Flashback: History's Unintended Consequences

A series of stories of disastrous turning points, dangerous ideas, crazy coincidences, unsung heroes and forgotten villains. From OZY’s Sean Braswell, host and creator of the chart-topping, Webby-nominated The Thread, comes a new show about how some of the best-laid plans can go horribly wrong, or prove unexpectedly magnificent.

Special Series: The Election Day Massacre. Part 1.

The worst incident of election violence in American history happened a century ago on Election Day, 1920 in the town of Ocoee, Florida. The victims were hundreds of Black residents. The perpetrators were their white neighbors. And the reason was that Black citizens had gone to the polls and tried to vote. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-02
30:22

Bonus Episode 9: The Surgery That Sparked the Iran-Contra Scandal

Did President Ronald Reagan authorize selling arms to Iran while still recovering from major surgery in 1985? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-07
12:24

Bonus Episode 8: How a Haircut Changed Music History

After a 23-year-old Elvis Presley submitted to an Army barber in March 1958, rock and roll, and American life, were never quite the same. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-09
12:15

Bonus Episode 7: Grace Kelly’s Fateful Trip to Cannes

In 1955, actress Grace Kelly journeyed to the Cannes Film Festival, setting in action a chain of events that would find her trading her Hollywood throne for a real one.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

08-26
12:43

Bonus Episode 6: The Fatal Pitch That Changed Baseball History

The tragic death of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in 1920 would help shape the future of baseball. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

08-12
06:49

Bonus Episode 5: The Freak Bicycle Accident Behind a Children’s Classic

Ludwig Bemelmans rode his bike down the wrong side of the road and into literary history when he dreamed up the beloved children’s book Madeline. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

08-05
06:49

Bonus Episode 4: The Drunk Cop Who Brought Down a President

If not for the fateful inaction of a single Washington, DC police officer, Watergate might never have happened. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

07-29
09:21

Bonus Episode 3: The Newspaper Error That Sparked the Nobel Prize

When a newspaper mistakenly proclaimed Alfred Nobel dead in 1888, the inventor of dynamite set out to reinvent his legacy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

07-22
09:07

Bonus Episode 2: Your Unintended Consequences

Flashback listeners send us examples of the unexpected results of some historical events -- from two World Wars to an unfortunate landscaping trend.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

07-14
09:38

Bonus Episode 1: The Hockey Injury That Launched Air Travel

Why the story of human flight begins on a frozen pond in Dayton, Ohio…and why there was only one Wright Brother with the Right Stuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

07-07
12:48

FB 110: A Hollywood Ending: How One Inventor’s Mysterious Disappearance Changed the American Film Industry

The birth of Hollywood owes a surprising amount to the untimely demise of a single Frenchman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

07-01
35:27

FB 109: A Libertarian House on the Prairie: How a Children’s Classic Inspired a Modern Political Movement

A tale of rugged frontier individualism gone corporate, and how the Ingalls’ family farm led to the Koch brothers’ political machine. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-24
40:10

FB 108: Matchmakers: How a Dangerous Discovery Ignited the Labor Movement

The discovery of one of the most hazardous elements on earth helped spark the greatest underdog story in the history of human labor relations. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-17
35:35

FB 107: A Tale of Two Pests: How Gypsy Moths and Kudzu Took Over America

Gypsy moths and the invasive vine kudzu were supposed to be solutions. Instead they’re problems that seem to grow … and grow. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-10
41:56

FB 106: An ‘Uncommonly Silly’ Law: How One Man’s Crusade Against Obscenity Resulted in Abortion Rights

The backlash to a 19th century chastity law ended up sparking a far more controversial new freedom for women. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-03
40:05

FB 105: High Hitler: How a Meth-Peddling Doctor Changed the Course of World War II

Did one dictator’s chronic flatulence wind up causing needless suffering for millions? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-27
40:23

FB 104: The Jordan Effect: How a Baseball Strike Saved Basketball

Michael Jordan’s famous sabbatical from professional basketball might have lasted much longer had Major League Baseball not experienced the worst strike in its history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-20
48:25

FB 103: AC/DC: How Air Conditioning Changed the Landscape of American Politics

Cooler homes transformed Americans’ lives — and eventually their government as well.Check out this episode's "Lecture Notes" at https://www.ozy.com/flashback/ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-13
35:09

FB 102: Holy Smokes: How the YMCA Helped Launch the Tobacco Black Market

The YMCA provided American soldiers with billions of cigarettes during World War I — and smugglers and terrorists with billions of new incentives to evade the law. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-06
36:54

FB 101: McVeigh’s Mentor: How Henry Ford Inspired the Oklahoma City Bombing

Hate speech is also something that can be mass-produced, and with disastrous consequences. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-06
50:06

JM CPSHW

Wow! I wonder how many people dont know this! Thanks for podcast, very informative yet entertaining

07-07 Reply

Jade

Brilliant podcast. I was ten when this happened. It was all over the news. Sad day for humanity.

06-04 Reply

Gary Mayeaux

Parkinson

05-26 Reply

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