Manmade Catastrophes
Uses dramatic, deeply researched storytelling and archival footage to explore some of the worst disasters caused by man. Some are accidents sprouting from hubris, greed or incompetence, others a result of malice and a complete disregard for fellow human beings. Whether it’s collapses, fires, riots, stampedes, crashes, explosions, famines, massacres, war crimes or genocide, every manmade calamity has lessons we can learn from—both about the complex human follies that enabled them, as well as how they can be prevented from ever happening again.
Episodes
The rushed construction of a Roman stadium in 27 AD led to a catastrophic failure during its inaugural gladiatorial games, which likely killed more than 20,000 people and devastated the Roman Empire.
For source notes, images and to see a 3D rendering of what the Fidenae Amphitheater likely looked like, go to https://manmadecatastrophes.com/the-fidenae-amphitheater-collapse
As the forces fueling an anti-feminist backlash were accelerating in the years after the Global Financial Crisis, one figure would electrify misogynist incels and inspire a rapid-fire succession of terrorist rampage killers.
For show notes and a transcript, go to manmadecatastrophes.com
To listen to part 1 of 'The Incel Massacres', go to https://manmadecatastrophes.com/incel-massacres-part-1/
What began in the 90s as a constructive mutual support network, 'involuntary celibacy' would gradually give rise to a grotesquely misogynist worldview that would radicalize scores of young men. Its unbelievable and still-growing death toll has some governments wondering whether Inceldom should be considered a terrorist ideology.
For show notes and a transcript, go to manmadecatastrophes.com
Often remembered simply as the less momentous second atomic bombing, Nagasaki was a separate event from Hiroshima that some historians have a much harder time justifying. Marked by miscalculations before, blunders during and censorship after, the city's (likely completely unnecessary) obliteration was shocking enough that nuclear weapons were taken away from the US military's sole discretion.
Engineering hubris and political fanaticism in Mao’s China led to the deadliest structural failure in human history, claiming as many as 230,000 lives. Yet to this day, very few know anything about it.
For show notes, transcript and photos of the Banqiao disaster, go to manmadecatastrophes.com
An introduction to our series that unpacks the disasters wrought by human folly.
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