In 1979, the world watched as NASA’s 77-ton space station made its fiery plunge back to Earth. When Skylab broke apart over a sleepy Australian town, the falling debris set off a global media frenzy. This is the story of the night the sky actually fell — and the teenager who became an improbable hero.

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On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's episode is a production of iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Happened in Nashville is a deeply reported investigation into the sudden collapse of a Tennessee fertility clinic, and the patients caught in the fallout. When the Center for Reproductive Health shut down without warning, people lost access to their embryos, their treatments were abruptly cut off, and many were left scrambling to recover money, medical records, and time they couldn’t afford to lose. Through intimate conversations with the patients who lived through it, host Melissa Jeltsen reveals the emotional and physical toll of the clinic’s abrupt closure. But the story reaches far beyond a single clinic. The series exposes the cracks in a fertility industry built on hope, high price tags and minimal oversight. What Happened in Nashville isn’t just the story of one tragedy — it’s a warning about a system where families have everything at stake and far too little protection.

Listen here or on the iHeartRadio app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two Jamaican musicians are making a bold claim. They say they invented the now-ubiquitous reggaeton beat on a specific track in 1989. They're suing some of the genre's biggest stars for billions in royalties.

But we found someone who’s telling a very different origin story. Hold onto your headphones as we dive into the mystery behind one of the most influential beats in modern music.

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On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Fandemonium! This week on Very Special Episodes, Dana, Zaron, and Jason respond to listener emails. They tell their Very Special origin stories, pick their favorite episodes, cast the movie version of the podcast, and preview the exciting stories coming this winter.

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving Friday! And you can always reach us at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, hundreds of starving dogs were trapped inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. For years, Oregon-based veterinarian Dr. Jenn Betz had been their lifeline. Now, with Putin’s troops occupying the site, she had only one thought: How do I get back there?

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If you would like to help the dogs of Chernobyl, visit CleanFutures.org.

Today's episode is a production of iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans. 

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Lucas Reilly
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Story Editor is Virginia Prescott
Editing and Sound Design by Jesse Nighswonger
Mixing and Mastering by Jesse Nighswonger
From School of Humans, producers are Emilia Brock, Edeliz Perez and Gabbie Watts
Research and Fact-Checking by Lucas Reilly and Austin Thompson
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Social Clips by Yarberry Media
Executive Producers are Virginia Prescott and Jason English

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1989, Boris Yeltsin walked into a Houston supermarket — and walked out ready to end an empire. What he saw in Texas that day would shake the foundations of the Soviet Union.

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On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. 

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
Research and Fact-Checking by Dave Roos and Austin Thompson
Voice Actor is Tom Antonellis
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Social Clips by Yarberry Media
Executive Producer is Jason English

Special thanks to composer Evan Mack for letting us play a clip of “Make Your Move,” from his original opera Yeltsin in Texas. Learn more at evanmack.com. 

And thanks to Yelena Biberman for sharing her story. Check out her excellent podcast How to Kill a Superpower. 

We've got a mailbag episode coming later this month. Got a question for Dana, Zaron, or Jason? Email us at [email protected]. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1897, a Swedish engineer set out to reach the North Pole ... by balloon. With two companions, a crate of champagne, and the faith of a nation, he rose into the Arctic fog — and vanished. Decades later, their frozen journals and undeveloped film emerged from the ice, revealing the haunting truth behind one of exploration’s great mysteries.

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Marisa Brown and Mac Montandon
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Story Editor is Marisa Brown
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Research and Fact-Checking by Marisa Brown and Austin Thompson
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Social Clips by Yarberry Media
Special thanks to our voice actors Tom Antonellis, Chris Childs, and Josh Fisher
Executive Producer is Jason English

You can email the show at [email protected].   

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the golden age of 1980s television, few faces were more familiar — or more dishonest — than Joe Isuzu’s. Actor David Leisure brought the fast-talking car salesman to life, turning a parody of advertising into one of its greatest icons. In this Very Special Interview, the man behind America’s favorite liar revisits the campaign that changed commercials forever.

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Listen to Very Special Episodes wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday. 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1960s, there were 36,000 Americans living in the Canal Zone. They had Friday night high school football games, sock hops, and Hollywood movies at the local theater. It looked like a mid-century American town had been dropped into the Panamanian jungle — because that’s exactly what it was. But many Panamanians weren’t happy with this “country-in-a-country” arrangement. What would it take to get the Americans to leave? The answer, it turns out, was a bunch of teenagers.

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Check out Marixa Lasso's Erased: The Untold Story of the Panama Canal and Wendy Tribaldos' books about the history of Panama and the Canal Zone.

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Research and Fact-Checking by Dave Roos and Austin Thompson
Special thanks to our voice actors Chris Childs and Josh Fisher
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Dana Schwartz podcast alert!

Hoax!: Why do so many people believe things that aren’t true? In an era when claims of “fake news” come as naturally as breathing, and social media allows lies to spread and multiply like viruses, the question feels more relevant than ever. From the teenage girls who convinced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that fairies were real in the 19th century to “Balloon boy” in 2009, Hoax! will explore the most audacious and ambitious tricks in history. Along the way, we’ll uncover the reasons people let themselves be fooled and how we can live our lives and engage with the media with a more critical eye. Co-hosted by Noble Blood’s Dana Schwartz and pop culture writer Lizzie Logan, we’ll bring you stories of pranks and grifts throughout history so big and bold they make us question why we believe what we believe in the first place.

Listen to Hoax! on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.