Problem Solving

Summary

Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities

Episode: Problem Solving (April 9, 2026)

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Episode Overview

In this installment of Cabinet of Curiosities, Aaron Mahnke delves into history’s most imaginative and unusual attempts at problem solving. Through two fascinating tales—one featuring a world-famous magician under CIA scrutiny, the other a disastrous government experiment involving a beached whale—Mahnke explores how solutions can sometimes be as bizarre as the problems they address.

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Key Discussions & Insights

1. The CIA, Uri Geller & Psychic Experiments (00:39–04:50)

Main Points

• In 1973, the Stanford Research Institute, sponsored by the CIA, brought renowned magician Uri Geller to test his supposed psychic abilities.
• Geller underwent a series of experiments in a secure, shielded room, attempting to “see” drawings pasted on the outside of the room by scientists.
• Geller’s results were astonishing: he repeatedly reproduced the secret images with near-perfection, shocking the researchers.
• These successful tests spurred the CIA’s larger foray into paranormal research, notably the Stargate Project.
• Geller claimed further involvement in CIA missions, such as erasing data with his mind and telepathically convincing figures in political negotiations.
• Ultimately, the CIA concluded that psychic powers, while intriguing, weren’t reliable enough for intelligence work—the Stargate Project closed in 1995.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Aaron Mahnke [01:47]:
  “To his absolute shock, the test subject had drawn a sketch of a bunch of grapes almost identical to the picture the scientist had drawn moments earlier.”
• Aaron Mahnke [03:00]:
  “And to this day, no one has been able to explain how Uri Geller was apparently able to read through walls.”

Key Timestamped Segments

• 00:39 — Introduction to magic, science, and the unexplained
• 01:10 — Uri Geller’s arrival at the Stanford lab
• 01:35 — The controlled experimental procedure
• 02:15 — Geller’s astonishingly accurate sketch of grapes
• 03:15 — CIA’s expanded interest and the Stargate Project
• 03:58 — The winding down of psychic espionage research
• 04:44 — Reflection: Magic as the unexplained future

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2. The Exploding Whale of Florence, Oregon (06:38–11:01)

Main Points

• Disposing of a whale carcass is a logistical horror—methods include towing, burying, or, in desperate moments, explosions.
• In November 1970, an eight-ton sperm whale beached itself near Florence, Oregon. Lacking equipment, and with the decomposing whale swelling dangerously, highway officials opted to blow up the carcass with TNT.
• The plan backfired spectacularly: The explosion sent chunks of blubber flying hundreds of feet, injuring cars and sending horrified onlookers running.
• The farcical disaster became instantly infamous after local news captured it all on camera. It forced a reevaluation of public safety, communication, and official protocols in Oregon and beyond.
• Key lessons included the critical importance of preparation, clear communication, and expert consultation during emergency response.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Aaron Mahnke [07:35]:
  “Oregon officials contacted the Navy to ask for guidance concerning a controlled explosion meant to simply break the creature up and scatter it at sea. At least, that was the logic.”
• Aaron Mahnke [08:07]:
  “It was a massacre. Chunks of whale were hurled 100 feet into the air. Sand, bone, rotting flesh and blubber became dangerous projectiles.”
• Aaron Mahnke [10:14]:
  “The curious story of the Florence, Oregon whale… shows us how a single dramatic event can reshape a government’s system of dealing with problems—even the ones that are the most absurd.”

Key Timestamped Segments

• 06:38 — Opening: Dealing with unusual carcasses
• 07:14 — The whale washes ashore and swells with gases
• 07:51 — Decision to use TNT; failed consultation; the setup
• 08:04 — The explosive disaster: blubber and chaos
• 09:30 — Public reaction and media coverage
• 09:51 — The policy changes that followed
• 10:14 — Reflection on learning from catastrophe

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Memorable Moments & Reflections

• The episode artfully tracks humanity’s limits and creative missteps: from bending reality in a CIA lab to showering a community in whale innards. Through dry wit and vivid detail, Mahnke underscores the unpredictability of problem solving.
• On the CIA experiments, Mahnke captures the intrigue and lingering mystery of “magic” that science can’t yet explain.
• The whale incident is presented with wry humor and an eye for the ridiculous, but ends on a note of institutional growth and learning.

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Conclusion

Aaron Mahnke’s episode “Problem Solving” is a brisk, amusing, and strangely inspiring tour through humanity’s strangest attempts at resolving the unresolvable. Both tales capture how bold action—whether inspired or ill-conceived—can lead to transformative lessons.

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For more strange and compelling stories, explore the complete Cabinet of Curiosities archives or get the official book. Stay curious!

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

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This show is sponsored by American Public University. The future won't wait and neither should you. That's why American Public University offers Master's programs designed for momentum, affordable, high quality and flexible. So you keep moving forward with career relevant programs in business, healthcare, education, it and more. You can gain skills you can use right away and and the confidence to power your next move. American Public University made for what's next. Learn more at apu. Apus. Edu.

[Erin Menke]

Welcome to Erin Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild. Our world is full of the unexplainable and if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. A good magic show will leave you wondering how the magician pulled off their tricks. Often the answer is sleight of hand or optical illusions, but there are some tricks that even world class scientists haven't been able to explain. In 1973, a team of scientists at the Stanford Research Institute led a man down a hallway of a research lab he had flown in from overseas for a very special set of experiments. The researchers took the man to a small windowless room at the center of the building. It was double walled and acoustically and electrically shielded, which meant that no sound, light or signals could get in or out of the room. They sat the man down at the table and gave him a pencil and a piece of paper and then they locked the door behind them. As they left, the scientists gathered in a room down the hall, flipped through a dictionary and selected a word at random. Brunch. Then one of the scientists took up a pencil and drew a bunch of grapes. Once he was done, he took the drawing down the hall and taped it to the outer wall of the experiment room. There was no way that the test subject could see the drawing with his own eyes, but he claimed that if it was physically close enough to him, he could see it in his mind's eye thanks to his skills in extrasensory perception. The scientist pressed the intercom button and told the test subject that it was time to begin the experiment. He listened through a one way audio circuit as the test subject sighed and muttered to himself and after a few minutes he called out that he was finished. The scientist unlocked the door and went inside the room and to his absolute shock, the test subject had drawn a sketch of a bunch of grapes almost identical to the picture the scientist had drawn moments earlier. This test Subject wasn't just any old volunteer, though. He was the world famous magician Uri Geller. He'd been brought there by the CIA to test his alleged psychic abilities. And he passed the test with flying colors. Over the following eight days, the experiment was repeated again and again with every possible variable controlled for. And the results led the researchers to a surprising Yuri did in fact have psychic abilities. The results were such a bombshell that the CIA expanded their research into paranormal phenomena. They hoped to find a way to harness psychic powers and use them for intelligence operations. According to Yuri, he worked on multiple highly sensitive operations for the CIA. They sent him to the Russian embassy in Mexico to erase floppy disks with his mind. At another point, he claims that he was tasked with standing near someone reviewing a nuclear deal and telepathically convincing them to sign it. More purported psychics were brought in for other high stakes missions, including helping the agency rescue American diplomats during the Iran hostage crisis. But much to the CIA's disappointment, they found that while alleged psychic powers can make for a good stage show, they weren't particularly useful for real world espionage. There was too much potential for error. The Stargate Project, as the initiative was called, was shut down in 1995 with an internal review raising questions about its effectiveness. But the results of the experiments weren't called into dispute. And to this day, no one has been able to explain how Uri Geller was apparently able to read through walls. So maybe some of what we might call magic is simply yet to be discovered.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

This show is sponsored by American Public University. The future won't wait. And neither should you. That's why American Public University offers master's programs designed for momentum, affordable, high quality and flexible. So you keep moving forward with career relevant programs in business, healthcare, education, IT and more. You can gain skills you can use right away and the confidence to power your next move. American Public University made for what's next. Learn more at apu. Apus. Edu this episode is sponsored by Public

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[Erin Menke]

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[Erin Menke]

Few people enjoy the thought of dealing

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with a dead body.

[Erin Menke]

It's bad enough when the remains are human, but sometimes it's another creature altogether.

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A roadkill, for example. Or livestock, maybe.

[Erin Menke]

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deeper water where it's dumped.

[Erin Menke]

Although that depends on the tides and how much beach there is to work with. If that is impossible, say when the whale is already decomposing, well, then a hole is dug in the beach and the whale is buried right there. And if the whale is too big to be buried, then the carcass is dismembered by chainsaw and removed piece by piece onto waiting trucks. But sometimes a more unusual method is required. Take, for instance, the case of the whale that washed up on a beach just outside of Florence, Oregon, on November 9th of 1970, a day that lives in wretched, stinky infamy. This behemoth that had washed ashore was an 8 ton sperm whale. It rotted quickly, too, causing a stench that could be smelled far from the beach. The Oregon State Highway Division was tasked with removing the carcass before it became a public health emergency. And the solution that they proposed? Why? Using tnt, of course. You see, the highway division didn't have the heavy equipment needed to tow the creature out to sea, and the tide made it difficult to bury it due to decomposition. The whale was filling up with methane gas and hydrogen sulfide, which could rupture, sending the noxious gases out to injure anyone who stood too close. Oregon officials contacted the Navy to ask for guidance concerning a controlled explosion meant to simply break the creature up and scatter it at sea. Any fragments left on the beach could be finished off by scavengers. At least that was the logic. And so, three days after the whale appeared on shore, Oregon officials set the charge. People from all over the area gathered to watch the explosion, believing that they were standing at a safe distance from the ground carcass Although they were wrong, there was a countdown and then a boom. It was a massacre. Chunks of whale were hurled 100ft into the air. Sand, bone, rotting flesh and blubber became dangerous projectiles. One large piece landed on a car and crushed its roof, while a torrent of viscera rained down on a horrified crowd. A crew from katu, the local news station, was caught everything on camera. The officials had grievously misunderstood the physics of an exploding whale, and instead of sending the chunks outward into the ocean, the explosion sent everything straight up. The public's reaction to the explosion was as dramatic as the blast itself. Within hours, the grainy KATU footage was broadcast across the Pacific Northwest, spawning a wave of newspaper headlines that alternated between awe and criticism. The media frenzy forced state officials to confront the optics of their decision. Among the lessons learned that day Clear communication is absolutely essential when dealing with a public safety concern. Safety notices and press releases are now released to the public leading up to carcass removal so that locals can steer clear of the area. Explosions are only to be considered as a last resort, and munitions experts and public health officials must be consulted at every step of the process. The whole thing illustrates the importance of a well thought out game plan, even in the face of urgency, although a positive outcome of this messy event was that it moved the local officials toward a more grounded method of dealing with public health emergencies. The curious story of the Florence, Oregon whale, with its torrent of blubber range raining down on onlookers and the policy overhaul it inspired, shows us how a single dramatic event can reshape a government's system of dealing with problems, even the ones that are the most absurd. I hope you enjoyed today's guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was created by me, Aaron

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Manke, in partnership with UN iHeart Podcasts,

[Erin Menke]

researched and written by the Grim and Mild Team, and produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about the show and the people who make it [e-mail] curiosities. You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of Curiosities hardcover book available in bookstores and online, as well as ebook and audiobook. And if you're looking for an ad free option, consider joining our Patreon it's all the same stories, but without the interruption. Throw a small monthly fee, learn more and sign up [e-mail] grimandmild and until

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next time, stay curious. This show is sponsored by American Public University. The future won't wait and neither should you. That's why American Public University offers Master's programs designed for momentum, affordable, high quality and flexible so you keep moving forward. With career relevant programs in business, healthcare, education, IT and more. You can gain skills you can use right away and the confidence to power your next move. American Public University made for what's next. Learn more at apu.apus.edu this is an iHeart podcast.

[Podcast Host]

Guaranteed Human.