Episode #071613: How Building Implosions Work

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When you need to take down a 20-story building, a wrecking ball won't do. Instead, you'll need to turn to the handful of companies in the world that are capable of safely and successfully bringing down a building by blowing it up.

AI Summary

Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating world of controlled building demolitions, exploring how engineers bring down massive structures safely using carefully timed explosives. They break down the intricate process from studying blueprints to placing charges, explaining why some buildings implode inward while others fall to the side, and what makes this such a specialized field with only about 20 major companies worldwide. The hosts also share some surprising trivia about what medical procedures are still being used today and get sidetracked with their usual entertaining tangents about everything from Detroit architecture to old TV commercials.

Movies Discussed

Heathers

1989 1h 43m

★ 7.3

"In Heather's, I think the dad was an implosion expert and killed the mother that way, right? — Josh mentions Heathers when discussing the danger of people being trapped in buildings about to be demolished." — Josh

Magnum, P.I.

1980

★ 7.3

"There's a riveting Magnum PI episode where Magnum and Higgins are in, not only in a building that's about to be demolished, trapped in an elevator — Josh recalls a tense episode where the main characters were trapped in an elevator in a building about to be demolished." — Josh

The Silence of the Lambs

1991 1h 59m

★ 8.3

"Anybody who's seen Silence of the Lambs at the end when Jody Foster is being approached by Buffalo Bill — Josh references the film to explain the high-pitched sound of a camera flash charging, comparing it to electrical detonator charging." — Josh

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