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Skylab Is Falling
Season 1 Episode 60
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,…
3 months, 1 week ago
Introducing: What Happened in Nashville
What Happened in Nashville is a deeply reported investigation into the sudden collapse of a Tennessee fertility clinic, and the patients caught in th…
3 months, 1 week ago
The Fundamental Magical Element
Season 1 Episode 59
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 s…
3 months, 2 weeks ago
A Very Special Thanksgiving Mailbag
Season 1 Episode 58
It's Fandemonium! This week Dana, Zaron, and Jason respond to listener emails. They tell their Very Special origin stories, pick their favorite episo…
3 months, 2 weeks ago
The Dogs of Chernobyl
Season 1 Episode 57
When Russia invaded Ukraine, hundreds of starving dogs were trapped inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. For years, Oregon-based veterinarian Dr. Jen…
3 months, 3 weeks ago
The Grocery Store That Killed Communism
Season 1 Episode 56
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 found…
4 months ago
The Arctic Balloon
Season 1 Episode 55
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 …
4 months, 1 week ago
Being Joe Isuzu
Season 1 Episode 54
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-talk…
4 months, 2 weeks ago
A High School Brawl in the Panama Canal Zone
Season 1 Episode 53
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…
4 months, 3 weeks ago
Introducing: Hoax! with Dana Schwartz and Lizzie Logan
Hi, Very Special Episodes listeners! We're hard at work on the next season of VSE, which lands October 22nd. In the meantime, did you know our own Da…
5 months, 2 weeks ago