Podcast Summary: Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities – “Pew Pew”

Host: Aaron Mahnke
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild
Episode Date: January 20, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Aaron Mahnke shares two engaging stories:

1. The mysterious mass fainting incident at the Hollinwell Show in England, an event shrouded in conflicting theories and official denials.
2. The heroic actions of two American medics in Normandy during D-Day, whose bravery and compassion saved lives on both sides of the battlefield.

The episode skillfully explores history’s uncanny mysteries and moments of humanity, blending unsettling phenomena with tales of hope and courage.

Story 1: The Hollinwell Incident – Mass Fainting at a Children’s Marching Band Event

(00:40 – 06:49)

Key Discussion Points and Insights

• Medical Curiosity:

  • Begins with a lesson: “Syncope is the medical term for the temporary loss of consciousness that comes from a sudden drop in blood flow to the brain. So for laymen, it’s fainting…” (00:40)
  • Usually caused by mundane explanations like dehydration or sugar, but sometimes signals more alarming situations.

• The Hollinwell Show:

  • In Nottinghamshire, England, children gather for a competitive marching band event.
  • Before the day’s contest can begin, numerous kids experience alarming symptoms: sore throats, dizziness, nausea, burning eyes, chest pain, weakness, and mass fainting.
  • “Children began to collapse left and right. Those who could leave on foot did so, but many left in ambulances, which arrived in droves.” (02:07)

• Immediate Panic & Misdirection:

  • Organizers speculate about causes—food, water, pesticides. Ice cream is urgently banned among attendees.
  • Local hospitals overwhelmed: “Nearly 300 out of the 500 present at the event needing to be admitted for their symptoms.” (02:43)

• Official Investigations & Public Suspicion:

  • Joint inquiry by council and police rules out food or environmental poisoning, calls it “mass hysteria” or “mass psychogenic illness.” (03:09)
  • Families contest this, especially as some children fell ill hours later.
  • “The council’s investigation was not nearly as thorough as it could have been before making their conclusions.” (03:26)

• Conflicting Theories:

  • Later studies support or challenge the official line:
    • University of Nottingham: agrees, perhaps triggers from pesticide smell agitated by foot traffic.
    • Nottingham Trent University: proposes cleaning chemicals as possible cause.
    • Forensic Science Department’s John Wright: suggests a “noxious combination of chemicals… bleach and ammonia coming from the portable toilets a mere 20 yards from where the band members were standing.” (04:12)
    • These chemicals combine to form chlorine gas, a banned chemical warfare agent.

• Continuing Mystery:

  • The “Hollinwell Incident” or “All Fall Down”—still unsolved, debated by internet theorists, ranging from radio wave interference to aliens. Officials consider it closed.
  • “We may never know the true cause of the chaos that rocked that music event on that bright July morning. And that. Well, I think that’s curious.” (06:33)

Notable Quotes

• “Children began to collapse left and right. Those who could leave on foot did so, but many left in ambulances, which arrived in droves.” (02:07)
• “It may have been a noxious combination of chemicals used to clean the toilets.” (04:11)
• “When you do, ammonia and bleach form chlorine gas, a dangerous chemical agent that in small doses causes irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, and in higher doses, causes death by asphyxiation.” (04:24)
• “We may never know the true cause of the chaos that rocked that music event on that bright July morning. And that. Well, I think that’s curious.” (06:33)

Story 2: Medics Under Fire – Heroism in Normandy

(06:50 – 10:14)

Key Discussion Points and Insights

• Setting the Stage – D-Day:

  • “Kenneth Moore hurtled through the skies over Nazi-occupied France. It was the morning of June 6th, 1944, just before dawn.” (06:50)
  • Kenneth Moore, a combat medic, parachutes in with the mission to seek a building for a field hospital.

• Unexpected Challenges:

  • Carries a grenade for self-defense despite medical neutrality; nearly throws it at a bear after landing. Not knowing what to do, he drops the live grenade down a stone well. (07:37)

• Finding Sanctuary:

  • Moore discovers a church already marked with the Red Cross; his colleague Robert Wright has set up inside.
  • “Inside, Kenneth found his friend Robert Wright, already busy rearranging the pews and laying out supplies. They didn’t have much, just what they brought with them in their packs.” (08:16)

• Field Hospital in a Warzone:

  • Soldiers—American and German—stream in for medical aid. Medics treat all comers, regardless of uniform.
  • “Their only rule was that no one could bring a weapon inside the church.” (08:38)
  • Under constant threat: bombs and bullets fly, and a shell crashes through the roof. Wright heroically throws it out before it can detonate.

• Compassion Across Enemy Lines:

  • When Nazis reclaim the area, the intimidating commander surveys the medics’ work. He silently approves after noting Germans among the wounded.
  • “He nodded to them with approval. It was the only sign they would get that they could continue to do their work.” (09:29)

• Lasting Legacy:

  • Kenneth and Robert provide relentless care without rest for three days.
  • The Allies eventually win, and both men move on.
  • Present-day Normandy: the church at Angoville-au-Plain features stained glass images honoring Moore and Wright, rather than saints.
  • “Appropriately, these two men were awarded Silver Stars and Purple Hearts vicariously without ever firing or receiving a shot. But if anything, that made them even greater heroes.” (10:04)

Notable Quotes

• “Their only rule was that no one could bring a weapon inside the church.” (08:38)
• “Appropriately, these two men were awarded Silver Stars and Purple Hearts vicariously without ever firing or receiving a shot. But if anything, that made them even greater heroes.” (10:04)

Memorable Moments & Tone

• The episode balances eerie, unresolved mysteries (Hollinwell’s mass fainting) with deeply hopeful, human acts (Normandy medics).
• Mahnke’s narration underscores the strangeness and unpredictability of history—sometimes unsettling, sometimes uplifting.
• Key takeaways: The world remains a cabinet stuffed with the inexplicable and the inspiring.

Important Timestamps

• [00:40] – Introduction to syncope, Hollinwell Incident story begins
• [02:07] – Mass fainting chaos described
• [04:11] – Alternate theories involving chemical exposure
• [06:33] – Story closes with ongoing mystery
• [06:50] – D-Day medic story begins
• [08:38] – Compassion for all wounded, weapons banned inside church
• [10:04] – Legacy of medics in Normandy honored

Conclusion

Aaron Mahnke’s “Pew Pew” episode is packed with remarkable true tales—one chillingly ambiguous, the other powerfully redemptive. Both stories leave listeners awed by the endless oddities and profound heroics lurking in history’s cabinet of curiosities.