Nicaragua civil war lasted a decade
The US-supported civil war in Nicaragua lasted into the 1990s, with civilians murdered, kidnapped, and tortured by the scores throughout the conflict.
Snapshot · Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 1
Explore episode
Aug 8, 2026
Where this was said
Reagan's Public PR Campaign and the Contras' Atrocities
At 24:19 · chapter starts 21:50
Reagan ran a parallel public campaign to drum up congressional support for turning the funding back on. He cast the Contras in heroic terms — 'the moral equivalent of our Founding Fathers' — and stoked fear about a communist-driven refugee crisis at America's doorstep. What he didn't mention was what affidavits were beginning to document: Contra factions committing murder, rape, mutilation, and kidnapping against Nicaraguan civilians. One woman described finding her children's mutilated bodies. A Contra leader admitted there was no disciplinary system within the factions, meaning fighters could do whatever they wanted with zero accountability. Josh and Chuck sit with the cognitive dissonance of Reagan describing these groups in Founding Father terms while their atrocities went unacknowledged and unreported.
Nicaragua's US-Backed Civil War: A Decade of Atrocities
The civil war the Reagan administration fomented in Nicaragua lasted a full decade, with civilians murdered by the scores. One Contra leader admitted there was no disciplinary system within the rebel factions at all — meaning fighters could commit any atrocity without consequences. A woman described finding her children's mutilated bodies the next day.
Similar snapshots
Caddyshack: cast did drugs every day on set
Harold Ramis recounted that during Caddyshack filming, storms kept the cast cooped up in a Florida hotel for days, during which they partied and did drugs all day and night.
China was 25% of global output in 1820s
In the 1820s, China accounted for 25% of global economic output, making it the world's largest economic machine — a historical precedent for its current AI superpower ambitions.
444 days hostage crisis
66 Americans held hostage at the US Embassy in Iran were released after 444 days, within hours of Reagan's inauguration.
508 TOW missiles sent to Iran
In the first round of the secret arms deal, 508 TOW missiles were transferred from Israel to Iran in exchange for hostage releases.
2,000 missiles in 8 shipments
America secretly transferred 2,000 missiles and missile parts to Iran across 8 separate shipments over just over a year.
Only 3 of 7 hostages released
Despite all the missile sales, only 3 of the 7 American hostages held by Lebanese terrorists were ultimately released.
Plane shot down at 2,500 feet in daylight
The CIA supply plane that blew open the scandal was flying at only 2,500 feet in broad daylight when it was shot down on October 5, 1986.
Reagan said 'I don't recall' 88 times
In his 1990 deposition about Iran-Contra, Ronald Reagan said 'I don't remember' or 'I don't recall' 88 times.
Reagan approval dropped 20 points
Reagan's approval rating dropped from 63% to as low as 43% in the span of a couple of months after Iran-Contra was exposed.
