The Niagara Schoellkopf Power Station Disaster of 1957 | Episode 88 episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 20, 2025 · 48 MIN

The Niagara Schoellkopf Power Station Disaster of 1957 | Episode 88

from Doomsday: History's Most Dangerous Podcast · host Brad Choma

You know how when you have a good idea, you get a little lightbulb over your head? What if you had a bad idea, and a million cubic feet of rock collapsed on you.On today’s episode: why the tourist bureau for today’s story drink so much; how the people in today’s episode work with equipment that would rattle an melt your skull off and sometimes want to cry and eat each other; and why the phrase “well, I’m glad that’s all over” is rarely misapplied this badly.And because you are listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you get to enjoy an additional 10 minutes where we discuss: the hodge podge of brutalized bones and missing appendages that have sailed over the Falls; you’d hear about the increasingly ill-conceived and sketchy reasons people have tried their luck over the Falls on purpose; you would hear the tales of two waterways widely described as “inhospitable to human survival; and you would learn about the only unintentional subaquatic river trolley in the world.Niagara Falls has always been a magnet for honeymooners, daredevils, stunt performers and industrialists, but there is no place more ready to delete you from your travel itinerary in so many permanent and awful ways. It’s also been a magnet for nature-inspired calamity. This is our second episode from this exotic location, and I could do an entire episode on just the daredevils alone. I really wanted to record this episode at Niagara Falls, but I also wanted to get it out in the first half of 2025, so no dice. That said, you can’t do an episode about Niagara Falls without talking about the numbers of people who “take that vertical swim” on purpose.If you or someone you know sounds like they’d like to visit the Falls so-to-speak, please don't hesitate to reach out. There are people ready to help.In Canada, Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566 (Available 24/7) or text 45645, or visit www.crisisservicescanada.ca. For youth and young adults, there is also Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868.In the United States, you can call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: just dial 988 (Available 24/7) or you can text HOME to 741741In the UK, you can reach the Samaratins at 116 123.Obviously, this kind of thing that can be hard to talk about, but this is a show filled with things that can be hard to listen to. You’re already brave. Use that bravery to pick up a phone and please take care of yourself. ––––– 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.

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The Niagara Schoellkopf Power Station Disaster of 1957 | Episode 88

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