Doomsday: History's Most Dangerous Podcast

If you think the worst thing that can happen while skiing is trying not to scream while the ski patrol figures out why your leg’s bending that way, we have a lot to teach you about skiing. Spoiler: mountains can cook and kill people. Don’t say this podcast doesn’t teach you things. On today’s episode: you will learn why Frankenstein was more graceful on stolen corpse feet than you are in snowboots; you’ll learn why diagonal tunnels basically act as nature’s secret logistical flamethrowers; and we’ll see how a $40 appliance permanently derailed a $30-million-a-year alpine operation and changed European history. And if you were listening on Patreon … you would hear about the industrial accident that unearthed the entire history of humanity in Western Europe; you would hear about all the terr...

The Yukon River is famous for its remoteness and scenic vistas and history, where very little may seem to happen – but in 1906, one man’s lack of situational awareness and fine-motor skills created the greatest, cattle-based pyrotechnics display the world had ever seen. On today’s episode: you will see how miners and prostitutes used to travel in style in the far sub-Arctic North; you will hear about what may be the clumsiest bad-day-at-work episode we’ve ever discussed; and you will find out at what point an incinerating cow flips from piquing your appetite to inducing eye-watering vomit. And if you had been listening on Patreon … you would learn about the most unusual haunted home ever built in the history of human habitation; you would hear how today’s story could be considered more pun...

You ever go on a field trip at school and every time you look over your shoulder, there’s a teacher or chaperone giving you the stink eye? Well try to imagine a field trip where you look up and all your old relatives are waving you into a tunnel of white light. On today’s very special milestone 100th Episode: you’ll hear about my school trip to a French strip club; you would learn about a man of God who unintentionally brought a flock of young faithful to meet him; and you will see why I believe riding through a tornado would be somehow less frightening and uncomfortable than the rigors of today’s story. And if you had been listening on Patreon … you would learn how a single school trip shaped my entire world view while listening to Chaka Khan; you would hear about some of the worst ways p...

BEFORE WE BEGIN – the best way to enjoy today's stupidity is in the form of video, which as a special thank you to all of you for another great year, I have edited together and made FREE at patreon.com/funeralkazoo . No strings attached. Just a gift to you all, with hopes for happy holidays and a fantastic new year.  ––––– You ever watch a big, blockbuster sci-fi action adventure movie that turns out to be so bereft of technical and scientific merit or accuracy that you almost start to like it? Me neither! On today’s very special Christmas Disaster Moviesode: we’ll start by joining the shortest, worst, and probably my personal favourite business presentation of all time; we’ll learn how the US government tried to spite it’s enemies by giving the planet the Alderaan treatment, twice; and we...

Nothing says ‘fun afternoon’ quite like adding cutlery to your feet, bruising most of your body, and then going for a nice swim. And to clarify, when I say nothing, I mean because that’s not something that anyone has ever said before. On today’s episode:  we’ll see how the former digs of axe murderers and corpse thieves and child labour body pits became one of the most beautiful green spaces in London; we’ll learn why early ice skates were only marginally more comfortable than being eaten by wolves; and we’ll learn why Victorian fashion doubled as de facto funeral attire with the addition of simple water. And because you are listening on Patreon… you’ll hear about how early animal captivity turned one man into a bloody Stretch Armstrong doll, complete with blood spray effects; you will lea...

The average lake around the world is about the size of a large parking lot – the kind of thing you might try to skip a stone across. The current World Record for stone skipping is 88 skips. If you were to skip a stone across the lake we’re visiting today, it would have to beat that number by about 406, 912 and it would be bouncing across the water for about three hours. On today’s episode: You’ll learn about the most boat-hungry lakes anywhere in the world; you’ll see why you would rather be beaten half-to-death in the face with a bat than visit the site of today story; and you’ll find out how a cherished keepsake from our tale was recovered by a nightmarish bright orange, alien-shaped robot monster made out of airplane-grade aluminum. And because you are listening on Patreon … you will fi...

To begin today’s tale, allow me to share a translation of an ancient Chinese joke: Three men were looking at the clouds. One points to a cloud and says, that cloud is shaped like a horse. Another points to a cloud and says, that one is shaped like a whale. The third man points to a mushroom-shaped cloud, and everyone dies. On today’s episode: you’ll find out just how badly ancient China wanted nothing to do with you; you’ll learn about an explosion so large, people miles away had to clear limbs and genitals from their rooves; and you would hear about how at the time, ancient disasters were believed to be Heaven’s way of saying your Government sucked. And if you were listening on Patreon… you would hear about how people were killed in the early development of explosives, including those for...

Take the most frightening death you can imagine, now double it. Then double it again. And then add fire. This is our Halloween episode, and by the time we’re done, your favourite horror movie will have all the impact of a baby food commercial. I’m not saying you’ll never sleep again, but I’m not not saying it. I am apologizing in advance, and I remind you that a Doomsday barf bag is only an email away. Back when we did the Sknyliv Airshow Disaster episode, I had grave concerns about her aggressively violent and gory it was because. If you’ll remember, during the air show, a Ukrainian fighter jet the size of a medium sized store impacted the ground, skidding through a run of barbed wire, which then hooked on the fuselage and was dragged and raked across a crowd. In retrospect, that was quai...

The most unusual thing about today’s story is that almost everyone is going to bruise their lungs. For your sake, I hope it’s from laughing. Not everyone will be so lucky. On today’s episode: you’ll hear about the one part of your body I want you to consider more worthy of fiddling with than your genitals; if you’re a stickler for building codes, we’re going to take you on a beautiful, potentially one-way hike to see some shoddy-ass worksmanship; and we’ll see what makes helicopter rescues as frightening as whatever you did to earn one in the first place. And if you were listening on Patreon… I would use tales of sharks and octopuses and meth and sex toys to try and make today’s location more appealing; you would meet the surviving inductees to the No-Parachute Hall of Fame; and you would ...

We’ve done episodes where people lose their teeth. We’ve done episodes where have them melted out of their heads, or frisbeed out by debris, or punched out by bulls, or even blown out of their heads by lightning. But we’ve never done an episode where the most horrifying thing that happens is you maybe get something stuck in them. On this episode: we’ll take off on one of the least enviable flights in history – which is saying a lot; we’ll learn just what staggeringly awful places hunger can take an underfed mind even when the only menu option is freeze-dried human buttock; and we’ll end up with one of the most excruciating and difficult mountain hikes ever conducted, wearing little more than a tennis outfit. And if you were listening on Patreon… you would see which popular sport tops the l...

It’s rare for us to have an episode with so many feces mentioned right off the top, but do not worry, refreshments will be served. On this episode: we’re doing another one-of-a-kind episode here, and I’ll explain the rules as get into it, but for all those listeners who love our more unhygienic content, have we got a treat for you. We’re talking about the only consumer product you can blow out your nose while friends and strangers cheer you on; we’ll discuss more context and uses for plop and manure than you could shake a feces coated stick at; and we’ll see why the only thing you can’t kill about the British in countless, ghoulish ways, is their spirit And if you were listening on Patreon… only one extra segment, but it’ll definitely be different. I’ll be providing some Dodge Caravan math...

As a lifelong, dyed in the wool, comic book enthusiast, it behooves me with the recent release of the new James Gunn Superman movie to share this short Patreon segment pulled from our recent Greensburg Tornado Disaster of 2007 episode.  Back in 1938, to his creators, Kansas represented the humble origins and strong ethics we associate with the Superman we know today. They believed that no other State would have produced a character that more strongly embodying the traditional values of truth, justice, and the American way. But that was 1938, and we loved and welcomed him, and a lot has changed since then. In this short bonus piece, we explore the thought exercise: what would happen if his rocket approached Earth In 2025. It's way more likely, almost crucially logical that we might view him...

Today, we will be spending the day on board a whole bunch of ships sharing a long and storied heritage. Sadly, we’re going to spend most of our time on the one that crew members called “The Mobile Chernobyl” . On today’s episode: we’ll see what it feels like to survive something that peeled through six inch steel plates like taffy; in our safety segment, you’ll hear the first use of the term “enriddlement”; and before we’re done we’ll boldly go where Starships sometimes explode. And if you were listening on Patreon , you would learn about a 2-million ton aircraft carrier made out of ice; you would hear the story of the early kamikaze pilot who caused hands down the most bizarre death in Australian Naval history; and you would learn how close we came to building the most unfathomably irresp...

Hello, and welcome to the inglorious return of Doomsday: History’s Most Dangerous Mailbag Minisode! We’ve seen an awful lot of $@!# across time and space and it’s only natural that you would have questions – so here is your chance hear them answered. Maybe learn something a little gross, maybe a little interesting. This is my chance to publicly answer some of the friendly, odd and occasionally gross questions that feed in through our various social media channels.  I really wanted to get actual content to you ASAP after some recent tomfoolery with my health, and a Mailbag fit the bill nicely as a way to tide you over before the next full length episode. On this episode: I will answer which of the Final Destination deaths would be my personal preference and why; I’ll explain if I’d rather r...

A wind could remove your hat. A stronger wind might steal your lawn furniture. The kind of wind we’re talking about today renovated Pre-War and Mid-Century Midwestern homes into more “open concept” dwellings. On today’s episode: we’re going to take a look at what happens when you’re visited by a storm so powerful, they invent a new scale just to define it; we’ll see what it feels like to have your house reduced to the consistency of straw and blown away in what many call the most frightening thing that can happen to you in your lifetime; and we will learn to what degree a cow can become turned inside out and forcefully eject its organs. And because you’re listening on Patreon , you would find out how badly we’d react if Superman’s escape pod approached Earth in 2025 ; you’d learn about the...

We’ve been a lot of places together on this show. I’m trying to think of the weirdest. Nuclear reactors, insane asylums, the mouths of volcanoes; but now, by fan request, it’s finally time that we visit our strangest location yet: a restaurant. And before we begin – IHOP you survive the experience! On today’s episode: we’re visiting an American institution, recognized around the world for it’s bizarre duality as a magnet for cartoonish levels of violence (for an all-day breakfast place) – and its role as America’s most well-respected king of disaster logistics. And if you were listening on Patreon: I would specifically teach you how to incapacitate an opponent and pull their still-beating heart out of their chest like you're Mola Ram from Temple of Doom. I am not kidding. It won’t be as ea...

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 purpos...

Today, we’re going to witness a light so bright it would instantaneously and irreversibly turn your corneas into charcoal, and oddly, it’s the least dangerous thing about our story. 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 9 minutes where we discuss: the time we burned down a good chunk of Washington, including the White House; and why you’re welcome for it; the time Germany blew up a chunk of New Jersey and Lady Liberty got popped in the bo...

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 inj...

We all complain about commutes. We all think we have it pretty bad. But unless your commute includes choking on toxic fumes, or being claustrophobically trampled in the dark while on fire, prepare to eat your feelings. On today’s episode:  we learn what makes the world capital of mud farts so fascinating; we’ll discover why Soviet utilities designed for the utilitarian benefit of the masses are so flammable; and I’ll make you understand the analogy that you don’t survive a skydive accident just to get eaten by alligators. And because you are listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you get to enjoy an additional 9 minutes where we discuss: the marketing plan that included a media budget for murdering an elephant; the answer to the question, “what’s the most aggressively violent disaster y...

Ever have a day at work so bad you wanted to climb, jump, or get sucked out a window? On today’s episode: we answer the question, is 2025 in fact as awful a time to fly as it looks; we’ll find out why you’ve never seen 400 mph wind exfoliation spa before; and we’ll compare a commercial airliner to the Titan Submersible that imploded not that long ago. And because you are listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you get to enjoy an additional 8 minutes where we discuss: how a distrust of doctors can make you want to saw off your own fingers; you’d hear this whole jank sitch broken down for Gen Z; you’d learn why you shouldn’t melon-ball your eyes out of your head if they get too cold; and we would meet the coldest person to ever live, and her dramatic journey from river corpse to successfu...

What’s the worst thing you ever saw at a sports game? Someone throw a battery at a Make-a-Wish kid? Sure, if you’re from Philly, but what if you were from California. On today’s episode: we’ll talk about zombies and crucifictions and collapsing buildings before we even get into it; we’re going to watch the shortest baseball game of all time; and we’re going to cut off one of your limbs in one of the more claustrophobic ways possible. And if you were listening on Patreon … you would hear of one of the most extreme, but very different kind of arm-severing examples of self-rescue in history; the story of a must-have, closed-casket-funeral-friendly rescue device and the absolutely brutal, very public early use of it; and a really dirty, smutty explanation how earthquakes work. By popular reque...

Do you know the difference between your guts and balloon animals? Organs are ever-so slightly more flame resistant! On today’s episode: you’ll learn how to squeeze every penny out of a beloved animal corpse; I’ll accidentally teach you why fire is the best way to get rid of leaves, or a body; and you’ll learn the surprisingly simple thing you should do if you found yourself full-bodied origamied into debris. And if you were listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you get to enjoy an additional 8 minutes where we discuss: two warm up disasters that lead to this one; how close medicine cabinets used to be narcotic liquor cabinets; the incredible fallout of trying to kill people on Twinkies; and the story of high fallutin’ wild west rodeo “war hero” Buffalo Bill Cody I’m quick to point out ...

We’re going to hell! Well, not hell exactly. We’re going to rural Illinois, but for the purposes of this introduction, we are going to be spending time today in hell.   On today’s episode:  you’re going to learn why fourth graders make such poor employees; you’ll learn how to properly panic like a professional; and you will learn how to tell people to “get out” using nothing but a shotgun and morse code. And if you were listening to this on Patreon… you would also learn the story of the Patron Saint who watches over people who explode; you'd learn why underground coal fires are the disaster you can tell your great, great, great, great, great grandchildren about; you would hear a quick anecdote about nicotine poisoning in the workplace and inappropriate banana usage; and you would find out ...

Do you like fire but hate airports? Have we got the episode for you. On today’s episode: we’ll be pulling off the front of our skulls and spending some time fingering our limbic systems; we’ll learn why not all fire rescue services are created equal; and we’ll find out how hot it needs to be for your skin to melt off. And if you had beenlistening to this as a Patreon supporter, you get to enjoy an additional 8 minutes where we discuss: why calling Germans stoic clock-watching robots is considered so flattering; you’d find out if you’d be considered an idiot, moron or imbecile back in the day; and you’d learn how Dusseldorf compares to Hiroshima. I will also point out that at the end of the episode, there is a very special Book Giveaway contest! That’s right. I’m giving away the very first ...

Let's all blow our sad kazoos in honour of a milestone I didn't see coming. FIVE YEARS we've been doing this, and I know a lot of people were never able to make their way through the whole back catalogue, and for good reason. So I sat down and did the math: We've shared 3,489 minutes together! That's just episode time. That’s just over 58 hours of listening to me trying to make you throw up but then earning your respect back by teaching you how to sew your own arm back on. I tried to figure out how much production time went into that and if I'd started January first and never slept or blinked or ate, it would have taken till mid-April. Imagine screaming for three-and-a-half months straight. I added a little intro pointing out how great you've been, how helpful you've been, and how much I s...

Hellooo! And welcome to a very special, extra girthy Orthodox Christmas Disastersode! It is a miracle this happened. I was deathly ill with a dying dog for eight magic days this holiday, and the master file was irretrievably destroyed mere days ago, and so the Christmasode becomes a New Years’ flavoured Orthodox Christmasode. This episode fulfills the wishes of more listeners than any other episode before. Together we will be visiting the hands-down most dangerous place on earth; you will learn why this is probably the worst bad day at work episode of all time; we’ll visit earth’s model post-apocalyptic suburb; and we’ll find out how much radiation it takes to melt your hands off. Also if you were listening to this on Patreon… you’d get hear the story of the most irradiated intern in histo...

We’ve made a lot of fun of meteorologists on this show. Nope, that’s it, that’s the whole intro. On this episode: you’ll hear about the biggest meteorological blunder in US history that went on to change US history by killing a major American city; you’ll hear the absolute saddest story about orphans of all time; and you’ll learn about the worst cadaver recovery and fatality management in the show’s history. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you would enjoy an additional 9 minutes where we discussed why Hurricane Gertrude and Fifi have to make room for Vince or Tupac; we talked about the biggest meteorological blunder in British history; PLUS you would learn about two tangentially related local-area disasters – The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, and The Texa...

Hello! And welcome to this very brief end-of-year update of Doomsday: History’s Most Dangerous podcast! Together we rediscover some of the most traumatic, bizarre and awe-inspiring but largely unheard-of or forgotten disasters from throughout human history and around the world. Let me begin today’s exciting episode by explaining the next episode will be late but I wanted to use this opportunity to quickly get you salivating over a few things coming up, and explain a few things that’ll make you all “say whaaat?” I want to do something reeeally big for December. I’ve been in discussion with a surprising number of you who’ve settled on a common and popular request: a Very Doomsday Christmas Chernobylsode! Hang the holly and take your iodide caplets – what’s more festive (and on-brand) than a ...

If you’re like me, when it comes to sporting events, the only thing coming out of the stands should be cheers and chants, and the only thing leaving the field should be the occasional ball or a t-shirt fired from a canon. We’ll come back to that. On this episode: you’ll find out which sports fans tried to kill Santa Claus; we’ll find out what stadium security personnel and Acorn Cop have in common; and we’ll meet the very first person to ever come back to life after dying on the show. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you would enjoy an additional 9 minutes where we discussed the theatre of human pain that is professional soccer; you’d learn about the single worst fan over-reaction to the loss of a game in sports history; you’d take a listen through the incest...

Today I bring you the gift of horror, this time as told from a very personal level. Full disclosure, today’s story is a weird one, and you’re not going to believe the escalation of details, but that’s why we’re all here. Today will be an all weather-related disastersode, and the cast of characters won’t count in the hundreds or the thousands – it will be just one brave man, who – spoilers – survives everything I’m about to tell you. A single man, pitted against what I believe you will think of as the worst day at work we’ve ever covered on this show. I originally wanted to make this straight Patreon content during the recent Bangladesh Hail Disaster of 1986 episode, but at 40 minutes, you can understand why I spun it off into its own story – and I tried to keep it brief, but It could easil...

Today we’ll be attending the most prestigious vehicle race in the world. You think that sound exciting, well just wait for the off-roading portion. On this episode: we’ll take a look at the only car ever compared to a barbecue; we’re taking in the only sporting event in history that was later compared by the press to the holocaust; and you’ll hear about the first accidental public use of an unintentional horizontal guillotine. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you would enjoy an additional 9 minutes where we discussed the upper limits of human reaction time; you would get to meet America’s most physically damaged stuntman; you would also be treated to more Dodge Caravan Math than you could fly a rocket bike over; you would learn about a non-sexual, full body i...

Together we’ve seen an awful lot of $@!# across time and space and it’s only natural that you would have questions – so here is your chance hear them answered. Maybe learn something a little gross, maybe a little interesting.  This is my chance to publicly answer some of the friendly, odd and occasionally gross questions that feed in through our various social media channels. On this episode: I’m going to look at franchising disaster into child-friendly fare; I’ll make a very child-unfriendly choice between two equally terrible ways to die; and I’m going to make a very stomach-unfriendly choice between two equally terrible things to eat. No spoilers, but after much deliberation, a coin tells me I’d prefer to die by wood chipper than be killed by an elephant. I also review our entire histor...

When you think of clouds and dangerous behaviours, you immediately think of getting zapped by lightning, or maybe tossed into another county by a tornado – but you never think you’re going to get repeatedly punched in the brain harder than Mike Tyson On this episode: you’ll learn why telling people the body is 80% water is misquoting a war crime; you’ll learn about the time it rained every day for 2 million years in a row; and you’ll see how a simple cloud can make you look like people tested baseball bats on you, and why you should basically wear a helmet everywhere all the time. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you would enjoy an additional 15 minutes where we discussed why everyone was so afraid of Canadians during WWII; you’d hear the abbreviated history ...

It’s picnic season, and if you thought ants were the most annoying uninvited guest you could face, have we got a story for you. On this episode: we learn why Georgia and Australia are basically the same thing; we’ll learn why American freight and commuter trains make so many unscheduled stops; and we’ll describe a situation where stop, drop and roll loses all meaning. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you would enjoy an additional 10 minutes where we discussed two other related disasters, including the deadliest case of mass curiosity in United States history; you would learn why we run like molasses in our nightmares; and you’d hear the tale of one man who has to be bound and drugged to keep him from jumping out of windows.  This came as a request from a list...

Bad day at work episodes are some of my favourite. Sometimes you put out a brochure with a typo. Sometimes you ding the bosses car. Very rarely do you accidentally destroy a $30 million nuclear missile. On this episode: you’ll learn the history of human violence from Paleolithic shoving to nuclear annihilation; I’ll teach you how to sneak into a top secret missile silo; and there is a disaster in this episode – but unlike most – this one uses the phrase “blown skinless”. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you would enjoy an additional 11 minutes where we discussed how frighteningly close we’ve come to accidental Armageddon and the one man who saved all of humanity; why the government spends $10,000 on a hammer; you’d learn how you can buy your own nuclear missi...

Some people think it’s weird when they hear travel by sea described as romantic. Between the vomiting and the contusions and the lacerations and the spinal injuries – I’m confident this episode will help you discover whatever the opposite of romance is.   On this episode: you’ll learn why Captain James Cook left Hawaii with a knife in his head – and chest – and back and abdomen and face; you’ll learn the clothes-eating, skin-ripping, skull-flattening results of jumping feet first into an active hurricane; and you’ll hear about recovery efforts somehow more damaging than the original disaster   And if you were a Patreon supporter, you would also enjoy an additional 10 minutes where we discussed: • why in about 600,000 years New Zealand will be some of the most prized real estate in the worl...

A mountain is just about the most stable and serene thing in nature. But every now and then, one says “not today”!  On this episode: we’ll see how a volcano was more deadly to humanity than that asteroid was to the dinosaurs; we’ll meet the most oblivious reporters in history of news gathering; and we’ll see repeatedly what happens when human flesh comes in contact with glowing hot rocks. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter , you would enjoy an additional 9 minutes where we discussed the top four deadliest volcanoes in history, the most famous person in human history to actually swan dive into a volcano, why being eaten by a bears or struck by lightning is better than what happens in this episode, the strange tale of 800,000 Icelandic farting sheep, and what acci...

If you’re like me and you would rather burst into flames than go shopping, have we got the story for you… Special shout out to my UK listeners! On today’s fresh new episode: we’ll see how cold and aloof British parents can be; we’ll see how bad psychology makes some shoppers believe they are practically immortal and fire proof; and we’ll see which planet in our solar system has better, more breathable air than was available in today’s story – and hint, it’s not Earth. Let me mention, there are actually three disasters in this episode. The actual disaster in Manchester, another one at an IKEA right off the bat, and that poor Woolworths that Hitler hated? He hated it with a rocket. And the reaction of some victims of this disaster would lead to the creation of an actual area of study for aca...

Someone once said that skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking down trees with your face. Today, we learn that skiing can do a lot worse things to your face than knocking down a tree. On this episode: On today’s episode: we’ll see how hot dogging at work can destroy your soul; you’d forever remember the list of countries that make up the Alps thanks to MILFGASS; and we’ll see how the north American concept of giving out awards regardless of merit actually began with the military. This is I believe our third trip to Bella Italia, and I don’t want to spoil the duplicitous little twist in this episode. There is a story arc of an attempted redemption from sin. Justice will be paper thin. There may be some awards handed out. It’ll get weird, however many times it needs to. If you've never bee...

In this episode, homes and buildings will sadly be blown away and destroyed, and you’ll say “fireworks?” and I’ll say “it sure does”.  On this episode: we look at the Netherlands pyrotechnic super boner; we explore the fact that a time bomb could be ticking away in your area without you knowing; and we’ll uncover one governments’ habit of sweeping disasters under the rug by cleaving a transport plane through an apartment building. No real spoiler here, but this is one of those episodes where the bad guys carried on the shoulders of the courts like misunderstood anti-heroes, and the authorities in general show a fairly unhealthy disregard for human life. But to pull it back to a human level, these people had their overly-tall hairdos rearranged, and we coined a whole new phrase for this sho...

The Cleveland Balloonfest Disaster of 1986 | Episode 69 Balloons often represent happiness, but if you’ve ever had to explain to a crying child why their balloon flew away and won’t be coming back, you know that balloons are monsters. On this new and much requested episode: you’ll learn the origin of the phrase, “it seemed like a good idea at the time”; we learn why Cleveland is called the Mistake by the Lake, and we’ll see what is probably the most amount of damage one could possibly hope to achieve with balloons. And if you are thinking of listening to this as a Patreon supporter, for the first time ever, there are TWO ENTIRE MINISODES within this episode that no one else will get to hear The first on the Cuyahoga River Fire Disaster of 1969 ; and a second on the Cleveland 10¢ Beer Night...

Hello all. Welcome to the very first Doomsday Automotive Review segment . I’ve never done one of these before, and most importantly, I shouldn’t have to, but here we are. It was originally released as part of bonus Patreon content, but I'm sharing it here with you now to buy me a few days to get the next episode together . Since we originally brought it up, more Tesla Cybertrucks have wrapped around trees, smoked by semis, accidentally confusing the startup toggle for the self-destruct sequence. And apparently, the reason people are facing that five-hour restart time is because they activated car wash mode. Here’s the thing - as we said, you have to keep this thing as clean as hell - cleaner than anything else you own, and if you use it in a car wash without activating car wash mode - gues...

Fun fact: Airplane accidents have a 95.7% survivability rate, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board. This story actually has a 99.02% survivability rate – but those that do die – you might want to limber your neck, because you’re going to be shaking your head. On this episode: you won’t learn to fly a plane but I will be able to teach you how not to fly one; we’ll learn what happens when you go skydiving at ground-level; and we’ll learn about a victim who was killed by her own rescuers - twice. This story will showcase what became of a once proud company known for safety and innovation, and how they’ve become the laughing stock of airlines. Speaking of laughing, we’re also going to test your sense of humour in this one. For starts, yes, one of the victims has something u...

With apologies for the absense of new material, I'm a bit under it and overwhelmed - not much unlike the passengers of the OceanGate Titan Submersible just under a year ago! This is a piece of bonus content which I described as "a somewhat rushed minisode that once again turned out to be not so mini". It was based on the best evidence and understanding of events that was available at the time. I think I can safely say no much has changed since then, so I stand by it.  I also stand by some substantially backed-up billionaire bashing. I did my best to cut through the social media clutter and applied my own math as best I could - but the fact about this disaster is it is unprescidented. We're talking about physics and hydrodynamics at levels we have zero experience with, and no real way to te...

If you got something in your eye, you should rinse it with water or eye drops to try and wash it out. Fair warning: there is not enough over-the-counter eyedrops in the world that would help with today’s story. On this episode: we’ll learn all the ways your car wants to kill you, we’ll learn which member of the original Thanksgiving feast ended up with their head on a pike for 25 years, and we’ll find out what happens when you play rock paper scissors bumper plow.   This is the first episode we’ve done where the site of the catastrophe later became an annual sporting event recreating the event. The Frank Rockslide Disaster of 1903 stands as one of the most devastating and tragic events in the history of Alberta and was claimed to be the worst disaster that has even befallen any community i...

You ever wish you could just take all your worries and bury them away? Well have we got the episode for you… On this episode: we’ll see what the loudest possible way to wake up is; we’ll learn how rocks can actually work better than scissors; and we’ll learn the three most powerful ways to eradicate evidence of, well, anything. This is the first episode we’ve done where the site of the catastrophe later became an annual sporting event recreating the event. The Frank Rockslide Disaster of 1903 stands as one of the most devastating and tragic events in the history of Alberta and was claimed to be the worst disaster that has even befallen any community in Western Canada. Celebrity guests include: miracle surfing baby, Gladys Ennis; billionaire playboy, C. Montgomery Burns; former Alberta Prem...

What I’m about to tell you in this episode will sound like nonsense – shocking, highly flammable nonsense – unless you’re from California. On this episode: we’ll learn all about what it’s like to work at what I’m hoping is the worst utility company anywhere in the Americas, we’ll take a look at some of the most backwards and evil business accounting of all time, and we’ll learn what happens when a sidewalk explodes beneath your feet. There is so much to be frustrated about while listening to today’s episode My heart goes out to the simple tax payers of California, whose backs must bear the lashes of being reliant on one of America’s very worst companies for their life-sustaining electricity – without whom this episode could not be possible. Celebrity guests include: gas pipe bomber Monserr...

We’re going back to Italy! But it’ll be hard to enjoy all the flavours and sites with your eyes and tongue swelling out of your head! On today’s episode: we’ll learn all about Russia’s almost cartoonish fascination with murder, we’ll learn the best way to get that full-body boil-look, and we’ll learn all the ways your cleaning products can make you not make think so good The last time we were in Italy we had a Tetraology of Terror, our very first interactive disastersode, and hundreds of thousands died in every way imaginable. We don’t know how many people died from the complications of this episode, but it’s nice to do a bloodless story where no one was turned inside-out every now and then. And if you had been listening on Patreon, you would have enjoyed an additional 13 minutes! • We dis...

In this quick Hail Mary of an update, I'm going to convince each and every one of you to support this show through our shared love of history, and horror, and the comedy that is trauma + time. We'll recap all the tooth-loosening adventures we've shared over the past year, and take a look at a medley of content from the past few months of PATREON EXCLUSIVE content. If this doesn't win you over ... I'll just have to try harder. If you like the idea of this show continuing without the sound of my family and traffic noises in the background, you can join us at www.funeralkazoo.com/doomsday any time. If you have commitment issues, you can also buy me a coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/doomsday To quickly recap 2023: • We took a rocket to the face • We climbed the Empire State Building • We fell d...

What hops downstairs, alone or in pairs, enough to block out the sun? Nothing good, I promise. I hope you brought your appetite for destruction – because this episode is going to bug you. On this episode: you’ll learn the horror of insect biomass, we’ll learn that some problems can only be solved with a knife and a fork, and you’ll need them because we are facing our very first extinction level event. And if you had been listening to this on Patreon, we alsowould have discussed whether Aesop was a thieving jerk, we found out Maury Povich never loved you, we met the loneliest/most extreme insects in the world, we found out if having grasshopper superpowers would kill you, we looked at the weirdest historical plague ever, we discussed the most disturbing regional delicacies in the world, and...

It’s been a while since we did an episode with such cartoonish levels of bloodshed and awful behaviour. No joke. This is next level inhumane nonsense here, folks. On today’s episode: We’ll see what happens to the body after spinning around an ocean-going paddle wheel, we’ll see how much woman and children were worth in a disaster before the 1900s, and you’ll find out how bizarre it feels to be stabbed while presumedly waiting to sexually assault drowning victims. And if you were listening on Patreon, you’d also learn how not to become a scurvy-riddled corpse, you’ll hear about the drunk driving death of the most isolated tree on Earth, we’ll see how many maggots or worms it would take to press into a porterhouse steak, we’ll discuss the worst, most blood-soaked maritime shipboard punishmen...

This episode contains fart jokes about radiation victims. Viewer discretion is advised. On today’s episode: we’ll watch POWs compete for food in a House Hunters International style format, we’ll visit some of the more irradiated places in eastern Europe, and we’ll learn the difference between a burp and a fart explosion-wise. I’d also like to point out that if you were listening to this episode as a PATREON member, not only would you have heard it sooner and add-free, but this episode would be almost 10 minutes longer as we looked into dead cold war spies, the Instagrammers of the Siberian Maldives, the British sci-fi show lifted directly from this disaster and placed on the moon - Space 1999, the awful reality of nuclear dirty bombs, we visited the single most nuked place on earth, we lea...

This episode contains fart jokes about radiation victims. Viewer discretion is advised. On today’s episode: we’ll watch POWs compete for food in a House Hunters International style format, we’ll visit some of the more irradiated places in eastern Europe, and we’ll learn the difference between a burp and a fart explosion-wise. I’d also like to point out that if you were listening to this episode as a PATREON member, not only would you have heard it sooner and add-free, but this episode would be almost 10 minutes longer as we looked into dead cold war spies, the Instagrammers of the Siberian Maldives, the British sci-fi show lifted directly from this disaster and placed on the moon - Space 1999, the awful reality of nuclear dirty bombs, we visited the single most nuked place on earth, we lea...

You’ve flown on planes that were late. You’ve flown on planes that experienced turbulence. You’ve even flown on planes with unruly passengers, but I’m willing to be you’ve never flown on a plane that melted. On today’s episode: we’ll do our best not to end up headless in prison, you’ll learn the most disturbing thing to ever unintentionally fall from an airplane in aeronautic history, and we’ll find out if Canadians are actually evil. I’d also like to point out that if you were listening to this episode as a Patreon member, not only would you have heard it sooner and add-free, but this episode would be almost 15 minutes longer as we looked into why your maps suck, the death of flat earthers, the world-changing power of informercials, the Great Oman Cyclone of 1970, oh - I taught you how to...

By popular demand, we are staying in the Depression Era and doubling down on the disaster. We’ve done blended and mixed disasters before, but welcome to our very first two-fer plane and elevator episode. On today’s episode: you’ll hear about the highest stakes game of keep-away ever, the worst kind of airline fuel to use as shampoo, and you’ll hear about a woman who broke a table in half with her face before setting a world record for not dying. And speaking of tid bits and tangents, I’d like to point out that if you were listening to this episode as a Patreon member, not only would you have heard it sooner and add-free, but this episode would be almost 10 MINUTES longer as we looked into the most unusual “self-guided tours” off the Empire State Building, how easy it was to score free smac...

We’ve been a lot of places together. We’ve flown on rockets. We’ve sailed the ocean blue. We’ve even been to Kalamazoo –but the one place we’ve never been before? Prison! On this episode: you’ll hear the details of the most unusually botched execution ever, you’ll learn what it must feel like to share an outfit with multiple people, and we’re going to teach you how not to get shanked. Is your other favourite podcast going to teach you that much? ––––– 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...

Contrary to what you may have heard from the grapevine or assumed based on simple observation, I have not died. This quick catch-up will explain my momentary absence from the microphone - followed a few teasers about upcoming episodes, mentions of a few giveaways, and a special shout-out to my Patreon supporters, without whom there would be no show. Lori Workizer, Brig Writes, Sarah Anderson, Larry Webb, Michelle Fox, Lindsey Spoor, Jos Cro, Nick Graham, Emily Black, Levena Lindahl, Jody Richardson, Erin Mason, Roger Wistar, Jennifer Whitcomb, Christina Gogan, Graham from Adelaide, Shannen Leigh, Moldy Bread Milly, Jason Kirby, Brett Simms, Lisa Abercrombie, James Ortiz, Michelle Barkes, Samantha White, Deanne Armstrong, Alex “Pertin”, Meghan McCarthy, Emmy Jackson, the entity known only a...

A lot of people say this is a podcast unlike any other. To them I say please enjoy an episode unlike any other. I proudly present a pivotal moment in the history of podcasting. The first ever fully experiential 4D interactive podcast! On this episode: we will revisit an apocalyptic series of historical events that befell Sicily, Italy all the way back in 1693 – and it’s all natural. What it may lack in rich, historical detail it will more than make up for with the satisfaction of actual participation. To make the experience feel more four dimensional, here is a short list of items you will need to participate fully: A wheelbarrow A clothes dryer Several pair of shoes Buckets of dirt, sand or soil – probably a hundred pounds of each A strong fan 10 lbs of baking soda 8-10 litres of white vi...

If you haven’t already seen the video of the first techno-demonic possession of a working laptop, it’s on all my socials, and it’s the reason for this special encore performance of our very first episode – unless you’re new to the show, in which case please see how far this show has come over the years. First you’ll have to hear about the controversial little doll that pissed people off from day one, my thoughts on Oppenheimer and his hilarious family, and I’ll remind you we are about to experience our most incredible episode yet - next week’s 4D Tetraology of Terror! With your thoughts and prayers and Patreon contributions, we’ll be back up to speed in no time. Find us on any of your favorite channels Linktree : https://linktr.ee/doomsdaypodcast Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotif...

Magical isn’t a term we throw around loosely on this show, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard it used in a sentence about a campground, yet here we are. Gather around the campfire, fill up on tapas and sangria, listen to music under the stars and fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing in the background – and get one of the most devastating accidents in Spanish history. On this episode: you’ll learn the best way to transport flaming materials, you’ll see what happens when a company cuts corners in lieu of safety, and we’ll see how google makes things even worse. Whether I’m telling you about a story from 1641 or 2087, the common denominator across all space and time is a company looking to save a few bucks ahead of safety. And Spain has a unique legal protection called the “Right to be F...

People have asked, of all the disasters in history, if I could travel back in time to witness any disaster, which would I choose. I’ve never been able to answer the question – until this episode On this episode: there will be no death. There will be no dismemberment. And the only blood will be coming out of people’s ears. This is a one of a kind minisode celebrating the greatest display of patriotic fury of all time! I never overly cared about firework shows, but this wasn’t some simple firework show – this was a once in a lifetime spectacle that you experience with every sense you have. Happy birthday America! And the Phillipines of course. Celebrity guests include 16th Century rocket chair pioneer Wan Hu, local TV regular H.P. “Sandy” Purdon, and time-travelling guitarist Marty McFly. ––...

Emerson once said “the Earth laughs in flowers”. Well in this episode, the ferocity of their attack will be compared by survivors and investigators to that of a terrorist incident. On this episode: you’ll learn about the cuddly fur baby with the strongest bite in the world, we’ll hear about an actual Doomsday cult with more resources than Al Qaeda, and we’ll learn what to do if you found your throat tightening up like an anus. In a country with so many lethal predators flying, swimming and wriggling around, we’ve added plant life to the list of things that will actually take a go at you and helped unlocked a new fear for the Australian people. Let that sink in. Celebrity guests include acclaimed author Bill Bryson; the entire News Nine's Morning Breakfast Show lineup with Karl Stefanovic, ...

There’s an old saying; Life is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs…but it's your choice to either enjoy the ride or die screaming yourself senseless. On today’s episode: we’ll settle a long-standing misconception about who parties harder: American teens vs British teens edition. We’ll see what happens when you put degenerates in charge of public safety, and we’ll see how a janky them park ride can lead to a janky spine. It’s always amazing to me when we discuss a “forgotten disaster” that turns out to be the biggest of its kind in history, and this tale is no different. Whether trapped on a ride while the kid in the control booth sleeps one off, or another fair goer punts your head into the children’s area, rides are inherently dangerous, and that’s what we love about them – ju...

This episode stinks. And no spoiler here, but if it looks like a duck and smells like a duck and it’s highly flammable like a duck… Yes, it will seem obvious, but just wait and see. On this episode: we’ll investigate some smells that rank up there with putrefying corpse, we’ll talk about some limbs that act more like meat-filled wind socks, and we’ll visit Mexico’s underworld and face something more dangerous than gators, morlocks or chuds… In all of our tales, something extreme or terrible happens and we cope with the consequences as they come. What about an event where something impossibly bad happened repeatedly, with no warning, and no way to escape or guess where it was going to happen next. This is yet another in a long line of episodes where people placed in positions of authority m...

Please enjoy this special bonus crossover episode. If you already listen to the Ye Olde Crime Podcast and ever wondered what could possibly be their most disturbing episode – well we've thrown our hat in the ring with this one-of-a-kind crossover-hijacking episode. Hosts Lindsay Valenty and Madison Stangl and I explored the dehydratingly awful tale of the Aldgate Pump of Death, brought painfully to life with a Doomsday makeover! In this very special episode, we'll discuss the most drastic weight loss strategy available to the people of Victorian england, we'll revisit the phenomemon of exploding horses from an earlier episode, and we'll explore the question: would you rather be human-centipeded or live in cholera-ridden England. You can find Ye Olde Crime everywhere podcasts are available ...

The Most Disastrous Human of All Time | Doomsday Mailbag 7 Together we’ve seen an awful lot of $@!# across time and space and it’s only natural that you would have questions – so here is your chance hear them answered. Maybe learn something a little gross, maybe a little interesting. This is my chance to publicly answer some of the friendly, odd and occasionally gross questions that feed in through our various social media channels. On this episode: I’m taking a very good listener question and making an entire minisode out of it. We will answer the question, who is the Most Disastrous Human to Ever Live. There are a lot of ways to interpret this, but I’m pretty happy with our conclusions here. We’ll find out how this one unique individual’s creations made people stupider – literally stupid...

Once again I've joined Nick Emel from the Top 10ish Podcast to bring you another in an on-going series of gross-out and disaster episodes. Not just a 10ish Pod episode, but one brought painfully to life with a Doomsday makeover! We will discuss the 10 Most Painful Bodily Injuries... In this very special episode, there will be mention of various bones, orifices, lips, testicles, lungs - you name it. And if you're familiar to the 10ish Pod, I do not believe you will have ever hear Nick nearly this disturbed. Poor fella. This episode is dedicated to listener of the show and injury enthusiast, Jeremy Renner. ––––– 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 – i...

Back with a Vengeance! It's been a minute since we've talked like this. This update episode spends about 10 seconds talking about distractions and the next few minutes talking about upcoming episodes! Including but not limited to a Crossover Extravaganza between Doomsday and the Top 10ish Podcast, available now on Patreon for one and all at Patreon . Upcoming Episodes we'll discuss: • Crossover episode with Top 10ish Podcast • Crossover episode with Ye Olde Crime Podcast • Minisode on the Most Disastrous Person to Ever • Full episode from the sunny streets of Mexico If you’re curious to hear my take on things rattling around upstairs, feel free to holler. You can reach out on twitter, instagram and facebook as DoomsdayPodcast or fire us an email to doomsdaypod@gmail.com All our older episo...

There’s a lot to hate about flying, and one of the biggest complaints has always been fellow passengers – but the biggest complaint in this episode will be passengers from a competing airline. On this very special 50th episode, we’ll be visiting America’s most homicidal National Park, you’ll learn the early forensic value of “carbonized smears of paint and metal”, and we’ll see what happens to the body during and after cartoonish levels of impact violence. Mark my words, one day the Grand Canyon will be fenced to stop people from visiting the bottom unintentionally. No doubt, of all the sites we’ve visited together, this one is the most captivatingly beautiful and blood-thirsty. Celebrity guests include neolithic cavemen, early American adventurer John Powell, park enthusiast Ron Swanson, ...

Crashing, Choking and Chaos: Doomsday Mailbag 6 Together we’ve seen an awful lot of $@!# across time and space and it’s only natural that you would have questions – so here is your chance hear them answered. Maybe learn something a little gross, maybe a little interesting. This is my chance to publicly answer some of the friendly, odd and occasionally gross questions that feed in through our various social media channels. On this episode: I’m going to recap the events of last Friday where I crashed some vehicles, fought some crime, made some unexpected friends, and did what I could to try to save a few lives. It was a day. Off topic, check out our Patreon this week for a special retro episode of Chopper Talk - the first podcast concept imagineered at Funeral Kazoo. If you’re curious to hea...

We’ve covered a lot of unusual and unexpected disaster on this show, and this will be a new one – and what makes this one stand out is how quickly it escalates . On this episode: you’ll unlock a brand new fear you didn’t know about before; we’ll talk about the most panic inducing cross-training exercise ever; and we’ll teach you the best way to not get eaten by a machine. I’ve always said every time we find out some innocuous thing that we’ve always taken for granted is actually a source of unexpected danger, we’re having a good day. Honestly, as soon as I heard “escalator”, I just knew this was going to be good, or bad depending. Like a lot of unusual transit disasters, they usually happen because of maintenance issues and the lazy garbage responsible. For this though, we’re talking USSR ...

You may hate your job. Your job may hate you. But does your job actively pour hate and death over your entire community? In this episode: you’ll learn how insurance companies and the courts use God to ruin your day; we’ll hear about a disaster you can recreate in your own home using a washing machine and rocks; and you’ll see how you could use a river snake as a comfort animal. Most of our stories are told in the spirit of “we can learn to be safer” – and for the most part that means from fire or shrapnel – but some of our stories are told to make sure you know your elected officials can be as dangerous, if not more dangerous than a natural disaster – because politicians are replaceable and preventable! You live in rural West Virginia because you appreciate the quiet, relatively private li...

Hello and welcome to the Doomsday: History’s Most Dangerous Mailbag: Part 5 Together we’ve seen an awful lot of $@!# across time and space and it’s only natural that you would have questions – so here is your chance hear them answered. Maybe learn something a little gross, maybe a little interesting. This is my chance to publicly answer some of the friendly, odd and occasionally gross questions that feed in through our various social media channels. On this episode: you’ll learn how the show sounds the way it does, I’ll reveal the childhood experiences that sent us down this path, and we’re announcing contest winners! So get comfy, pretend you’re at my place, and get ready for a why-the what-the mailbag unlike any other. If you’re curious to hear my take on things rattling around upstairs,...

You may hate your job. Your job may hate you. But does your job actively pour hate and death over your entire community? In this episode: you’ll learn how insurance companies and the courts use God to ruin your day, we’ll hear about a disaster you can recreate in your own home using a washing machine and rocks, and you’ll see how you could use a river snake as a comfort animal. Most of our stories are told in the spirit of “we can learn to be safer” – and for the most part that means from fire or shrapnel - but some of our stories are told to make sure you know your elected officials can be as dangerous if not more dangerous than a natural disaster because politicians are replaceable and preventable! Celebrity guests include light-hearted guitarist John Denver, former President Richard Nix...

Hello and welcome to the Doomsday: History’s Most Dangerous Mailbag: Part IV. Together we’ve seen an awful lot of $@!# across time and space and it’s only natural that you would have questions – so here is your chance hear them answered. Maybe learn something a little gross, maybe a little interesting. This is my chance to publicly answer some of the friendly, odd and occasionally gross questions that feed in through our various social media channels. On this episode: I’m going to freeball a question about flying to death, we’ll discuss a way to die so extreme – they still have to invent it, and that’ll have to be that this week because I have to keep things quick. That said, I’m also going to share yet another secret episode that never finished because it was way too disturbing. If you’re...

DOOMSDAY'S BACK NEXT WEEK! In the meantime, I dare you to try and like my gift to you. Not many podcasts would go out of their way to be boring, let alone brag about being the world’s most boring podcast. Welcome to Sleep Manuals: a how-to guide to sleep. Whether it’s a 2001 Mitsubishi VCR or a 1988 Whirlpool refrigerator, together we will learn more than you likely thought possible about various appliances from throughout the history of human invention. And we’ll be covering their complete user guides and instruction manuals, cover to cover, word for word. So, find a calming, special place, rest your head, relax your body, and feel the tension evaporate from your limbs, as we explore the in-depth minutiae of the 1985 Motorola 8000S Portable Cellular Telephone. Full disclosure, I started t...

Hello and welcome to the Doomsday: History’s Most Dangerous Mailbag: The Threequel. Together we’ve seen an awful lot of $@!# across time and space and it’s only natural that you would have questions – so here is your chance hear them answered. Maybe learn something a little gross, maybe a little interesting. This is my chance to publicly answer some of the friendly, odd and occasionally gross questions that feed in through our various social media channels. On today’s episode: we’re covering a classic would-you-rather involving spiders and sharks, I’ll tell you about an episode that never happened, and I’m holding a fairly disturbing counting contest! If you’re curious to hear my take on things rattling around upstairs, feel free to holler. You can reach out on twitter, instagram and faceb...

When I say “sporting disaster” most immediately think of that time your team crapped the bed so hard. Well today, we’re going to make a new memory that’ll make your old memory feel more like a page out of your dream journal.  On this episode: we’ll explore the blood smeared history of NCAA college football; you’ll learn the quickest way off a building; and we’ll discuss what to do if your brain catches on fire – figuratively, not literally. This episode is a celebration of the history of Football ­– from humble origins, kicking a rock 2,000 years ago, to the pigskin, to the flying wedge retirement maneuver, to the Big Game disaster – which was and remains to this day, by a considerable margin, the deadliest sporting disaster in American history - and no one’s ever even heard of it! They sh...

Hello and welcome to the Doomsday: History’s Most Dangerous Mailbag: The Sequel. That's right - a second episode in the books as promised. Together we’ve seen an awful lot of $@!# across time and space and it’s only natural that you would have questions – so here is your chance hear them answered. Maybe learn something a little gross, maybe a little interesting. This is my chance to publicly answer some of the friendly, odd and occasionally gross questions that feed in through our various social media channels. On today’s episode: we’ll explore the worst deaths on the show, so far - plus my favourite – see if you can guess who. We’ll cover the story of the most stitches I’ve ever received in a single sitting, and we’ll find out if we’re ever going back to Hollywood. There’s even an extende...

No one loves work functions, but office booze cruises are worse because there’s no sneaking out early. But you’ve probably never been on a work cruise so bad it led to the death of 635,000 people? In this history changing episode: you’ll learn the death-cries of different presidents, we’ll learn how a cannon can have more than one business-end, and we’re going to play the worst game of ship-board body-part Twister that literally changed the course of American history forever. This is one hell of a story. It has everything – love, political intrigue, explosions! But it also has shocking levels of personal greed, jealousy and consequence. It’s a larger-than-life story with real life consequences. We’ve done a few episodes now where people in authority makes rash or bizarre decisions that end...

Hello, and welcome to the very first in an on-going series, Doomsday: History’s Most Dangerous Mailbag! Together we’ve seen an awful lot of $@!# across time and space and it’s only natural that you would have questions – so here is your chance hear them answered. Maybe learn something a little gross, maybe a little interesting. This is my chance to publicly answer some of the friendly, odd and occasionally gross questions that feed in through our various social media channels. On today’s episode: we’ll find out just how many people love nuclear annihilation, we’ll debate impalements, and we’ll even comment on my ass. If you’re curious to hear my take on things rattling around upstairs, feel free to shout out. You can reach us on twitter, instagram and facebook as DoomsdayPodcast Or fire us...

Florida deputies once pulled over a weaving driver. His excuse was he’d been drinking and then was this squirrel in his shirt that kept biting him. Oh, the things you’ll see on Florida’s roadways. Or won’t… In this very special 1980’s themed first-time-in-Florida episode: we’ll find out how seatbelts help prevent blood stains; we’ll see what happens when you drive underwater; and we’ll have a special second safety segment covering Florida road etiquette. It's always surprising to me how many different ways bridges can fail. It makes me feel like they should maybe offer prayer candles when you pull up to the foot of a bridge. This is a story so frightening to anyone who holds a driver’s license, that it’ll make you forget this story takes place in Florida. Not to fear, there’s not a lot of ...

In this very special return episode, we’re going to discuss the concept of “what goes up must come down”. They’re never really specific about where or in how many pieces. On today’s episode: we’ll discuss the most blood-thirsty game of roulette ever. You’ll see what happens with 7,500 Dodge Caravans worth of fuel explodes within walking distance. And you’ll learn why you should never put your kids in a sewer, no matter how great of a parent you are. The safety segment from today’s story is designed to teach you about rocket safety, but since I can’t teach you everything in one short podcast, my best advice is to relisten to every past episode, tell a friend, then quiz each other. It's not everyday you get to watch a sideways rocket launch that performs an incomplete orbit over the countrys...

We’re returning to the airwaves by heading back to Victorian England in this very special end-of-year Christmas minisode, so bring your hip waders, and your breathing apparatus – there will be feces. On this very special mini catch-up-sode: I’ll explain to you why this year earned a feces-themed minisode. I’ll do it while reminding you why Victorian England sucks so bad. And although you won’t learn a lot about feces, you will hear a lot about them. I’ve returned from my self-isolation. I needed to work on my mental health for a bit to get my head straight. I wanted to offer my most heart-felt thanks to all those who reached out or donated during my hiatus. Words can’t express my gratitude, but I will try. You’ll have to listen. EDIT: That’s how I described it back then. I feel bad for tha...

When you see All-purpose flour at the store, you know it can make everything from breads to cookies to cereals? Well did you also know it can make explosions? On this episode: you’ll discover how bloodthirsty the French are about their favourite food; you’ll see what happens when you ride through a machine Charlie Chaplin style; and you’ll learn what to do if a limb ever became two dimensional. I love that we got to visit Minnesota finally, and they really welcomed us with a bang. This is one of those stories where you start to get into it, you find out what happened, then you find out why it happened, and you’re immediately hit with – wait, that’s a thing that can happen? If you happen to love our “wait, that’s a thing that can happen?” episodes, have we got an episode for you. By the end...

On today’s very special episode, you will hear a tale of love and heroism unlike anything we’ve ever told. But at the same time, you’re going to hear about people riding over waterfalls in rubber balls and barrels and jet-skis. So yeah – it’s an emotional mixed bag of an episode. On this episode: we’ll discuss the blood thirstiest natural wonder in the world – and it’s not the one you’d think; you’ll learn what “coming to grief” means; and you’ll hear about people being dashed on rocks and drowned in every creative way possible. This is our first visit to this natural wonder of the world. It won’t be our last. There are so many stories of disaster, tragedy and loss at Niagara Falls that we could spin this off as an entire season. But we chose this one harrowing story to begin our familiari...

If you hate the idea of horses being injured as I do, then let me say right off the bat that there will not be a single horse injured during this episode. I promise they are pretty much the only things NOT getting hurt in this episode. Welcome to the Happy Valley Race Course. The unhappiest Happy Valley in the world. On this episode: we’ll discuss Britain’s atrocious people skills; you’ll hear “Occam’s Razor” used as a verb; you’ll hear about people Tetrised into debris, and what happens when your arms become a Halloween prop. how a simple day of gambling turned into one of the deadliest fires in Hong Kong’s history, all because someone decided it was okay for a prestigious, upper-class racing venue to have worse stands than the correlejas stands from our third episode. You know your conce...

On today’s episode, we’re going to play the biggest game of the floor is lava in California history. But there won’t actually be a volcano in this story. That would make so much more sense. On this episode: we’ll discuss the difference between evacuating your home and evacuating your body; we’ll find out why you don’t mix crude oil with electricity; and we’ll discover a weather phenomenon strange enough to remove your eyebrows. Not everything can be quantified in Dodge Caravans. With some stories, the most telling thing about them isn’t how big or fast they were – it’s about the terrible unlikeliness of something like that ever happening in the first place. What terrible set of circumstance brought these two things together to interact in such as a way that I make an entire episode out of ...

Depending where you live or grew up, there’s probably some dark moment of local historical injustice you’re not overly proud of. On this special bonus not-so-minisode, we’re going to check out mine! On today’s special extra not-so-minisode: you will finally learn why you hate clowns so much, you’ll find out why early Toronto had so many teeth on the ground, and we’ll discuss fighting techniques included but not limited to: thumbing people’s eyeballs out, fish hooking the cheek, and biting people’s noses and ears off. This is a hometown episode for me, and although I can visit the scenes of this incredible story any day of the week, I ask myself why? On paper, this may seem like the silliest or least serious story we’ve ever told. Why? Just because it’s full of prostitutes and rubber noses ...

If you think going to the bank can be a hassle, and always wondered what’s the difference between flammable and inflammable, have we got a story for you. On this episode: you’ll hear about the worst bank deposit in aviation history; you’ll learn why you should never parachute without practice; and you’ll learn the medical effects of reverse-telescoping your legs into your abdomen. When I say we’re about to rediscover the tale of America’s very first aeronautic disaster, you would think this would be better known. Especially after you find out it was a blimp! We spend so much time romanticizing all those people who burned to death on the Hindenburg. No one sheds a tear for those poor people who took the Goodyear Blimp to the bank that September morning. It was an incident as unusual as it w...

A lot of people have fears about flying: turbulence, engine failure, the sheer this-is-too-heavy-to-stay-in-the-air of it all, but we’re going to tell you a story about a whole new way to die in the air you didn’t even know about. On this episode: you’ll hear about people being reduced to burning tatters; you’ll learn why your $200 IPod Shuffle is more dangerous than lightning; and we’ll even maybe teach you the best seats for surviving a plane crash, sort of. I wish I could see the faces of people discovering this frightening and unforeseen way that nature simply doesn’t care about your life goals or travel itinerary. It’s not everyday I get to bear bad news like this, but in the last episode I described how many invisible things can kill you, and today I get to spoil a whole new one you’...

We always say the only upside of a disaster is the legacy of safety from the lessons learned – but not today. I don’t want to spoil the surprise here, but I think you’ll find today’s story, most riveting On this episode: there will be your typical mutilations, manglings and scissorings; you can try to imagine being repeatedly cut in half but in three dimensions; and we’ll play a game of Would You Rather fall 150 feet onto rocks, or find yourself pressed into mud and suffocated. Today is one for the engineering disaster and “bad day at work” enthusiasts. Without spoiling anything, this is a good one if you’re afraid of heights, or water, or industrial accidents, or shoddy workmanship. It checks a lot of boxes. It also pays homage to a ridiculously overly-popular TikTok about the importance ...

You know the story about the guy who started with a paperclip and traded up to a Porsche? This episodes like that, but replace paperclip and Porsche with cancer, and here we go. On this episode: not a lot of heist stories turn into full-on nightmares, so this is our first sort of cross-over crime/disaster episode. We’re going to talk about non-sexual swelling and burning, we’re going to see a punch-up at a funeral, and by the end someone’s arm is going to bubble off. There are a lot of invisible things that can harm or outright kill you. The cast of today’s story will find themselves in possession of some of the worst stuff imaginable – and it doesn’t go well. You’ll learn how the dangers of simple scavenging, combined with the effects of the disappointing Brazilian education system of the...

Today, we’re going to make you afraid of water, and invertebrates, and working. We’ve covered a lot of Bad Day at Work episodes, but this is by far the worst one we’ve ever done, and we don’t mean just by blood volume. We mean by pure existential horror. Enjoy! On this episode: we’re going to explore a job so difficult, there are less than 400 people on the planet who can do it, you’re going to hear about the forced the expulsion of his thoracoabdominal cavity, and you’re going to hear the term meat balloon used contextually. This one came as a request from some of our most depraved listeners, and this is hands down the most existentially horrifying episode we’ve done to date. As they say, it would be easier for a fat man to pass through the head of a needle than for the cast of today’s st...

No matter what the scariest thing you’ve ever seen on Halloween, it was a baby food sampling party compared to what we’re about to talk about. On this episode: you’re going to hear about people crushed under concrete two feet thick; a particularly instructional kind of trauma; and the generous help of volunteers trying to straighten out twisted limbs to make people appear more comfortable. I don’t want to say this episode stinks, but it’s gassier than you could imagine. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point-of-view, this is the kind of gas you can’t smell. Not to spoil things, but we will definitely spend a minute talking about propane safety, and why it’s so important for public events to start on time. I promise, this episode is actually about something so innocent and fu...

If you’ve ever watched someone using drugs while going to the bathroom on a train, you’ve seen some pretty egregious stuff, but I can promise you’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s the Malbone Street Disaster of 1918 On this episode: you’re going to hear about people performing acrobatics through a cacophony of sharpness. And debatably, it only gets worse from there. And it all takes place in the dark. We have had plenty of episodes in the “bad day at work” category, but this one, woof. We should count this in our suite of Bad Commute episodes – stories so awful that they can’t help you feel better about your regular commute, almost guaranteed. I start this episode questioning your experience on your local transit, especially if you have a local subway or metro. When most people...

Do you like mountain roads, claustrophobia, and not breathing well? Well, have we got a road trip for you. We’re visiting Afghanistan, but we’re not visiting it for the breathtaking beauty - we’re visiting for the unrelenting brutality. On this episode: you’re going to hear about just about every bad thing that can happen behind the wheel; you’re not going to hear a lot of impact injuries; and there will be fire and people will suffocate as many ways as they can. Imagine being sealed into a narrow tunnel carved through a mountain. Fire and smoke and screams are everywhere. Darkness closes in as the temperature rises. Every breath becomes agony, and you still have a mile and half to go. Commuting is the worst. This is our first time in Afghanistan, and we’re here in time to take in some of ...

Today we’re going to cover a ghost story, which is cool, but most of the ghosts are women and children, so actually I actually would have been more comfortable starting with a child labour joke. On this episode: you’re going to hear a lot about bosses and employees and employee rights and work-life balance, and in our history of bad day at work episodes, this one is special. That said, you’re going to hear about people tetrised into debris and then set on fire. This isn’t one of our greatest pick-me-up episodes, but we’ll try to have some fun along the way. We’ve talked about some emotionally draining and painful disasters, but having researched hundreds of disasters, I was touched by the level of humanity displayed in this one. What we’re about to discuss has been called “the Worst Indust...

You’re about to hear a story about the most unique and deadly natural disasters to ever hit the US that no one was allowed to talk about. An amazing story that started out as a draft. On this episode: this is the first story we’ve done where the resulting damage can be compared to laser damage from space; so you know you’re going to hear about a lot of people Hereditaried and bisected; and a whole host of things so awful most didn’t make it into the show. We’re talking tornados, but we’re not focusing on the science. We are focusing on an unusual and little-understood tornadic ability that freaked me the hell out to learn about, and I think it can do the same for you. Excitingly enough, this is our first tornado disaster, and we picked a hell of a one to start. Enjoy one of the most powerf...