It's a pretty amazing feat to dig a tunnel beneath a body of water that's big enough (and safe enough) to drive a train through. While humans have been digging underwater tunnels for thousands of years, it wasn't until the late 19th century that it became viable on a large scale. In this episode, Chuck and Josh explore the ins and outs of the engineering triumph that is digging below water.
AI Summary
In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating world of underwater tunnel construction, exploring the engineering marvels that allow us to travel beneath rivers, seas, and straits. They break down three main methods used to build these subaqueous passages - from the historic tunneling shield invented by watching shipworms bore through wood, to massive tunnel boring machines that can chew through solid bedrock, to the ingenious immersion tube technique where pre-built tunnel sections are floated out to sea and sunk into place. The hosts also share some impressive examples like Japan's record-breaking Seikan Tunnel and discuss why engineers might choose to go under the water rather than over it with a bridge.
Airplane!
1980
1h 28m
★ 7.3
"Yeah. Airplane. Love them. — Josh includes Airplane! in his list of beloved airport disaster films."
— Josh
Airport
1970
2h 17m
★ 6.5
"I love any kind of airport disaster flick at all. Oh, yeah, man. I'm crazy for those movies, airport, airport 77 — Josh expresses his love for airport disaster movies and lists several titles from the Airport film series."
— Josh
Cloud Atlas
2012
2h 52m
★ 6.9
"I managed to get through only about 20 minutes of Cloud Atlas the other night. — Josh mentions watching Cloud Atlas and not being able to finish it due to Tom Hanks' accent work."
— Josh
"On the podcast, HeyDude the 90s called, David Lacher and Christine Taylor, stars of the cult classic show HeyDude — This is mentioned in an advertisement break within the podcast."
Poltergeist
1982
1h 54m
★ 7.2
"Do you remember AOL Instant Messenger and the dial-up sound like poltergeist? — Referenced in an advertisement comparing dial-up internet sounds to the movie Poltergeist."
The Great Escape
1963
2h 53m
★ 7.9
"Just like Charles Bronson in The Great Escape. — Josh references Charles Bronson's character from The Great Escape when discussing tunnel digging techniques."
— Josh
"And Hokkaido is known for its sub factories. I knew you would have a tidbit for me. The Simpsons tidbit. — Josh mentions The Simpsons in relation to a tidbit about Hokkaido and sub factories."
— Josh
The Terminal
2004
2h 8m
★ 7.3
"What about that bad Tom Hanks movie where he played the foreign guy that lived in the airport? The terminal. — Chuck brings up The Terminal as an example of an airport-themed movie."
— Chuck
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