For ad-free listening, early access to new episodes and exclusive bonus content, subscribe to Project Brazen's channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/the-sound In December 2016, a US official in Havana went to the embassy medical centre to report a debilitating and confounding illness. The symptoms included headaches; nausea; hearing loss; problems with memory and vision – and its onset was characterized by hearing… something. A buzzing, hissing, grinding… sound. Soon, a second official came down with the same symptoms. Then a third. Then a fourth. By the time the story went public in summer 2017, dozens of US diplomats, as well as some Canadians, had come down with what was becoming known as “Havana Syndrome.” In this deep dive investigation, journalist Nicky Woolf peels back the layers of one of the most bizarre mysteries of the modern age. You’ll hear about how the US agencies failed to agree even on the basic premises. State department said it’s a “sonic device,” then rolled that back. The CIA have hinted microwave radiation might be involved. The FBI said there was no “there” there – now they seem to be rolling that back as well. We’ll explore the wild and wide variety of theories that have been put forward. Could it be caused by noisy crickets? Or mosquito spray? Or could it all be a mass delusion? We’ll hear from the cast of characters who inhabit this world; diplomats and spies, neurologists and physicists, skeptics and believers – and, with their help, begin to piece the evidence together. THE SOUND is a story about spycraft, technology, and the brain. It’s a story where, at every turn, you’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s an illusion. It’s a story about how the Cold War, maybe, never really ended.
Introducing Fur & Loathing
Thanks for listening to The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome. You might be interested to know that Nicky Woolf is back with a new investigative podcast – and we think you're going to like it. It's called Fur & Loathing, and this time he's digging into another very different unsolved mystery.
In early December 2014 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, an unusual gathering was taking place: Midwest Furfest, the world’s largest convention for a subculture known as Furries.
The party was in full swing when attendees suddenly find themselves struggling to breathe. Something terrible has happened: poisonous levels of chlorine gas were sweeping through the hotel corridors. Nineteen people are hospitalized and hundreds are evacuated. Hazmat teams trace the gas to a stairwell, where they find the remains of a chemical bomb. This was an intentional attack.
But almost a decade later, the identity of the perpetrator remains a mystery. In Fur and Loathing, Nicky takes on the unsolved case, working closely with Furries to find answers. It’s a journey that will bring him face-to-face with the challenges this vibrant, often misunderstood subculture faces – including the far-right extremists looking to wreck the community from within.
Listen to the first episode here, or search for Fur & Loathing in your favorite podcast app to discover the whole show.
For more information, visit brazen.fm/fur-and-loathing/