Episodi

  • They Told Them It Was Just A Fire - 29 Women Killed in Explosion

    They Told Them It Was Just A Fire - 29 Women Killed in Explosion
    Oct 14 2026
    They Told Them It Was Just A Fire - 29 Women Killed in Explosion

    They believed it was a manageable fire and stood outside watching the building burn - until a pressure wave hurled bodies 400 feet and rattled windows 11 miles away. The Army had reclassified the material as Class Seven explosives 14 weeks earlier, but that order never reached the plant; how did five tons of processed magnesium and 56,322 tripflares become a bomb without anyone knowing?

    In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events on a February Wednesday when Building M-132 vanished, the safety gaps at a remote Thiokol Chemical plant, and the aftermath for the families who survived - could a single missed memo explain 29 deaths?

    Person: 29 workers (mostly Black women)
    Date: February 3, 1971
    Location: Thiokol Chemical complex, Camden County, Georgia
    Event: Explosion/Detonation at Building M-132
    Material: nearly 5 tons processed magnesium and 56,322 tripflares

    - The pressure wave was felt 50 miles away and threw human bodies up to 400 feet.
    - Windows were rattled 11 miles from the site by the blast.
    - The Army reclassified the material as Class Seven on October 29, 1970, 14 weeks before the explosion.
    - Building M-132 held nearly five tons of processed magnesium plus 56,322 assembled tripflares on the morning of the blast.
    - Thirty-nine minutes? No - 3 to 4 minutes elapsed between the initial fire and full evacuation; everyone was outside when the building detonated.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 min
  • When Sugar Became Fuel: The Night Port Wentworth Exploded

    When Sugar Became Fuel: The Night Port Wentworth Exploded
    Oct 13 2026
    When Sugar Became Fuel: The Night Port Wentworth Exploded

    The sweet, familiar smell in a sugar refinery turned into an unstoppable weapon that tore through a plant in minutes and burned for seven days; investigators later noted the industry had known about dust explosions since 1926 - an 82-year warning left unheeded. Who chose not to act, and why did that decision cost lives in the dark tunnels beneath the silos?

    In this episode, we tell the story of the Dixie Crystal refinery on the night of February 7, 2008, describing the plant, the people working there, the sequence of the blast and the chaotic response - and we return to the central question of responsibility that survived the demolition of the silos.

    Person: Lawrence Manker Jr.
    Person: Malcolm Frazier
    Date: February 7, 2008
    Location: Port Wentworth, Georgia
    Event: Explosion and seven-day fire at Dixie Crystal/Imperial Sugar refinery

    - 112 people were working the shift inside the refinery when the blast hit at 7:00 PM.
    - The refinery had been processing enough sugar to cover roughly 9% of the U.S. supply by fiscal year ending September 30, 2007 (14.5 million hundredweight).
    - The sugar industry had known about dust explosion risks since 1926 - 82 years before the 2008 blast.
    - Roughly 12% of the refinery was demolished in seconds by the chain of secondary explosions.
    - Forty workers reported they had never received evacuation training and only five recalled ever participating in a fire drill.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 min
  • Minutes to Obliteration: The Pier That Turned Brooklyn Inside Out

    Minutes to Obliteration: The Pier That Turned Brooklyn Inside Out
    Oct 12 2026
    Minutes to Obliteration: The Pier That Turned Brooklyn Inside Out

    A routine welding spark on Pier Thirty-Five turned into potentially the largest explosion in New York City history: thirty-seven thousand pounds of detonating cord, twenty-six minutes from ignition to detonation, ten dead and 274 injured. How could a man standing roughly one thousand feet from the waterfront be killed while firefighters at the blast edge were left unharmed?

    In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events on December 3, 1956 at Bush Terminal: the materials on the pier, the maintenance work with an oxyacetylene torch, and the physical evidence that explains the blast - and the question of why distance and placement mattered in fatal ways.

    Person: Irving T. Bush
    Location: Bush Terminal, Sunset Park, Brooklyn
    Date: December 3, 1956
    Event: Pier Thirty-Five explosion
    Casualties: 10 dead; 274 injured

    - The complex covered roughly 200 acres with 43 miles of internal railroad track by 1928.
    - Norton Lilly and Company had operated inside the terminal since 1902 and had been there 55 years by 1956.
    - More than 25,000 workers were employed inside the terminal on the December afternoon of the explosion.
    - Pier Thirty-Five had over 26,000 pounds of ground foam rubber scrap on its surface and an additional 11,000 pounds spilling from broken burlap bags.
    - Approximately 37,000 pounds of Cordeau Detonant Fuse were staged somewhere in the cargo on the pier.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    22 min
  • When 37,000 Pounds Exploded: Brooklyn's Pier That Shuddered 35 Miles

    When 37,000 Pounds Exploded: Brooklyn's Pier That Shuddered 35 Miles
    Oct 11 2026
    When 37,000 Pounds Exploded: Brooklyn's Pier That Shuddered 35 Miles

    The afternoon smelled of burning rubber before anyone knew how close they were to disaster: 37,000 pounds of explosive cord and foam rubber scrap ignited on Pier That-Fifth Street and the sound carried 35 miles. Ten people died, 274 were injured, and one man standing a thousand feet from the blast was killed without touching the fire - so how did that much explosive material end up on a commercial pier surrounded by 25,000 workers?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on December 3, 1956 at Industry City, describe the setting and the people who worked there, and lay out the documented chain from broken burlap bags to a torch and 26 burning minutes - but the core question remains: why was so much explosive material stored on Pier That-Fifth Street?

    Date: December 3, 1956
    Location: Pier That-Fifth Street, Industry City, Sunset Park, Brooklyn
    People at work: 25,000
    Deaths: 10
    Injuries: 274

    - 3:15 PM: an oxyacetylene torch ignited shredded foam rubber scrap on the dock.
    - 26 minutes: duration the fire burned before the final detonation occurred.
    - 37,000 pounds: total explosive cord and foam rubber involved when the blast happened.
    - 1,000 feet: distance from the blast where one man died (about three city blocks).
    - 35 miles: how far the sound of the explosion traveled.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 min
  • The Day the Fastest Clipper Vanished Without a Trace

    The Day the Fastest Clipper Vanished Without a Trace
    Oct 10 2026
    The Day the Fastest Clipper Vanished Without a Trace

    A vanished clipper that had repeatedly defied shipbuilders disappeared without wreckage, letter, or inquiry on March 17, 1848 - and her sister ship broke her speed record the very same day. What pushed a hull every expert called a mistake to become the fastest clipper alive, and how did that triumph end in absolute silence?

    In this episode, we trace the Rainbow from the controversial design choices of naval architect John Willis Willis to her record-setting voyages and final, unexplained departure from New York Harbor. How did a concave bow, skeptical shipwrights, and a maiden voyage that stripped masts lead to a disappearance with no answers?

    Person: John Willis Willis
    Date: March 17, 1848
    Event: Disappearance of the Rainbow
    Location: New York Harbor (harbor mouth, heading south)
    Person: Captain John Land

    - The Rainbow’s hull featured a concave, inward-scooped bow first exhibited at the American Institute in 1841.
    - Howland and Aspinwall delayed the Rainbow’s completion by more than one year while requesting European masting calculations.
    - The Rainbow left New York on her maiden voyage in 1845 and lost her topgallant masts within four days at sea.
    - On March 17, 1848, two ships crossed New York Harbor: one returned with a record no vessel had matched, the other (the Rainbow) sailed out and was never seen again.
    - No wreckage, survivor, log, letter, inquiry, or salvage operation was recorded after the Rainbow vanished.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    23 min
  • The Lifeboat of Knives: Lake Erie's Unfound Train Ferry Mystery

    The Lifeboat of Knives: Lake Erie's Unfound Train Ferry Mystery
    Oct 9 2026
    The Lifeboat of Knives: Lake Erie's Unfound Train Ferry Mystery

    A lifeboat with nine dead men washed up fifteen miles off Erie, Pennsylvania, in December 1909 - no ship, no wreck found on the surface, and a steward clutching two large knives and a meat cleaver. What did happen aboard the Marquette and Bessemer No. 2 that left nine men naked to a seventy-five-mile-per-hour storm and one man strangely armed?

    In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the No. 2’s departure from Conneaut, Ohio, to the discovery of lifeboat No. 4, presenting the conflicting evidence that frustrated every inquiry and the unanswered question that keeps this case open: was this a disaster of weather, negligence, or something else?

    Person: Captain Robert McLeod, age 53
    Date: December 7-12, 1909
    Location: Lake Erie, departure Conneaut, Ohio; lifeboat found ~15 miles off Erie, Pennsylvania
    Ship: Marquette and Bessemer No. 2, built 1905, 338 ft long, 54 ft wide, 2,514 GRT
    Cargo: 26 coal cars, 3 steel beam cars, 1 iron casting car

    - Departure delayed ~3 hours; ship left Conneaut at 10:43 AM on December 7, 1909.
    - Winds on Lake Erie reported gusting to 50 mph at departure and sustained to 75 mph that evening.
    - Lifeboat No. 4 was found on December 12 with nine dead men, none wearing warm clothing.
    - The steward George R. Smith was found in the lifeboat holding two large knives and a meat cleaver from the ship’s galley.
    - The No. 2 had no stern gate installed on December 7 despite a formal request after a near-capsize in November 1909.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    24 min
  • The Empty Lifeboat: How Eleven Men Vanished from Neutral Seas

    The Empty Lifeboat: How Eleven Men Vanished from Neutral Seas
    Oct 8 2026
    The Empty Lifeboat: How Eleven Men Vanished from Neutral Seas

    An empty lifeboat washed ashore off Tiree on 21 March 1940 - the only physical trace of the SS Leukos and her eleven-man crew who left Dublin twelve days earlier and were never seen again. How could an Irish-registered, unarmed trawler vanish in neutral waters while a German U-boat logged the action in its war diary?

    In this episode, we lay out the known timeline from departure to discovery, the vessel’s history and registry, and the long gap before families received official closure - then follow the clues hidden in a U-boat war diary that remained sealed for forty-six years. What did the U-38 record that no family would learn about until decades later?

    Date: 21 March 1940
    Event: Empty lifeboat found off Tiree, Scotland
    Departure: 9 February 1940 from Hanover Quay, Dublin
    Crew: Eleven men
    Official status declared: Presumed lost by Lloyd's of London on 26 March 1940

    - The Leukos departed Dublin on 9 February 1940 and failed to return by its scheduled 12 March 1940 arrival.
    - An empty lifeboat from the Leukos was found drifting off Tiree on 21 March 1940 with no crew and no wreckage nearby.
    - Lloyd's of London declared the vessel and crew presumed lost on 26 March 1940, seventeen days after the lifeboat was found.
    - The Leukos was built in Aberdeen in 1914 and was twenty-six years old in 1940, coal-fired and registered to Dublin.
    - Death certificates for the eleven men were not issued until 1986, forty-six years after the sinking.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 min
  • The Shot That Sank Neutral Ireland: The Vanishing of Leukos

    The Shot That Sank Neutral Ireland: The Vanishing of Leukos
    Oct 7 2026
    The Shot That Sank Neutral Ireland: The Vanishing of Leukos

    Neutral Ireland’s safety at sea was shattered by one shot fired at 200 metres from a German U‑boat that left eleven men vanished and only an empty lifeboat found; why did the commander single out the unarmed Irish trawler among six vessels that night? What decision in a warship’s logbook finally answered the families’ decades of silence?

    In this episode, we follow the documented trail from the Leukos’s last voyage to the German war diary and Ultra intercepts, laying out what happened on the night of 9 March 1940 and asking why the submarine’s commander chose to fire once - and then stopped.

    Person: Captain James Potter Thomasson
    Date: 9 March 1940
    Location: Northwest of Tory Island, North Atlantic
    Event: Single gunshot from U-38 at 21:13
    Status: Only an empty lifeboat found drifting off Tiree

    - Eleven men left Dublin on Leukos in February 1940 and none returned.
    - Leukos was built in 1914 by John Duthie Torry Shipbuilding Company in Aberdeen.
    - At 21:13 on 9 March 1940 U-38 fired one shot at a target 200 metres away.
    - An empty lifeboat from Leukos was found drifting off Tiree twelve days after she vanished.
    - For forty-six years the families had no death certificates until findings published in 1987.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    24 min