History's Greatest Dumpster Fires

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Welcome back to The Day's Dumpster Fire where we don't celebrate humanity's successes but its most fantastic failures.

On today's episode, Kara explores one of America's earliest mysteries dating back to the olden days when America was nothing more than just a couple of colonies. The British colony of Roanoke was designed to be an initial starting point for what was hoped to be the foundation of Britain's next great business venture.

While most of us know that Roanoke was established in 1587 and somehow disappeared by 1590 with hardly a trace, Kara expands the mystery by looping in the British and European happenings and conflicts which may have contributed to the disappearance. She also looks at the status of the Native Americans who, for the most part, surrounded the colony on all sides.

She finishes with a brief discussion as to some of the theories of how the colony could have disappeared, but ultimately, the mystery of Roanoke reflects more of what was happening on the Atlantic seaboard and England's ever growing involvement in world affairs and perhaps sticking her nose where it doesn't need to be stuck.

For more details of this episode and dozens of other dumpster fires in history including images of Kara's doodles and artwork check out The Day's Dumpster Fire website. Be sure to send Kara and Ed an email at [email protected] with your feedback, questions, suggestions, and ideas for future episodes. 

They do read them and they can follow up with you!!!

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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.

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Have you or someone you love every had the misfortune of being pregnant and having to deal with morning sickness? Some women are lucky and they never get it. Some women get it mildly in their first trimesters. Other women are unlucky to have a severe case of it in their first trimester. And some women are cursed with morning sickness through their entire pregnancy.

In the 1950s and going into the 1960s, men returning home from the front lines of World War II were "making up for lost time away from the women of their lives and were proceeding to make lots of babies. These babies would later become known as the "Baby Boomers." As a result of this massive generation addition to the world's population, millions of women were getting pregnant and many were suffering from intense debilitating morning sickness.

With so few doctors left in Europe after the war, something had to be done to get these women some sort of relief for their morning sickness. That relief came in the form of a special medication that essentially eliminated morning sickness in all of Europe.

Thalidomide was touted as being so safe that it was sold over the counter and even the workers at the factory that made the stuff were given free bottles to take up.

This went fine until more and more babies were being born with terrible birth defects. It seemed like one after another, baby after baby was born with disfigured arms and legs or born without them in general. Mortality rates skyrocketed throughout Europe and many were left wondering what what causing all these birth defects. When the science community got together, they quickly drew a line to the common factor among all these birth defects... Thalidomide.

However, the manufacturer of this medication chose to hide the evidence and deny the connection. They opted to ignore the problem and even gaslight thousands and thousands of desperate mothers looking for answers to their problems.

It doesn't help that the men who created this drug were former Nazi scientist who were in trouble for crimes against humanity during the height of the holocaust!

Join Ed and Kara as they explore difficult terrain that is the Thalidomide Generation and how a failure to test one thing thoroughly upended the lives of over 100,000.

For more details and images tied to Thalidomide be sure to check out The Day's Dumpster Fire website. Be sure to send Kara and Ed an email at [email protected] and let them know of new ideas you might have or to simply let them know how they're doing. 

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.

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Wanna send us a message? Click on this link on any device that can send text messages and let us know what you think or give us ideas and we'll give you a shout out on a future episode! And don't forget to check out our website: www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com

In this episode, Kara and Ed did something they normally don't do and that is to record an episode of the show live in their classroom. They also brought on students to talk about one of the largest oceanic disasters of all time, the sinking of the Titanic April 14, 1912.

Perhaps one of the greatest dumpster fires of all time, the White Star Line's latest passenger ship that espoused luxury and lavishness, the Titanic was touted as a ship that was unsinkable. Even the second and third classes would have a better stay on the Titanic than any other ship out there. Until that fateful night a wayward iceberg said, "Hold my beer and watch this!"

Kara and Ed start off with an overview of what the actual Titanic was like complete with the living conditions and engineering specifications that combined to make the Titanic a marvel of human engineering. Afterwards Kara's and Ed's students will present various theories both conspiratorial and somewhat believable. Followed by Kara's analysis of the aftermath of the incident.

Be sure to check out more details on The Day's Dumpster Fire website as well as new additions to Kara's artwork. 

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.

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Wanna send us a message? Click on this link on any device that can send text messages and let us know what you think or give us ideas and we'll give you a shout out on a future episode! And don't forget to check out our website: www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com

In this episode, Kara follows up on her exploration into the dumpster fire that is the Vietnam War. She left off in the Vietnam War Part I right at the height of 1969. So if you haven't checked out that episode, it is strongly recommended that you do so now. However, if you feel confident in your knowledge of Vietnam, then you can proceed.

Kara moves on from what started the Vietnam War in American history to why the issue created so much conflict in an already conflicted America. There are race riots, gay rights activists, anti-space travel issues, along with a multitude of other internal issues in America that when combined made things so much worse for the boys fighting in the war itself. Not to mention, if you ever had aspirations of being the President of the United States, the question must be asked: why in God's green earth would anyone want this job?

Settle in, text your friends about The Day's Dumpster Fire, and if you're around friends and family, the show them how to find the show and get them subscribed. 

If you have a friend in need of some self esteem due to a recent dumpster fire of their own, then now is the time to let them know about the show. Kara and Ed strive to make everyone feel comfortable in the decisions they have made and how things went wrong. It's okay, we're all friends here and the worst dumpster fire the better. 

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.

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Boy oh boy does Kara have an episode for you. In one of the biggest dumpster fires in American history, Kara dives into the first half of the Vietnam War. Yes! technically it's a "police action" but let's face it... it's an actual war when we look at how many people were involved and how many died on both sides.

In this part 1 episode Kara takes some of us down memory lane and the rest of us down a vivid history lesson into the factors that resulted in America sending literal teenagers to the jungles of Vietnam in the mid 1960s. Hopefully by the end of this episode you'll be able to go to your history teacher (assuming they're still alive or not locked up in a retirement community) and tell them how was it that America got involved in Vietnam and probably even be able to teach them a lesson or two in the process.

Be sure to check out our website: thedaysdumpsterfire.com for more details and some background on other episodes that Kara and Ed have produced 40 times over. That's right... Kara has put up enough of Ed to produce 40 episodes!!!

Also don't forget to email the folks at the [email protected] your own ideas and experiences. After all, as Ed likes to say, "keep it a hot mess" as we're all in this together!

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!
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Wanna send us a message? Click on this link on any device that can send text messages and let us know what you think or give us ideas and we'll give you a shout out on a future episode! And don't forget to check out our website: www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com

In this episode, Ed and Kara have a "pallet cleanser." Instead of massive wars with hundreds of thousands of people dying, in this episode no one dies (thankfully) but some buildings, both personal and city owned, don't get off so easily. Marvin Heemeyer was a relatively unassuming middle aged guy in Granby, Colorado who owned a reputable muffler shop. Overall Marvin was well liked and a talented welder who ran a snowmobile club. However, things changed when a dispute broke out about some auctioned property that Marvin won. Some high ranking members of the community may or may not have tried to stonewall Marvin's ambitions. There was also an issue as to where Marvin was going to store his poop...

Ultimately the entire escapade culminated in Marvin spending 18 months applying armor plating on a massive bulldozer bigger than a WWII German Tiger tank and Marvin sealing himself in it and proceeded to plough down as much of Granby, CO as possible! In a wacky 2.5 hour ordeal that involved nearly every member of law enforcement north of Denver, Marvin took his frustrations out on one building after another with his fortified bulldozer.

For more details be sure to check out our website, www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com. There you'll find pictures of that fateful day and the bulldozer itself in what is quite possible one of the biggest and strangest dumpster fires on Colorado history. 

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!
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Wanna send us a message? Click on this link on any device that can send text messages and let us know what you think or give us ideas and we'll give you a shout out on a future episode! And don't forget to check out our website: www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com

If you're seeing this episode in your pod catcher and you haven't listened to Episode 38. Napoleon Bonaparte's Greatest Blunder Fire Part 1, be sure to do that before listening to this. While this episode is where we get to fully embrace the legendary poo show that was Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, part 1 looked at his meteoric rise from a minor officer in the French Revolution, to becoming the Emperor of France and many other lands including Austria, Prussia, Warsaw, Russia, and Italy. Listening to that episode will make you appreciate this episode that much more.

In this episode we dive into the surprisingly well thought out invasion of Russia. Many falsely assume that Napoleon threw a temper tantrum at finding out that Russia was secretly trading with Britain (Napoleon wanted all of Europe to really stick it to Britain and not trade with them with his "Continental System," but Russia was in dire straights and they figured... who cares). Many think Napoleon was petulant and tyrannical, but in reality he was fairly methodical and calculated. However, it will be tough to maintain those opinions after listening to this episode. 

After spending two years planning, recruiting, organizing, and negotiating, Napoleon set out with on of the largest armies in all of human history called the Grande Armee, with a staggering 650,000 men involving France, Austria, Prussia and a few other small countries. However, after six months, only about 100,000 made it back with only 20,000 of that were able to fight. This is considered one of the worst military campaigns in history, the likes of which would not be seen until World War I and World War II. Take a listen and see just what in the world caused such a brilliant military mind of the 19th century look like a military academy drop out in what would become Napoleon's Greatest Blunder. 

For more background and show notes, be sure to check out the website at: www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com and feel free to send in a text message or an email to share your thoughts on this episode as well as ideas for other dumpster fires in the past, and present. 

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!
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Wanna send us a message? Click on this link on any device that can send text messages and let us know what you think or give us ideas and we'll give you a shout out on a future episode! And don't forget to check out our website: www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com

In this episode, Ed opens the book on one of history's most iconic military leaders, Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon is most famous for his wars that were so uniquely titled that they became known as the "Napoleonic Wars." For most of his reign, it was wondered if Napoleon could ever be defeated!

And was he gloriously defeated!

In part 1 of a 2 part series, Ed looks at the rise of Napoleon from his early years struggling to climb the ranks in French schools as a kid who was Italian to his massive victory against the British at Toulon. We get to see what separated Napoleon from the generations of ineffective leaders who did nothing more than eat fancy foods and sink France into crippling debt. Eventually, Napoleon would crown himself the emperor of France, and quickly took over most of eastern Europe including Austria, Prussia, Italy, and last but not least, Russia

In part 1 Napoleon quickly established himself as a person who can get stuff done, but more effectively as a military visionary who seemed undefeatable in battle. Then in part 2 his beef with Britain involved his beef with Russia and Napoleon raised the largest army in Europe's history and vowed to put Russia in its place once and for all in what would become one of the greatest dumpster fires in history.

For detailed show notes and information on this episode as well as a collection for all the episodes in the library, check out www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com. Be sure to check out the show on Instagram for tidbits on other dumpster fires in history

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/

Wanna send us a message? Click on this link on any device that can send text messages and let us know what you think or give us ideas and we'll give you a shout out on a future episode! And don't forget to check out our website: www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com

Hey there! Today's episode is going to check all the boxes that go into classifying something as a legit historical dumpster fire. Is there a huge problem? Check. Is there a plan to solve that problem? Check. Does humanity plan out the solution with great detail and expense? Check and Check. When executing that plan, does everything fall apart shortly after? Check. And for a bonus: does everything fall apart over and over and over? Check and Check and Check!

Today, Ed is diving into the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable this is one of the largest and most ambitious engineering feats of the 1800's. Enamored with the massive success of Samuel Morse's telegraph machine and his subsequent Morse Code, both America and England desperately wanted to have a telegraph line that would span the "pond" and connect the two countries. After all, the world already had over 30,000 miles of telegraph wire spread out over Europe and America. These wires were above the ground, under the ground, and even under the water. So how hard can it be to lay down one measly little wire across the Atlantic Ocean?

Well it turns out it's very hard, and when you combine the elements of nature, with the hubris of humanity, you're asking for things to go wrong over and over again!

So sit back and take a listen, because today's episode will make you appreciate your cellphone all that much more. For more details on this topic and the entire library, check out the website: www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com

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/

Wanna send us a message? Click on this link on any device that can send text messages and let us know what you think or give us ideas and we'll give you a shout out on a future episode! And don't forget to check out our website: www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com

Hey everyone! The gang is back this week to conclude the story of one of the most useless monarchs in French history, King Louis XVI. Everyone knows that Louis lost his mind in the end (actually he lost his head and by extension his mind went with it), but there were a lot of events that led up to his date with the guillotine.

In this episode, Kara is going to explain the foundations of the French Revolution and how the public ultimately expressed their frustrations via the "Reign of Terror." You're going to learn about a guy is going to get his hand cut off, another beaten and stabbed to death in the streets, and worse yet, King Louis was too worried about waking up his wife in the middle of the night because there was a hoard of angry French peasantry outside his palace with literal pitchforks and torches.

Lastly, a lot of myths are going to be dispelled like how Louis went to his execution with stoicism even though history portrayed him as a screaming cowered, much like Ed would have been if he were in Louis shoes.

So sit back, relax, order some escargot and listen in because if you have a unit exam on how the French Revolution started and the fate of King Louis XVI, then you're in for a great study session!

For more content, including artwork designed by Kara herself, check out The Day's Dumpster Fire's website.

Also, click on the link at the top of this description to send a text message to Kara, Deja, and Ed. They are open to suggestions and any and all feedback you might have. If you reach out, you'll probably get a shout out in a future episode!

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!
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