ThePodcastofDoom's podcast
The Podcast of Doom explores famous disasters and calamities throughout history.

There was a time when the Concorde supersonic jet represented the future of pasenger air travel. The jets were sleek, modern and traveled twice as fast as conventional jets cutting the flight time from New York to Paris to just 3.5 hours. The future of the Concorde ended shortly after this tragic accident, when 109 people died on the plane and four died in the hotel where the jet crashed.

Direct download: Episode_42_-_The_Concorde_Jet_Crash.mp3
Category:Social and Culture -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT
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Just as the world's most lethal war was drawing to a conclusion, humanity was about to face a crisis of even greater proportions. The Spanish Influenza or flu turned out to be the second most fatal panedemic follwoing the Bubonic Plague of the middle ages. More than 50 million people would die from the flu and more than 500 million people would be infected. It was a truly global disease spreading from Europe and America out to all of the continents including Asia, Africa, South America and the islands of the South Pacific.

Direct download: Episode_41_-_The_Spanish_Flu.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:24pm PDT
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We'll be answering listener questions and revealing the topics for Episodes 41 - 45.

Direct download: Question_and_Answer_Time_Plus_Five_New_Episodes.mp3
Category:Social and Culture -- posted at: 2:31pm PDT
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Following the death of Mao Zedong, China liberalized its market policies. Under the guidance of new leader Deng Xaioping, China’s economy expanded rapidly, but growth was uneven. While a lucky few grew rich, most Chinese suffered the effects of inflation, limited job opportunities, nepotism and large scale corruption. All while the Communist Party stifled individual freedoms. Following the death of a popular reformer, hundreds of thousands of young Chinese gathered in Tiananmen Square in the heart of China’s capital, Beijing. After more than a month of protests, the government responded—with a very heavy hand.

Direct download: Episode_40_-_The_Crackdown_at_Tiananmen_Square_v.2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:54pm PDT
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Bram Stoker, used this actual prince as the inspiration for his famous vampire character, Count Dracula. Vlad Tepes or Vlad Dracula was the real life ruler of Wallachia in the 15th century. In the war between the Hungarians and the Ottomans he switched sides several times depending on his immediate needs. Once in power he used the threats of impalement and being burned alive to maintain order. To many he was a villian, but to Romanians he was a hero.

Direct download: Episode_39_-_Vlad_Tepes_-_The_Original_Dracula.mp3
Category:Social and Culture -- posted at: 12:40pm PDT
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On the morning of December 6, 1917, the French cargo ship, SS Mont-Blanc, laden with high explosives collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the Canadian port city of Halifax, setting the Mont-Blanc on fire. When the ordinance on board the French vessel ignited, it caused the largest man-made explosion prior to the development of nuclear weapons. 30 years later in Texas City, Texas, another vessel, the SS Grandcamp was transporting 2,200 tons of ammonium nitrate when a fire started in the ship’s cargo hold. That fire started a chain reaction of explosions that killed nearly 600 people.

Direct download: Episode_38_-_The_Halifax_and_Texas_City_Ship_Explosions.mp3
Category:Social and Culture -- posted at: 1:05pm PDT
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In 1986, Russia was still communist and Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. The town of Chernobyl in northern Ukraine was home to a major nuclear power plant that produced 10% of Ukraine’s electrical needs. During a late night safety test, inherent reactor design flaws along with operator error resulted in an uncontrolled reaction that resulted in a steam explosion and eventually a graphite fire. For the next 9 days, plumes of fissionable material were lofted into the air eventually dropping back down on the USSR and Europe. 

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At its peak, the Piper Alpha oil platform was producing 300,000 barrels of oil a day, or 10% of Britain’s total oil production from just one platform. In 1980, the platform was modified to drill for natural gas in addition to oil. In 1988, the rig was due for major maintenance and upgrades. The operator, Occidental Petroleum, made the decision not to shut production down during this work. When a safety valve was removed for scheduled repairs it initiated a series of errors and events that led to a number of massive explosions that took the lives of 167 workers or three-quarters of the crew.

Direct download: Episode_36_-_The_Explosion_at_Piper_Alpha.mp3
Category:Social and Culture -- posted at: 2:47pm PDT
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An announcement regarding the subjects for episodes 36-40.

Direct download: Episode_36_-40_Announcement.mp3
Category:Social and Culture -- posted at: 7:53am PDT
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David Koresh was a powerful figure in the Davidians, a Seventh-Day Adventist splinter group.  In 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided Koresh’s ranch in Waco, Texas. A gun battle between the ATF and the Branch Davidians ended with the deaths of four agents and six of Koresh’s followers. Two months later, the FBI attempted to raid the compound again. During the raid, tear gas was launched into the domicile where the Davidians were holed up. There were 98 men, women and children inside the building when it exploded into flames.

Direct download: Episode_35_-_Clampdown_Part_II_-_The_Siege_at_Waco.mp3
Category:Social and Culture -- posted at: 7:15pm PDT
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In 1985, Philadelphia police attempted to enter the residence of a radical religious/political organization known as MOVE. When numerous attempts to enter the house from either side failed, the city police commissioner ordered an explosive device to be dropped on the house right in the middle of a densely populated residential neighborhood. The result was the deaths of six adults and five children and the burning down of an entire neighborhood. This is Part I of two parts. Part II will be about David Koresh and the Branch Davidians.

Direct download: Episode_35_-_Clampdown_Part_I_-_The_MOVE_Bombing.mp3
Category:Social and Culture -- posted at: 5:39pm PDT
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Episode 34 - Jews vs. Romans: The Bar Kokhba Revolt

When the ancient Romans attempted to establish control in Judea during the first century of the modern era, they touched off violent rebellions from the native Jewish residents. These violent wars between the Jews and the Romans led to the deaths of thousands of people. In the year 132, Simon Bar Kokhba led a third and final revolt. After a number of initial rebel victories, Emperor Hadrian called in his general Julius Severus to lead an immense Roman army assembled from every corner of the empire to deal with the Jewish rebels. The war led to the deaths of more than a half a million Jews and the Jewish state was wiped away not to return for 1,800 years. These events played an important part in the bible, particularly the Gospels.

Direct download: Episode_34_-_Jews_vs_Romans_The_Bar_Kokhba_Revolt.mp3
Category:Social and Culture -- posted at: 9:12pm PDT
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Episode 34 - Jews vs. Romans: The Bar Kokhba Revolt

When the ancient Romans attempted to establish control in Judea during the first century of the modern era, they touched off violent rebellions from the native Jewish residents. These violent wars between the Jews and the Romans led to the deaths of thousands of people. In the year 132, Simon Bar Kokhba led a third and final revolt. After a number of initial rebel victories, Emperor Hadrian called in his general Julius Severus to lead an immense Roman army assembled from every corner of the empire to deal with the Jewish rebels. The war led to the deaths of more than a half a million Jews and the Jewish state was wiped away not to return for 1,800 years. These events played an important part in the bible, particularly the Gospels.

Direct download: Episode_34_-_Jews_vs_Romans_The_Bar_Kokhba_Revolt.mp3
Category:Social and Culture -- posted at: 9:12pm PDT
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