you for an amazing 2024! We are taking a short break and will see you next year!!
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Duration: 00:02:17Ep 161: Flight to Oblivion - The Lockerbie Bombing
Dec 19, 2024Finish up the year with us by talking about the Christmastime tragedy of the Lockerbie bombing. We'll talk about the PanAm flight, where it started, where it was headed, and what happened when a suitcase in the cargo hold exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland.
We'll talk suspects, pay-offs, and conspiracy theories.
Thank you for listening to our little show this year!! We will see you in 2025!
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Duration: 00:31:35