Relative Disasters

In 1896, the cities of St. Louis and East St. Louis were enjoying an economic boom that led to skyscrapers, mansions, and a 'tornado-proof' bridge connecting the two cities. That progress was unfortunately paused at the end of May, when an F4 tornado went straight through the downtowns of both cities. On this episode, Ella and our special guest host discuss architecture, bridges, tornado d...

On Memorial Day weekend of 1977, an event space and nightclub in Southgate, Kentucky, called the Beverly Hills Supper Club caught fire at around 8:50 in the evening. Within minutes, the building was fully engulfed and beginning to collapse, and 165 people were dead and dying. In this episode, Ella tells the story of the tragic and very preventable Beverly Hills fire. Love the show? Support us on P...

Join us for our 100th episode (!) as we journey to the lovely beaches of Hawaii... except they're not so lovely when being battered by 145-MPH winds. We're talking about the monetarily-costliest (and human-least-costliest) hurricane to strike Hawaii, 1992's Iniki. We'll be examining the failures - and difficulties - in tracking the storm, the weird mix of weather conditions that le...

In 1912, English geologists and archaeologists were buzzing over the discovery of an amazing set of human remains recovered from a gravel pit outside the village of Piltdown. Amateur archeologist Charles Dawson had uncovered what looked to be Darwin's "Missing Link", the proof of human evolution. Thought to be 600,000 years old, Dawson's find - a fossilized human skull and a jawb...

Who's everybody's favorite beautiful French sword-fighting bisexual opera singer? Join us as we discuss the incredible stories of the life of Mademoiselle de Maupin, Julie D'Aubigny, a woman who was both fascinating and more than a little terrifying. Separating myth from truth is difficult with many historical figures, but with a life this amazing it's a real challenge - sit back a...

Throughout the 1920s, Britain built airships that never quite competed with the German and American programs. In 1929, they sought to catch up by holding (and funding) a competition between a commercial and government teams to build a rigid airship capable of traveling to the far corners of the British Empire. The team behind R-101 created an ambitious design that allowed for both long-haul travel...

The business of treating people as property has never reflected well on those who practice it; however, when the practice is not just morally repugnant but also violates the religious precepts of your faith... you really have to ask yourself what side of history you want to be on. In 1838, the Jesuit order of Maryland faced just such a dilemma. These are the choices they made. Love the show? Suppo...

In 1902, 1961, and 1971, Ibrox Park in Glasgow, Scotland, claimed the lives of 90 football fans in three separate accidents. In this episode, we’re discussing the Rangers vs. Celtics rivalry, architect Archibald Leitch, crowd dynamics, and how one of the most dangerous stadiums in the United Kingdom became one of the safest in the world. Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/Re...

In the hills of Tennessee, there is nestled a village that has some of the strangest weather on the planet - and the locals believe a legendary witch could be the cause. Come join Greg as he takes Relative Disasters on a road-trip; we'll discuss weather, the natural and supernatural, and the proper way to take a walk in the woods. This episode took a lot of help to put together, so a big thank...

At the turn of the 20th century, Galveston, Texas, was a thriving port city boasting an opera house, miles of beachfront resorts, and its very own weather station. Unfortunately, in September 1900 it was also the target of a Category 4 hurricane that is still the deadliest weather event in United States history. On this episode, we're discussing 1890s meteorology, Cuban vs. American forecastin...

It was the most anticipated boxing match of the year, a fight to decide the heavyweight champion, a fight in front of fifteen thousand people in San Fransisco. There were just a couple of issues... 1), it was illegal to hold a boxing match in San Fransisco, and 2), they couldn't agree on a referee. Come step into ring as we talk about boxing, thrown/fixed fights, and what this all had to do wi...

At the end of the 16th century, 115 English colonists set out to settle Queen Elizabeth I's claim to the mid-Atlantic coast of North America, and were promptly marooned by pirates on the Outer Banks. Only a few weeks into the project, and faced with bad luck, drought, and a murder, the colonists decided to send their leader back home for supplies and assistance. When he returned three years la...

Come join us for a sporting event/political statement that got wildly out of control! We'll talk about some interesting historical people, one of the most interesting historical empires, and why wearing blue or green in the wrong place at the wrong time could get you killed. Also, bread is tasty and circuses are fun. Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPo...

In August of 1819, the Essex set sail from the island of Nantucket to the whaling grounds of the south Pacific. In June of 1821, less than half of the crew returned, with a horrific tale of a whale attack and months adrift at sea. On this episode, we're discussing sperm whales, whale oil processing, survival cannibalism, a series of terrible decisions (and one great one), and why Herman Melvil...

In this episode we'll be talking about why laws regarding stewardship of other peoples' money exist, how institutionalized prejudice threatened the lives and well-being of Sarah Rector and her family, and how she fought back and re-gained control of what was rightfully hers. Come meet the young millionaire who refused to let the shady people "managing" her money win! Love the sho...

In 1859, a wealthy landowner in Whichelsea, Victoria, released 24 rabbits on his land for shooting, and unintentionally infested the continent with a rabbit population that peaked at 10 billion.  On this episode, we're talking bunnies: their homes, diets, families, and the incredible amount of damage they can do to an ecosystem.  Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/Relati...

With Ella going nine rounds with Covid this week, please welcome our special guest-hosts: Greg's family! Join us as we talk about Action Park, the now-legendary New Jersey destination that promised great family fun... with a side-menu of skull fractures, skin abrasions, and - in six tragic cases - death. How this park stayed open - and how it ever opened in the first place - will be explored....

Warning: This episode is centered on the senseless and preventable deaths of over one hundred children. If that's not something you want to deal with, please skip this episode and re-join us next week. In the green, rolling hills and valleys of southern Wales, coal sat in rich veins. The process of removing that coal was acknowledged to be dangerous for the miners, a risk that they all accepte...

On a clear summer morning in 1908, a bright light was seen in the sky over the Siberian forest around the Tunguska River. Minutes later, a shock wave flattened 800 square miles of forest, killed hundreds of thousands of animals, and blew out windows some 200 miles away from the impact site. But when scientists went looking for the crater, they found no evidence that anything at all had hit the gro...

Come with us to medieval Germany as we discuss lines of succession, human chemistry, and a very unfortunate and disgusting disaster. Find out about Heinrich VI, Freiderich I, and what happens when too many people stand on a floor. Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠ . ⁠ Sources: Encyclopedia Brittanica for the lives and reigns of Heinrich VI and Frei...

On July 6, 1944, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus began their Hartford, Connecticut, matinee show with an audience of 7,000 ticketholders, mostly women and children. A few minutes into the show, however, the massive Big Top, which had been waterproofed with a paraffin-and-gasoline cocktail, caught on fire. On this episode, we’re discussing circus superstitions, city inspections,...

We're going back to the Arctic for our final episode of the season! Join us as we talk about how dangerous the arctic sea is, what pack ice can do to ships (again), and why maybe listening to the people who live where you're trying to explore might be a good idea. We'll touch on the interesting lives and deeds of John Rae and James Fitzjames, talk about the weird politics that led to t...

In the summer of 1881, a heavy thunderstorm caused a flash flood in the Des Moines River valley of central Iowa, in the midwestern United States. The flood caused a small railway trestle bridge to weaken, which in turn caused a steam locomotive to plunge into Honey Creek - killing two of the crew and stranding the rest in the still-rising water. So begins one of the most remarkable rescue efforts...

We're headed back to court again for a look at the 1922 Leser v Garnett supreme court decision! Join us as we discuss how women's right to vote has been a really weird issue in the US, what kind of folks were trying to prevent them from voting in the first place, and how is this stuff still going on today? Also, Greg's dog really wanted to be on the podcast this week, so listen for her...

In October of 1955, a ship named 'Joyita' set sail from Apia, Samoa, to the Tokelau Islands. The 300-mile trip should have taken 2 days, but she never arrived, and an extensive search failed to find any traces of either the 'Joyita' or the 25 people she carried. Not that she'd sunk; in fact, a month later, she was found floating off the coast of Fiji, with no one aboard and no...