
The Day's Dumpster Fire
Ed and Kara
A small little podcast where your hosts, Kara and Ed, look at historical and not so historical cases where we don't celebrate humanity's success but its most fantastic failures. There are always lessons to be learned in failure and humanity has run amuck with fool proof plans that immediately go sideways and fall apart shortly after executing those plans. Join us as we scour the "human-verse" in search for the most poignant, and often hilarious, failures and try to pull out what can be learned from these failures.
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Top 10 The Day's Dumpster Fire Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Day's Dumpster Fire episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Day's Dumpster Fire 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 The Day's Dumpster Fire episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Custer's Last Stand - Fire Part 1 - Episode 10
The Day's Dumpster Fire
04/13/23 • 96 min
Hey everyone!
Got a question for you: Have you ever had to compete against someone who you felt was inferior in every aspect only to find out that your opponent not only is smarter, faster, and more capably than you in every aspect of the competition? At what point do you realize that you're in over your head, and at what point have you realized that this competition is not going to end well?
If you've ever found yourself in this predicament, then you can relate to George Armstrong Custer. Custer was the Union's golden child of the Civil War and his charisma and zeal often "won the day" in intense battles; many of which Custer charged head first in front of his men and proved his valor time and time again.
And yet with Custer's leadership background, superior technology, and advanced training... he lost quickly to a force that was inferior to the technology... but was WAAAAY more advanced in leadership and tactics of the Lakota.
In this first of three parts of the fabled story of Custer's Last Stand, Ed and Kara take a look at Custer himself and try to understand him as a human being. Yes he was delusional at times; yes he was a bit "too over zealous" in battle, but he was also a confident man who DEEPLY loved his wife, and a man who just wanted to get the job done.
Join us as we look into the first part of George Armstrong Custer and what led up to his down fall in some place called "Greasy Grass"...
Hey before you go! Email us your "Trashcan Fires" to
[email protected] (be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line
We would love to see your stories where you tried to plan out every little detail, but when you executed that plan, it all went horribly wrong shortly after and turned into your own Dumpster Fire.
Be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line followed by the title of the story and whether or not we can use your name.
Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

Churchill's Gallipoli Fire - Episode 2
The Day's Dumpster Fire
10/24/22 • 75 min
In this second episode, Ed explores one of the most disastrous military campaigns in modern history. A young Winston Churchill and First Lord of the Navy, comes up with a brilliant, unflappable plan to use the mighty British Navy in the early days of WW I to take over the Dardanelles Strait and knock out the Turkish army in one fowl swoop. This plan of attack was ambitious and perfectly thought out, until 10 minutes after the battle starts, Churchill ends up sinking a majority of his ships and stranding tens of thousands of men in a desolate wasteland for months... ultimately costing Churchill his government career.
Hey before you go! Email us your "Trashcan Fires" to
[email protected] (be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line
We would love to see your stories where you tried to plan out every little detail, but when you executed that plan, it all went horribly wrong shortly after and turned into your own Dumpster Fire.
Be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line followed by the title of the story and whether or not we can use your name.
Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

Charlotte's Story of the Holocaust and Survival- Episode 49
The Day's Dumpster Fire
03/16/25 • 64 min
Hey there!
We got a very different episode for you. We'd even prefer not to call it an episode, but rather an interview with a remarkable woman: Charlotte Adelman.
In conjunction with the Arizona Jewish Historical Society, link to their website can be found here, Kara and Ed were able to take their students to the society's building which tells the stories of those who experienced the worst human atrocity in human history... and we pray that the world never sees one of these again, the Nazi devised plan to eradicate entire races of human beings.
Kara and Ed were able to schedule an in person interview with Charlotte in front of their class as well as let their students ask Charlotte questions of their own. An opportunity not too many more youth will have a chance to experience.
Charlotte was born into a bless life surrounded by friends and family, and a mother who could lay claim or at least be a runner up for Mother of the Century. However, all of that was taken away when at the young age of 10 she had to go into hiding as her entire social circle was split up and ultimately lost to the hands corrupted by hate and ideology devoid of ethics. To this day Charlotte does not know what happened to her Mother and friends, but she knows where they were headed too.
Through the kind actions as well as a degree of bravery found only in a few, Charlotte was brought into a home where she had to hide for the duration of the war, cared for by a family who was working to keep themselves alive.
This episode is not like the others on this podcast. It is one thing to read an account of what happened all those years ago, but it's another thing entirely to be able to talk to someone brave enough to relive the tragedy day in and day out in hopes something like the holocaust can never, ever, happen again.
For more details as well as pictures from Charlotte's presentation, head over to thedaysdumpsterfire.com
This episode will never be monetized for The Day's Dumpster Fire podcast and if any money is generated it will go the The Arizona Jewish Historical Society. To donate yourself please click here to contribute to the work they do on a daily basis.
Music for this episode was written and produced by:
Music Restored: Cinematic Violin Background music.
Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQTCZjYXKN0&list=PL71bdnhyFY-e1Rvcmn__8NCPPdjzn_CgL
Beautiful Piano Music: Nostalgia by Chris Bazam
Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfFZl2Fho7
Hey before you go! Email us your "Trashcan Fires" to
[email protected] (be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line
We would love to see your stories where you tried to plan out every little detail, but when you executed that plan, it all went horribly wrong shortly after and turned into your own Dumpster Fire.
Be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line followed by the title of the story and whether or not we can use your name.
Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

The Panama Canal Fire - Episode 51
The Day's Dumpster Fire
04/13/25 • 96 min
Have you ever been lucky enough (or unlucky enough) to take on a project from a coworker or fellow student who single handedly ran the entire thing into the ground? Did this person do such a terrible job that it cost them their job? Moreover, when you started to clean up the project from this person you quickly asked yourself, "what in the actual @#^! happened here?
If this has ever happened to you, then you would have a pretty good understanding of what the American engineers experienced when they took over the Panama Canal project from France in 1904 after they had run the whole operation asunder.
Admittedly, the French really did give it their best effort, but they were not prepared for the difficult working conditions in Panama in the 1890s and they were lacking much of the technology that America had at its disposal in 15 years.
In this episode of The Day's Dumpster Fire, Ed and Kara take a stab at the Panama Canal and the 400 hundred year relationship Europe had with the region which was rocky to say the least. The concept was simple: the isthmus of Panama is only 50 miles wide. On the east side is the Atlantic Ocean, on the west side is the Pacific Ocean. If we can get goods and eventually ships through this little swath of land, then we can save THOUSANDS of miles and avoid sailing around South America.
However, this little strip of land proved to be vexing and it all came to a head when France vowed to complete the project, especially after completing the Suez Canal just prior, and after 22,000 lives and millions of dollars lost to... well who knows, France eventually had to throw in the towel and let America try and finish it off.
Take a listen and relish the fact that you never had to finish a project of this magnitude from a coworker! More importantly, learn from the mistakes the French made and learn how good old fashioned American ingenuity stepped up and completed one of the greatest engineering feats in human history.
For more details, check out The Day's Dumpster Fire website as well as take a look at Kara's stellar artwork. You'll also get to see the full catalog of over 50 dumpster fires this little podcast has investigated over the years.
If life has you down, or you've just recently really botched up something you planned to be 100% fool proof, then take a listen and relish in the fact that you're the subject matter of one of these episodes. And if you ARE a good candidate to be the subject matter of this podcast then shoot us an email at [email protected] Kara and Ed would love to hear from you.
Hey before you go! Email us your "Trashcan Fires" to
[email protected] (be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line
We would love to see your stories where you tried to plan out every little detail, but when you executed that plan, it all went horribly wrong shortly after and turned into your own Dumpster Fire.
Be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line followed by the title of the story and whether or not we can use your name.
Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

Chicago Fire - Episode 5
The Day's Dumpster Fire
11/20/22 • 64 min
Your friendly neighborhood emu loving history nut, Kara, teleports us back to Mrs. O'Leary's cow that supposedly knocked over a gas lamp and caused one of the worst BBQ disasters in American history. In 1871 Chicago was like any other booming American city, replete with enough combustible materials and a grossly deficient fire brigade, that one has to wonder how Chicago made it this far without burning down prior. Kara will explore why Mrs. O'Leary was blamed for the disaster; what happened prior to that fateful day; how the city actually burned; how the rich faired better than the poor (just like any other disaster); and how the city rebuilt itself from the ashes. Yet no one thought to rename the city Phoenix...
Warning: a lot of super creepy 1870's children's dolls were destroyed in the fire and to be honest I'm ok with that
Hey before you go! Email us your "Trashcan Fires" to
[email protected] (be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line
We would love to see your stories where you tried to plan out every little detail, but when you executed that plan, it all went horribly wrong shortly after and turned into your own Dumpster Fire.
Be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line followed by the title of the story and whether or not we can use your name.
Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

Hubble Telescope Needs Glasses Fire Part 1 - Episode 18
The Day's Dumpster Fire
10/07/23 • 83 min
Guess who's back!
Fat Batman and Asthmatic Robin are out of a life inducing exile after a long bout of Murphy's Law saying, "Hold my beer, and watch this!" Being an adult is hard and "adulting" takes up a lot of time. Now our intrepid hosts are back and Ed is once again nerding out on sciencey things. All the while Kara sits patiently while Ed tries and fails to bring out his inner Neil deGrasse Tyson.
In this episode, the famous Hubble Space Telescope's origin story is under the magnifying lens so to speak. We all love the pictures this instrument has been pumping out for decades, but few remember or know that the process to get this thing built took decades and was fraught with one trashcan fire after another. Everything from funding issues, to mirror grinding issues, to even exploding space shuttles. The fact that it is doing so well now is a testament to humanity's inability to control Murphy's Law... but it's cute when it does try.
Sit back, relax, plug your earholes with some electrified magnets and relish the return of the top 150,000th podcast in Kalispell, Montana.
Hey before you go! Email us your "Trashcan Fires" to
[email protected] (be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line
We would love to see your stories where you tried to plan out every little detail, but when you executed that plan, it all went horribly wrong shortly after and turned into your own Dumpster Fire.
Be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line followed by the title of the story and whether or not we can use your name.
Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

Terra Nova Fire Part 1 - Episode 31
The Day's Dumpster Fire
06/02/24 • 59 min
After a brief hiatus due to Ed always struggling with editing software and a few temper tantrums, the gang is back with an episode like no other.
In this episode, Ed dives into the Terra Nova ship / expedition in the 1910s, where three men simultaneously work together and as well as compete to be the first to get the south pole. Part 1 is going to set the stage for what will result in 4 men dying in what is perhaps one of the most complicated and ambitious expeditions up to this time in human history. This is all because Antarctica is the most inhospitable places on Earth with temps dipping to -100 to -150 Fahrenheit and winds ranging up to hurricane class speeds.
So if you want to get to the south pole, grab a warm blanket and take a listen!
Hey before you go! Email us your "Trashcan Fires" to
[email protected] (be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line
We would love to see your stories where you tried to plan out every little detail, but when you executed that plan, it all went horribly wrong shortly after and turned into your own Dumpster Fire.
Be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line followed by the title of the story and whether or not we can use your name.
Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

Bottom of the Genetic Barrel: King Tutankhamun Fire - Episode 15
The Day's Dumpster Fire
07/02/23 • 89 min
Hey Everyone!
In today's episode Kara is going to paint a picture of King Tutankhamen. This guy was named Pharaoh when he was only 12 years old and was immediately charged with the responsibility of fixing his entire country's religious SNAFU's left over from his dad. He also had to rebuild economies, temples, boats, and the military... A pretty tall order to ask any pre-teen.
What's worse, he had to do all of that while his inbred genetic make up made him susceptible to every kind of malady, syndrome, and dysfunction known to man. Literally his family tree looked like the Olympic five hoop logo...
So join Kara and Ed as they dive into the kiddy pool sized genetic wreck that was King Tutankhamen and see just why this guy is so famous.
Lastly we want to do a huge shout out to our top listener in the UK! We don't know who you are, but everyone on The Day's Dumpster Fire team appreciates you from across the pond, or the drink, or... whatever it's called. We in the Colonies think you're awesome!
Kara and Ed are always interested in "Trashcan Fires" stories of how the listeners have tried to plan out something their lives down to the last detail and shortly after you execute the plan, EVERY thing flies off the rails.
Feel free to email us at:
[email protected]
Hey before you go! Email us your "Trashcan Fires" to
[email protected] (be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line
We would love to see your stories where you tried to plan out every little detail, but when you executed that plan, it all went horribly wrong shortly after and turned into your own Dumpster Fire.
Be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line followed by the title of the story and whether or not we can use your name.
Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

King Henry's Wives' Demise Fire - Episode 19
The Day's Dumpster Fire
10/22/23 • 102 min
Hey Everyone!
Kara and Ed are back behind the microphones (albeit Ed's pop filter technique still isn't working... you'll hear it when you hear it; meanwhile Kara's $30 budget special is going strong... ) with a new episode revolving around Henry VIII and his puss filled leaky thigh. Kara dives into why being married to Henry VIII is a really bad idea. In fact, Kara brings up just how dangerous it can be to know the wives of Henry VIII.
To be in Henry's circle, you have to to sign a waiver that states that you're quite content with the notion that your head and your body are ok being in two different locations in London at the same time. And this is all due to the King's whim.
What could possibly go wrong?
Furthermore, what happens when you fixate on controlling biology to the point where if you have a daughter, then heads must roll. And yet if you have a boy, he's too sickly to rule...
It seems like to be the kind of king Henry VIII was, you need to live forever and be in control of thousands of cloning vats. May god have mercy on your soul if you defy the necessity of chromosomal destiny and you wind up with any gender!
Hey before you go! Email us your "Trashcan Fires" to
[email protected] (be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line
We would love to see your stories where you tried to plan out every little detail, but when you executed that plan, it all went horribly wrong shortly after and turned into your own Dumpster Fire.
Be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line followed by the title of the story and whether or not we can use your name.
Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

Salmon Rushdie and His Book Fire Part 1 - Episode 28
The Day's Dumpster Fire
04/09/24 • 97 min
It turns out that Ed doesn't know how to hit the "upload" button on Sunday when everything is supposed to be published. So it's a day late but not a dollar short.
Deja is back and she's got a banger episode that will be a two parter! In this episode, Deja is going to dive into the writings of Salmon Rushdie who is one of the most controversial writers of the post modern age.
Rushdie is an Indian born / British educated writer who is most known for his book, The Satanic Verses. In this book, Rushdie approached reality with magical realism and quickly lit a fire in a contentious period of world history known as the late 1980's / 1990's where lots of people of all religious, ethnic, and economic backgrounds got super upset over a single book.
Ultimately, Rushdie was stabbed in the back and lost an eye over this book!!!
So join in on what could be the most divisive episode of The Day's Dumpster Fire could ever hope to produce. This episode will try and shed light on both sides of Rushdie's work in terms of his writing style and subject matter.
Contemporary mindset, mixed religious and political theory, with a splash of orthodoxic Old Testament interpretation... What could possibly go wrong?
***Note!*** We here at the Day's Dumpster Fire are strictly cautionary story tellers. No one on the team bears any ill will or disrespect to any race, creed, nationality, or gender. We're just a big bunch of nerds that are trying to tell stories of human history where we could have done things differently to prevent... well... dumpster fires***
Hey before you go! Email us your "Trashcan Fires" to
[email protected] (be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line
We would love to see your stories where you tried to plan out every little detail, but when you executed that plan, it all went horribly wrong shortly after and turned into your own Dumpster Fire.
Be sure to put "Trashcan Fire" in the subject line followed by the title of the story and whether or not we can use your name.
Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Day's Dumpster Fire have?
The Day's Dumpster Fire currently has 52 episodes available.
What topics does The Day's Dumpster Fire cover?
The podcast is about Pop Culture, History, Educational, Funny, Comedy, Podcasts, Education and Science.
What is the most popular episode on The Day's Dumpster Fire?
The episode title 'The 1919 Boston Molasses Flood Fire - Episode 14' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Day's Dumpster Fire?
The average episode length on The Day's Dumpster Fire is 88 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Day's Dumpster Fire released?
Episodes of The Day's Dumpster Fire are typically released every 14 days, 10 hours.
When was the first episode of The Day's Dumpster Fire?
The first episode of The Day's Dumpster Fire was released on Oct 24, 2022.
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