Campfire Stories: Astonishing History

Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about the Perilous Fate of the American Space Pioneers. Last episode covered the accidents and tragedies of the early Soviet space program, our rivals in the space race and partners in space exploration today. This episode is going to cover the disasters of the American Space program. What would have happened if Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin got stuck on the moon? How did the Apollo 1 fire start? Who was the first American casualty of the space race? Did NASA know Challenger was going to explode? Who was Christa McAuliffe? Could the Columbia disaster have been avoided? Let's talk about it.

**This episode includes sensitive content including real audio and graphic descriptions of deadly accidents . Listener discretion is advised.**

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected]. Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History. Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.

Music by: Zoliborz

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Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about the fate of some of the early Soviet space pioneers, including the first death in any space program, Valentin Bondarenko, the failed mission of Soyuz 1, the amazing achievement of Yuri Gagarin, the chilling death of Vladimir Komarov, and the conspiracy theory about the lost cosmonauts. The space race was full of incredible milestones in human history, but it also came with intense danger. Next episode we'll cover the sacrifices of the early American space program, but today we'll go over the terrible losses of the team at Star City, the stories the Soviets hid for decades, and some of the most interesting rumors and theories about what secrets might still be hidden. Why did the Soviets edit out men from official photos? Were trainees really wiped from history? Who were the early martyrs of the space program? Is there any truth behind the stories of the lost cosmonauts? Let's talk about it.

**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, severe injury, suicide, war, aviation and other accidents). Listener discretion is advised. **
I've been wanting to do this episode since I've started the podcast and this is definitely the one that has taken the most work but I'm so excited to share it with you. Thank you for all your support so far!
Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.
Music by: Zoliborz

Support the show

Come gather around the campfire and hear about one of the most puzzling missing person's cases in U.S. history.
It seemed to be a regular winter day when heiress Dorothy Arnold left home for a shopping trip. She was just going to buy a new dress. She was well-known, walking on packed New York City streets, wearing especially eye-catching clothing. Nothing seemed to be dangerous about it, and she assured her family she would be back in time for dinner. And then Dorothy vanished. What happened to her? Did she go missing by choice, escaping to a new life across the country or even across the Atlantic? Was she snatched off the street by a stranger? Did she perish in an underground medical procedure gone wrong? Whatever the truth really was, the case of Dorothy Arnold gripped international attention from the moment it was announced that she was gone.
**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, suicide, medical malpractice, pregnancy, abortion). Listener discretion is advised.**
Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.
Music by: Zoliborz

Support the show

Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you a story about some of the smartest military teams you've never heard of. Today we’re going to be talking about the code-breakers of World War II. Part 1 discussed Native American code-talkers. Part 2 will discuss Allied code-cracking teams including the stories of the Enigma, Alan Turing, Marian Rejewski, Elizabeth Friedman, and the Venona project.
Most code-breaking departments of the time started with a few civilian staff members, including mathematicians, college students, and even a high school principal. How did these rag-tag teams turn into massive agencies? Who were these geniuses, many of whom never got the chance to discuss their heroic work during their lifetimes? How did these teams crack the most infamous Nazi code machine of all time, the Enigma? In the end, Allied code-crackers may have shortened World War II by as much as two years, potentially saving millions of lives. Come hear about how they did it.
**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: death, war, suicide, antisemitism, homophobia). Listener discretion is advised.**
Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcast

You can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.

Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.
Music by: Zoliborz

Support the show

Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about the radioactive secrets of Los Alamos and the town's shocking accidents. During and directly after World War II, scientists worked on secret nuclear projects across the United States as part of the Manhattan Project. Dr. Louis Slotin and Harry Daghlian were two such nuclear scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory on atomic experiments. Both of them would suffer terrifying radioactive accidents while using the same core of plutonium that would earn a notorious nickname: The Demon Core. Louis Slotin would later be fictionalized in the 1989 movie "Fat Man and Little Boy" as the character Michael Merriman, played by John Cusack. Come gather around the campfire, and let me tell you their story.
**This episode includes sensitive content (war, death). Listener discretion is advised.**
Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
Check out our links here to support the show, follow our social media, and see photos from the case: https://linktr.ee/CampfireStoriesPodcastYou can contact me at [email protected].
Also check out our YouTube channel Campfire Stories: Astonishing History.
Sources for every episode are available in the episode transcript on Buzzsprout.

Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com

Support the show