Doomed to Fail

Ep. 47: Doomed to fail species? The story of the passenger pigeon Once the most abundant bird in North America, they darkened the skies in flocks of millions—until humans hunted them into extinction. Ep 179: A Friend Till The End & Beyond - Hachikō The dog who waited at a Tokyo train station every day for his owner, even years after the man had died. Ep 215: Nowhere to Echo - Whale Entrapment When...

What would you do if you accidentally threw away a fortune? In this episode, we dig into the story of James Howells — the IT worker who tossed out a hard drive holding thousands of Bitcoins, worth hundreds of millions of dollars today. From the rise of cryptocurrency to the landfill treasure hunt that captured global headlines, we explore how one mistake turned into one of the most expensive “oops...

Ep 2 - Part 2: Nero: The Fiddling Tyrant Rome’s most infamous emperor, accused of burning his own city and fiddling while it fell into chaos. Ep 12 - Part 2: Ancient Sport Rivalries - The Nika Riots What started as a sports rivalry in Constantinople exploded into a massacre, leaving thousands dead in the Hippodrome. Ep 38: Volcanoes Pt 1 - Mt. Toba's Echo: Journey into Earth's Cataclysmic Past A v...

Let's go back to ancient warfare, shall we? We'll talk about all the things you can fill a clay pot with to throw at enemies—spikes, bees, boiling hot sand—use your imagination!   Then, we will discuss the mysterious Byzantine weapon, Greek Fire. From a siphon, it could shoot white hot fire onto enemy ships, causing pain, devastation, and setting the water aflame.   How Greek Fire was Used to Targ...

Ep 68 - You're Cleared for Disaster: The Tenerife Airport Crash of 1977   The world’s deadliest aviation disaster didn’t happen in the air—it happened on the runway. Two jumbo jets, thick fog, and a fatal misunderstanding. Ep 77 - Cloudy with a Chance of Terror: Cumulonimbus   Towering thunderclouds that can tear planes apart. Pilots fear them, passengers don’t see them coming. Ep 80 - Stratospher...

Let's talk about whales, from what we do and do not know about mammals, to the incredible things that animals have to endure!  Join our Founders Club on Patreon to get ad-free episodes for life!  patreon.com/DoomedtoFailPod We would love to hear from you! Please follow along!  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doomedtofailpod/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doomedtofailpod...

The history of medicine is equal parts miracle and nightmare. These episodes prove it. Ep 98 - The Never-ending Story: Henrietta Lacks   Her cancer cells were taken without her consent and became the most important cell line in medical research—changing science forever. Ep 135 - Useless Harbinger of Death?: The Appendix   A tiny organ with no clear purpose… except when it tries to kill you. We exp...

Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb - by James M. Scott - https://www.amazon.com/Black-Snow-Curtis-Firebombing-Atomic/dp/1324002999 The Brutal Bombing of Tokyo 1945 | The Deadliest Bombing in History - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-iS8ZQjr1c Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast - The Firebombing of Tokyo - Episode 416 -  https://www.yo...

Ep 27: Cruising through History: The Rise and Fall of the Edsel Ford’s flashy new car was supposed to be the future. Instead, it became the most famous flop in automotive history. Ep 33: Getting rich quick always works: The story of Charles Ponzi   Before “Ponzi scheme” was a term, there was Ponzi himself—running the ultimate get-rich-quick con until it all collapsed. Ep 112 - Squeeze your Juice a...

Today, in good news, Farz tells the story of San Antonio's kindest philanthropist, Gordon Hartman! Gordon created Morgan's Wonderland - an amusement park that makes attending amusement parks possible for people with disabilities. We'll talk about the mission of the park, the cool rides they created to make sure that everyone can ride safely.   Learn even more at https://morgans.org/ Join our Found...

When people go wrong, the spotlight melts them faster. These episodes explore crimes, courtroom chaos, PR disasters, and unforgettable headlines. Ep 10 Part 1 – OJ & Nicole Simpson A brutal double murder, a televised Bronco chase, and the most infamous trial of the 20th century. Whether he did it or if he did it—America was never the same. Ep 18 - Part 1: BFFs Gone Wrong - Bernie Tiede   A friendl...

Let's go back to a time when trains weren't automated and there was A LOT of room for human error. We talk about the 'Swiss Cheese Model' of disasters all the time and this is a classic case. Late trains, overcrowded passenger cars, neglecting to look at a log book, having the "go" sign up when it should have been "stop" - this case has it all.   We'll also talk about how the story was lost in the...

From molasses tsunamis to space shuttle tragedies, here are some of history’s most infamous engineering disasters. Ep 20 - Part 2: Oh The Humanity!!! - The Hindenburg A luxury airship explodes mid-air in front of a live radio broadcast. Hydrogen, hubris, and horrific design come together in one fiery crash. Ep 26 - Part 1: Under Pressure - The Byford Dolphin & The Titan Submersible What happens wh...

Post WWII, where did all the Rocket Scientists go? Specifically, where did all the GERMAN Rocket Scientests go? Essentially, they went to the highest bidder; some, like Werner von Braun, went to the US, and others went to Russia. Today, we'll tell the story of the race to get a bigger and better ICBM - and how, in a rush to show strength, an undetermined number of people were reduced to ash in The...

Traditionally, the Middle Ages (which is easier to spell) is the time from the 5th century to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. We could also pull it a little later into the birth of the Renaissance, and we might as well bookend this with the Mona Lisa. The space between the Nika Riots and the Mona Lisa is about 1000 years, and a lot happened. 🏛 Early Medieval (c. 500–1000 CE) 532 - The Nika Rio...

Oh, the sweet simplicity of an unregulated water park in the 1980s! You 100% would get injured, you might die, but you'd have an awesome time. Let's discuss Gene Mulvihill and his obsession with creating bigger, better, more dangerous water park attractions! We'll dig into the details and the danger. Strap in (actually, there are no straps, so just hang on) for a wild ride! Sources: Calss Action P...

Let's dive into the history between Iran, Israel, and Iraq. You probably won't be surprised to know that there has been conflict in the Middle East as long as there have been humans.  Join our Founders Club on Patreon to get ad-free episodes for life!  patreon.com/DoomedtoFailPod We would love to hear from you! Please follow along!  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doomedtofailpod/ &...

For our last story for Pride Month, let's talk about Harvey Milk. Harvey was only in politics for a few years but he was groundbreaking in that he was an out gay man who encouraged others to also come out and share who they are. We'll cover Harvey's early life in NY, his time in the Navy, and what ultimately led him to Castro Street in San Francisco!   Source - The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life...

To continue our look at LGBTQ+ history let's talk about Sappho! While we cannot put modern definitions onto ancient people, we do assume that Sappho had relationships with women based on her love poems to women. She ran a school for women on the isle of Lesbos (you get it) and we are still discovering fragments of her work!  Join us as Taylor reads Farz a love poem, and he says 'Sorry, I zoned out...

Let's talk about the true story behind the movie 'The Terminal' it's not nearly as romantic IRL! Mehran Karimi Nasseri was trying to get to the UK from Iran when some paperwork needed to be filled out in France... and he just, didn't do it. For 18 years. If you're like anyone else in the world, you hate being at the airport overnight - so this is actually a tragedy of mental illness and less of a...

Have I said before that I think that we think that talking about plane crashes would just make our deaths in one TOO ironic? So this is saving our lives. Let's talk about the horror of the short trip that was Japan Airlines Flight 123 - A fully filled, gigantic plane with over 500 people- that lost control 12 minutes into the flight, then they wobbled around in the sky for THIRTY MINUTES before cr...

Today we dive into the oft-requested story of the dueling, opera singing, bi-sexual Julie d'Aubigny! We'll tell the tale of her remarkable life, from a court mistress, to dueling on the streets of Paris, to burning the body of a nun to run away with her girlfriend! Lots of twists in this one!   Happy Pride!  Join our Founders Club on Patreon to get ad-free episodes for life!  patreon.com/Doom...

Today, we dig into the 80s culture of celebrity charity work! From Live Aid to 'We Are the World', we started a trend where massive movements were spearheaded by celebrities. USA for Africa, the organization responsible for We Are the World & Hands Across America, stands for 'United Support of Artists for Africa' (we wouldn't have guessed that, because it makes no sense). What IS Hands Across Amer...

Let's talk about the unlucky crew of the Tuna Fishing ship Lucky Dragon #5. Thousands of miles from Japan, the crew was laying lines when the US tested its Castle Bravo nuclear bomb in Bikini Atoll. The Lucky Dragon was well within the 'Safety Zone,' which we know is not a thing. They ended up trudging back to Japan, only to slowly succumb to all the radiation they experienced. We ALSO talk about...

Today we travel to the darker side of organ transplants - when demand is greater than supply, that creates a market, right? Well, yes, but also this time people have to be cut open.  Join our Founders Club on Patreon to get ad-free episodes for life!  patreon.com/DoomedtoFailPod We would love to hear from you! Please follow along!  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doomedtofailpod/ &n...