Disaster Queen

Jenny Rapson

Disaster Queen is a podcast about the world's greatest disasters, past and present. Learn about these fascinating disasters, whether act of God, act of man, or accident. Host Jenny Rapson, the Disaster Queen, covers what happened, why it happened, and the people whose lives were forever changed by these disasters. Episodes drop every-other-Thursday beginning June 1, 2023.

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Top 10 Disaster Queen Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Disaster Queen episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Disaster Queen for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Disaster Queen episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

The Great Galveston Hurricane - September 8, 1900

Disaster Queen

12/14/23 • 50 min

Join Jenny, the Disaster Queen, as she takes a deep dive into a 15-foot storm surge that devastated turn-of-the-century Galveston, Texas. This posh boomtown took a huge hit and never saw it coming, even though one man probably should have. The Galveston hurricane is still the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States 123 years later and saw over 1/6 of the city's population go to their graves. We will talk about the how, the why, and what was learned and put in place to protect Galveston from hurricanes forever.

Here are the resources I used to research this episode:

book: Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson

book: Storm of the Century by Al Roker

documentary: Isaac's Storm

articles:

https://www.galvestonmonthly.com/whoswho/isaac-cline.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Cline

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Michigan Italian Hall Disaster w/ Emily Berry - December 24, 1913

Disaster Queen

09/07/23 • 38 min

On Christmas Eve 1913, a Christmas party for the children of striking copper miners ends in disaster when someone yells "FIRE" and a stampede to get out of the building ensues. Join us as we learn about the lives of these (mostly immigrant) copper miners, their struggles, and the Christmas Eve tragedy that marked Michigan's Upper Peninsula forever. Join Jenny and her special guest, her cousin and co-blogger Emily Berry, as they break down this unthinkable disaster.

Here are the resources I used to research this episode:

https://www.mlive.com/news/2017/12/1913_italian_hall_disaster_was.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumet,_Michigan

https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/calumet-italian-hall-disaster/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064494317941

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yjFP1IajQg - Steve Lehto on the Italian Hall Doors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Clemenc

List of names of the victims: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02rTcmsRCTsAmmWfk8sS66ByTQqa6ntUF5aMZveCRQ4TvLEEVwiATkzysxdi6p9B6ml&id=291845417514549

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The Jonestown Massacre PART ONE with Becky Dell - November 18, 1978

Disaster Queen

11/16/23 • 42 min

Join Jenny, the Disaster Queen, and her special guest and BFF Becky Dell, as they discuss the November 18, 1978 deaths of 918 Americans in the jungles of Guyana. This is our first two-part story because it's just too big to cover in one episode! Learn all about cult leader Jim Jones, how he attracted a following to his "church," and the many abuses of power he used to get them to follow him to the jungle of Guyana to a settlement called Jonestown.

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Kansas City Hyatt Skywalk Collapse - July 17, 1981 w/ Mary Carver

Disaster Queen

06/29/23 • 45 min

On this episode of Disaster Queen, I welcome my long-time friend Mary Carver and tell her the story of a terrible tragedy in her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. She doesn't love disasters but she does love me, so it works out! Join us as she recoils in horror about the disaster she's managed to not learn about despite living there her whole life! LOL!

On July 17, 1981, tragedy struck a crowded tea dance at the beautiful Kansas City Hyatt Hotel at the swanky Crown Center, built by greeting card giant, Hallmark. As the big band played, frivolity turned into a nightmare as two 64,000 pound glass-and-concrete skywalks tumbled down atop 1,600 partygoers and turned the elegant hotel lobby into a tragic scene of carnage and agony.

Mary's links!

Here are the resources I used to research this episode:

Book: Buried Truths and the Hyatt Skywalks by Richard A. Serrano

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/17/1016603199/one-of-the-deadliest-u-s-accidental-structural-collapses-happened-40-years-ago-t

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/17/us/kansas-city-skywalk-collapse-40-years/index.html

https://apnews.com/article/5a8e4babccfaee8605bcc39019514aa4

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/17/us/kansas-city-skywalk-collapse-40-years/index.html

https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-07-17/40-years-later-kansas-citians-mourn-lives-lost-in-the-hyatt-skywalk-collapse

https://www.facebook.com/SkywalkMemorialFoundationInc/

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Jonestown Massacre PART TWO w/ Becky Dell - November 18, 1978

Disaster Queen

11/30/23 • 56 min

Join Jenny, the Disaster Queen and her BFF Becky Dell as they discuss the terrible ending of Jim Jones' socialist dream with the mass "murder-suicide" (the Disaster Queen calls it straight up murder) of over 900 of Jones' followers as well as Congressman Leo Ryan and several members of the media on November 18, 1978. Before the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, it was the largest loss of civilian American life in a single event. Learn about what happened, the events that led to the END, and what the world learned from this heinous tragedy.

Here are the sources I used to research this episode:

Book: The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn

Documentary series : Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle (based on Guinn's book)

Documentary: Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre (currently on Hulu)

https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/timeline-of-jonestown

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones

Book: Seductive Poison by Deborah Layton

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Season 1 BONUS: My personal memories of Challenger, 9/11 and more

Disaster Queen

11/09/23 • 40 min

In this BONUS episode wrapping up season one of the Disaster Queen podcast, join Jenny, the Disaster Queen as she remembers where she was and what she was thinking during the biggest disasters of her life, including the space shuttle Challenger explosion, the Oklahoma City bombing, the 9/11 terror attacks, and more.

Some favorite documentaries I recommend:

9/11: One Day in America

9/11: Four Flights

Challenger: Final Flight

American Experience: Oklahoma City

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Eastern Kentucky Flood with Lori Houghton - July 27, 2022

Disaster Queen

10/19/23 • 51 min

When 600 times the normal amount of rain fell on Eastern Kentucky in late July 2022, there was nowhere for its residents to run, and no time: a devastating flash flood came in the middle of the night and washed homes and lives away in mere minutes. Disaster Queen Jenny Rapson talks with lifelong friend Lori Houghton about this tragic natural disaster that occurred in a beautiful yet hard place to live, where they both have familial roots. 45 people and 9,000 homes were lost in this devastating modern-day disaster.

Here are the resources I used to research this episode:

https://dailyyonder.com/east-kentucky-flood/

https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2023/07/27/surviving-the-floods-rebuilding-eastern-kentucky#:~:text=Between%20July%2026%2DJuly%2030,their%20lives%20in%20the%20storm.

https://www.weather.gov/jkl/July2022Flooding

https://dailyyonder.com/isom-iga-the-grocery-store-that-love-rebuilt/2023/04/14/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/03/22/kentucky-flooding-disasters-housing/

https://dailyyonder.com/rural-kentucky-floods-lack-of-forecasting-broadband/2023/03/23/

https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article263953661.html

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/06/us/kentucky-flooding-survivor-stories/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/30/kentucky-rescue-victims-flooding

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/29/us/kentucky-floods-teenager-roof-rescue/index.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kentucky-flood-survivors-say-was-no-time-escape-deluge-rcna41152

https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article277457683.html

https://www.wkyt.com/2022/08/15/story-guitar-recovered-after-eky-flooding-receives-national-attention/

Documentary: East Kentucky Flood

Donate to help survivors of the Eastern Kentucky Flood

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The Munich Olympics Massacre - September 5, 1972

Disaster Queen

10/05/23 • 51 min

On this episode, Jenny, the Disaster Queen discusses the devastating terror attack by the Palestinian group Black September on a group of Israeli athletes and coaches that ended in disaster and tragedy at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, West Germany. What was supposed to be an event of brotherhood and sportsmanship was violated by terror and murder.

Here are the resources I used to research this episode:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Munich-Massacre

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fatah

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-September-political-organization-Palestine

https://apnews.com/article/sports-israel-sports-middle-east-munich-2020-tokyo-olympics-8387c0cdbb280e9064eae2c3a1c9d191

https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/revisited/20220911-the-munich-olympics-massacre-five-decades-on

One Day in September - documentary

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/munich-massacre.htm

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/04/1116641214/munich-olympics-massacre-hostage-terrorism-israel-germany

https://www.history.com/topics/1970s/munich-massacre-olympics

https://blog.juedisches-museum-muenchen.de/munichmassacre72-anton-fliegerbauer/

https://blog.juedisches-museum-muenchen.de/munichmassacre72-moshe-weinberg/

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Apollo 1 - January 27, 1967

Disaster Queen

09/21/23 • 43 min

Join Jenny, the Disaster Queen as she discusses the Apollo 1 disaster, which resulted in the death of three astronauts on the ground -- NOT in space. We'll learn about how and why NASA was blindsided by this disaster, about the brave men who died in this tragic accident, and how NASA took steps to ensure that this kind of failure during a routine test would never happen again.

Here are the resources I used to research this episode:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/55-years-ago-the-apollo-1-fire-and-its-aftermath

Documentary: Mission Control

Documentary: Apollo: Missions to the Moon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_choose_to_go_to_the_Moon#:~:text=%22We%20choose%20to%20go%20to,on%20the%20Moon%20before%201970.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Race

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_White_(astronaut)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_B._Chaffee

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Whakaari White Island Volcano Eruption - December 9, 2019

Disaster Queen

08/24/23 • 45 min

On this episode of the Disaster Queen Podcast, we will go with a tour group of mostly cruise ship passengers as they visit the majestic Whaakari volcano near Whakatane, New Zealand. Known in English as White Island, this gorgeous active volcano is the definition of adventure tourism, and the main source of industry for the town of Whakatane. But it all goes horriby wrong on December 9, 2019 when Whakaari suddenly erupts with no warning - and with 47 people still on it.

Here are the resources I used to research this episode:

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a42295664/whakaari-volcano-victims-survivors/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/15/white-island-volcano-what-we-know-about-the-victims

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-09/white-island-volcano-eruption-anniversary-new-zealand-22-dead/12962748

https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/news-analysis/whakaari-white-island-new-zealand-volcano-eruption-2019/

Documentary:The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari

Documentary: Real Stories: The 2019 White Island Eruption

Documentary: 60 Minutes Australia: The White Island Disaster

The Disaster Queen Podcast is a production of Disaster Queen Productions LLC.

It is produced, researched and written by Jenny Rapson, the Disaster Queen.

The Disaster Queen Pod Squad:

Audio engineering: Robert Rapson