Disaster Tales

The Sultana Disaster

In the early morning hours of April 27th, 1865, America's biggest maritime disaster occurred just north of Memphis on the Mississippi River.  The riverboat Sultana exploded, killing approximately 2100 recently released Union prisoners on their way home after the war.  It's the biggest little disaster you never heard of. 

Kincade Fire Evacuation

Co-Host John Horrell discusses his recent mandatory evacuation from his home for the Kincade fire in Sonoma County California.  John discusses his experience evacuating with three cats, dos and don'ts and strategies for planning and escaping safely. 

Image Courtesy LA Times. 

Sweet: Molasses Flood and Sugar Plant Explosion

The Great Molasses Flood, sometimes referred to locally as the Boston Molassacre, occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. This event killed 21 people and created a 40-foot wave of molasses which buckled the elevated railroad tracks, crushed buildings and inundated the neighborhood.

In 2008 the Georgia sugar refinery explosion was an industrial disaster that occurred on February 7, 2008, in Port Wentworth, Georgia. Fourteen people were killed and forty injured when a dust explosion occurred at a sugar refinery owned by Imperial Sugar.  

Influenza-Local Effects

We've all heard about the deadly influenza outbreak of 1918, but how did it affect real people.  Disaster Tales has gone through local records to find details lost in the overall pandemic.  Archivist Renea Dauntes co-hosts.

The Children's Blizzard of 1888

On January 12th, 1888 an arctic cold front, the coldest ever measured, raced down the center of the American heartland.  There were far below zero temperatures, windchills measured at -110 F and freezing effects as far south as Brownsville, Texas.  The storm hit the Dakota Territories, Minnesota and Nebraska about the same time children were walking home from school.  This storm was a killer. 

Waco Episode 3 - The Siege

The Branch Davidian siege at Waco in 1993 was a deadly carnival of coincidence, misjudgement and errors.  This is the third and final part of our Waco podcast.  It's part of a collaboration with Home on the Strange podcast host Lynsie Wilson. 

You can find Part 1 here: 

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/httpsfeedsbuzzsproutcom291866rss/home-on-the-strange

Part 2 is on Disaster Tales and you can find it here:

https://disastertales.podbean.com/e/waco-part-2-the-prelude/

We hope you listen to all three parts in order to get the full story. 

Waco Part 2 - The Prelude

Home on the Strange host Lynsie Wilson joins us to discuss the history of the Branch Davidians, the rise of David Koresh, and the circumstances that led over 70 people to their deaths. It remains to this day one of the largest domestic tragedies involving the United States Government, and is still referenced in popular culture regularly. This episode contains graphic content. 

For early access to part 3, please help support our show by going to Patreon and becoming a patron! 

This is part 2.  If you haven't already heard it, go straight to Home on the Strange Podcast for Part 1!

Circus Train Accidents

With the advent of nationwide railroad services, Circuses and other entertainment groups took to the railways to travel from city to city. There were many tragic accidents, but in the early twentieth century, the Hammond Rail Disaster and the Con T. Kennedy Circus disaster were among the most deadly. 

Influenza Pandemic of 1918

Beginning in the spring of 1918 and circling the world three times in the next 18 months, an influenza pandemic killed as many as 50 million people.  The disease killed many more than the ongoing First World War.  Find out why it was called the Spanish Flu and lots of other amazing details.  And thanks for listening. 

Peshtigo Fires

On October 8th, 1871, the same day as the Great Chicago Fire, the nation's most deadly wildfire raged through eastern Wisconsin.  The Peshtigo Fire killed an estimated 2,000 Americans.  It left a permanent mark on the Midwest.  (IMPORTANT CORRECTION:  Per listener Neil Miller, Door county is in Wisconsin, not Michigan. Thank you, Neil!)