The Iran Contra Affair Fire Part 1. - Episode 76

The Iran Contra Affair Fire Part 1. - Episode 76

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/fan_mail/new] Our President, Donald Trump has joined a long list of presidents in the 20th and 21st centuries who have embroiled America in the Middle East in yet another conflict. We here at The Day's Dumpster Fire [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/] don't like to take sides in terms of political parties, the Middle East has proven itself to do the exact same thing. It doesn't matter which president is in office, democrat or republican, the Middle East and America have been involved with one another for decades for one reason or another with no end in sight.  Kara and Ed would often get questions from their students as to why the Middle East is such a confusing conflict and all they could say is that "Well, it's complicated." And you know what, nothing has changed all that much year after year other than things continue to get more and more confusing, complicated, and worse yet for America, polarizing. The best way we can describe the situation over there is that the Middle East is a combination of multiple different jigsaw puzzles that need to be assembled but with no pictures on the boxes as a frame of reference... ... Oh, and all the pieces are in a dumpster that just so happens to be on fire... In today's episode, Ed doesn't tackle any of the laundry list of issues in the Middle East dating back to the time after WWII. Instead, Ed has put together a few of the puzzle pieces that involve a part of the puzzle contributing to some of the issues today.  Today's episode is about The Iran Contra Affair or Scandal. In Part 1 Ed is giving us some background on: * A brief overview of what the Iran Contra Affair was about and what sort of questions the whole kerfuffle brought about in American politics. * What role did communism and the Cold War served in shaping American foreign affairs. * What in the world was going on in Nicaragua and who the Contras were and what they stood for. * What was going on with Iran and Iraq going to war in the 1980s and how the Soviet Union was playing a part.  * A quick overview of Hezbollah and the hostages they were taking with the backing of Iran. * And lastly, what was President Ronald Reagan doing to handle Nicaragua (which his hands were tied to do anything because of congress not wanting another Vietnam War) and Iran (in which his hands were tied due to a campaign promise of never negotiating with terrorists Be sure to tune into Part 2 when it comes out because it's going to conclude the whole ordeal and exactly how the Reagan administration got themselves in one of the wildest scandals in American history aside from Watergate.  Kara and Ed have put together some other episodes that correlate to this episode and the next one that you will find interesting: The Vietnam War [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/episodes/the-vietnam-war-episodes-41-and-42]- great two-parter where Kara really explores America's involvement in Vietnam, the spread of communism after WWII, and the fears America had of "catching communism" as though it was a disease.      Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/support] Hey before you go!  If have ideas for future episodes that you want Kara and Ed to look into, email them at thedaysdumpsterfire@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you! You can also send them a text message by clicking on the link at the top.  Be sure to head on over to www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/] for the ever growing library of historical dumpster fires.  Check us out on the ol Instagrams! https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/ [https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/]

The Ball of Flaming Men - Episode 75

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/fan_mail/new] Today's episode addresses a scenario that you have probably seen a few times or been a part of: you get invited to a party that you've always wanted to go to. You're beyond excited and you can't wait to dress up and have the time of your life. However, for one reason or another, you are unable to attend the party or worse yet, you're uninvited and you don't know why. Naturally, of course you're heartbroken. During the night while everyone in the world except you have been invited to this wicked party, you're at home, adrift in your sea of resentment.  That resentment can last days if not weeks and it feels like it's unshakable. Like why Karma punished you like this... until someone comes up to you who was at the party and starts the conversation with, "Hey did you hear what happened at the party last night?" When you get all the "deets" to find out that the party was a huge, colossal failure, replete with people being burned to death and what not, you're suddenly thanking Karma for blessing you by making you miss the party.  Today's episode features the valiant return of Kara, back from a fresh stint of vacation and she put out a banger of an episode for you. Imagine you're job in the 1300s was to put together a party for the king of France who is already a mass of mental health issues and is so bad, he is considered insane for the day. Access to mental health back then consisted of large volumes of alcohol and someone from the church telling you to suck it up and deal with it... Since your job is to make this party an event fit for a king and something no one could forget, you decide to pull all the stops and go big or go home. Your idea is to make a bunch of men (king included) get sewn into these outfits, made of flammable material, covered in a flammable tree resin, then smothered in flammable fibers so that the bunch of men (king included) look like harry wild men running around the ballroom.  Mind you this is the 1300s, torches and candles were the only forms of light... What could possibly go wrong? So be grateful as you listen to this episode 1. You or your ancestors never got invited to this event and 2. You or your ancestors were never put in charge of making the party "memorable." Sometimes, it's good to not be the most popular or the most reliable! If you like this episode, check out The Day's Dumpster Fire [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/] for the ever-growing library of history going horribly awry for humanity.  Be sure to check out these episodes that are similarly themed: Henry's Wive's Demise Fire - Episode 19 [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/episodes/episode-19-henry-viiis-fire] Firing Fireworks Fire - Episode 26 [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/episodes/episode-26-firing-fireworks-fire] Botched Funerals - Episode 58 [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/episodes/botched-funerals-episode-58] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/support] Hey before you go!  If have ideas for future episodes that you want Kara and Ed to look into, email them at thedaysdumpsterfire@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you! You can also send them a text message by clicking on the link at the top.  Be sure to head on over to www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/] for the ever growing library of historical dumpster fires.  Check us out on the ol Instagrams! https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/ [https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/]

The Great Train Wreck of 1918 - Episode 74

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/fan_mail/new] Ed's by himself today so he's got the entire episode for himself to do as he pleases. Kara is on vacation and that means Ed can do whatever type of episode he wants so what could possibly go wrong? As a result of Kara being vacation, Ed decided to do and episode themed off nothing else done before in The Day's Dumpster Fire [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/] history. and episode dedicated to one of the worst train accidents in American history.  What was supposed to be a normal July 9, 1918, early morning train ride for folks coming in from Memphis TN to Nashville and folks coming out of Nashville TN heading to Memphis, two trains collided just a little way outside of Nashville on a blind turn called "Dutchman's Curve." This collision marked the worst train collision in US history and took the lives of over 101 men, women, and children. Furthermore, about 80% of the people who died that day were African Americans who were trying to head to a munitions factory for work.  In this episode, Ed will nerd out on some cool facts about how steam engines work and why they dominated the mass transit system of the 1800s and early 1900s. He will also dig into the litany of safety issues that resulted in the disfigurement of many railroad workers if they didn't end up dying doing their jobs. Next Ed will describe the geography of where the collision took place as well as the two trains involved. He'll explain how the accident took place, who or what was at fault and what Ed thinks is the real culprit behind this terrible accident.  It's not what you think! So, you better sit down and listen. You might just learn some math along the way.  Of course, if you disagree with Ed's theories or want to add your own be sure to email Kara and Ed at thedaysdumpsterfire@gmail.com come.  Check out the website [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/]and send a text if you want. This is not your typical dumpster fire, and it invites the community to chip in their theories.  If you're interested in this episode, check out these! The Transatlantic Telegraph [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/episodes/the-transatlantic-telegraph-episode-37] The Hindenburg  [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/episodes/the-hindenburg-episode-57] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/support] Hey before you go!  If have ideas for future episodes that you want Kara and Ed to look into, email them at thedaysdumpsterfire@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you! You can also send them a text message by clicking on the link at the top.  Be sure to head on over to www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/] for the ever growing library of historical dumpster fires.  Check us out on the ol Instagrams! https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/ [https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/]

The Bat Bomb of WWII Fire Part 2. - Episode 73

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/fan_mail/new] We here at the Day's Dumpster Fire [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/]felt that The Bat Bomb of WWII Fire Part 1 [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/episodes/19078729] episode was so iconic and a breath of fresh air given the stresses of modern day living, Ed and Kara hammered through the recording and editing of Part 2 early so that you wouldn't have to wait tow weeks for the conclusion. Even though it would be worth the wait, Part 2 of The Bat Bomb of WWII should be released sooner than later! In this episode, Ed and Kara discuss the establishing, engineering, testing, and subsequent conclusions of Dr. Lytle Adams' brain child, the bat bomb or better known in the top secret circles: Project X-Ray.  If the Manhattan Project consisted of elite top tier scientists and engineers headed up by one of the greatest minds of 20th century, Project X-ray was the exact opposite. Comprised of a team of only two scientists, a hotel manager, a body builder, a pilot turned movie star, two random brothers with nothing else to do in the 1940s, a lobster fisherman, and two high school students, the idea of a bat bomb burning down cities in Japan would have been better reflected in a television comedy series.  Ed will show how Project X-Ray was put together, how the bats were selected, how little napalm bombs were attached to them, how they were stuffed into a glorified toilet paper tube after being flash frozen and then dropped out of a B-25 bomber outside Los Angeles and the conclusion that were derived from such a test.  Furthermore, Ed will look at how those conclusions were put together to make a second bomb but with actual destructive capabilities! World War II was a scary, intense, and involved time in American history, but it was also a time where any idea could be entertained. Some ideas were hugely successful and changed the trajectory of human history, and others... well... simply went up in smoke. Not to spoil anything, but we'll let you decided where Dr. Adams' bat bomb sat in terms of historical influence.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/support] Hey before you go!  If have ideas for future episodes that you want Kara and Ed to look into, email them at thedaysdumpsterfire@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you! You can also send them a text message by clicking on the link at the top.  Be sure to head on over to www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/] for the ever growing library of historical dumpster fires.  Check us out on the ol Instagrams! https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/ [https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/]

The Bat Bomb of WWII Fire Part 1. - Episode 72

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/fan_mail/new] In today's episode, Ed decided to go down a different kind of dumpster fire. Instead of a large volume of people being killed or injured or thousands of people losing their retirements due to sketchy accounting practices. The Bat Bomb of WWII is a testament to the creativity of the human mind in times of extreme need and how not all ideas are going to be good.  While vacationing in Carlsbad, New Mexico to watch bats, dentist / eccentric inventor, Dr. Lytle S. Adams, heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 that sent America into World War II. The first half of 1942 didn't go well for America when fighting the Japanese Empire for a multitude of reasons, but Dr. Adams thought of using bats to wreak havoc on the Japanese Empire's homeland of...  well... Japan...  In this episode, you're going to be regaled with founding, setup, testing, and conclusions from one of the most "bat brained" ideas of WWII. Dr. Adams selected an elite crew of scientists and contributors to put together a bomb that when dropped, would dispense over 1,000 bats all carrying a little incendiary capsule of napalm. The idea was that the bats would disperse over Japan, find dark attics and other nooks and crannies so that the napalm charge would go off and set fire to the building.  The plan was so well thought out and so perfect, that if implemented correctly, it could rival that of another type of weapon being researched in Los Alamos at the same exact time as the Bat Bomb just out side Los Angeles... the nuclear bomb! This is all assuming that Adams and his team could make this Bat Bomb idea actually work and not burn the entire program to the ground in the process.  Oh wait! This is going to be two parter episode, but you won't have to wait two weeks for Ed to get the episode out containing the thrilling conclusion. If all goes according to plan, part 2 will be out a few days after this episode airs... What could possibly go wrong? Some other episodes that you might find interesting based on the time period and / or mentioned in the Bat Bomb episode: Oppie's Demo Core Fire [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/episodes/episodes-17-oppies-demon-core-fire] The Dust Bowl [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/episodes/the-dustbowl-episode-48] Prohibition (Episodes 59-62) [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/episodes/prohibition-episodes-59-62] The Great Depression (Episodes 65-68) [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/episodes/the-great-depression-episodes-65] Be sure to check out the Day's Dumpster Fire [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/] website for detailed show notes, images, Kara's drawings, as well as an ever growing library of humanity's most fantastic failures! Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071919/support] Hey before you go!  If have ideas for future episodes that you want Kara and Ed to look into, email them at thedaysdumpsterfire@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you! You can also send them a text message by clicking on the link at the top.  Be sure to head on over to www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com [https://www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com/] for the ever growing library of historical dumpster fires.  Check us out on the ol Instagrams! https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/ [https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/]