The Alarmist

Who’s to blame for the Dave Matthews Band Chicago River Incident? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes writer and fellow Earios Network podcaster Lesley Arfin to discuss the truly unfortunate Dave Matthews Band Tour Bus incident. While the driver may have fessed up to crime, something still stinks about the details of this one. Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Earl...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Jennifer L. Shaw - Professor Emeritus of Art History at Sonoma State University. Author of Exist Otherwise: The Life and Work of Claude Cahun , Professor Shaw sheds more light on the uniquely rebellious progressive art Claude and Marcel were producing in the surrealist community at the time and reminds us of the ongoing gender bias in...

Who’s to blame for the Deaths of Claude Cahun & Marcel Moore? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes the hilarious Paula Poundstone to discuss the lives and deaths of queer artists, writers and Nazi resisters Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Is this the episode where You Know Who finally ends up in The Alarm...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author and historian Dr. Matthew Delmont about the Port Chicago Weapons Disaster. Professor of History at Dartmouth University, Professor Delmont details the humiliating and often dangerous circumstances African American soldiers were forced to endure while defending their own country during WWII. Afterward, Producer Clayton Early and...

Who’s to blame for the JonBenet Ramsey Murder? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back guest Julianne Turkel to discuss the tragic murder of JonBenet Ramsey and the bizarre and somewhat dumbfounding details surrounding this unsolved mystery. Between false confessions, intense public speculation and a botched police investigation, it’s no wonder this case continues to fascinat...

New Mailbag! This week, the mailbag runneth over and The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) sits down with Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith to see what’s on the Alarmy’s mind. There’s fascinating thoughts from new listeners about older episodes, reflections from OG listeners about the recent Daylights Savings episode and even an attempt to cast the female shark from the novel JAWS...

Against the Odds is a podcast from Wondery about regular, everyday people who found themselves fighting for their lives against unthinkable odds. old from the point of view of the survivors, you’ll feel first-hand what it was like for them to fight to stay alive. Like the Alaska Bear Attack, a backcountry ski trip with three friends that turned into a living nightmare when they unknowingly skied o...

Who’s to blame for the Port Chicago Weapons Disaster? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes writer and producer Darnell Brown (Hulu’s Mike ) to discuss the discriminatory conditions that led to the Port Chicago explosion during World War II. Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Alex Paul join in on the conversation. One big variety pack of racism is at the center of this often...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Dr. David S. Prerau, who has been called the world's foremost authority on Daylight Saving Time (DST). He is the author of the highly acclaimed book Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time and is a consultant for Daylight Saving Time for US Congress.  We have merch! Join our Discord! Tell us...

On this week’s Alarmist, Rebecca decides who is to blame for the biannual chaos caused by Daylight Saving Time. She is joined by Amanda McLoughlin, co-host of the podcasts Spirits and Join the Party! Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Alex Paul try to understand the concept of time and leave more confused than ever. On the board this week: Ben Franklin, the World Wars, and Big Barbeque.  W...

This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith), Producer Alex Paul and Fact-Checker Chris Smith catch up on mail from the Alarmy! The team discusses listener suggestions from new Alarmy members. Welcome to the podcast! We have merch! Join our Discord! Tell us who you think is to blame at http://thealarmistpodcast.com Email us at thealarmistpodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @thealarmistpodc...

Who’s to blame for the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre? On this week’s Alarmist, Rebecca decides who is to blame for the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. She is joined by Sarah Lane, co-host of the Daily Tech News Show podcast. Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Amanda Lund return for moral support. On the board this week: The British Raj, Imperialism and Spice.  We have merch! Join our Discord! Tell...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Wright State University Professor and author Dr. Tracy Snipe. Dr. Snipe worked with one of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing survivors Sarah Collins Rudolph on the book The 5th Little Girl: Soul Survivor of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing and shares personal accounts from the day of the tragedy. Afterward, Fact Checker Chr...

Who’s to blame for the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes Tom Merritt, co-host of the Daily Tech News Show podcast, to discuss the historical context and horrific circumstances around the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. J. Edgar Hoover, the Cahaba Boys and the normalization of white supremacy are all part o...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with licensed marriage and family therapist Christina Kousakis about the relationship dynamics and breakup of one of America’s favorite TV couples Ross & Rachel. With years of experience in couples counseling, and years of experience being a fan of Friends , Christina spells out some of the dueling trauma playing out in this popular re...

Who’s to blame for Ross and Rachel’s Breakup? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back guests Anastasia Kousakis and Shawn Parikh to discuss the highly controversial breakup of Ross & Rachel from the popular 90’s sitcom Friends . Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early join in the passionate and lively debate. Joey and Chandler, Toxic Monogamy and Ross’ Insecur...

Professor Carp returns! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca welcomes back Guest Expert Benjamin L. Carp to celebrate the release of his new book The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. After surprising us with a new culprit we missed in our initial research, Professor Carp reiterates how atrocious the American Revolution was and how these grim details tend to get lo...

Who’s to blame for The 1776 Great Fire of New York? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with friend and Disaster Researcher Jay Balagna about the 1776 Great Fire of New York. A legit professional Alarmist himself, Jay helps break this one down with mathematical precision. Literally. Hazard x Vulnerability = Risk. Add that to your Alarmist toolbox and meet the newest member of Th...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with critic and film historian Ed Rampell about the history and legacy of The Hollywood Ten. A co-organizer of the 70th Anniversary Commemoration of the Hollywood Blacklist back in 2017, Ed reminds us of the significant impact this blacklist had on its unfortunate members as well as the industry at large. Afterward, Producer Clayton Early...

Who’s to blame for The Hollywood Ten? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with Olga Lexell about The McCarthy Hearings and what became known as The Hollywood Ten. As a Union Officer for IATSE Local 871, Olga has some fascinating things to share about this harrowing time in Hollywood and American History. Like a good Hollywood thriller, was Communism the true culprit here or simp...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Associate Professor Natalia Pardo Villaveces about the details surrounding the Nevado del Ruiz eruption in Colombia. Head of the Geo-Science department at the University of Los Andes, Natalia works developing workshops to help mitigate future volcanic risk and sheds some light on the things the scientific community has learned since t...

Who’s to blame for the catastrophic death toll from the Nevado del Ruiz Eruption? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back good friend Chloe Wepper to discuss complicated circumstances around the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz eruption in Colombia and the tragic loss of life that followed. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Was this a fluke of nature,...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with journalist and author Sarah Gristwood about Queen Mary I and her trailblazing legacy as England’s first Queen. While Mary’s legacy remains complicated, Sarah reminds us that the history books are often written by those who prevail which can shape the way we view the past. Afterward, Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early...

Who’s to blame for the Myth of Bloody Mary? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with podcaster Cristen Conger about England’s first Queen, Queen Mary, and who or what’s to blame for her infamous reputation as Bloody Mary, the spooky legend haunting your mirror. Is this simply a case of bad PR? Was Henry VIII up to no good, once again? Or were there some double standards at play?...

New Mailbag! This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) sits down with Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith to catch up on some mail from The Alarmy. Listen to a voicemail from a brand new Alarmy member. Hear from an OG Alarmist who has some beef with a recent verdict. And get some insight on future episode suggestions which might be coming your way. Have a thought to share abo...