The Alarmist

On this weeks REWIND, The Alarmist, Rebecca Delgado Smith, decides who is to blame for the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. She is joined by Comedian Rebekka Johnson, Fact Checker Chris Smith, and Producer Amanda Lund. On the board this week: O-Rings, Nasa Company Culture and Pressure to Launch.  Join our Patreon! We have merch! Join our Discord! Tell us who you think is to blame at http://...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with true crime writer Diane Fanning about the Lisa Nowak scandal. Author of Out There , which recounts Astronaut Lisa Nowak’s attempted assault, Diane shares important details that help give some context to Lisa Nowak’s mental implosion at the time. Were we a little too easy on Bill?! Afterward, Patreon Subscribers can join Fact Checker C...

Who’s to blame for Lisa Nowak & The Astronaut Love Triangle? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back Sequoia Holmes (host of the podcast Black People Love Paramore ) to discuss the curious case of Astronaut Lisa Nowak who drove 14 hours straight from Houston to Orlando to confront her ex-lovers new girlfriend. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayto...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Dr. Joanne Davis about the fictional character Freddie Kruger and the ways in which real life unresolved trauma can potentially manifest in our dreams and nightmares months and often years later. With decades of experience in the field of nightmare and dream disorders, Dr. Davis lends some fascinating insight to this fictional nightma...

Who’s to blame for the Nightmare on Elm Street? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes Cass Bugge to discuss the havoc Freddie Kruger is wreaking in the nightmares of the unfortunate teens on Elm Street. One, two Freddie’s coming for you. Three, four will locking your door even matter if he’s haunting you in your dreams? Is there a collective town trauma that’s being intentionall...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the Banana Massacre with Jack Werner, a Ph. D. Candidate in the Department of History at the University of Maryland College Park. Jack expertly describes the scene on the ground in Latin America as these newly liberated countries were establishing themselves and how those growing pains resulted in the complicated and problematic labor pr...

Who’s to blame for the Banana Massacre? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes comedian and musician James Eason to discuss the unthinkably brutal Banana Massacre in Cienaga, Colombia on December 5th 1928. Ever wondered where the phrase “Banana Republic” came from? It’s not a happy origin story. You might even find yourself deep in your thoughts about ethical employment and the i...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the 1982 film Sophie’s Choice with Jordanna Gessler. Jordanna is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and currently serves as the Chief Impact Officer at Holocaust Museum LA. Her input on both the film and the stark reality generations of Holocaust survivors have faced after the war is incredibly scrupulous and vital. Afterward, Patr...

Who’s to blame for Sophie’s Choice? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes writer and director Hannah Utt to discuss the film Sophie’s Choice and determine who’s ultimately to blame for the demise of Sophie and Nathan at the film's conclusion. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Could the immense guilt that Sophie endured as a result of her unth...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Programs Manager for the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, Natalie Belanger. Being from the Hartford area, Natalie reminds us of the significant and enduring impact the tragedy has on the surrounding community and shares harrowing new details about the day’s events. Afterward, hear the post-interview discussion with Fact Chec...

Who’s to blame for the Hartford Circus Fire? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes Duncan MacEwan & Shane Rogers (hosts of the podcast Midnight Facts for Insomniacs ) to discuss the Hartford Circus Fire. This heart wrenching tragedy took the lives of 168 audience members, mostly women and children, and injured over 600 others. For added insight, our guest Shane literally gre...

Mail call! Hey Alarmy! You heard that correctly. We’re long overdue for a check in with you, so Rebecca, Chris and Clayton are making a trip over to the mailbag to see what’s been on your mind lately. We’ve got some solid safety advice from a listener via Instagram, an audio note from a listener in Brazil and fantastic episode suggestions from listeners all over the globe! Plus, listener reviews....

Who’s to blame for the Vanessa Williams Miss America 1984 Controversy? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back Maria Blasucci (host of The Big Ones ) to discuss the highly controversial and highly problematic decrowning of the 1984 Miss America Pageant winner, Vanessa Williams. Should nude photos taken years prior to the pageant, and published without her knowledge or consent...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Professor Serena Zabin about the series of chaotic events leading up to what is now called The Boston Massacre. Professor Zabin reiterates that the narratives spun on either side after the event may have been worlds apart, but the lives of the colonists and the troops were perhaps more closely intertwined than we thought. Afterwards,...

Who’s to blame for The Boston Massacre? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back actor Bayne Gibby to discuss who’s ultimately to blame for the lives lost in The Boston Massacre. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Ever wonder where the phrase reading someone the “riot act” came from? Remember the importance that wigs once played in British s...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Dr. Jennifer Rohn about the infectious disease scenario presented in the 1995 film Outbreak and the potential similarities that are possible in the real world. If the film alarmed you on any level, just wait until you hear what’s keeping Dr. Rohn up at night! Afterward, Patreon subscribers can hear the post-interview breakdown with Fa...

Who’s to blame for the outbreak in the Hollywood blockbuster Outbreak? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes actor and comedian Tara Copeland to discuss who’s responsible for the spread of the highly contagious and highly lethal Matoba virus in the 1995 hit movie Outbreak. Do we blame it on the bad business acumen of Jimbo, played by a young Patrick Dempsey, or was there a bigge...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the untimely death of Tupac Shakur with Professor Mark Anthony Neal of Duke University. Professor Neal shares valuable insight on the significance Tupac represented in the culture at this very specific moment in time for hip hop and reminds us of the reality, and its consequences, of how young they all were. Afterward, Patreon subscriber...

Who’s to blame for the death of Tupac Shakur? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back fellow podcaster and good friend of the show Khal Davenport to discuss life and death of legendary hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Was this a classic east coast vs. west coast rivalry taken too far? Was the music industry en...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the mass extinction of the dinosaurs with Dr. Ryan Felice. Not only does Ryan give a harrowing description of the immediate effects of the asteroid's impact (earth’s worst day, perhaps?), he also shares some fascinating details about the types of dinosaurs that survived and how they managed to adapt. Afterward, Patreon subscribers can jo...

Who’s to blame for the Extinction of the Dinosaurs? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes Dan Klein (host of the Bible Brothers podcast ) back to the show to discuss the demise of the dinosaurs and the several extinction periods that brought about their ultimate extinction. Well, for most of them. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Do we blame...

On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Anya Saffir about poor Hamlet and the rotten state of Denmark, in which we meet him. Anya is an American theater director, educator and writer based in New York City. She has taught acting and directing at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, The Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University, Brooklyn College, Penn State Uni...

Who’s to blame for Hamlet?  This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back Adam Lustick to discuss the events that transpire in the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet. Arguably Shakespeare’s greatest work, there’s hardly a main character left standing by the time it’s over. Why did this revenge play get so messy? Could societal discomfort with grief have something to do with it? Was...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with stalking expert Anna Nasset about the tragic murder of Rebecca Schaeffer. Author of Now I Speak: From Stalked to Standing Up , Anna speaks from personal experience about the difficulties of legal recourse around stalking and the importance of safety planning and advocacy. Afterward, Patreon subscribers can see if the verdict stands wi...

Who’s to blame for the Murder of Rebecca Schaeffer? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) is joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early to discuss the heartbreaking story of the up and coming actress Rebecca Schaeffer who was stalked and eventually murdered by her stalker on her front doorstep. Up on the board this week: Copycat Syndrome, Community Failure and Mental H...