Well There's Your Problem | Episode 80: Great Fire of London

[@laurieskelly]

re: 42:26 a firefighter friend of mine once told me something amazing. parking in front of a fire hydrant does not actually do much to impede the fighting of a fire. he said in a fire emergency, if the truck needs to get at the hydrant, it anchors itself with these huge hydraulic arms to counteract the force of the water coming out of the hose. the car in front of the hydrant is parked where those arms need to be, but that's not a problem for the arms, because, according to my friend, they make pretty quick work of the parked car. the problem is for the owner of the mangled car and the city who has to sort it out. and it's definitely not a problem for the firefighters, who are absolutely thrilled to find themselves required to do a car-go-smashy in the line of duty.

[@laurieskelly]

as a person who has occasionally been somewhat bothered or upset by selfish people parking in fire lanes or in front of hydrants, it has really changed my life in a small but very satisfying way to revamp all of the moral math involved

[@Asko83]

Cars parked in wrong places may cost extra time to work around though. Evacuation routes in particular should be kept clear because ramming a car out of the way may damage an ambulance or firetruck. Not every country has designed them for ramming other vehicles and firetrucks in particular may have fragile pumps sticking out of the front.

[@SnausageKing]

Never seen a train blocking a fire hydrant, I’m just saying

[@buscemichael]

Liam's voice has the spirit of failed empire in Afghanistan, the ruins of Cuomo's career, the ashes of London, and tiki bar cocktails.

[@HVolnWhatnow]

I was going to say "compellingly similar to H. Jon Benjamin", but yours is way better.

[@nicktorrid]

He's finally got a cigarette going while he has some dip in

[@25usd94]

Lmao he got it from Joe Kassabian. The Well There's Your Lions Lead By Hell of a Way to Problem PodVerse is a super spreader event for the chronic condition of "Fucked Up Voice of Immeasurable Despair" and I'm here for it

[@Olyvia..]

@@25usd94 this is a jewel of a comment

[@MrTaxiRob]

@@25usd94 also you after every hour long phone call you've had in the last year with the people you never actually see in person anymore

[@kazmark_gl8652]

As an American I want to say it's been absolutely hilarious to watch the British lose their minds over once again realizing that the US-UK relationship is at this point an older adult son taking his elderly dad around on his adventures so that he still feels relevant.

[@JohnnyZenith]

Most of us aren't idiots. It's the rabid Brexit gammon hard right nationalist imbeciles who think we are relevant and are as you rather brilliantly depicted.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

UK news - especially Brexit hijinx - is what I turn to when US news has me stressed and depressed. “Oh, what will those wacky Ulster Unionists support/protest next!?”

[@metatron5199]

Big facts, we’re trying not to put dad in the retirement home but he keeps making it increasingly harder and harder to not make us want to lol. It’s the simple fact the he can still get around on his own truly stopping us from doing so lol

[@itsmannertime]

Trying to calm Dad down as he screams about the French stealing his cod off the nightstand

[@anthonycondon5833]

@@fuzzydunlop7928 I really hate that you guys decided to make gammon into a new thing. It had such a nice meaning in Aboriginal English (you're joking, having a lend, ya gammon?)

[@OrbitalRose_01]

Re: safety third, as someone who works on designing helicopter engines, the wisest thing I've heard about helicopters is: any aircraft where the wings move faster than the fuselage is inherently unstable, and powered by witchcraft.

[@drakinkoren]

I heard helicopters are held together by regular maintenance and plenty of wishy thinking.

[@phathumdeep]

Hummingbirds fuming rn

[@brentdalebroux2821]

@@drakinkoren Why do you think they call it the "Jesus Nut"?

[@tomcapon4447]

@@drakinkoren Read that as "whiskey thinking" and thought yup, checks out.

[@mysteryshrimp]

Helicopter wings average out to the same speed as the fuselage, so the stability is restored with every full revolution. What I love is that the fuselage would literally go spinning off into the nether, but they welded a second tiny helicopter to the tail to stop that from happening.

[@Taverius]

As an Italian living in Italy can confirm the pope is to blame for everything. Doubly so here where he only has a relatively small distance to travel to break into my house at night and spread legos on the floor.

[@b.elzebub9252]

Fucking Pope sneaking around Rome to fart in elevators, deflate moped tires, and break lightbulbs..

[@dmrr7739]

The problem with getting more C-47s into Kabul is they don’t have enough B-17s and P-51 Mustangs for air cover.

[@michlo3393]

lol

[@Full_Otto_Bismarck]

Reject F-15s and embrace P-51s.

[@samtheeaglescout1490]

@@Full_Otto_Bismarck Return to tradition

[@MrJstorm4]

During the Vietnam war they did actually make a gunship version of the c-47

[@yakovgolyadkin]

I know Liam meant C-17s, but hearing him repeatedly say that the US should've had a ton of C-47s in Kabul ready to go gave me a good laugh picturing the evacuation looking like the formation approach to Operation Market Garden.

[@rj13198]

Berlin airlift 2: electric boogaloo

[@FluridCube]

Embrace tradition

[@windwalker5765]

I think he scrambled C-17 and CH-47

[@Crowborn]

Talk about American rolling stock being outdated

[@murciadoxial8056]

"This is the wrong fire on the right location" is such a great quote.

[@GigasGMX]

…did I just hear a helicopter story where the helicopter was the safest thing in the story? That’s just perverse.

[@metrazol]

I was chatting with my date in a sushi bar when the fire alarms went off. We all wander outside just as the fire department peels out of the station, which was maybe a block and a half away. A young man carrying a big ass axe stormed in grinning like an idiot, excited to smash some stuff. 5 minutes later we're back at our table and the poor guy is sulking because he didn't get to apply his Pulaski, which is a dumb name for an axe.

[@ryans4877]

Dig the story but look up Ed Pulaski, the fire axe’s namesake. Quite a badass, his name should be remembered.

[@Thutil]

Non-zero chance it was literally a Pulaski tool, though that's normally used for fighting wildfires (which I just learned today).

[@WokeSoros]

I used to work in Seattle with a guy named Halid (ha-leed) Halid was a Kurd and lived in Iraq during the first invasion by the US…. One time we got in an elevator and I asked Halid about it. He told a story of his family telling him to leave Iraq before the war started, so him and a bunch of other fighting aged men decided to cross a river into Turkey. They swam, they got separated, water swept one of them away and one of them they never saw again. That’s how he described it. “We never saw that guy again.” Then they got to turkey and somehow the word got to him that Bush said said if the rebels fought Saddam the US MILITARY would back them. So he went back to Iraq. So he gets home and the big plan is to go up against the Iraqi military in a garbage truck. So they’re in a garbage truck and like tanks and shit are coming. They told him to stay in the truck, but he got out and the truck was hit by a rocket and everybody in the truck died, but Halid got away. Then he hid family in the mountains and went back to turkey. I think he was working at a hospital in Turkey…Somehow the US government decided he’d make a good translator for the Army. He speaks like 5 languages. So he said you go get my people and I’ll translate for you. Somehow the US secured his people. He worked for the US until it became apparent that we were leaving and to leave him there would seal his fate… So they scooped him up and he lived for a year on Anderson Airforce base on Guam 🇬🇺 until they could find some legal method to naturalize him… So Guam is a good idea. Anyway, Halid lives is Missouri now, the poor bastard.

[@Dancingonthesun]

All that to end up is M'sorry

[@RubyofTrinity]

A Safety Third adjacent anecdote: way back in the early 2000s, my family took a trip to London. It was great. Tea with every meal, everything was petite sized, and I was no longer the shortest whitest person in the crowd. It was great! One of our first stops was dinner at the Olde Cheshire Pub, one of a handful of Medieval buildings to survive all of London's fires. The pub has two levels that are for drinking/dining- the ground floor, and the basement below that has been refurbished to a dining area. Given that the building is over 400yrs old and building codes weren't really a thing in the 14th c, between the vintage build and the way the place has settled over the years makes for an interesting interior. In particular, the stairs going down to the basement dining area are definitely not to modern building codes. I am only 5ft tall, and I could just stand up without hitting my head on the ceiling of the staircase. Coming down from viewing Samuel Johnson's dictionary and right-angle chair for men of girth, I encountered a gentleman attempting to take some pints down to his friends. This guy must have been 6'6" easy. My head was only level with his shirt pocket. He has two pints per hand, and as he made his way down this little tiny spiral staircase he encountered a problem: his feet were in the basement, but his elbows were now resting on the pub floor above. There was no good way for him to get out of the staircase with the pints unspilled. Being a veteran of a certain unnamed coffee chain, and able to hold four gallons of milk in each hand, I offered to take the pints down for him. He agreed, gave me the pints, and extricated himself from the staircase. I carried the pints down without issue and served him and his friends. He thanked me and said I ought to apply for a job as few people were able to navigate the stairs without smacking their heads or getting stuck. This offer was repeated by two servers and the proprietor. I heartily wish I had taken them up on it. Alas, I'm back in the USA working from home. Perhaps once COVID has been dealt with, I'll put in an application. You never know.

[@nathaniely.236]

Fun story! I had to take some time trying to imagine the man getting stuck. Did he just not realize he might have to duck down very low or keep his arms near his torso, and then walked his feet down it? I still can't picture the geometry of it all, but I find the idea of an old confusing staircase so mysterious in a funny way.

[@cf453]

Having enjoyed your story a year later, I feel a human responsibility to remind you that you had some hopes and dreams here that you might want to follow up on.

[@-Cece]

@@cf453 I second this

[@Mochi-vh2vi]

Approximately a billion years ago I went to the London Dungeon and they had a thing on the great fire that started with "1666 THE YEAR OF THE DEVIL" and now I have a compulsion and it's like a call and response every time the year 1666 (or indeed the number 1,666) is mentioned

[@moortak]

Guam was probably a pretty direct historic reference. When we did the evacuations in Vietnam we set up processing centers in Guam. Get people to safety first, then do the paperwork.

[@slugnoid]

problem with flying them to guam is I can easily see the US gov not letting them continue on to the mainland, and then you've just got this giant island internment camp in the pacific like us aussies have at nauru. then again i suppose its better than leaving them on the runway at kabul

[@grmpEqweer]

@@slugnoid ...Not great, but better than being shot at. A tropical vacation except you can't leave. 🙄

[@AsbestosMuffins]

Unfortunately since then immigration has only gotten harder to the point that it takes a fucking crisis like the government absolutely collapsing to finally do what we ought to have done years ago without every right wing politician claiming open border bullshit

[@johannageisel5390]

"Get people to safety first, then do the paperwork." Please tell that to the German government!

[@FakeSchrodingersCat]

@@johannageisel5390 That is what Germany is doing they just don't have a bunch of islands so the "Reception Centers" are set up in the country. But the refugees spend around 18 months being vetted before they are allowed to leave and find accommodation elsewhere.

[@fingerless6568]

somewhat annoyed that Alice attributed Phantom Time hypothesis to Gary Kasparov when he actually ascribed to the infinitely more insane Fomenko's New Chronology, which uses crank mathematics to definitively prove the Great Pyramid of Giza was built in 1100 AD

[@svezhiepyatki]

It also uses some ridiculous linguistics too.

[@nicktorrid]

M.S, Ph.D, Crank Mathematics

[@max_bikeroom]

No, it definitely proves that the mainstream chronology is a conspiracy to hide the existence of a Russian empire spanning Europe, and also Jesus was born in Crimea around 1050 AD.

[@noahnoah2747]

@@max_bikeroom that does seem like proof..

[@eyezuel5307]

Garry Kasparov, chess himself?

[@neurosismancer]

This episode reminded me of an argument I got into on Reddit many years ago with a hedge fund douchebag who wanted to privatize fire departments because competition makes efficiency or something like that.

[@kadenstimpson3167]

Civic virtue and responsibility are lost on those types. I find that sometimes, the people who are the most against governance, are those whose behaviors give government a damn good reason to exist.

[@jamiekamihachi3135]

Because I want my emergency services to be as reliable and easy to work with as Comcast.

[@platedlizard]

Ah, the historical method of firefighting. Because that worked so well

[@neurosismancer]

@@platedlizard That's what I told him!

[@meganegan5992]

That motherfucker would've *loved* Crassus.

[@lucam1926]

Have to correct Alice, Crassus was dead long before the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. His death due to a horrifically bungled attempt to invade Parthia was what lead to the breakdown of the triumvirate and eventual rise to lifetime dictator Caesar. He was definitely a dick to people suffering from fires though.

[@nicjobro_4653]

The conspirator's name is Cassius.

[@TheRealColBosch]

@@nicjobro_4653 To be fair, the Ancient Romans only had like eight names and everyone used all of them.

[@deeznoots6241]

@@TheRealColBosch the Romans had eight Guys except they called them Gaius’s

[@Vashtanerada477]

I’m a huge fan of Roman history and have read so many different primary sources with insanely differing biases, as well as tons of fiction set in Rome with just as many differing biases and perspectives, and not once have I ever read a favorable representation of Crassus, contemporary or historical. Dude was hated by fucking everyone.

[@slowburgundyy574]

@@nicjobro_4653 you’d think they’re related but no the guy called his son Publius. One of the few guys not named Gaius or Tiberius and yet it’s somehow even neekier

[@deanh6979]

I was really hoping for "What is Fire"?

[@patricklynch9574]

Is it bad that horrible disaster podcasts with slides is highlight of my week.🤣 love you guys

[@abredolflincler1423]

If it’s been like that for a long time then yeah it is bad

[@Fox-419]

where are the slides?!

[@danielludwig647]

That picture from the Cuomo segment has massive Resident Evil 7 vibes. We are all at dinner under duress, getting eerie stares from entire family.

[@HelixFlame33]

Liam sounds like he's having a real good time in the beginninng here. Hope that holds up well. Yay Liam! Yay Podcast!

[@Marc-ny6mg]

YAY LIAM

[@mavretania6130]

YAY LIAM

[@chickenintrousers6723]

YAY LIAM

[@napalmholocaust9093]

I know you mention the tin roof, but think about it for a second, all the lead ones too. In a fire it is pouring off eves and all sides of the place. Even running down the street in a river of molten metal. A roof could have many thousands of pounds in metal that's basically solder.

[@joearnold6881]

Liam sounds like he’s been actually _living_ his Lions Led By Donkeys episodes, like he flew in a nazi-melting rocket plane (which it seems also melts anarchists) all the way to the Aleutian Islands, which is clearly where he’s vacationing. (Liam’s great on that show, which was already a great show to begin with. Everyone go listen. Yay, Liam!)

[@Marc-ny6mg]

YAY LIAM

[@xmlthegreat]

Which episode? I'm listening to Kill James Bond first but LLBD is next.

[@joearnold6881]

@@xmlthegreat he’s been on most of them over the past few months. It seems like it might be his steady gig now

[@rytedas]

@@xmlthegreat I think his first appreance was in the Mk.14 Torpedo episode and afterwards he basically became the second co-host.

[@Jablicek]

Pepys, being such a prolific diarist, also tells us that as the fire was approaching his house he buried an entire parmesan in his garden to save it. Brilliant stuff.

[@deeznoots6241]

Man knew his priorities

[@MJHT666]

Wonder if he ever dug it up or is it waiting to sprout into a beautiful cheese tree?

[@grahamrichardson9620]

Goddammit, I was expecting an episode on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge! :(

[@Randomstuffs261]

They keep bamboozling us, those charlatans

[@gabsrants]

Charlie Browned again.

[@NorthEast-Keegan]

Naa, that's next week.

[@tipperzack]

Hack frauds

[@1121494]

Next week, as they said!

[@peterpanda5069]

Oh thank Alice’s giant projected face, I’ve been hitting refresh all week.

[@ashleyfurrow4414]

Thank you podcasters!

[@falloutghoul1]

Someone throw and Apple computer at the screen!

[@TheMaestroso]

That safety third had me doing the Joseph Joestar "OH NO!" several times before it even got to the bad stuff, so props to the submitter for that wild ride

[@lyndonwesthaven6623]

Be fair, Joseph's only complaint with that scenario would be that he couldn't simultaneously be the guy piloting the helicopter and the guy using the power saw

[@unitimmy]

As a teen I once sat in on an 8 hour firefighting training seminar. They outright say that guys who work on ladder trucks just want to break things. I also learned how to tell when I shouldn’t walk into a burning building based on how hot the smoke looks.

[@DAFLIDMAN]

Cool, wanna explain the smoke thing? Sounds interesting.

[@unitimmy]

@@DAFLIDMAN the class was about “reading smoke”. One of the dangers to firefighters is called Flashover, where after you’ve entered in your fire suit and start fucking shit up you find that the fire is now behind you and shits all bad. Basically the smoke is hot and oxygen starved, so when it gets to the outside it autoignites. You can gauge how hot some smoke is by how energetic it appears, so if it is a laminar flow (moving in one direction smoothly) risk is lower than if it is a turbulent flow, because that suggests much hotter smoke. This all absolutely doesn’t apply if you don’t have a firefighter suit with oxygen tank, do not rush into burning buildings because I said it’s relatively safer in some cases

[@DAFLIDMAN]

@@unitimmy cool, well you learn something new every day, thanks bro. Hopefully it's something I never have to practically use.

[@unitimmy]

@@DAFLIDMAN no you cannot ever practically use this. This stuff would only apply if you have a fire suit with breathing apparatus. The smoke involved in house fires is frequently north of 400°F If you tried to make your way through either type of smoke your lungs will be cooked in moments. Firefighters use this sorta info to determine if they’ll be killed entering with all their equipment, or if breaking some windows would be a good or bad idea.

[@DAFLIDMAN]

@@unitimmy duly noted, don't worry I won't be going into any burning buildings.

[@kyle-silver]

Very excited to see how we learned from this as a society to keep out of control urban fires from ever happening again

[@AnEnemy100]

That would make Grenfell a controlled fire.

[@psychic_beth]

Grenfell was a hologram created by Big Podcasting to sell more podcasts on engineering disasters

[@blackvulture6818]

@@AnEnemy100 The exterior cladding was laced with nano thermite

[@hjt091]

@@AnEnemy100 I mean, the entirety of Kensington didn't burn down

[@km5405]

*foreshadowing*

[@toryr8532]

"vexollogical shitpost" is my new band name, thank you

[@OldManDerwent]

Really hoping to hear about Samuel Pepys freaking out upon seeing the fire and, rather than trying to help anybody, burying his massive parmesan cheese.

[@ashleyfurrow4414]

That’s helping

[@davidwright7193]

Well it is more respectable than being caught by his wife fisting a serving maid…

[@HarryS77]

@@davidwright7193 "...and indeed, I was with my main in her cunny." Why aren't those excerpts included in the college survey courses?

[@deeznoots6241]

lol Alice describing the anglo-Dutch wars as ‘light piracy’ Meanwhile the wars had like 10+ massive naval battles in the English channel and north sea

[@dejjal8683]

Didn't the Dutch kicks some English ass during those battles too?

[@dejjal8683]

@@danieleyre8913 Battle of Dungeness, Battle of Leghorn, Four Days Battle and the Raid on the Medway?

[@davidwright7193]

@@danieleyre8913 The battle of Leghorn was in the med off Livorno not in the channel or North Sea

[@deeznoots6241]

@@danieleyre8913 uhh no offense but those you cite as English kicking the Dutch ass have similar results as the ones you think are not the dutch kicking English ass Like seems a bit hypocritical to me tbh, the anglo-dutch wars were strategically an English victory overall but the Dutch certainly did get their kicks in, ultimately though it was heavily in Englands favour, even if you disregard the English superiority in manpower and industrial capacity the Dutch were limited to smaller ships due to their shallow waters and ultimately the bigger ships always win

[@marcsimard2723]

@@danieleyre8913 imagine resting one’s national identity on whether the Dutch did or didn’t get the upperhand…🙄

[@FreeRadicalX]

It's good to hear Liam participating and talking more on this, even if he is completely blasted. Was getting worried about him. You've got fans, Liam.

[@Alevuss92]

The local history museum in my hometown has a 1854 fire engine on display and it is wild. It is called "The Young Mechanic" and on the front end of it is a painting - in poor condition - of Nike the Goddess of Speed.

[@Jerthanis]

When you're talking about how much firefighters like breaking shit, it makes me think that people who love seeing objects being destroyed become either arsonists or firefighters, people who love seeing human bodies being hurt become cops or serial killers.

[@fireballninja01]

there's quite a bit of overlap between cops and serial killers, even jack the ripper was most likely a cop, and others are easier to prove

[@Soladrin]

As a Dutchman I have to say. I wish we were the one setting this fire.

[@tompain9735]

You had your chance at the Medway.

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

I am glad the Germans stole all your bikes.

[@bavtie1]

@@himoffthequakeroatbox4320 _you take that back, sir_

[@dylanchouinard6141]

A slight correction: Crassus was not a member of the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar, he was a member of Caesar’s alliance called the First Triumvirate. He was defeated trying to conquer Persia and was executed by the Shahanshah by having molten gold being poured down his throat Edit: also why are they attacking the Dutch for being Catholic? I thought the Dutch were Protestant at this time

[@mmmhorsesteaks]

As far as I can see; the Dutch were royalists while the English were under Cromwell and decapitated the king; while the English were pissy about the Dutch out-merchanting them? Something like that anyway.

[@dylanchouinard6141]

@@mmmhorsesteaks So it’s an economic issue that the rich disguise as a religious issue? Why am I not surprised?

[@anxiousandworrying1]

@@mmmhorsesteaks nah mate the didn't dutch became a monarchy till after the napoleonic wars, the dutch royal fammily was orginaly just the princes of orange and held the title of stadtholder within a dutch republic, it was basicaly the exact same set up and the english had undercromwell but with more fedralism.

[@mmmhorsesteaks]

@@anxiousandworrying1 oh I just skimmed the wiki: "Cromwell feared the influence of both the Orangist faction at home and English royalists exiled to the Republic; the Stadtholders had supported the Stuart monarchs-William II of Orange had married the daughter of Charles I of England in 1641-and they abhorred the trial and execution of Charles I." As an aside; the stadthouder was a prince, de facto head of state, and the position was inherited. My dude, that's a king in all but name.

[@anxiousandworrying1]

@@mmmhorsesteaks As opposed to Lord Protector that was totaly diffrent. Also there were two periods (1650-1672 and 1702 -1747) when the majority of the Dutch provinces just decided not to declare the Princes of Orange their stadtholder (technically it was 7 different positions) when Orange family had annoyed enough powerful people, they only start to get realy defacto king after that. About half the Anglo Dutch wars were started when the House of Orange was at it’s nadir and other figures were calling the shots.

[@joearnold6881]

Nobody tell Alice she mixed up by including the “Glorious Revolution” (that name,🙄) with the Restoration.

[@CraftsmanOfAwsomenes]

The ECW was also 3 wars, with Charles getting beheaded not the original goal.

[@ClaudiaNW]

Scots call it the Killing Time!

[@LucasL512]

I've been saying I'M ANDREW CUOMO in Ross voice to myself since the news dropped and you can't stop me

[@devinfaux6987]

Every time you guys say "popery" my brain insists on interpreting it as "potpourri."

[@danielkorladis7869]

Imagine doing so badly at a job interview that not only do you not get the job, you get thrown in prison.

[@portugueseeagle8851]

Please talk one day about the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. It would make a great episode!

[@floraposteschild4184]

Yes! A natural disaster, true, but whatever man could do wrong, they did do wrong.

[@mysteryshrimp]

The birth of modern atheism.

[@portugueseeagle8851]

@@mysteryshrimp and of anti-sysmic building

[@misterakachan]

25:47 Uhhhhh, actually, Alice, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 was separate from the Restoration of 1660; the latter being the return of the Stuarts, and the Glorious Revolution being the deathblow against the Catholic Stuarts by the English nobles and King James II's son-in-law, the Dutch Stadtholder Prince William III. Billy promptly embraced and promoted traditions of fighting Irish Catholics, French Catholics, and some harmless Christmas ones.

[@alpani6805]

I'm from Normandy and one of my ancestors was in London at the time of the fire, doing some merchant shit. He tells the story in a really harrowing letter, hard to read. The poor guy even lost his lighter just earlier that day selling some flour, dude just couldn't catch a break

[@catstorm26]

Is the letter available online? If not you should put it up on somewhere like the Internet Archive. I'm sure it would be a fun read.

[@raycearcher5794]

There is NO WAY 5 Italians are eating that little spaghetti, something's going on here

[@AlRoderick]

“We were somewhere around on the edge of the when the began to take hold.”

[@RiflemanIII]

The "tear building down" method of firefighting was pretty old, though the Roman Vigiles had siege artillery on hand to speed the process.

[@atariboy9084]

Only six died... On Sunday, September 2, 1666, London caught on fire. The city burned through Wednesday, and the fire-now known as The Great Fire of London-destroyed the homes of 70,000 out of the 80,000 inhabitants of the city. But for all that fire, the traditional death toll reported is extraordinarily low: just six verified deaths.

[@AlanCanon2222]

Loved Alice's invoking of "Just a Minute". Hesitation, deviation, or repetition!

[@JackABeyer]

4:23 - Liam: Should I start drinking scotch now or later? Alice (immediately): now Roz: yeah, i guess now ❤️

[@jamespocelinko104]

When Roz asked what London is, all I could think of was a line from this British KZbin series called Bad Creepypasta: "It's really fucking old, and over that time it's grown really fucking big!"

[@Olyvia..]

It’s roz btw

[@MJHT666]

I love the great heap of Old English surnames in this episode. Also yay Liam for booing Cromwell and yay Alice for mispronouncing Drogheda in a way I never thought possible.

[@floraposteschild4184]

It's DRO - huh - duh, correct? Close? Sometimes I think the purpose of Irish spelling is to confuse the English.

[@MJHT666]

@@floraposteschild4184 It honestly can vary, I typically say like Draw-heh-da, but I've heard things closer to Draw-huh-de, Funnily the G which trips people up the most does nothing, and wasn't even present in the original Irish name.

[@erikawhelan4673]

The Restoration and the Glorious Revolution were two different things. The Restoration was Charles II being put on the throne (restoring the monarchy) and the Glorious Revolution was James II (Charles' son) being kicked off the throne in favor of William of Orange and Mary (James' daughter) because James was a Catholic, had a Catholic heir, excluded Mary from the succession, and he tried to break the power of the Church of England, which was interpreted as an attempt to re-impose Catholicism.

[@deeznoots6241]

Just a reminder that the Communist Afghanistan lasted longer after the USSR pulled out than the Capitalist Afghanistan did when the US pulled out

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Because unlike the US-backed regime, the Communist-ish regime actually had an indigenous political/intellectual tradition of Marxism that was propped up by - but not directly exported by - its international benefactor. There was a divide between the urban populations and rural ones which provided a trickle of reliable soldiers amongst a torrent of conscripts with no love or loyalty to the regime. This worked in tandem with increasing infighting amongst Mujahideen and other militia/tribal actors, and a sentiment among these factions of “let the others fight the regime while we conserve our strength for the more important fighting afterwards.” This helped sustain the regime for a few years after the Soviets finally kicked rocks. It’s not too dissimilar to what happened in South Vietnam after 71, but life is too short for any more comparisons between these two conflicts. There’s been a lot of that already. Hey, Vietnam invaded Cambodia, yeeted out Pol Pot, and subsequently got invaded by China. So that’s pretty wacky. I think Vietnam only finally pulled troops out of Cambodia in 89. Started in like 78. Botched occupations and foreign misadventures must be contagious or something. Anyway, yeah there was no tradition of indigenous neo-liberal horseshit in Afghanistan so the US has only been propping up what is essentially the world’s first true mercenary state. Politicians, government workers, soldiers, commanders, police, etc would stick around as long as they’re paid but they wont die for your weird cause if they can do just about anything else instead. I respect the grind despite being the ones who got fleeced for twenty years as a result. They didn’t start the grift and I too would skim off the top were I in their shoes.

[@alfalafelstine1536]

@@fuzzydunlop7928 They still received a ton of Soviet support after they officially pulled out. From the collapse of the USSR to the fall of Kabul was only 7 months.

[@HeadsFullOfEyeballs]

@@alfalafelstine1536 Right, so they lasted longer and received more support even though their Soviet benefactors were going through an apocalyptic crisis of their own.

[@joshuasutherland6692]

I had a vision that today would be a good day becaude WTYP would upload an episode. They did and my day has been abysmal because of it. Thank you.

[@josefblack]

"It is visually repulsive!" is the most emotion we've gotten out of Roz in a while.

[@distaffpope2603]

Most since RBG died

[@huntermorgan4201]

insert meme of the soldier shielding a small child from knives and bombs, and it's Roz protecting us from egregiously bad city planning

[@25usd94]

I love a good cold open with calls for premeditated [HAVING A NICE TIME]

[@FakeSchrodingersCat]

The thing to remember with the idea that Charles started the Dutch Anglo war to put off rumors that he was Catholic was that the Dutch were Protestant. He got credit for fighting the Dutch because they are foreign but it didn't help him on the religion front.

[@nitehawk86]

When I saw the James Bond movie where they had the helicopter mounted tree trimer circular saw thing, I was sure it was fake. Years later I saw one flying over central Pennsylvania. Central Pennsylvania is a dangerous lawless place.

[@FerretKibble]

Re trying to carry things away from the fire: remember that ordinary people had no bank account, no insurance on household or trade items - losing your household contents could leave you destitute.

[@xdtechniker2554]

I watch your podcasts for about two weeks now and in general very enjoyable. Soon I realised that I am also always exited for the weird men on the internet being annoyed by you stating your pronouns. And then being told to f-off. Always delightful. Continue the good work.

[@ViolentOrchid]

"Show up and just try to get in." Ah, they've reached the point of creating their own content for another crush episode.

[@AllenSJ5]

32:00 “we don’t really do this anymore because we have just -in-time logistics which works really well” Oof.

[@thomasgiles2876]

Who'd have thought in the era of lamp light, potpourri would cause a fire. Or am I missing something...

[@peterpanda5069]

I kept hearing this too. That knavish pot pourri!

[@ClaudiaNW]

As Alexander Pope said of the Monument: "Where London's column, pointing at the skies Like a tall bully, lifts its head and lies."

[@TheAtombomb1995]

Yay Alice!

[@storeswallah]

This episode made me want to bury my parmesan cheese in the garden.

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

Good idea. Not so sure about digging it up again after.

[@napalmholocaust9093]

The monument was designed and used also as a telescope. It has lens setting holes up in the urn and another going to the basement observatory through the main floor.

[@oafhauohguoihgakds5151]

Crassus died like a decade before ceasar, no way he was involved in the assasination.

[@grmpEqweer]

Zombie Crassus.

[@wdavem]

I love that helicopter story 'shake hands with danger'. Respect to all the pilots who work on those lines!

[@nightw4tchman]

18:08 For any Americans watching, this is an accurate depiction and description (by Alice) of London/ the UK. I'm not being sarcastic or joking.

[@JohnnyZenith]

I really really really really really really really really really really wish they'd rebuild London bridge with all the buildings and churches now, only with excellent fire protection and no open ovens.

[@kenjisakaie6028]

Liam, it think you meant CH-47s, but afghan civilians boarding a fleet of DC-3s as the Bridge Too Far theme song plays in the background sounds good to me.

[@TheInternetBanana]

We (the Dutch) still have the back of the British flagship we stole from the Thames (we couldn't be bothered with the upkeep at some point so only the back).

[@mysteryshrimp]

Yay, Liam!

[@Theoddert]

Charles II, turning away from the burning city "Lo, I mearly insinuate that thous't has shit the bricks AFTER thous't has doubt'd the devine right of kings. Makest thou think."

[@scarylion1roar]

The Cereal Café men look like Peter Brown action figures you'd get from Pound World

[@Dantyx1]

We finally get Alice's backstory episode. When is WTYPP going on a beach episode?

[@mysteryshrimp]

Every episode is a beach episode in this anime.

[@GodzThirdLeg]

Tournament arc when?

[@timothystamm3200]

Arguably with were Liam wae this was the beach episode.

[@ewanhogg3068]

@@GodzThirdLeg The Tournament Arc is just Liam versus the Dutch. ALL OF THEM.

[@Kelastris]

Hi! I think you should do an episode on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge disaster! I think it would be a really fun topic to cover!!

[@coolmikefromcanada]

everything before 1870 happened at the same time, oh good i always get confused why napoleon didn't send troops to aid the American revolution

[@mysteryshrimp]

They ran out of Greek Fire.

[@snigwithasword1284]

You know an episode's good when it starts with a woodcut scene from Hell!

[@Splattle101]

Excellent stuff, as usual. @ Alice, the 'Glorious Revolution' wasn't the restoration of the Stuarts (Charles II). It was when they parachuted the Dutch fella in: William of Orange, sound Protestantism and an end to Popery. Huzzah, and pass the porto!

[@WurdBendur]

I have heard that the floors overhang because the weight of the wall balances the weight of the floor and keeps it from sagging in the middle.

[@kirinokousaka7638]

Podcast and coffee. Best way to start the day.

[@thomaspalazzolo5902]

A suggestion for a possible future episode: The Hartford Circus Fire of 1944.

[@NPC45100]

Somewhere in this episode was my activation phrase. I am now walking directly towards the Pope with a kitchen knife; I can't control my body please help

[@frigateall5035]

Someone wished for the Amercan war in Afghanistan to end on a monkey's paw.

[@maybemablemaples2144]

Better we end it now.

[@sakomeow]

did y'all ever release the ye olde NTSB windbreaker? i would also be interested in a WTYP windbreaker in the NTSB one

[@mylesbarrett2031]

RIP Liam's Liver. It's valiant service will not be forgotten.

[@GaldirEonai]

"Italian Malcolm X" managed to be offensive to absolutely _everybody_ all at once. That takes genuine skill :D.

[@ClaudiaNW]

London was long known for its flammability. I believe a chronicler in 1169 said that London's two problems were "the immoderate drinking of fools and the frequency of fires."

[@MatthewCobalt]

I swear to god, if our world becomes a game of Command & Conquer: Generals...

[@brodaciousmax8025]

2 best lines in todays pod. A woman can piss it out and secret catholic. Love it

[@DeleteriousEffect]

It's OK, I didn't catch the date printed on the first slide either. But that was because I was distracted and confused by the steam powered firefighting boat in the center of the picture. As well as the two other even more obviously steam powered ships on the periphery.

[@whoever6458]

A couple years ago, they strung a new set of power lines near my house and there was actually a person hanging beneath the helicopter guiding the wires onto the poles. The only reason I took notice of this was because I was asleep when these helicopters woke me up. I figured it was the police doing something stupid with their helicopter but, when it just wouldn't go away, I went to look to see what sort of extra stupid thing the police were doing with one of their helicopters. That's when I discovered that even stupider things can be done with helicopters and the only reason I know there was a person hanging from the bottom of the helicopter is that I looked through my bird watching binoculars to see exactly what sort of stupid thing was going on. All credit to the pilots of those helicopters because that required some impressive precision in hovering, especially since there was quite a cross wind on a couple of days in which they were doing this. Also credit to whoever was hanging below the helicopter because that has to be the most dangerous job in all of this. I hope all people involved in this are paid extremely well because there are quite a number of ways I can see immediately in which this sort of thing could go terribly wrong.

[@pscwplb]

"We have just in time logistics that works really well" Hahahahahahahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[@stockie_uk]

I had to stop at 32:00 when you said "just in time logistics works really well" as I burst out laughing.

[@ryane3703]

The way Alice pronounced drogheda made me literally spit out my drink

[@10-AMPM-01]

7:00 That was perhaps a flippant comment about how easy it would be to hold the airport for refugees. The airport cannot be held without securing the city, the surrounding area around the city, and the immediate flightpath of incoming and outgoing aircraft, including a holding area. The Taliban can shoot down aircraft, launch mortars into the airport, and prevent refugees from reaching the airport. It's not easy to hold an airport from a hostile army...

[@АзаматСулейменов-ш4р]

But would the Taliban attack. The US is doing what the Taliban want - leaving. I would actually expect the enemy's of the Taliban attack US planes and make it look like the Taliban did it to force Biden to reverse pulling out in order to not look weak.

[@embersaffron5522]

Yay Liam!

[@ashleyfurrow4414]

YAY

[@pamdemonia]

Butterscotch Krimpets are my favorite and now I want some but can't get them here on the left side of the USA. Thanks!

[@OriginalPineapplesFoster]

Did you know there's an actual computer mouse designed as one of these snacks? LGR reviewed it (along with a couple other oddly-styled mice) relatively recently. He even went out and bought the cakes for comparison. Also being from the wrong coast, this was the first I'd ever heard of them. 🍰🍍