What Was That Like

By Scott Johnson & Glassbox Media

Personal Journals Society & Culture

What's What Was That Like about?

First-hand true stories - a plane crash, a mass shooting, a bear attack, a train derailing, and more. The guest tells us exactly what happened, and answers the question, What Was That Like?

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LAST EPISODE

133: Ashley's daughter fell...

03.24.2023

Probably the most difficult thing for a parent to experience is losing a child. It’s often been said that the English language fails us in this area. A woman who loses her spouse is called a widow. If a man ...

What Was That Like episodes:

03.24.2023 133: Ashley's daughter fell in the pool Probably the most difficult thing for a parent to experience is losing a child. It’s often been said that the English language fails us in this area. A woman who loses her spouse is called a widow. If a man ...
03.17.2023 132: Bonus - the Listener Stories from 2021 This is a bonus episode of What Was That Like. If you’re new to the show, this is not normally what you’ll hear. What usually happens is I’ll have someone come on the show to tell the story of something ...
03.10.2023 131: Jacqueline was attacked by dogs It’s hard for me to imagine not loving dogs. But that’s the way some people are, and it’s usually pretty easy to spot someone like that. I remember one time we were visiting my parents and of course we brought ...
02.24.2023 130: Anika's apartment was destroyed You know, there’s just something about Friday night. For a lot of people, it’s the end of the work week, and you can just sort of chill out. You don’t have to worry about getting a good night of sleep, ...
02.10.2023 129: Sally watched her house burning Content warning: this episode includes discussion of suicide. I had a scary experience with fire when I was a kid. I grew up in Ohio, in a little town called Westerville. At the time I was probably around 12 or ...
01.27.2023 128: Jayna's hotel was a crime scene Jayna was excited – she was about to get married. She works in the wedding industry, so she knows how to handle every detail. She also hired a wedding planner. Shayna knows from experience that on the day of the ...
01.20.2023 127: Bonus - the Listener Stories from 2022 This is not a regular new episode Friday. And that’s because this is not a regular new episode. This is a BONUS episode. If you’re a regular listener to the show, you probably know that we end every episode with ...
01.13.2023 126: Hayley witnessed two murders The concept of guilt is an interesting thing to ponder. Sometimes it’s justified and rational to feel guilty. If a young child breaks a rule but doesn’t want to admit it and get in trouble, the look of guilt might ...
12.30.2022 125: Kylie heard a gunshot This episode comes with a content warning. The story includes discussion of sexual assault, addiction, and suicide. Stephen Covey is a popular author, and he wrote the best-selling book titled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Great book, highly ...
12.16.2022 124: Josh was struck by lightning Almost since the day I had the idea to start this podcast, I’ve wanted to talk to someone who has been struck by lightning. I mean, the thought that you could just be going about your day, maybe walking through ...
12.02.2022 123: Alice's brother went missing Content warning – this episode includes discussion of self-harm, addiction, and suicide. Have you ever had to deal with the problem of someone you know, like a family member or a friend, who’s gone missing? There’s this weird mixture of ...
11.18.2022 122: Ella was trampled by an elephant I love all animals, but one of my favorites is the elephant. Couple of things you might not know about elephants: When you see a herd of elephants, the leader of that family group is one of the females. When ...
11.11.2022 121: Bonus episode - Raw Audio WWTL 121 It’s time for a bonus episode! You’ve heard me talking about the Raw Audio episodes, and today you’ll hear a full, extra Raw Audio episode for yourself. Here’s the deal. If you like the What Was That Like podcast, you’re ...
11.04.2022 120: Todd was stranded in a snowstorm No matter where you live, there’s the possibility of experiencing some kind of bad weather. We lived in Maine for about 13 years. And since I was self employed and could pretty much dictate my own schedule, I decided to ...
10.21.2022 119: Ashley's baby couldn't breathe I want you to take a moment, and think about the concept of trust. Often, trust is based on experience. When you go to a restaurant you really like, and you order your favorite dish, you trust that the ingredients ...
10.07.2022 118: Fabiana won The Price Is Right showcase When it comes to television game shows, there are just a few that have been around for a very long time. A couple of those are Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy!. These shows have really become a part of American ...
09.23.2022 117: Summer was stuck in Peru For a lot of Americans, the idea of traveling – being away from home – is just a routine part of life. Whether it’s a business trip or a vacation, getting on an airplane to go somewhere is pretty common. ...
09.09.2022 116: Two New York City 9/11 stories This weekend will mark the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks that happened on September 11, 2001. We all remember where we were when we first started to hear what was happening. It was such a big and horrible thing, ...
08.26.2022 115: ShaNae handled a 911 call Most people don’t go to work each day with the concern of going through something that traumatizes them. If your job is in the medical field, such as in a hospital, you might be saddened when a patient you’ve been ...
08.12.2022 114: Martine witnessed horror at 16 Do you remember the stress of being a teenager? As an adult, you might look back on that time in your life with fondness. You had no bills to pay, and no worries about where to live, because you were ...
08.05.2022 113: Bonus episode - They Knew I know, you might be surprised to see What Was That Like show up in your podcast feed today. New podcast episodes come out on Fridays every two weeks, and today is not one of those “new episode” Fridays. What ...
07.29.2022 112: Courtney's mom chose when to die One of the most difficult things we go through in life is when a close friend or a family member dies. We all know it’s gonna happen to a lot of the people we know and love, but it’s still ...
07.15.2022 111: Margy's dad was a hoarder I’m really happy to bring you this episode today, but it comes with a content warning, because it includes discussion of suicide. For a long time, I’ve wanted to have a story about hoarding. This is something I personally find ...
07.01.2022 110: Jen is a professional bridesmaid If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, you know we’ve covered a lot of pretty horrifying stories. Mass shootings, animal attacks, plane crashes – we’ve heard the first-hand stories of the people who have actually experienced those things. ...
06.17.2022 109: Evan was buried in an avalanche These days, snowboarding is really popular in the colder climates, and of course everyone knows what it is. But it’s actually a relatively new sport, especially when compared to traditional snow skiing. The very first snow skis are dated all ...
06.03.2022 108: Kennedy hung from a power line EMTs and other first responders see a lot of things. Sometimes, they arrive on scene and find a situation that they never expected to see. In Port Orange, Florida, paramedics were called to the scene of a car accident on ...
05.20.2022 107: Jill was kept in a basement Content warning - this episode includes descriptions of sexual violence and domestic abuse. Listener discretion is advised. Here in the United States, slavery is illegal. The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865 ...
05.06.2022 106: Tessi heard a tree fall I live in a wonderful little town in Florida, called Safety Harbor. It’s in the Tampa Bay area. And one of the things that people love about this place is that there are lots of big, shady trees. There’s one ...
04.22.2022 105: Jessica's kidnappers demanded $45 million I find it so interesting that sometimes we can take what seems to be a really small action, but it ends up being something really big. Back in 1998, I was living in Maine with my wife and our two ...
04.08.2022 104: Jami was a juror in a murder trial Like a lot of people these days, I work from home. And I really enjoy that. But many years ago, I had a more traditional job where I worked in an office building with other people. And there was a ...
03.25.2022 103: Adam saw no way out Do you remember the movie called The Fugitive? It came out in 1993, and it starred Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble, who was unjustly accused of murdering his wife. Throughout the movie, he’s working to find the REAL killer. ...
03.11.2022 102: Dee's father crawled toward him Right now, I’d like you to take a minute, and imagine this scenario. I live in Florida, in the southeast area of the United States. I like it here. We have good weather most of the time, which means I ...
02.25.2022 101: Garrett was held hostage at knifepoint Deral Dean Ritter. Probably not a name you’ve heard before. In 1986, Ritter was 34 years old, and he was living in Waurika, Oklahoma. In fact, he was living in the Jefferson County jail. He was serving a 7-month sentence. ...
02.11.2022 100: Jeff's arm was torn off Remember back in the day, when everyone got up on Monday morning, and went to work? I’ve worked from home for a long time, but I do remember having jobs with that kind of routine. Wake up, take a shower, ...
01.28.2022 99: Bill got a dreaded phone call Sometimes, you see a phone call coming in and you just know that something bad has happened. I remember back several years ago, when my dad was still alive. He was in pretty poor health. He could still walk around, ...
01.14.2022 98: CQ was shot in an ambush I believe that people, for the most part, are good. When a tragedy happens, we want to help. That’s really the whole basis for the GoFundMe website. You can read about someone who’s in some kind of desperate situation, whether ...
12.31.2021 97: Karen was attacked while hiking As human beings, one of the things we crave is community. We need social interaction, and we want to feel like we belong in a group. Whether it’s family, or co-workers, or a church, or a local club – it ...
12.17.2021 96: Danny found a baby in the subway The subway system in New York City is pretty impressive. It opened in 1904 so it’s one of the oldest subway systems in the world. And it is definitely the largest, with 472 stations. And throughout its history, the subway ...
12.03.2021 95: Amy's office was bombed On the morning of April 19, 1995, a former US Army soldier parked a rented Ryder truck in front of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building, located in downtown Oklahoma City. Inside the truck was everything he needed to carry ...
11.19.2021 94: Barbie's dog was stolen As I walk or bike through my neighborhood, one of the saddest things I often see is a flyer stuck to a telephone pole or electric pole, telling about a lost dog. We have a couple of little dogs, Lilly ...
11.05.2021 93: Brook lost a leg to a shark Few things are scarier than being attacked by a shark. Australian Mick Fanning was in a professional surfing competition, which was being broadcast live around the world. Viewers watched as a shark approached him and he was quickly rescued by ...
10.22.2021 92: Andrew head-on crashed his snowmobile I’ve lived in places where the winter is really cold. Personally, I can say I prefer to live here in Florida, where it’s usually relatively warm. I don’t miss shoveling snow, or driving on roads that are icy, and it’s ...
10.15.2021 91: Bonus episode - Childbirth Stories This is a bonus episode of What Was That Like. If this were a regular episode, you’d be hearing someone telling a story of how they survived a mass shooting, or when they got attacked by a grizzly bear, or ...
10.08.2021 90: Emily was a surrogate We live in a pretty amazing time. Private citizens are going to outer space, cars are able to drive themselves to places without a human, all kinds of crazy things that our grandparents would never have imagined. I love hearing ...
09.24.2021 89: Alex was trapped under an ATV Do you have a best friend? I have a best friend. His name is Tim. He and I grew up together in Ohio. We went to the same school, same church, we would sleep over at each other’s house all ...
09.10.2021 88: Tim lost friends on September 11 Most adults remember where they were on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. In New York City, there were some thunderstorms the night before, but that day, 9/11, had started out beautiful and sunny, with clear skies. Then people ...
08.27.2021 87: Victoria's neighbors brought horrible news I was watching a video online recently. I don’t remember where it was, probably in a subreddit. It was recorded on a security camera in some business. There’s no sound, but you can pretty much tell what’s going on. These ...
08.13.2021 86: Jen was robbed at gunpoint There’s something I find really fascinating, and that’s learning about the wildly different ways people react in a sudden emergency situation. Imagine you’re in a restaurant and the main dining room is full of people. Everyone’s talking, servers are buzzing ...
08.06.2021 85: Bonus episode: Jessica's story This is a bonus episode on an off-week Friday. Today you'll hear Jessica's story of what happened to her fiancé Mike. Jessica and Mike have been together for seven years, and have five children. After a short family vacation, Mike ...
07.30.2021 84: Robert was in a gunfight with pirates Today’s story takes place off the coast of Somalia, a country in Africa. If you look at Africa on a map, you’ll see Somalia on the east coast, right on the water of the Indian Ocean. In fact, of all ...

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