Apple TV is currently running a miniseries called Masters of the Air. This program depicts the exploits of the 100th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force (also known as the “Bloody 100th”) during World War II. I have watched several episodes of the series, and the flying and action sequences are amazing; however, as with most drama series like this, some artistic license is taken with the historical aspects of the events depicted. Today I hope to give a more accurate account of the events. For the True Hero today, I would like to present one of the squadron commanders of the Bloody 100th.

When I was in middle school, there was an accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. About the same time, there was a movie that came out called, “The China Syndrome.” In fact, I looked it up…the movie came out 10 or 12 days after the incident. People took the fictional events in the movie and conflated them around the accident at Three Mile Island. It spawned a massive worldwide backlash against nuclear energy. There were all kinds of protests in Germany, the US, and elsewhere demanding that the governments and the UN end nuclear power. When the disaster at Chernobyl in the USSR happened, that was just one more nail in the coffin of nuclear energy. People blamed the science, not what they should have blamed (at least in the case of Chernobyl). They should have blamed the garbage Soviet system that, like all communist systems, rewards conformity, not merit; incentivizes laziness and extremely poor work ethic. When all workers are paid equally for the amount of time worked and not for the quality of the job that is done, the system is going to devolve to the level of the worst worker. If the worker shows up drunk or does not do a quality job, they still get paid the same as the most conscientious worker that only produces masterpieces.

Our True Hero today is a man that was working on the Manhattan Project during the Second World War, and after a slip in one of the labs, exposed the lab workers to a potentially lethal dose of radiation. His quick thinking and action, however, saved the lives of all those nearby. Unfortunately, his actions exposed him to a lethal dose of radiation. His willingness to sacrifice his own life, to protect others, makes him a hero.

The Navigator dives into the story of the Ghost plane, a B-17 that landed itself without a crew.

Find sources, scripts, request a topic and more: https://randhist.bio.link

This episode contains music that we are licensed to use, licensing documents are available on request.

In today’s episode, you will hear the of a legend of a curse that dates back to 1811, although its first victim did not pass until 1841. It is the curse of the Zero Presidencies, and some say it is responsible for the deaths of seven president.

In today’s True Hero segment, I will be speaking of another of my childhood heroes, and the first I have a memory of the event for which he is remembered—walking on the moon. He was one of the original seven astronauts, and the first American in space—Allan Shepard.

Not long ago, a friend of mine suggested I write about the great aunt of one of our mutual friends… he said that she was “one of the pivotal code breakers of World War II [and] from our area.” Once I got her name, I began to research her—This episode will give you a glimpse of her life.

Today’s True Hero segment continues with the “hometown” theme to the episode. I had often heard this man’s name since I moved to Northeastern Indiana, but did not realize what this man had done to have his name attached to one of the city’s biggest parks. Random History presents, Elizabeth Smith Friedman, and Henry Ware Lawton.

Transcripts, sources and more: https://randhist.bio.link

Your Nvg8r takes you through the history of the USS Pueblo and Gus Grissom.

All show links can be found here: https://randhist.bio.link

In a previous episode I mentioned that the wife of Colonel Jesse Atwood was a distant relative of John Chapman, better known to people as Johnny Appleseed. He was, by all accounts, a rather eccentric frontiersman that traveled throughout Ohio and Indiana (often depicted with a cooking pot for a hat) planting apple trees along the way. In our True Hero segment, we will hear about one of my generation’s heroes, Neil Armstrong, an astronaut from both the Gemini and Apollo programs—and the first man to walk on the moon.

Find all links here: https://randhist.bio.link