A wind could remove your hat. A stronger wind might steal your lawn furniture. The kind of wind we’re talking about today renovated Pre-War and Mid-Century Midwestern homes into more “open concept” dwellings. On today’s episode: we’re going to take a look at what happens when you’re visited by a storm so powerful, they invent a new scale just to define it; we’ll see what it feels like to have your house reduced to the consistency of straw and blown away in what many call the most frightening thi...
Jul 21, 2025•51 min
We’ve been a lot of places together on this show. I’m trying to think of the weirdest. Nuclear reactors, insane asylums, the mouths of volcanoes; but now, by fan request, it’s finally time that we visit our strangest location yet: a restaurant. And before we begin – IHOP you survive the experience! On today’s episode: we’re visiting an American institution, recognized around the world for it’s bizarre duality as a magnet for cartoonish levels of violence (for an all-day breakfast place) – and it...
Jul 02, 2025•30 min
You know how when you have a good idea, you get a little lightbulb over your head? What if you had a bad idea, and a million cubic feet of rock collapsed on you. On today’s episode: why the tourist bureau for today’s story drink so much; how the people in today’s episode work with equipment that would rattle an melt your skull off and sometimes want to cry and eat each other; and why the phrase “well, I’m glad that’s all over” is rarely misapplied this badly. And because you are listening to thi...
Jun 20, 2025•48 min
Today, we’re going to witness a light so bright it would instantaneously and irreversibly turn your corneas into charcoal, and oddly, it’s the least dangerous thing about our story. On today’s episode: why the tourist bureau for today’s story drink so much; how the people in today’s episode work with equipment that would rattle an melt your skull off and sometimes want to cry and eat each other; and why the phrase “well, I’m glad that’s all over” is rarely misapplied this badly. And because you ...
Jun 04, 2025•47 min
We’ve had a lot of episodes underground, and none of them have been underwhelming. In fact, if you’re not fans of claustrophobia, choking, burning, or being trampled, today’s episode may be a little overwhelming. On today’s episode: we will discuss how some of the richest men in America created a boiling, black mountain of crap as powerful as a small nuclear blast; we will – for only the second time in the show’s history, describe a disaster made worse by a liberal and unexpected application of ...
May 12, 2025•59 min
We all complain about commutes. We all think we have it pretty bad. But unless your commute includes choking on toxic fumes, or being claustrophobically trampled in the dark while on fire, prepare to eat your feelings. On today’s episode: we learn what makes the world capital of mud farts so fascinating; we’ll discover why Soviet utilities designed for the utilitarian benefit of the masses are so flammable; and I’ll make you understand the analogy that you don’t survive a skydive accident just t...
Apr 25, 2025•48 min
Ever have a day at work so bad you wanted to climb, jump, or get sucked out a window? On today’s episode: we answer the question, is 2025 in fact as awful a time to fly as it looks; we’ll find out why you’ve never seen 400 mph wind exfoliation spa before; and we’ll compare a commercial airliner to the Titan Submersible that imploded not that long ago. And because you are listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you get to enjoy an additional 8 minutes where we discuss: how a distrust of doctors...
Apr 09, 2025•46 min
What’s the worst thing you ever saw at a sports game? Someone throw a battery at a Make-a-Wish kid? Sure, if you’re from Philly, but what if you were from California. On today’s episode: we’ll talk about zombies and crucifictions and collapsing buildings before we even get into it; we’re going to watch the shortest baseball game of all time; and we’re going to cut off one of your limbs in one of the more claustrophobic ways possible. And if you were listening on Patreon … you would hear of one o...
Mar 28, 2025•53 min
Do you know the difference between your guts and balloon animals? Organs are ever-so slightly more flame resistant! On today’s episode: you’ll learn how to squeeze every penny out of a beloved animal corpse; I’ll accidentally teach you why fire is the best way to get rid of leaves, or a body; and you’ll learn the surprisingly simple thing you should do if you found yourself full-bodied origamied into debris. And if you were listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you get to enjoy an additional...
Mar 12, 2025•49 min
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 Sain...
Feb 06, 2025•53 min
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 considere...
Jan 23, 2025•52 min
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 ...
Jan 08, 2025•42 min
Hellooo! And welcome to a very special, extra girthy Orthodox Christmas Disastersode! It is a miracle this happened. I was deathly ill with a dying dog for eight magic days this holiday, and the master file was irretrievably destroyed mere days ago, and so the Christmasode becomes a New Years’ flavoured Orthodox Christmasode. This episode fulfills the wishes of more listeners than any other episode before. Together we will be visiting the hands-down most dangerous place on earth; you will learn ...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 1 min
We’ve made a lot of fun of meteorologists on this show. Nope, that’s it, that’s the whole intro. On this episode: you’ll hear about the biggest meteorological blunder in US history that went on to change US history by killing a major American city; you’ll hear the absolute saddest story about orphans of all time; and you’ll learn about the worst cadaver recovery and fatality management in the show’s history. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you would enjoy an addit...
Dec 13, 2024•47 min
Hello! And welcome to this very brief end-of-year update of Doomsday: History’s Most Dangerous podcast! Together we rediscover some of the most traumatic, bizarre and awe-inspiring but largely unheard-of or forgotten disasters from throughout human history and around the world. Let me begin today’s exciting episode by explaining the next episode will be late but I wanted to use this opportunity to quickly get you salivating over a few things coming up, and explain a few things that’ll make you a...
Dec 02, 2024•7 min
If you’re like me, when it comes to sporting events, the only thing coming out of the stands should be cheers and chants, and the only thing leaving the field should be the occasional ball or a t-shirt fired from a canon. We’ll come back to that. On this episode: you’ll find out which sports fans tried to kill Santa Claus; we’ll find out what stadium security personnel and Acorn Cop have in common; and we’ll meet the very first person to ever come back to life after dying on the show. Also, if y...
Nov 06, 2024•48 min
Today I bring you the gift of horror, this time as told from a very personal level. Full disclosure, today’s story is a weird one, and you’re not going to believe the escalation of details, but that’s why we’re all here. Today will be an all weather-related disastersode, and the cast of characters won’t count in the hundreds or the thousands – it will be just one brave man, who – spoilers – survives everything I’m about to tell you. A single man, pitted against what I believe you will think of a...
Oct 22, 2024•39 min
Today we’ll be attending the most prestigious vehicle race in the world. You think that sound exciting, well just wait for the off-roading portion. On this episode: we’ll take a look at the only car ever compared to a barbecue; we’re taking in the only sporting event in history that was later compared by the press to the holocaust; and you’ll hear about the first accidental public use of an unintentional horizontal guillotine. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you w...
Oct 02, 2024•45 min
Together we’ve seen an awful lot of $@!# across time and space and it’s only natural that you would have questions – so here is your chance hear them answered. Maybe learn something a little gross, maybe a little interesting. This is my chance to publicly answer some of the friendly, odd and occasionally gross questions that feed in through our various social media channels. On this episode: I’m going to look at franchising disaster into child-friendly fare; I’ll make a very child-unfriendly cho...
Sep 25, 2024•21 min
When you think of clouds and dangerous behaviours, you immediately think of getting zapped by lightning, or maybe tossed into another county by a tornado – but you never think you’re going to get repeatedly punched in the brain harder than Mike Tyson On this episode: you’ll learn why telling people the body is 80% water is misquoting a war crime; you’ll learn about the time it rained every day for 2 million years in a row; and you’ll see how a simple cloud can make you look like people tested ba...
Sep 18, 2024•43 min
It’s picnic season, and if you thought ants were the most annoying uninvited guest you could face, have we got a story for you. On this episode: we learn why Georgia and Australia are basically the same thing; we’ll learn why American freight and commuter trains make so many unscheduled stops; and we’ll describe a situation where stop, drop and roll loses all meaning. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter, you would enjoy an additional 10 minutes where we discussed two o...
Aug 28, 2024•36 min
Bad day at work episodes are some of my favourite. Sometimes you put out a brochure with a typo. Sometimes you ding the bosses car. Very rarely do you accidentally destroy a $30 million nuclear missile. On this episode: you’ll learn the history of human violence from Paleolithic shoving to nuclear annihilation; I’ll teach you how to sneak into a top secret missile silo; and there is a disaster in this episode – but unlike most – this one uses the phrase “blown skinless”. Also, if you had been li...
Aug 14, 2024•48 min
Some people think it’s weird when they hear travel by sea described as romantic. Between the vomiting and the contusions and the lacerations and the spinal injuries – I’m confident this episode will help you discover whatever the opposite of romance is. On this episode: you’ll learn why Captain James Cook left Hawaii with a knife in his head – and chest – and back and abdomen and face; you’ll learn the clothes-eating, skin-ripping, skull-flattening results of jumping feet first into an active hu...
Jul 25, 2024•49 min
A mountain is just about the most stable and serene thing in nature. But every now and then, one says “not today”! On this episode: we’ll see how a volcano was more deadly to humanity than that asteroid was to the dinosaurs; we’ll meet the most oblivious reporters in history of news gathering; and we’ll see repeatedly what happens when human flesh comes in contact with glowing hot rocks. Also, if you had been listening to this as a Patreon supporter , you would enjoy an additional 9 minutes wher...
Jul 12, 2024•50 min
If you’re like me and you would rather burst into flames than go shopping, have we got the story for you… Special shout out to my UK listeners! On today’s fresh new episode: we’ll see how cold and aloof British parents can be; we’ll see how bad psychology makes some shoppers believe they are practically immortal and fire proof; and we’ll see which planet in our solar system has better, more breathable air than was available in today’s story – and hint, it’s not Earth. Let me mention, there are a...
Jun 28, 2024•44 min
Someone once said that skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking down trees with your face. Today, we learn that skiing can do a lot worse things to your face than knocking down a tree. On this episode: On today’s episode: we’ll see how hot dogging at work can destroy your soul; you’d forever remember the list of countries that make up the Alps thanks to MILFGASS; and we’ll see how the north American concept of giving out awards regardless of merit actually began with the military. This is I bel...
Jun 12, 2024•48 min
In this episode, homes and buildings will sadly be blown away and destroyed, and you’ll say “fireworks?” and I’ll say “it sure does”. On this episode: we look at the Netherlands pyrotechnic super boner; we explore the fact that a time bomb could be ticking away in your area without you knowing; and we’ll uncover one governments’ habit of sweeping disasters under the rug by cleaving a transport plane through an apartment building. No real spoiler here, but this is one of those episodes where the ...
May 27, 2024•47 min
The Cleveland Balloonfest Disaster of 1986 | Episode 69 Balloons often represent happiness, but if you’ve ever had to explain to a crying child why their balloon flew away and won’t be coming back, you know that balloons are monsters. On this new and much requested episode: you’ll learn the origin of the phrase, “it seemed like a good idea at the time”; we learn why Cleveland is called the Mistake by the Lake, and we’ll see what is probably the most amount of damage one could possibly hope to ac...
May 08, 2024•35 min
Hello all. Welcome to the very first Doomsday Automotive Review segment . I’ve never done one of these before, and most importantly, I shouldn’t have to, but here we are. It was originally released as part of bonus Patreon content, but I'm sharing it here with you now to buy me a few days to get the next episode together . Since we originally brought it up, more Tesla Cybertrucks have wrapped around trees, smoked by semis, accidentally confusing the startup toggle for the self-destruct sequence....
Apr 29, 2024•23 min
Fun fact: Airplane accidents have a 95.7% survivability rate, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board. This story actually has a 99.02% survivability rate – but those that do die – you might want to limber your neck, because you’re going to be shaking your head. On this episode: you won’t learn to fly a plane but I will be able to teach you how not to fly one; we’ll learn what happens when you go skydiving at ground-level; and we’ll learn about a victim who was killed by her own...
Apr 15, 2024•46 min
