EPISODE · May 12, 2025 · 59 MIN
The Great Johnstown Flood Disaster of 1889 | Episode 86
from Doomsday: History's Most Dangerous Podcast · host Brad Choma
We’ve had a lot of episodes underground, and none of them have been underwhelming. In fact, if you’re not fans of claustrophobia, choking, burning, or being trampled, today’s episode may be a little overwhelming.On today’s episode: we will discuss how some of the richest men in America created a boiling, black mountain of crap as powerful as a small nuclear blast; we will – for only the second time in the show’s history, describe a disaster made worse by a liberal and unexpected application of barbed wire; and we’ll find out why sometimes, mass graves are just better.And if you were listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you'd get to enjoy an additional 8 minutes where: you would learn how people who forget to patent their inventions die; we discuss the three most popular maiming injuries among child labour in the 1800s – number three will really surprise you; and we learn how people in the gentle age of this episode used water, electricity, cream and beef broth to unscramble your nervous system. This episode came by overwhelming request, and because I wanted to spend some time in every town destroyed during today’s events, this became our longest episode ever. It’s not all bad though. We’ll get to watch the creation of the American Red Cross before our eyes. It is mostly bad though. Today’s disaster sits easily in the top five worst things we’ve ever seen, and the bodycount would remain intact for the next 112 years – until the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in NYC. ––––– 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.podcastSafety 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.
What this episode covers
We’ve had a lot of episodes underground, and none of them have been underwhelming. In fact, if you’re not fans of claustrophobia, choking, burning, or being trampled, today’s episode may be a little overwhelming.On today’s episode: we will discuss how some of the richest men in America created a boiling, black mountain of crap as powerful as a small nuclear blast; we will – for only the second time in the show’s history, describe a disaster made worse by a liberal and unexpected application of barbed wire; and we’ll find out why sometimes, mass graves are just better.And if you were listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you'd get to enjoy an additional 8 minutes where: you would learn how people who forget to patent their inventions die; we discuss the three most popular maiming injuries among child labour in the 1800s – number three will really surprise you; and we learn how people in the gentle age of this episode used water, electricity, cream and beef broth to unscramble your nervous system. This episode came by overwhelming request, and because I wanted to spend some time in every town destroyed during today’s events, this became our longest episode ever. It’s not all bad though. We’ll get to watch the creation of the American Red Cross before our eyes. It is mostly bad though. Today’s disaster sits easily in the top five worst things we’ve ever seen, and the bodycount would remain intact for the next 112 years – until the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in NYC. ––––– 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. : <a...
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The Great Johnstown Flood Disaster of 1889 | Episode 86
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