Henry Winkler Unearths America's Wildest Moments in 'Hazardous History'

Newsweek

4 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Legendary actor and director Henry Winkler didn't exactly expect his next big project to involve spontaneous combustion, asbestos-laced Christmas trees, or 12-G roller coasters with no safety bars. But when the History Channel pitched him an 8-part docuseries about America's hazardous history, the Happy Days star was all in.
"When I first read the material, I thought, 'my word, this is so much fun,'" Winkler tells Newsweek in an exclusive interview. "I became even more fascinated the further I went through the series."
With the show premiering on June 15 on History Channel, each fast-paced episode of Hazardous History with Henry Winkler takes viewers on a wild ride through some of the most ill-advised ideas in American history. These include lithium-laced sodas, radioactive toys, playground equipment that burns and maims, and pastimes so dangerous they could only exist in a pre-regulation era. Each episode is a blend of education and dark comedy, and with Emmy Award-winner Winkler at the helm as host and executive producer, they are also deeply entertaining.
"The show reveals what we thought was permissible, what we thought was fun, and what we thought would make money," Winkler says. "People who watch it literally cannot believe what we did and survived—especially considering that some of this nutty stuff happened as recently as a decade ago!"
Clackers, Crash Sites, and Combustible Combs
If some of the items and events featured on the show seem like tall tales, Winkler promises otherwise. He remembers many of them himself.
"I used the science kits, I experienced those playgrounds, I played with clackers," he says, remembering a toy inspired by gaucho cow-wranglers. "For me, the clackers didn't make the telltale noise of hitting into each other as much as I was accidentally hitting myself in the forehead with them," he exclaims. "Thank God I didn't lose a tooth!"
His favorite example from the series though, might be the cellulose comb — yes, the same highly-flammable material that was used in old film reels. "Imagine brushing your hair on a hot day and your comb bursts into flame so your hair and clothes are suddenly on fire," he says with disbelief. "This was happening in homes all across America!"
'Hazardous History with Henry Winkler' takes viewers on a wild ride through some of the most ill-advised ideas in American history.
'Hazardous History with Henry Winkler' takes viewers on a wild ride through some of the most ill-advised ideas in American history.
History Channel
Other eyebrow-raising highlights from the series include a toy marketed to young boys that reached temperatures of 400 degrees, giant yard darts that impaled people, milk laced with plaster to change its color, a toy gun that's classified as a firearm today, and a 19th-century roller coaster that exerted 12 Gs of force on its riders when today's coasters max out at 4 or 5. "There were no straps, no safety bars," Winkler exclaims. "People were falling out of the cars and even those who didn't swore to never ride again."
Then there's the 1896 stunt where two locomotives were intentionally crashed into each other for entertainment while more than 40,000 spectators watched at a dangerously close distance. "The event killed some people and maimed many others, but people did not run away—instead, they ran towards the fiery crash in order to get a souvenir," he says.
Perhaps most baffling of all, "if you thought you were impotent," Winkler recounts, "you could pay a doctor thousands of dollars to implant goat testicles into your body—which, of course, didn't work."
As crazy as it all sounds, Winkler says with a laugh that we probably haven't learned much from these cautionary tales. "We are the same creatures we have always been," he shares. "Throughout history, mankind has always done something that is nutty—the only difference now is that we do it all wearing different clothes."
At the same time, some of it all reflects America's great entrepreneurial spirit. "If there is a problem to be solved or if there is money to be made, we will find it, produce it, and promote it," he says.
But recognizing that doesn't mean Winkler is nostalgic for more reckless days. "Besides the fact that we no longer seem to be able to listen to each other," he reflects, "I'm very happy to be living in the 2000s."
Being Inducted Into The Television Hall Of Fame
While Hazardous History with Henry Winkler is Winkler's latest venture, he remains busy across a wide range of projects. This September, he and co-author Lin Oliver will release their 40th children's book—this one the fourth in the Detective Duck series that's about an inquisitive little duck named Willow Feathers and her "pond squad."
The duo's Hank Zipzer book series is a New York Times bestseller and, unbeknownst to most of its audience, is quite autobiographical for Winkler. "Just like Hank, I have dyslexia and many of his adventures are the same as my own," Winkler tells Newsweek. No matter which series he and Oliver are writing though,"our books are funny first, because we believe that humor is the gateway to getting people to read."
Then there's Winkler's recent induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame—the same group that puts on the Emmys each year. The 2025 class of honorees also includes Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder), Conan O'Brien (Late Night with Conan O'Brien), Mike Post (Law & Order), and Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story). "This class is amazing, and I'm very touched to be honored alongside them," Winkler says.
On Happy Days and Ron Howard
When asked about the possibility of a Happy Days reboot the way other shows from the 70s and 80s have experienced, Winkler says it's not up to him, but he's open to the idea of "the Fonz" making an appearance on such a show—but only if the tone is right.
"I would hope if they revive it that they do it with the same warmth the show originally had because the warmth was as important to us as the comedy," he says. "The great thing about the shows of the 70s and 80s is that they were mostly watched under the same television set—so you had grandma and the three-year-old both enjoying the same program at the same time."
US director Ron Howard (L) and US actor Henry Winkler speak onstage during the 76th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024.
US director Ron Howard (L) and US actor Henry Winkler speak onstage during the 76th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024.
Getty
His Happy Days co-star, legendary film director Ron Howard, recently spoke with similar nostalgia during a New York press event where he also said that he and Winkler "clicked" on the show immediately.
"I very much feel the same way," Winkler tells Newsweek. "I'm telling you, Ron and I had such a connection that we could take a three-page scene at midnight that had just been completely re-written and the two of us could learn it, improvise it, and shoot it three times in 20 minutes because there was just this unspoken thread between us," he explains. "It's the kind of connection that does not happen often and we remain family to this day."
Looking Back And Moving Forward
From Arrested Development and Barry to a half-century-long marriage, plus five films with Adam Sandler, Winkler's life and career continue to surprise and delight audiences.
On the secret to 47 years of marriage to Stacey Weitzman, "I've learned it does not matter how you mean what you say, it only matters how it lands," Winkler shares. "The center of a good relationship is the ear—not the heart or the mind."
Stacey Weitzman and Henry Winkler attend the 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 12, 2020 in Santa Monica, California.
Stacey Weitzman and Henry Winkler attend the 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 12, 2020 in Santa Monica, California.
Getty
Of Sandler, Winkler says: "I just love working with Adam. He's a visionary and he's also generous and unbelievably loyal. I mean, this is a guy whose core group has been together since freshman dorm year at NYU." The two have worked together in The Waterboy, Click, You Don't Mess With The Zohan, Little Nicky, and Sandy Wexler so far, but it isn't too much as far as Winkler is concerned. "I'd work with Adam again in a second and a half," he says. "We are still very close and connect regularly and I can tell you that he's just the greatest."
And he'd be up to return to his roles in either Barry or Arrested Development someday as well, "but I really don't think either is going to happen," he says. "I did have such a great time!"
For now, though, he's just happy to be introducing viewers to some of America's strangest historical missteps—complete with all the inflammable combs and burning hot playground equipment we can handle. "I'm just amazed that we did all that and lived through it," he exclaims. "Over and over again I found myself saying, 'what were we thinking?'"
New episodes of Hazardous History with Henry Winkler air Sunday nights on the History Channel.