Relative Disasters

Latest Episodes:

The Ica Stones (Extended Sidebar Episode 02) Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Well, apparently all we're going to do are "stone-based historical scams" on these Extended Sidebar episodes... anyway, this hoax came up waaaaay back in our first season during the research for the Gregor MacGregor episodes. Join us as we talk about the Ica Stones, a hoax involving ancient Incans, Aliens, Dinosaurs, and the creative use of chickens. Enjoy!

The 1975 Heroism of Oliver Sipple (that ruined his life) (Episode 120) Oct 23, 2023

Show notes

Join us for our last episode of the season, wherein Ella and Greg discuss how a selfless act of heroism led to the ruination of a man's personal life. We'll discuss how to NOT be a good friend, the state of human rights in 1975, and how far society's come since then - and how far we still have to go.

Also, Ella has an announcement.

Correction: In the episode, Greg stated that Mr. Sipple's middle name was William; it was actually Wellington. Thanks to an attentive listener for the correction!

Sources:

Sorrow Trailed a Veteran Who Saved a President and Then Was Cast in an Unwanted Spotlight

by Dan Morain, LA Times, Feb. 13, 1989

Caught in Fate's Trajectory, Along With Gerald Ford

by Lynne Duke, Washington Post, December 31, 2006

News and Sexuality: Media Portrayals of Diversity

by Laura Castañeda and Shannon Campbell

Sage Publications, 2006

Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military

by Randy Shilts

McMillan, 2005

The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk

by Randy Shilts

St. Martin's Press, 1982

Radiolab: Oliver Sipple

Sept. 22, 2017

The Dare Stones (Extended Sidebar 01) Oct 23, 2023

Show notes

Join Ella and Greg while they talk about one of the weirdest (and most obvious) scams in American archaeology - the Dare Stones!

The Wellington Avalanche (Episode 119) Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

In February 1910, the deadliest avalanche in the history of the United States occurred in the small town of Wellington, Washington. On this episode, we're talking rotary plows, wild weather, and railroad history.

Sources for this episode include:

"White Cascade", G. Krist, 2007

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wellington-avalanche-site

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86072041/1910-03-04/ed-1/seq-2/#words=avalanche+Avalanche+crash+snow+Snow+snowed+train+trains

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/1910-stevens-pass-avalanche-still-deadliest-in-us-history/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbQ7Qc7MCIM

The 1972 Crash of Flight 401 (Episode 118) Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

We head down to the Florida Everglades for one of the most disheartening plane crashes of all time - though with a higher survival rate than would be expected. We'll talk about alligators, frogs, autopilot controls, and a huckster attempting to cash in on tragedy.

Sources:

The 401 Crash and Survivors

Some Survive as Jet Smashes Into Swamp (AP) - The Eugene Register-Guard, December 30, 1972

NTSB Aircraft Accident Report on Flight 401 (here)

Magic the Gathering's Combo Winter of 1998 (Episode 117) Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

A few notes; one, this is an extremely nerdy episode. Two, our recording circumstances were a little tricky (with a very persistent cricket intent on co-hosting), so the audio quality is a little less than I'd like with background noise.

With Ella on a well-deserved break, Greg and his friend Carson talk about something near and dear to their nerdy hearts - the time the card game Magic: The Gathering nearly collapsed because of a failure in recognizing a flaw in game design. Join us as we talk about game design, the delightfully geeky history of Magic, and the concept of "Fun"!

The Water Wiggle (Episode 116) Sep 04, 2023

Show notes

Content Warning: In this episode we discuss the deaths of two children; if you'd rather not hear about that, please skip this episode.

We're going back to the 1960s and 1970s, where kids ran around and played in the street and hooked weird toys up to their garden hoses during the summer. One of those toys was the Water Wiggle, a toy that turned your hose into a chaotic missile of spraying water, wildly whipping hose, and getting bonked in the head with the goofy-looking plastic head of the toy. Danger and excitement abounded - unless the head came off. Join us as we discuss toy safety, lawn games (especially Lawn Darts), and how the Wham-O toy company is responsible for your childhood.

Sources:

The CSPC Recall Notice

"Sobbing Father Tells How Toy Choked Son" - The Palm Beach Post, Wednesday, Feb 25, 1981, p. 44

Couple sues Wham-O over deadly Water Wiggle

"Toy firm's R&D specialist admits 'Water Wiggle' toy dangerous"

Part 1306 - ban of Hazardous Lawn Darts

The 1865 Wreck of the S.S. Sultana (Episode 115) Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

In April 1865, the deadliest shipwreck in American history occurred when a steamship exploded in the middle of the Mississippi River. On this episode, we're discussing the Civil War, cast-iron fire-tube boilers, and how a steamship with the legal capacity for 460 people ended up carrying just over 2,100.

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Sources for this episode include:

"The Explosion of the S. S. Sultana", 2014

"The Sultana Association of Descendants and Friends"

"The Search for a Photo of the Man Behind the Sultana Disaster", E. Demerel for Mental Floss, 2015

"Loss of the Sultana and the Recollections of Survivors", by C Berry, 1866

The Life of Puyi, Last Emperor of China (Episode 114) Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

China had a dynastic system of government for four thousand years; it ended when its last emperor was six years old. His life would be filled with the dissolution and reconstruction of China, brutal foreign occupations and incursions, and his own self-sabotaging need to be an Emperor again. Join us as we talk about what a horrific time the early/mid 1900s was in China, the lengths people in power will go to maintain that power, and why being an Emperor is not a job for a six-year-old.

Sources:

From Emperor to Citizen by Pu Yi (2007 restored version)

Twilight in the Forbidden City by Reginald Fleming Johnston (1934)

The Long and Awful Reign of Nero (Episode 113) Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

In CE 68, the Roman Emperor Nero died, bringing an end to a dynasty - and relief from his 14-year-long rule, a time of greed, excess, abuse, murder, and (possibly) arson.

On this episode, we're discussing the life of the worst of the Julio-Claudian rulers, as well as the Great Fire of Rome, a rat's nest of a family tree, and some of the worst theater ever performed.

Sources for this episode include:

"Nero, a Life From Beginning To End", by Hourly Histories, 2018

"The New, Nicer Nero", J Levine for Smithsonian Magazine, 2020

"The genderqueer tragedy of Sporus, Roman Emperor Nero’s last “empress”", K. Kaye for LGBTQ Nation, 2023

"The Fire of Rome" M. Owen and I. Gildenhard, 2013

"The Life of Nero", Suetonius