Mistakes Were Made

In 1875, Dublin was flooded with whiskey, literally. When a bonded warehouse in the Liberties district went up in flames, over 300,000 gallons of burning whiskey poured through the streets, turning one of Ireland’s poorest neighborhoods into a fiery river of booze. Firefighters quickly learned that water only made it worse, so they turned to an unlikely hero: horse manure. Comedians Robert Bacon a...

We're back! After a 7-year break, Mistakes Were Made returns with a high-flying tale—literally. In this episode, Bacon tells Mike the bizarre history of people who tried to fly using helium balloons. From lawn chairs to church pews, it turns out some folks really took “lightheaded” to new heights. EPISODE 31 - Lawnchair Larry In this episode of Mistakes Were Made, we dive into the strange history...

In the late 1960s, Chairman Mao Zedong turned a simple piece of fruit into a symbol of blind devotion—and chaos. When Mao gifted crates of mangos to Chinese factory workers, the nation erupted into a frenzy of worship, complete with parades, wax mango replicas, and (of course) executions. Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman peel back the absurd true story of how one man’s tropical obsession b...

n 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finland in a conflict known as the Winter War. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Finnish forces put up a fierce resistance in freezing conditions. Among them was Simo Häyhä, nicknamed “The White Death,” a sniper who reportedly killed hundreds of Russian soldiers with astonishing skill. The war demonstrated Finland’s resilience, tactical ingenuity, and how one e...

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in Sarajevo—a single event that triggered the chain reaction leading to World War I. Ferdinand’s death exposed the tangled web of alliances, militarism, and nationalism in Europe, turning a regional conflict into a global catastrophe. His life, politics, and the assassination itself reveal how small mistakes and poor ti...

In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million—a deal widely mocked at the time as “Seward’s Folly.” Critics believed the U.S. had bought nothing but frozen tundra, ice, and bears. History, of course, proved them spectacularly wrong. The purchase provided vast natural resources, strategic advantages, and eventually became a cornerstone of American expansion. Comedians Rob...

Robert Bacon, Mike Kauffman, and Bobby Smithney tackle one of the 20th century’s most infamous symbols: the Berlin Wall. Erected in 1961, the Wall didn’t just divide a city—it divided families, friends, and an entire ideology. Built almost overnight by East Germany, it was meant to stop the mass exodus of citizens fleeing to the West, but it also became a monument to political absurdity, paranoia,...

For the first time, Mistakes Were Made welcomes a new co-host: Bobby Smithney joins Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman as they dive into one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history. On December 6, 1917, the bustling harbor of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was the site of unimaginable chaos when two ships—a Norwegian vessel and a French munitions ship—collided. The resulting explosion leveled the city,...

The art of showing one’s rear end has a surprisingly long and hilarious history—and it might just date back to ancient Rome. In 66 CE, tensions flared between Romans and Jews, but Emperor Caligula had bigger problems: spending money faster than the empire could make it. From building a two-mile-long floating bridge just to ride his horse across it to throwing extravagant parties, Caligula’s reign...

Mobutu Sese Seko, the flamboyant and corrupt ruler of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), earned his nickname the “Leopard Hat Dictator” for his ostentatious fashion and absolute power. Rising from a military officer to president-for-life, Mobutu transformed his country into a playground for personal gain, extravagance, and political theater, all while the nation’s infrastructure cru...

Saparmurat Niyazov, born in 1940 in the Soviet Republic of Turkmenistan, survived a childhood straight out of a tragedy. After losing his family in an earthquake and emerging from the rubble after eight days, he was sent to a harsh Soviet orphanage in the mountains. These early hardships helped shape a man who would grow up to become one of the most eccentric and authoritarian rulers of the 20th c...

On April 6, 1945, the German U-1206 submarine set sail from Kristiansand, Norway, on a mission that would quickly go down in history as a catastrophic and hilariously tragic misadventure. This was no ordinary naval mishap—an accident with the sub’s toilets caused flooding, panic, and a disaster that left the crew scrambling for their lives. Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman dive into the un...

Nicolae Ceaușescu was born into a poor Romanian peasant family in 1918, and by the end of his life, he was one of the most notorious dictators of the 20th century. From escaping an abusive father to becoming an apprentice shoemaker, young Nicolae’s early life set the stage for a rise fueled by ambition, ideology, and a shocking disregard for human rights. Introduced to communism at a young age, he...

In 1919, Boston experienced one of the strangest disasters in American history: a massive wave of molasses barreling through the streets of the North End. When a 50-foot-tall storage tank burst, over 2 million gallons of sticky syrup surged at 35 miles per hour, destroying buildings, flattening horses, and tragically killing 21 people. Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman dive into this bizarr...

Medieval Europe wasn’t exactly a party paradise—famine, plague, and political chaos made life miserable for most people. So why, then, did groups of people suddenly start dancing uncontrollably in the streets? Known as Dancing Mania, these bizarre outbreaks saw hundreds (sometimes thousands) of people writhing, leaping, and spinning—often until they collapsed from exhaustion or worse. Comedians Ro...

Since the dawn of recorded history, humans have been obsessed with one question: how do we live forever? From alchemists chasing the elusive elixir of life to eccentric rulers trying bizarre experiments to extend their years, history is full of people who took “forever young” a little too literally. Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman explore the weird, wild, and often deadly attempts to chea...

Before the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, America tried a different tactic: compromise. From the Missouri Compromise to the Compromise of 1850, lawmakers desperately tried to keep the Union together: slavery in, slavery out, states’ rights, federal power, a little sugar on top, and a dash of political theater. Spoiler: it didn’t work. Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman break down the...

“The reign of tears is over,” promised Reverend Billy Sunday when America banned booze. Spoiler: it was not over. In fact, Prohibition turned the entire country into one big underground cocktail party. Between 1920 and 1933, the so-called “Noble Experiment” tried to save America’s soul by outlawing alcohol—and instead unleashed a wave of crime, corruption, and creative smuggling that would make an...

Centuries before Columbus, a group of adventurous Vikings actually made it to North America… and immediately started killing people and complaining about the food. Around the year 1000, Leif Erikson and his band of Norse explorers landed in what’s now Newfoundland, set up a tiny settlement called Vinland, and then did what Vikings do best—pick fights, steal stuff, and leave in a huff. Comedians Ro...

In the 1630s, the Dutch Republic went completely insane for flowers. Tulip Mania was the world’s first recorded economic bubble, when a single tulip bulb could cost more than a house, fortunes were made and lost faster than you can say “floral portfolio.” But this wasn’t just about gardening. It was about greed, hype, and some truly baffling investment decisions. Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Ka...

In the 14th century, Muhammad bin Tughlaq ruled one of the largest empires in India’s history—and possibly made more questionable decisions per minute than any leader before or since. Known as a brilliant scholar, poet, and mathematician, Tughlaq also earned a reputation as the “Mad Sultan” thanks to his wild experiments in governance, including moving his entire capital city hundreds of miles for...

When historians call Warren G. Harding one of America’s worst presidents, they’re not exaggerating—they’re just being polite. Harding’s administration in the 1920s was less a government and more a frat house with oil money. His so-called “Ohio Gang” filled Washington with poker-playing cronies, bootleg whiskey, and some of the biggest corruption scandals in U.S. history. In this episode, comedians...

Franz Reichelt dreamt of designing the first wearable parachute. The only problem was he wasn't good at it and he liked to test things himself.  On February 1912 Franz announced to the press that he had received permission to conduct a test of one of his designs on a dummy from the Eiffel Tower. To him this was the perfect time to actually test his invention. On Sunday, February 4, at 7:00 a.m., h...

Billy was a natural stunt master. In 1944 The Republican Convention came to town in and he posted a sign saying, "No Republicans allowed." This caused the tavern to be packed with Republicans demanding to be served. He would also sneak his goat, Murphy, into unusual locations in order to try and gain publicity for his bar and in 1945 he was presented with the perfect opportunity. The Cubs were gea...

Meet Timothy Dexter, the uneducated New England businessman who somehow became one of the richest men in early America… entirely by accident. Born in 1747 with no formal education, Dexter stumbled his way into fortune after fortune through a series of decisions that should have ruined him. He shipped warming pans to the Caribbean (and they sold out), sent coal to Newcastle (and made a profit), and...