logo
episode-header-image
Dec 10
47m 21s

Skylab Is Falling

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

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.

*

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

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Jake Rossen
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Story Editor is Virginia Prescott
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
From School of Humans, producers are Emilia Brock and Edeliz Perez
Research and Fact-Checking by Jake Rossen, Virginia Prescott, 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

Got a question for a future mailbag? Send it to veryspecialepisodes@gmail.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Dec 31
JFK's Forgotten Summer [Best of 2025]
Eighty years ago, a young John F. Kennedy took a summer job as a journalist for Hearst newspapers, filing dispatches in the final days of World War II. Even the most seasoned JFK scholars often overlook this chapter, missing the influence those months had on the future president. ... Show More
45m 14s
Dec 24
Big in Japan: Kentucky Fried Christmas
In much of the world, Christmas dinner means roasted turkey, glazed ham, or a table crowded with family recipes passed down for generations. But in Japan, millions mark the holiday with something far less traditional — a bucket of KFC. Today we unwrap one of the strangest and mos ... Show More
19m 15s
Dec 17
The Cabbage Patch Crisis
In 1983, a cherubic, homely doll triggered something close to national hysteria. Parents fought in store aisles. Shelves were stripped bare. Even the New York mafia found itself selling children’s toys. Cabbage Patch Kids went from handmade curiosities to the most coveted object ... Show More
49m 52s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2024
Big Parma
Stuffed crust pizza. Grilled cheese burritos. How did so much cheese get into so many things? On today's episode, we peel back the curtain on the Dairy Industrial Complex — AKA Big Parma.  * VERY SPECIAL CREDITS On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story e ... Show More
40m 30s
Nov 2019
The Fascinating Origins of Everyday Foods (Part 1)
In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start off looking at the interesting reason why milk is white, yet cheddar cheese is yellow/orange. Next up, we have a brief message from our sponsor, Blinkist, which gives you the key ideas from more than 3,000 bestselling nonfiction b ... Show More
57m 3s
Feb 2024
Operation Lunar Eclipse
<p>When a teenage astronomy fan is gifted a piece of the moon by NASA, he’s inadvertently pulled into the seedy underground moonrock trade. But don’t worry. With help from H. Ross Perot, NASA secret agents are on the case.</p> <p>*</p> <p>Very Special Episodes is a new podcast wh ... Show More
46m 31s
Sep 2025
S23 Ep10: NoSleep Podcast S23E10
tail spinning
1h 3m
Dec 2023
Hanukkah & Round and Round w/ Eric Silver
<p>A time loop Hallmark Hanukkah movie? Do we really need to say more? We do, we say more for like an hour, joined by senior Jewish correspondent Eric Silver to discuss the new movie, Round &amp; Round!</p><p><em>Content Warning:</em> This episode contains conversations about or ... Show More
1 h
Mar 2024
Coco Chanel
The perfume is great... the Nazi informant stuff, not so much.Scumbags of History is a production of Voyage Media and Enthusiast Gaming. The series is produced by Nat Mundel, and Dan Benamor (Voyage Media), J.B. Elliott, Roarke Boes, and Amanda Scherker (Enthusiast Gaming) and Sa ... Show More
40m 29s
Jul 2025
S23 Ep2: NoSleep Podcast S23E02
tail spinning
1h 21m