Relative Disasters
Greg & Ella
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Top 10 Relative Disasters Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Relative Disasters episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Relative Disasters 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 Relative Disasters episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
The Reign of King John, 1199-1216 (Episode 137)
Relative Disasters
04/22/24 • 84 min
Auntie Lynn joins us to discuss the disastrous reign of King John - and the numerous sidebars with which we become distracted. This episode is a free-wheeling discussion of John and a lot of random - but interesting - nonsense surrounding his reign!
Note: As happens often, the dogs wanted to co-host, so you will hear some puppers in the background.
The 1975 Heroism of Oliver Sipple (that ruined his life) (Episode 120)
Relative Disasters
10/23/23 • 44 min
Join us for our last episode of the season, wherein Ella and Greg discuss how a selfless act of heroism led to the ruination of a man's personal life. We'll discuss how to NOT be a good friend, the state of human rights in 1975, and how far society's come since then - and how far we still have to go.
Also, Ella has an announcement.
Correction: In the episode, Greg stated that Mr. Sipple's middle name was William; it was actually Wellington. Thanks to an attentive listener for the correction!
Sources:
Sorrow Trailed a Veteran Who Saved a President and Then Was Cast in an Unwanted Spotlight
by Dan Morain, LA Times, Feb. 13, 1989
Caught in Fate's Trajectory, Along With Gerald Ford
by Lynne Duke, Washington Post, December 31, 2006
News and Sexuality: Media Portrayals of Diversity
by Laura Castañeda and Shannon Campbell
Sage Publications, 2006
Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military
by Randy Shilts
McMillan, 2005
The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk
by Randy Shilts
St. Martin's Press, 1982
Sept. 22, 2017
The 1976 Ladybird Plague (Episode 123)
Relative Disasters
01/15/24 • 11 min
We're going to the dry and drought-blasted British Isles of 1976 for this (short) episode; we'll talk about ladybirds, the population boom-and-bust cycles of insect life, and how weird weather can throw an entire ecosystem into red-shelled chaos.
The 1883 Eruption of Krakatoa (Episode 65)
Relative Disasters
07/04/22 • 51 min
In the summer of 1883, the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra were rocked by a volcanic eruption more destructive than any other in recorded human history. When the tiny, uninhabited island of Krakatoa erupted, it sent a plume of ash and gas 17 miles into the sky, created a 2,500-foot-tall pyroclastic cloud, and wiped out settlements thirty miles away with a series of deadly tsunamis. The eruption was so loud it was heard 5,000 miles away, and it sent so much debris into the atmosphere that it created a four-year-long global volcanic winter.
On this episode, we're talking plate tectonics, the Dutch East Indies, disaster reporting, the B-52s, and the unsettling behavior of Krakatoa's current incarnation, Anak Krakatau.
Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast.
Sources for this episode include:
"Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded", by S. Winchester, 2003
"The Eruption of Krakatoa (also known as Krakatau) in 1883” by M. R. Morgan for BRANCH: Britain, Representation and Nineteenth-Century History, 2013
"Krakatau: The loudest sound in recorded history", by B. B. Johnson and D. Russell for WBUR's Endless Thread, 2022
"Krakatoa: Devastating Explosion", episode of How the Earth Was Made (S1, E3), produced for the History Channel, 2009
The 1920 Collapse of Charles Ponzi's Scheme (Episode 61)
Relative Disasters
06/06/22 • 62 min
In 1903, a young Italian man emigrated to America in hopes of finding work, love, and money. Over the following thirty years, Charles Ponzi would work dozens of jobs, form several companies, marry a very nice stenographer, and become an important (and notorious) member of the immigrant Italian-American communities he landed in.
On this episode, we're taking a deep dive into Ponzi's background and the dozens of smaller scams that informed the financial scheme he's best known for - the wild success and inevitable collapse of his Securities and Exchange Company, a fraud which caused the collapse of six banks and removed 20 million dollars from the local economy.
Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast.
Sources for this article include:
"Charles Ponzi - Biography (1882–1949)", Staff writer, Biography.Com, 2014
"In Ponzi We Trust", by M. Darby for Smithsonian Magazine, 1998
"The Rise of Mr. Ponzi", by C. Ponzi, 1935
"Charles Ponzi, The Financial Idiot Who Drove Boston Money Mad in 1920", Staff writer, New England Historical Society, 2021
The 1863-1864 Sinkings of the Submarine "H. L. Hunley" (Episode 39)
Relative Disasters
11/30/21 • 56 min
This week, we're off to Charleston, South Carolina, where at the height of the American Civil War a secret weapon was launched into Charleston Harbor. It wasn't a very good weapon - in fact, it killed three times as many of its own crew members than enemy sailors - but it was an example of cutting-edge wartime technology that wouldn't be attempted again until World War 1. In sinking the Union ship 'Housatonic', the Confedarate ship 'H.L. Hunley' became the world's first successful combat submarine; however, when it failed to surface after this victory, it became a long, weird footnote in naval history, one that's still posing questions today. Join us for a wartime story of privateering, blockades, torpedo boats, cast iron, and some extremely bad luck as we pick apart the story of the builders, crew, and victims of the 'H. L. Hunley'.
Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast.
Sources for this episode include:
“The H L Hunley: The Secret Hope of the Confederacy”, by Tom Chaffin, 2010
“Air blast injuries killed the crew of the submarine H.L. Hunley”, by R. Lance et al, Plos One, 2017
“The Old South Lives as It Buries a Part of the Past”, by E Barry for the Los Angeles Times, 2004
“In the Waves: My Quest to Solve the Mystery of a Civil War Submarine”, by R. Lance, 2020
Hunley.org
The Astor Place Riot of 1849 (Episode 60)
Relative Disasters
05/23/22 • 51 min
On May 10, 1849, wealthy New Yorkers set out for a night at the Astor Place Opera House to enjoy English actor William Macready's performance in "Macbeth". A few streets away, however, fans of rival American actor Edwin Forrest were preparing to 'express their opinion' at the urging of inflammatory press pieces and Tammany Hall. Before the night was out, Astor Place would be the scene of chaos, rioting, and the deaths and injuries of dozens of New Yorkers, police, and soldiers.
On this episode, we're discussing theater hooliganism, William Shakespeare, English vs. American acting styles, and how the New York State militia came to be firing cannons at unarmed American citizens in the middle of Manhattan.
Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast.
Sources:
"Remembering New York City's Opera Riots", S. Simon (host), Weekend Edition, 2006
"When New York City Rioted Over Hamlet Being Too British", by B. G. Kellem for Smithsonian Magazine, 2017
Disco Demolition Night (Episode 57)
Relative Disasters
05/02/22 • 51 min
On a hot July evening in 1979, thousands of Chicagoans gathered in Comisky Park for a double-header between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. After a lackluster season, White Sox owner Bill Veeck was hoping to fill seats with a promotion called "Disco Demolition Night", in which spectators could get a discount ticket if they brought a disco record to be blown up by local radio celebrity Steve Dahl.
On this all-American episode, we're discussing the national game (baseball) and the national music (rock 'n roll, baby), along with riot police, disco, explosions, radio talk shows, blow-dried hairdos and one very pissed-off radio DJ.
Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast.
Sources for this episode include:
"Disco Demolition Night" by A. Behrens for ESPN Chicago, 2004
“When Fans Wanted to Rock,the Baseball Stopped: Sports, Promotions, and the Demolition of Disco on Chicago’s South Side" by C. J. Young for The Baseball Research Journal, 2009
"The Death of Disco Did Not Take Place: Disco Demolition Night and The Rhetorical Destruction of Disco" by J. Williams for the Richard Macksey Journal, 2021
“Disco Demolition 25th Anniversary: The Real Story", 2000
"Disco Demolition Night was Not Racist, Not Anti-Gay" by S Dahl for Medium, 2016
"Disco Demolition: The Night They Tried to Crush Black Music" by A. Petridis for the Guardian, 2019
The 1904 Wreck of the Paddle Steamer General Slocum (Episode 59)
Relative Disasters
05/16/22 • 52 min
On a sunny June day in 1904, well over a thousand German-American residents of Manhattan set out for a picnic and river cruise aboard the stately P.S. General Slocum. Fourteen years old, freshly painted and polished, and enjoying a reputation as one of New York's largest and most comfortable excursion steamships, the General Slocum was also a master class in maritime safety violations, with lifeboats that couldn't be launched, life preservers that couldn't float, and a fire suppression system that relied on rotten hoses and an untrained crew. Two hours after her launch that day, the vast majority of her passengers would be dead; the remainder would spend years trying to come to terms with New York's worst maritime disaster.
On this episode, we're discussing fake safety inspections, imaginary fire drills, what makes cork float, swimming in Hell Gate, life in New York City's Little Germany, and some theories on why some disasters are remembered far longer than others.
Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast.
Sources for this episode include:
New York’s Awful Steamboat Horror, HD Northrup, 1905
The General Slocum, by J. Kalafus for Gare Maritime, 2007
"The General Slocum Disaster of June 15, 1904", by V Wingfield for the New York Public Library Blog, 2011
"Thousands Sob as Baby Unveils Slocum Statue" NY Times, 1905
“Fearful Visitation, The Steamship Fire of the General Slocum, 1904” documentary by PBS, 2004
Ancient Sparta Was A Dumpster Fire (Episode 141)
Relative Disasters
06/10/24 • 44 min
The mythology of ancient Sparta is that of peerless warriors, un-defeatable soldiers who defended democracy and resisted those who would conquer Greece.
The reality is... a lot different.
We're going to take a look at what ancient Sparta was actually like, why it was like that, and whether or not their Spartiates were actually that good at war.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Relative Disasters have?
Relative Disasters currently has 153 episodes available.
What topics does Relative Disasters cover?
The podcast is about History and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on Relative Disasters?
The episode title 'The Chi'Ing-yang Event of 1490 (Episode 134)' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Relative Disasters?
The average episode length on Relative Disasters is 43 minutes.
How often are episodes of Relative Disasters released?
Episodes of Relative Disasters are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Relative Disasters?
The first episode of Relative Disasters was released on Dec 5, 2020.
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