Tripwire: Podcast investigates the 1971 Thiokol plant explosion in Georgia and what happened after
Tripwire, a production of the Savannah Morning News, investigates the 1971 chemical explosion at the Thiokol Chemical Corp. plant in Woodbine, Georgia. The blast killed 29 people, predominately Black women, and injured nearly 50 others, leading to decades of legal battles between the families of victims and survivors, and the company and U.S. government.
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Episode 1: We Sang While We Worked
It's the 1960s in Woodbine, Georgia. As the U.S. goes through a tumultuous decade, this small Georgia town sees growth when Thiokol opens a plant.
Episode 2: Woodbine, We Have a Problem
The U.S. space race with the USSR along with the Vietnam War brings highs and lows to the future of Woodbine, Georgia.
Episode 3: The Fire Had A Voice
February 3, 1971 seemed like any other day when Thiokol workers entered the plant that morning. By 10:53 a.m., the world as they knew it would change.
Episode 4: The Whole World Changed For Me
Days, weeks, months and years after Feb. 3, 1971, the tragedy still lingers. And it's personal for many.
Episode 5: The Normalization of Deviance
The dust has begun to settle and a new owner prowls the Thiokol site. For the survivors and families of victims, the infamous day lives on in court.
Episode 6: The Price of a Life
The U.S. government had been found to be liable for the explosion, but now victims' families and survivors wanted settlements and it wouldn't be easy.
Episode 7: Remembering Woodbine
It's been more than 50 years since a blast at the Thiokol plant killed 29 workers. The tragedy holds two lines in the Camden County history books, but the Thiokol Memorial Project is aiming to fix that and let the whole nation know what these women accomplished.
Coming March 29
Join the Savannah Morning News and Savannah State University on Wednesday, March 29, at 6 p.m. for an event detailing the Tripwire podcast and its investigation into the 1971 Thiokol plant explosion that killed 29 people in Woodbine, Georgia.
The Tripwire team, Nancy Guan and Zach Dennis, along with Savannah documentarians Anne and Patrick Longstreth, and Thiokol Memorial Project executive director Jannie Everette will participate in a panel discussion about the making of the podcast and documentary, the story of Thiokol and Woodbine, and what the Thiokol Memorial Project is doing today to commemorate the sacrifice made by these women.
The panel will be held at the Asa H. Gordon Library on the Savannah State campus at 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend, RSVP at the Eventbrite page.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Tripwire podcast: Investigating the 1971 Thiokol plant explosion in GA
