Mistakes Were Made

The Great Dublin Whiskey Fire

In 1875, Dublin was flooded with whiskey, literally. When a bonded warehouse in the Liberties district went up in flames, over 300,000 gallons of burning whiskey poured through the streets, turning one of Ireland’s poorest neighborhoods into a fiery river of booze. Firefighters quickly learned that water only made it worse, so they turned to an unlikely hero: horse manure. Comedians Robert Bacon and guest host Jenna O’Brien (filling in for Mike Kauffman) dive into this bizarre disaster where people didn’t die from fire, but from drinking the flaming whiskey. It’s a true story of chaos, comedy, and cautionary tales about Irish ingenuity gone sideways. SOURCES * The Irish Times (June 21, 1875): descriptions of people scooping whiskey with boots, the wholesale poisoning numbers The Irish Times [https://www.irishtimes.com/news/offbeat/the-night-a-river-of-whiskey-ran-through-the-streets-of-dublin-1.2743517?utm_source=chatgpt.com]The Pot Still Whiskey Blog [https://blog.thepotstill.irish/the-dublin-whiskey-fire-of-1875?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Irish Examiner (June 21, 1875): “in literal torrents from the doors and windows” Wine Enthusiast [https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/great-whiskey-fire-irish-history/?srsltid=AfmBOoot1iBQ6Q_Dc8n0hoWKA0wBJxqJxXsVNmgngbjKDazwOYFPujMR&utm_source=chatgpt.com] * The Pot Still blog: detailed local reporting, including the dog incident and hospital admissions The Pot Still Whiskey Blog [https://blog.thepotstill.irish/the-dublin-whiskey-fire-of-1875?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Wikipedia: overview of the event, location, fatalities not from direct fire but poisoning Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_whiskey_fire?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Wine Enthusiast: recounting the burning river and manure tactics Wine Enthusiast [https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/great-whiskey-fire-irish-history/?srsltid=AfmBOoom_BNjtFqMuUTfy68EGvV1q8iWmqW8YE1gE9Tiqn7no7EOlNnw&utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Historic Mysteries: supplementary context on the chaos and the nature of the response  Keywords: Dublin Whiskey Fire, 1875 Dublin Fire, Irish history podcast, comedy history podcast, whiskey disaster, Liberties Dublin, weird history, whiskey history, Ireland disasters, Mistakes Were Made podcast.

Lawn Chair Larry

We're back! After a 7-year break, Mistakes Were Made returns with a high-flying tale—literally. In this episode, Bacon tells Mike the bizarre history of people who tried to fly using helium balloons. From lawn chairs to church pews, it turns out some folks really took “lightheaded” to new heights. EPISODE 31 - Lawnchair Larry In this episode of Mistakes Were Made, we dive into the strange history of helium balloon flight attempts, including the infamous Lawnchair Larry and other balloon-powered adventurers. If you love weird history, historical mistakes, or funny stories about real-life stunts gone wrong, this podcast is for you. Subscribe to Mistakes Were Made for more episodes about history’s biggest blunders, epic fails, and bizarre moments. MISTAKES WERE MADE PODCAST Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman explore some of history’s biggest blunders—mixing well-researched storytelling with a dose of humor. It’s history, but with more laughs and fewer homework assignments.

30 - Mao Zedong

This week we learn about Mao Zedong and his weird obsession with mangos and murder.

Mao Zedong

In the late 1960s, Chairman Mao Zedong turned a simple piece of fruit into a symbol of blind devotion—and chaos. When Mao gifted crates of mangos to Chinese factory workers, the nation erupted into a frenzy of worship, complete with parades, wax mango replicas, and (of course) executions. Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman peel back the absurd true story of how one man’s tropical obsession became a cult-like craze that mixed propaganda, paranoia, and pulp. It’s a sweet, sticky slice of history that proves power really does rot from the inside out.Keywords for SEO: Mao Zedong mango obsession, Cultural Revolution history, weird history podcast, Mistakes Were Made podcast, Chinese history comedy, Mao mango story, history gone wrong, propaganda stories, historical blunders, comedy podcast.

29 - The Winter War Sniper

In 1939 Russia invaded Finland in what's called The Winter War. During the war a sniper from Finland, Simo Häyhä, was able to kill hundreds of Russians. More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simo_H%C3%A4yh%C3%A4