• Doomsday: History's Most Dangerous Podcast

  • By: Brad Choma
  • Podcast

Doomsday: History's Most Dangerous Podcast

By: Brad Choma
  • Summary

  • Doomsday is a history lesson that easily disguises itself as a horror story. We explore the most traumatic, bizarre and most awe-inspiring but largely unheard-of disasters from throughout human history and around the world including the science behind every disturbing detail. If you like shipwrecks, decapitations, things that melt, living blankets of insects and people screaming for their lives, Doomsday is the podcast for you.
    @ 2023 Doomsday Podcast
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Episodes
  • The Cherry Mine Disaster of 1909 | Episode 83
    Feb 6 2025
    We’re going to hell! Well, not hell exactly. We’re going to rural Illinois, but for the purposes of this introduction, we are going to be spending time today in hell.

    On today’s episode: you’re going to learn why fourth graders make such poor employees; you’ll learn how to properly panic like a professional; and you will learn how to tell people to “get out” using nothing but a shotgun and morse code.

    And if you were listening to this on Patreon… you would also learn the story of the Patron Saint who watches over people who explode; you'd learn why underground coal fires are the disaster you can tell your great, great, great, great, great grandchildren about; you would hear a quick anecdote about nicotine poisoning in the workplace and inappropriate banana usage; and you would find out who gets coal for Christmas.

    This was another bad-day-at-work episodes, but it was a good one, because it happened in such a small, unassuming place, but had safety ramifications that spread around the world. This is dedicated to everyone who loves mining and mining disasters. And on that note, most people don't think about mining very often - so this is my love letter to the industry. You love mining, you ask? No, not overly, but in my opinion, our entire evolution as a society and as a species would have been impossible without men willing to climb into the earth to do the work too frightening or dangerous for the masses. On the upside, at least it pays well, and we do get the occasional story out of it.
















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    53 mins
  • The Dusseldorf Airport Disaster of 1996 | Episode 82
    Jan 23 2025
    Do you like fire but hate airports? Have we got the episode for you.

    On today’s episode: we’ll be pulling off the front of our skulls and spending some time fingering our limbic systems; we’ll learn why not all fire rescue services are created equal; and we’ll find out how hot it needs to be for your skin to melt off.

    And if you had beenlistening to this as a Patreon supporter, you get to enjoy an additional 8 minutes where we discuss: why calling Germans stoic clock-watching robots is considered so flattering; you’d find out if you’d be considered an idiot, moron or imbecile back in the day; and you’d learn how Dusseldorf compares to Hiroshima.

    I will also point out that at the end of the episode, there is a very special Book Giveaway contest! That’s right. I’m giving away the very first book/piece of research I ever used in the creation of the show. William McKeown’s "Idaho Falls: The Untold Story of America's First Nuclear Accident" using a once-in-a-lifetime Name That Tune style contest. You’ll just have to see for yourselves.

    I'll be doing a few listener shout-outs at the end of the episode, and also thanking you all for your kind encouragement during a time when I wanted to punch my own face off. I don't have a safety segment against that kind of thing, so your gentle intervention was appreciated. We ended last year with a bang and start the new year with a whoosh! I hope you all at least began 2025 in a better space, but even if you didn’t, we’re burning down an airport together, so forget about your worries for an hour or so.
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    52 mins
  • BONUS | The Doomsday Fifth Anniversary Meltdown of 2025
    Jan 8 2025
    Let's all blow our sad kazoos in honour of a milestone I didn't see coming. FIVE YEARS we've been doing this, and I know a lot of people were never able to make their way through the whole back catalogue, and for good reason. So I sat down and did the math:

    We've shared 3,489 minutes together! That's just episode time.

    That’s just over 58 hours of listening to me trying to make you throw up but then earning your respect back by teaching you how to sew your own arm back on. I tried to figure out how much production time went into that and if I'd started January first and never slept or blinked or ate, it would have taken till mid-April. Imagine screaming for three-and-a-half months straight.

    I added a little intro pointing out how great you've been, how helpful you've been, and how much I sincerely appreciate you all being there while I muddle my way through this as professionally as possible. And in this I had the thought to give away the book that started this whole podcast. William McKeown’s book “Idaho Falls, the Untold Story of America’s First Nuclear Accident". I thought it'd make a nice giveaway. Then I had the thought - do I do a charity auction of all my disaster books? Let me know what you guys think.

    All that said, we'll all be back for a new episode where we'll be burning down an airport together in no time. I'd say get your safety glasses ready, but they're just going the melt over your eyes.
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    42 mins

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