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Disaster Area

A podcast about disasters throughout history - what caused them, how people survived, and how we've responded to keep those disasters from happening again.

Ranked #1

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Episode 12: The Sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald

Episode 12: The Sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald

Released in 1976, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot told the tragic story of the sudden loss in a... Read more

7 Aug 2016

1hr 31mins

Ranked #2

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Episode 123: Chernobyl - Part One

Episode 123: Chernobyl - Part One

Before we get into the story of Chernobyl, we explore a few previous nuclear disasters, learn how radiation and nuclear ... Read more

31 Oct 2019

1hr 2mins

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Ranked #3

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Episode 6: The Station Nightclub fire

Episode 6: The Station Nightclub fire

Fifteen seconds of sparks given off by pyrotechnic gerbs, two different layers of flammable soundproofing foam, no sprin... Read more

3 Apr 2016

1hr 49mins

Ranked #4

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Episode 85: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

Episode 85: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

Four years ago this week, a plane full of innocent people just going about their lives - returning home, heading for vac... Read more

20 Jul 2018

1hr 8mins

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Ranked #5

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Episode 23: The eruption of Mount St. Helens

Episode 23: The eruption of Mount St. Helens

Sunday dawned warm and sunny in the Cascade mountain range. Hikers and fishermen savored the beautiful weather that morn... Read more

17 Dec 2016

1hr 25mins

Ranked #6

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Episode 88: The 2013 Moore tornado

Episode 88: The 2013 Moore tornado

Moore, Oklahoma, had the worst luck. Over the course of fifteen years, the Oklahoma City suburb would have five major to... Read more

20 Aug 2018

1hr 5mins

Ranked #7

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Episode 2: The Hillsborough Disaster

Episode 2: The Hillsborough Disaster

On April 15, 1989, thousands of British football fans flocked to Sheffield to see the F.A. Cup semi-final game between L... Read more

20 Jan 2016

1hr 12mins

Ranked #8

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Episode 72: The Twilight Zone disaster

Episode 72: The Twilight Zone disaster

One can only imagine how scary the scene might be for two small children. The village they hid in was being destroyed by... Read more

8 Apr 2018

1hr 13mins

Ranked #9

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Episode 110: American Airlines Flight 191

Episode 110: American Airlines Flight 191

There are certain things you don't want to see out the window when you're sitting on a plane that's taking off. Seeing p... Read more

12 Apr 2019

52mins

Ranked #10

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Episode 62: The Tenerife disaster

Episode 62: The Tenerife disaster

Until September 11, 2001, one aviation accident between two 747s was the deadliest aircraft crash by far, and only one o... Read more

26 Nov 2017

1hr 22mins

Ranked #11

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Episode 74: Aloha Airlines Flight 243

Episode 74: Aloha Airlines Flight 243

Some plane crashes may make you terrified any plane you get one will crash. Only one may scare you into worrying the roo... Read more

24 Apr 2018

52mins

Ranked #12

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Episode 95: The Sunshine Skyway bridge collapse

Episode 95: The Sunshine Skyway bridge collapse

The Sunshine Skyway bridge was a well-known piece of Florida architecture, carrying vehicles back and forth across Tampa... Read more

30 Oct 2018

1hr 18mins

Ranked #13

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Episode 65: The Piper Alpha disaster

Episode 65: The Piper Alpha disaster

Working on an oil rig in the North Sea has its frustrations, its problems, and its dangers. In July of 1988, employees o... Read more

31 Dec 2017

1hr 19mins

Ranked #14

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Episode 7: The Jonestown Massacre

Episode 7: The Jonestown Massacre

Over nine hundred men, women, and children died in 1978 in a small settlement in Guyana established by the People Temple... Read more

28 Apr 2016

2hr 22mins

Ranked #15

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Episode 39: The San Ysidro McDonald's Massacre

Episode 39: The San Ysidro McDonald's Massacre

It was always busy at the McDonald's restaurant on San Ysidro Boulevard. Kids invaded the play area whether or not they'... Read more

31 May 2017

1hr 3mins

Ranked #16

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Episode 116: The 1986 Mount Hood incident

Episode 116: The 1986 Mount Hood incident

It's time for the yearly school trip - no, not to Washington, DC, or the Grand Canyon or New Orleans. In 1986, as every ... Read more

27 Jun 2019

1hr 7mins

Ranked #17

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Episode 4: The Kansas City Hyatt Regency skywalk collapse

Episode 4: The Kansas City Hyatt Regency skywalk collapse

When the Kansas City Hyatt Regency opened in 1980, its beautiful atrium with walkways which appeared to float on air imp... Read more

17 Feb 2016

59mins

Ranked #18

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Episode 16: The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire

Episode 16: The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire

At first, people who wandered over from Washington Square Park thought someone was throwing sack of shirtwaists out of t... Read more

9 Oct 2016

2hr 7mins

Ranked #19

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Episode 5: Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571

Episode 5: Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571

"Rugby players eat their dead." Spotting this bumper sticker encouraged director Frank Marshall to take on the film vers... Read more

16 Mar 2016

2hr 21mins

Ranked #20

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Episode 3: The SS Eastland disaster

Episode 3: The SS Eastland disaster

Every year, Western Electric contracted excursion boats to take employees to the annual picnic, from Chicago to Michigan... Read more

31 Jan 2016

1hr 7mins

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