Relative Disasters

Latest Episodes:

The 1896 St. Louis / East St. Louis Tornado (Episode 102) May 29, 2023

Show notes

In 1896, the cities of St. Louis and East St. Louis were enjoying an economic boom that led to skyscrapers, mansions, and a 'tornado-proof' bridge connecting the two cities. That progress was unfortunately paused at the end of May, when an F4 tornado went straight through the downtowns of both cities.

On this episode, Ella and our special guest host discuss architecture, bridges, tornado damage, and a building made of popsicle sticks.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.

Sources for this episode include:

“The Great Cyclone of 1896” Digital exhibit at St. Louis Public Library

“Tornadoes in the Past”, The Tornado Project, 1999

“The Great Cyclone at St. Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896, Being A Full History of the Most Terrifying and Destructive Tornado In The History Of The World”, by J Curzon, 1897

“On This Day: The Great St. Louis Tornado of 1896”, staff writer for NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information website, 2017

“It all Happened in 20 Minutes: In 1896, The Great Cyclone Ripped Through St. Louis”, T. O’Neill, St Louis Post Dispatch, 2022

The 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire (Episode 101) May 22, 2023

Show notes

On Memorial Day weekend of 1977, an event space and nightclub in Southgate, Kentucky, called the Beverly Hills Supper Club caught fire at around 8:50 in the evening. Within minutes, the building was fully engulfed and beginning to collapse, and 165 people were dead and dying.

In this episode, Ella tells the story of the tragic and very preventable Beverly Hills fire.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.

Main sources for this episode include: “Inside the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire”, by R. Eliott, 2010

"Remembering the tragic Beverly Hills Supper Club fire", staff writers for The Enquirer, 2021 "The Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire", NFPA documentary, 1980

Additional information from: "The Beverly Hills Supper Club: The Untold Story of Ky's Worst Tragedy", R. Webster et al, 2016

"$3 Million Settlement Approved In Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire", staff writer, New York Times, 1979

The 1992 Hurricane Iniki (Episode 100) May 15, 2023

Show notes

Join us for our 100th episode (!) as we journey to the lovely beaches of Hawaii... except they're not so lovely when being battered by 145-MPH winds. We're talking about the monetarily-costliest (and human-least-costliest) hurricane to strike Hawaii, 1992's Iniki. We'll be examining the failures - and difficulties - in tracking the storm, the weird mix of weather conditions that led to its formation, Greg's favorite global-weather pattern, Jurassic Park, and chickens! Lots of chickens.

Thanks for sticking with us for one hundred episodes! We wouldn't be doing this if you weren't listening, so our most heartfelt thanks and we've got plenty more disasters to talk about.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.

Sources:

USA Dept. of Commerce's Natural Disaster Survey Report on Hurricane Iniki

Tropical Depression Eighteen-E Discussion with Max Mayfield

US Army Corps of Engineers Hurricane Iniki Assessment

"Hawaii Hurricane Devestates Kauai: Iniki blamed for 3 deaths, scores of injuries" by Al Kamen, Washington Post, September 13, 1992

"Something's Killing Off Kauai Chickens" Honolulu Advertiser, August 2, 2007

...and a bunch of other news articles.

The 1912 Piltdown Man Hoax (Episode 99) May 08, 2023

Show notes

In 1912, English geologists and archaeologists were buzzing over the discovery of an amazing set of human remains recovered from a gravel pit outside the village of Piltdown. Amateur archeologist Charles Dawson had uncovered what looked to be Darwin's "Missing Link", the proof of human evolution. Thought to be 600,000 years old, Dawson's find - a fossilized human skull and a jawbone that looked much like an ape's - was immediately controversial and fascinating.

On this episode, we're talking gravel, lost teeth, the long con, and why you should always get an expert to vouch for you.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.

Sources for this episode include:

"The Piltdown Man Hoax: Case Closed" by M. Russell, 2012

"Study reveals culprit behind Piltdown Man, one of science's most famous hoaxes", by M. Price for Science magazine, 2016

"Solving the Piltdown Man Scientific Fraud" by I. De Groot for Scientific American, 2016

"The Problem of Piltdown Man", by M. Subramanian for Distillations, 2023 "Note on the Piltdown Man (Eoanthropus Dawsoni )" by A. Smith Woodward for The Geological Magazine, 1913

The Life of Julie D'Aubigny (Episode 98) May 01, 2023

Show notes

Who's everybody's favorite beautiful French sword-fighting bisexual opera singer? Join us as we discuss the incredible stories of the life of Mademoiselle de Maupin, Julie D'Aubigny, a woman who was both fascinating and more than a little terrifying. Separating myth from truth is difficult with many historical figures, but with a life this amazing it's a real challenge - sit back and enjoy the tale of swashbuckling, romance, and danger that is as close to the truth as we can get!

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.

Sources:

Gallant Ladies

by Cameron Rogers, published by Harcourt, Brace; 1928

Queens of Song: being memoirs of some of the most Celebrated Female Vocalists who have appeared on the lyric stage, from the earliest days of opera to the present time, to which is added a Chronological List of all the Operas that have been performed in Europe

by Ellen Creathorne Clayton, published in 1863

Anecdotal History of the Duel

by Émile Colombey, published in 1861

and articles from various sources

The 1930 Crash of the R-101 (Episode 97) Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

Throughout the 1920s, Britain built airships that never quite competed with the German and American programs. In 1929, they sought to catch up by holding (and funding) a competition between a commercial and government teams to build a rigid airship capable of traveling to the far corners of the British Empire. The team behind R-101 created an ambitious design that allowed for both long-haul travel and luxurious accommodations. However, 6 hours into her maiden voyage, she crashed into a French hillside, in the deadliest civilian airship disaster in history.

On this episode, we're discussing airships and blimps, the "Socialism vs. Capitalism" competition, and the fatal flaws in the R-101's ambitious design.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.⁠

Sources for this episode include: “R 101 Final Trials and Loss of the Ship”, Royal Airship Heritage Trust, retrieved 2023 “Airship: Design, Development, Disaster” by J. Swindon, 2012

“Innovation Pushed Too Far Too Fast”, System Failure Case Studies (NASA), 2007

The 1838 Jesuit Slave Sale (Episode 96) Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

The business of treating people as property has never reflected well on those who practice it; however, when the practice is not just morally repugnant but also violates the religious precepts of your faith... you really have to ask yourself what side of history you want to be on. In 1838, the Jesuit order of Maryland faced just such a dilemma. These are the choices they made.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.⁠

Sources:

The Georgetown Slavery Archive

The Georgetown Memory Project

The GU272 Memory Project

Facing Georgetown's History: A Reader on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation by Adam Rothman, Elsa Barraza Mendoza, et al. (2021)

Further Resources:

⁠The Georgetown Memory Project⁠

⁠The GU272 Memory Project⁠

The GU272 Descendants Association

The Jesuit Plantation Project

The Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation Project

The Ibrox Park Disasters (Episode 95) Apr 10, 2023

Show notes

In 1902, 1961, and 1971, Ibrox Park in Glasgow, Scotland, claimed the lives of 90 football fans in three separate accidents. In this episode, we’re discussing the Rangers vs. Celtics rivalry, architect Archibald Leitch, crowd dynamics, and how one of the most dangerous stadiums in the United Kingdom became one of the safest in the world.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.⁠

Sources for this episode include: “Singing and Dancing to their Deaths: Football’s Forgotten Tragedy”, by J. Hodgman for The Guardian, 2020 “Temple of Dreams, The Changing Face of Ibrox” by I. Duff, 2011 “The Fatalities at the Ibrox Disaster of 1902”, by R. S. Shiels for The Sports Historian, 1998 "Stairway 13", Rangers Football Club, 2021

The Witch and The Weather (Episode 94) Apr 01, 2023

Show notes

In the hills of Tennessee, there is nestled a village that has some of the strangest weather on the planet - and the locals believe a legendary witch could be the cause. Come join Greg as he takes Relative Disasters on a road-trip; we'll discuss weather, the natural and supernatural, and the proper way to take a walk in the woods.

This episode took a lot of help to put together, so a big thank-you to our wonderful friends who helped us with the travel, logistics, and recording devices: Adrian, Anders, Carson, Catherine, Doug, and Gerry - you're all amazing and we couldn't have made the trip without you.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.⁠

Sources:

The History of East and West Craven by Sutter Cane

Does this tiny Tennessee town have the weirdest weather on the planet? by H. Henderson, Smithsonian Magazine, April 2020

A Historie Moste Tragick of Mary Bell by Sutter Cane

Interviews with the lovely and gracious citizens Pamela, Frederick, Gunnar, Pound Foolish, Dr. H. West, Pluto Michaelson, Tommy (and Big Mike), and Dr. Sutter Cane.

The 1900 Galveston Hurricane (Episode 93) Mar 27, 2023

Show notes

At the turn of the 20th century, Galveston, Texas, was a thriving port city boasting an opera house, miles of beachfront resorts, and its very own weather station. Unfortunately, in September 1900 it was also the target of a Category 4 hurricane that is still the deadliest weather event in United States history.

On this episode, we're discussing 1890s meteorology, Cuban vs. American forecasting, and the worst weather we've ever heard of.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.⁠

Sources for this episode include:

"Isaac’s Storm: a Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History” by E. Larsen, 1999

“The Great Galveston Disaster: Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times", by P. Lester, 1901