Against The Odds

Searching for lost cities in the Amazon sounds like something out of a Hollywood script – unless you’re University of Florida anthropologist Mike Heckenberger. He’s been visiting the Amazon for three decades, working with local tribes and uncovering a network of ancient cities in the jungle. On this episode, Mike joins host Cassie De Pecol to discuss what it’s like to explore the region today, mor...

After weeks on the River of Doubt, Theodore Roosevelt’s expedition is on the verge of collapse. But hope emerges when they find clues that Brazilian frontiersmen may be living and working in the wilderness nearby. As Roosevelt’s health deteriorates, drastic measures must be taken to fight the infection in his leg. The men must race to return the former president to civilization before illness and...

Challenges mount as the expedition travels farther down the river. With the end of their journey nowhere in sight, hunger and disease take their toll on the men. Colonel Rondon wonders if members of an indigenous tribe are following them … and waiting to attack. Tensions between the men simmer, until they explode in violence. In the midst of this turmoil, Theodore Roosevelt suffers an injury that...

As Theodore Roosevelt’s expedition sets off down the River of Doubt, it doesn’t take long for the going to get rough. Their canoes are no match for the boiling rapids, forcing them to trek through an unforgiving jungle rife with insects, predators and disease. As their movement slows, their food supplies dwindle. Roosevelt’s son Kermit takes a bold risk to speed their progress . . . but the turbul...

In 1913, former President Theodore Roosevelt embarked on a perilous expedition to explore one of the last unmapped rivers in the Amazon. Roosevelt was joined by his son Kermit, famed Brazilian explorer Candido Rondon, and a team of naturalists and porters. But as the party sets off on a 400 mile trek across the highlands to reach the headwaters, they discover they are woefully unprepared for the d...

On the afternoon of July 15, 1976, nine-year-old Jennifer Brown Hyde and her older brother Jeff were returning home from a summer school trip to a local pool. On their way home, masked men with guns boarded their school bus, and her life was changed in an instant. In this special interview, Jennifer joins host Mike Corey to discuss the kidnapping, its aftermath, and how sharing her story has helpe...

The kidnapped children and their bus driver are trapped underground in the back of a moving truck, and they’re running out of food and water. They decide the only way out is to dig their way to the surface. Meanwhile, the amateur criminals who hijacked the school bus are trying to deliver a five million dollar ransom demand to the California government. Soon, the tables are turned, and the kidnapp...

In the summer of 1976, three masked gunmen hijack a school bus full of children in rural Chowchilla, California. The twenty-six kids and their bus driver are driven to a quarry and buried alive. Back in town, no one has any idea where the children went, who took them, or why. The local sheriff and the FBI launch a massive manhunt to track down the kidnappers and locate the children, but the trail...

Swede Momsen’s diving bell finally makes contact with the sailors trapped inside the USS Squalus. But bad weather makes for a harrowing mission. And just when rescuers are about to bring the last of the crew to safety, the bell hits an unexpected snag, leaving a group of sailors and the sub’s captain trapped in even worse circumstances than before, with their chances of survival literally hanging...

With the USS Squalus trapped at the bottom of the ocean, the Navy mounted an all-out rescue effort to save its crew before they ran out of breathable air. They called upon Charles “Swede” Momsen, an engineer who’d been pushing the Navy for years to develop new technology to rescue sunken submarines. While top brass considered Momsen a “rebel in uniform,” his ingenious invention — a rescue diving b...

On the morning of May 23, 1939, a state-of-the-art U.S. Navy’s submarine, the USS Squalus, was doing a routine test dive when something went terribly wrong. The sub began flooding, and plunged 240 feet down to the bottom of the ocean, trapping the dozens of sailors aboard. The ship’s captain knew he had to act fast if he had any hope of saving his crew from a horrible death. Listen early and ad fr...

CalFire dispatcher Beth Bowersox was on duty the morning the Camp Fire ignited. She joins Host Cassie De Pecol to share what it was like behind the scenes as a first responder, and her decision to evacuate all of her hometown of Paradise. Later, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses whether there could be another Camp Fire. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, call...

By the time it was contained in late November 2018, the Camp Fire had become the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. Journalist Lizzie Johnson spent two years reporting on the fire and its aftermath for The San Francisco Chronicle and her book, Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive An American Wildfire . Lizzie joins host Cassie De Pecol to discuss the stories she hea...

By mid-afternoon of November 8, 2018, the Camp Fire has largely moved through Paradise. Families separated by the fire are desperate to find each other and know who survived — and if they’ll be able to return to their homes. The town of 27,000 people has largely been destroyed, leaving residents to reckon with the aftermath of the devastation. Listen early and ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+...

As the fire rages and traffic on the main roads out of Paradise comes to a standstill, firefighters realize evacuation is no longer a viable option. First responders race to locate places of refuge within the town, where trapped civilians and other firefighters can wait out the fire as safely as possible. Meanwhile, other residents and firefighters find themselves stuck in gridlock, with nowhere t...

As a fast-moving wildfire closes in on their town, Paradise residents move to evacuate as quickly as possible. But not everyone knows about the seriousness of the fire. Electronic evacuation alerts from Cal Fire aren’t getting through to the whole town. And others are stubbornly committed to staying put to defend their properties. Meanwhile, hundreds of drivers, including a school bus full of chil...

In the early morning of November 8, 2018, a faulty electrical line sparked a fire in the woods of Butte County, California. Spurred on by high winds and dry brush from extreme drought, the fire spread faster than anyone had ever seen before. In a little over an hour, it arrived in the town of Paradise, California, forcing 27,000 residents to flee for their lives. Listen early and ad free with Wond...

In 1992, Christopher Duddy was a young Hollywood cameraman assigned to shoot footage of an active volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island. Then his helicopter crashed inside the volcano near a pool of molten lava, and his life would never be the same. Host Mike Corey hears how Chris can still remember the sights, smells and sounds on his epic climb out…nearly 30 years later. Listen early and ad free with W...

Rescue workers search for the camera crew trapped inside Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o crater, but they’re forced to abandon their efforts when an incoming storm makes conditions too hazardous. Cameramen Chris Duddy and Mike Benson struggle to survive a night inside the volcano. When daylight comes and there’s still no sign of rescue, Chris makes a fateful decision — to try to save his own life and bring bac...

In November 1992, a Hollywood camera crew soars above Hawaii’s Kīlauea, one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, to capture footage for a major feature film. But suddenly their helicopter’s engine cuts out, and they plunge into an active crater. Trapped and inhaling toxic fumes, the men will have to battle for survival — even for every breath — if they’re going to escape the volcano and see th...

The story of the Thai cave rescue captivated the world – spawning numerous books, documentaries, and most recently, the Hollywood film,  Thirteen Lives , directed by Ron Howard. On today’s episode, British rescue diver Rick Stanton returns to discuss his time consulting on the movie. He’ll share what it was like working with Viggo Mortensen, the actor who plays Rick, and how the dives were me...

Rescuers locate the 12 boys and their soccer coach deep inside the Tham Luang, but now they have another problem. How will they get them all out? An international team frantically looks for solutions, but no one can agree on a plan. Meanwhile, monsoon rains are coming and the clock is ticking down. Listen early and ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad f...

Rescuers locate the 12 boys and their soccer coach deep inside the Tham Luang, but now they have another problem. How will they get them all out? An international team frantically looks for solutions, but no one can agree on a plan. Meanwhile, monsoon rains are coming and the clock is ticking down. Listen early and ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad f...

The boys on the soccer team struggle to stay alive inside the cave. Expert divers from around the world arrive in Thailand to find a media circus and a slow-moving bureaucracy. All of them must work against harrowing conditions and disappearing oxygen levels to get to the boys before it’s too late. Listen early and ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad f...

In 2018, twelve young soccer players and their coach are exploring a six-mile caving system in Thailand when they are trapped inside by heavy rains. Local authorities attempt to rescue them. But it’s going to take an international effort by some of the world’s most expert divers, if they want to have a prayer of succeeding in this daring and dangerous mission. Listen early and ad free with Wondery...