The Alarmist

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author and documentarian Idanna Pucci about the case against Maria Barbella and the efforts to overturn her death sentence by Electric Chair. Not only has Idanna written extensively about the case, her great-grandmother Cora Slocomb was the woman who led the campaign to overturn Maria’s death sentence! Afterward, Patreon subscribers c...

Who’s to blame for the Case of Maria Barbella? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes comedian Mo Fry Pasic, host of the podcast Worse Than You , to discuss the troubling case of Maria Barbella. She may have escaped the electric chair, but her story electrified the world. Did Maria’s status as a non-english speaking Italian immigrant and her unbiased, all male jury of “peers” cre...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Dr. William Hal Gorby about the 1907 Monongah Mining Disaster in West Virginia. Dr. Goby is a Professor of History at West Virginia University and received an Emmy nomination for his work on the PBS documentary The Mine Wars . His interview gives critical insight into the culture of mining at large and the predatory practices of the F...

Who’s to blame for the Monongah Mining Disaster? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with comedian Connor Ratliff about the 1907 Monongah Mining Disaster in West Virginia which claimed the lives of over 360 men and left over 1000 children without fathers. A very tragic origin story for what we know now as Father’s Day. Is this yet another story of Profit Over People? Did a patte...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the 1955 Le Mans Motor Race Disaster with journalist and non-fiction author Michael Cannell. Michael shares some incredible stories from his conversations with drivers involved in the race and helps us understand the problematic racing culture that dominated the sport during this time period. Afterwards, Patreon subscribers can revisit t...

Who’s to blame for the 1955 Le Mans Motor Race Disaster?  This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes actor and comedian Curt Neill to discuss the fatal car crash at the Le Mans Motor Race which took the lives of 82 innocent bystanders and injured over 100 more. With WWII fresh on everyone’s mind, did Performative Patriotism lead to this tragic disaster? Could A Need for Speed be...

On this week's Aftermath REWIND, Rebecca speaks with Dr. J Stephan Edwards about the death (and life!) of Lady Jane Grey. Dr. Edwards Ph. D. in early modern European history, with an emphasis on Tudor-Stuart England, has led to a great fascination with the infamous Nine Day Queen. And his extensive research highlights some of the ways in which the history books might not be telling the full story....

Who’s to blame for the death of Lady Jane Grey? On this week's REWIND, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with Tod Perry and Alison Rosen, co-hosts of the podcast Upworthy Weekly, about who's to blame for the untimely death of Lady Jane Grey. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Did Lady Jane Grey’s intellect make her a target? Could a religious power str...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the Italian Hall Disaster with architectural historian Alison K Hoagland. Professor Hoagland has written extensively about this tragic disaster and shares some fascinating new insights about what was known as Copper Country and the ethnic and economic landscape of Calumet. Afterwards, Patreon subscribers can revisit the board with Fact C...

Who’s to blame for the Italian Hall Disaster? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with comedian, gamer and late-night writer Mike Drucker about the Italian Hall Disaster in Calumet, MI on Christmas Eve 1913. Was this horrible accident, which took the lives of 73 people (mostly children), merely an accident or was there something more sinister at play? Did a mining company's mono...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca is back in the recording studio with national bestselling author William Hazelgrove discussing Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast. Williams 2024 book Dead Air: The Night that Orson Welles Terrified America  illustrates the level of pandemonium that ensued and he shares a few more interesting tidbits that really alter our understanding...

Who’s to blame for the Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds Broadcast Panic? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) is celebrating 300 EPISODES with a LIVE taping at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles! Together with special guests Amanda Lund, Jamila Webb and Dusty Warren they find out who’s to blame for the Orson Welles’ 1938 radio broadcast of the War of the Worlds and the pandemonium which...

A new favorite Guest Expert Returns! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with returning expert Dr. Michelle Martinez (Gremlins!) about the 90’s classic I Know What You Did Last Summer and the various tropes and devices used throughout the film. We knew about Urban Legends, but do you know what a “Yuppie Horror” or a “Final Girl” is? You will after this one. Afterward, Patreon Subscribers can...

I Know What You Did Last Summer : Who’s to blame? On this week’s episode, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes tv writer Jackie Penn to review the 1997 horror classic I Know What You Did Last Summer and determine who or what is the newest member of the Alarmist Jail. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Was this unfortunate foursome of toxic friends simpl...

On this week’s Aftermath REWIND, Rebecca speaks with 2 experts! First, Rebecca Rieder, organic farmer and author of Dreaming the Biosphere: The Theater of All Possibilities. And John Adams, the Deputy Director of the current Biosphere 2. Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early stop by to help absorb it all. Will there be a Biosphere 2 field trip in our future?! LIVE SHOW on May 2nd at...

Who’s to blame for Biosphere 2? On this week's REWIND, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) decides who’s to blame for the epic experiment and epic fail, Biosphere 2. She’s joined by comedian/musician/podcaster Ethan Edenberg, Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Could Experimental Theater take the fall for this one?! LIVE SHOW on May 2nd at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. Don’...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the Jeremy Thorpe and Norman Scott affair/very British scandal with Professor Lucy Robinson. Lucy is a Professor in Collaborative History at the University of Sussex and very eloquently details the troubling and very relevant dynamics playing out between the establishment, politics and working class British citizens at the time. Afterwar...

Who’s to blame for the Thorpe Affair Scandal? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes comedian Kiki Andersen to discuss British political icon Jeremy Thorpe, his taboo love affair (at the time) and the very salacious political scandal that ensued. Was the idea of political “perfection” the problem here? Did a societal fixation on the traditional family structure have something to...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author, civil engineer and science educator Grady Hillhouse about the 1981 Hyatt Regency Walkway collapse. Host of the popular YouTube series Practical Engineering , Grady shares some simple yet infuriatingly shocking details about the failures that led to collapse of the walkways. Thankfully, he shares some good that has come out of...

Who’s to blame for the 1981 Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes fellow podcaster Mangesh Hattikudur, host of Part-Time Genius , to discuss the haunting collapse of multiple walkways inside a Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri circa 1981. Were 3 indoor walkways an architectural triumph or just architectural hubris? Could a mid-construction en...

New Mailbag Episode! Hey Alarmy. You have thoughts and we have your mail to prove it. This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) sits down with Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith to catch up on some good old fashioned snail mail. And surprise surprise! We’ve found a few old pieces that somehow got lost in the pile. We’re reconsidering covering the Holocaust, we’re talking abo...

Who’s to blame for the “Going Postal” Workplace Murders in 80’s & 90’s America? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes Becca Platsky, co-host of the Corporate Gossip podcast, to discuss the string of postal shootings that haunted America in the 1980’s and 90’s. Who or what was responsible for the toxic work environment that prevailed at the USPS? Did a fetishization with prod...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author and attorney Kenneth Ackerman about the life and death of President James A. Garfield. Ken walks us through the world of American politics at the time and shares some fascinating details about the “Spoil System” which calls into question the ultimate cause of President Garfield’s undoing. Afterwards, Patreon subscribers can hea...

Who’s to blame for the death of President James A. Garfield? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes writer and friend CeCe Pleasants Adams to discuss the bizarre and ultimately tragic circumstances around the assassination attempt, and eventual death shortly thereafter, of The United States 20th President, James Garfield. Did the recently established Secret Service have a cavalie...

Mail Call! Hey Alarmy. It’s been awhile since we checked in with you. So, we’re headed on over to the mailbag to see what’s been on your mind. Our international listeners are really showing up for this one. We have updates and episode suggestions from Australia, some fascinating responses and insight from our German listeners about the Love Parade Disaster and a long overdue update from the Alarmi...