Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today in 1952 a French scientist, Alain Bombard, began a trip across the Atlantic Ocean. It was about as grueling an ocean voyage as a person can take… though that was the point. Plus: a warning sign about beavers in Poland gets taken down by the beavers. Alain Bombard (The Sunday Times via Archive.org)  Beavers destroy sign warning about beavers (Notes From Poland) Float on over to our Patreon pa...

It’s National Dictionary Day, so we’re going to dig through some of the most underappreciated words in the English language. Plus: tomorrow in South Korea, the annual Space-Out Competition. 56 Delightfully Unusual Words for Everyday Things (Mental Floss) Words that deserve wider use (Wayne State University - Word Warriors) Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 1 (Merriam-Webster) Spa...

Today in 1786, the birthday of James Holman, who became world famous in his time for traveling all over the world, mostly solo and completely blind. Plus: this weekend in the community of Uptown Shelby, it's the North Carolina Liver Mush Festival.  James Holman, The Blind Traveler (Amusing Planet) North Carolina Liver Mush Festival   Travel over to our Patreon page so you can support our show

Every so often we get a sound from long ago that makes its way back out of obscurity. Recently the Library of Congress announced a new/old recording of one of the most famous aviators of all time. Plus: this Saturday in Minnesota, it’s the Winona Zombie Crawl. Voice from aviation history (Library of Congress) Winona Zombie Crawl   You don’t need a special scanner to know that backing our show on P...

Today in 1841, an area of Michigan officially established itself as Hell. People there love to play up the name today, but it’s not so clear that those who named Hell were trying to connect themselves with the Bad Place. Plus: this weekend in Banner Elk, North Carolina, it’s the Woolly Worm Festival.  History of Hell (Hell, Michigan) Wooly Worm Festival   The hell with it, how about somebody give...

Today in 1977, the opening of Citicorp Center in New York City. There are lots of skyscrapers in Manhattan, but only one has a story like this, in which crews had to quickly and quietly carry out some upgrades so that the 59 story building wasn't in danger of collapse. Plus: starting this Friday in Miami, Florida, it’s the Redland International Orchid Festival. This New York skyscraper had a 1...

We're replaying shows about some of the books we loved as kids. In this episode from March 2022, a bit of misfortune for writer Astrid Lindgren helped her come up with the inspiration for a character who would win fans all over the world. Plus: an ultramarathon runner set a world record by running 301 miles over nearly 80 hours (!) Astrid Lindgren, Swedish Writer of Pippi Longstocking Tales, D...

We're replaying shows about some of the books we loved as kids. In this episode from February 2023, the story of a team of authors who made their books into interactive games, to the delight of millions of young readers. Plus: Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry named one of the series' most famous characters after a guy he’d met during World War II. The Enduring Allure of Choose Your Own A...

We're replaying shows about some of the books we loved as kids. In this episode from July 2020, the story of how an editor's idea turned into one of the best-selling chapter book series of its time, and eventually became a series on Netflix. Plus: the Instagram account of photographer Trung Huy Pham documents Vietnam's annual water lily harvest. Over 30 years ago, The Baby-Sitters Club...

We're replaying shows about some of the books we loved as kids. In this episode from October 2021, mystery author Donald J Sobol won millions of fans for his Encyclopedia Brown series, named for a boy detective who knew all sorts of unusual and obscure facts in the era way before the internet. Plus: an unusual and obscure fact about the world record largest carnitas taco ever made. Encyclopedi...

We're replaying shows about some of the books we loved as kids. In this episode from January 2022, the story of Winnie the Pooh, who got his name from a real Winnie the Bear and a real Pooh, which was not a bear. Plus: a book by photographer Jessica Wynne features images of more than 100 chalkboards by math professors. The True Story of the Real-Life Winnie-the-Pooh  (History.com) 90 weird and...

Around this time in 2020, students on New Hampshire’s Seacoast did a project that they sent out into the wider world. But they maybe didn't realize quite how far it was going to go. Plus: a guy at a superhero costume party ends up living the gimmick for a night. 'Magical': Norway 6th-grader finds Rye students' mini boat launched in 2020 (Portsmouth Herald) Man dressed as Batman pur...

Today in 1959, Ohio officially adopted its first state motto in close to a century. And it only shed its motto-less form because of a very determined ten year old. Today in 2008, Maryland declared walking to be its official state exercise. New Ohio Motto From The New Testament (The Tablet via Newspapers.com)  Maryland State Exercise - Walking Ask listeners for support on Patreon and they’ll provid...

Today in 1905, the birthday of Bobby Pearce, an Olympic rowing champion who won fame and acclaim not just for winning but for the way he won… which was just ducky. Plus: for Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day, a visit to Monte Testacchio, a hill in Rome with an unusual olive oil connection.  Bobby Pearce : The Gentleman's Gold (BBC) Mount OF AMPHORAE    Duck on over to our Patreon page so you can supp...

For National Goose Day, the story of the goose barnacle myth, in which people who hadn't seen goose nests or goose eggs concluded that goose must be growing on trees or emerging out of barnacles on driftwood. Plus: today in 2020, a news report in the UK about a group of parrots who found an odd way to pass their time in quarantine. Science, Superstition and the Goose Barnacle (Shorelines) Parr...

Today in 2024, Dr. Shane Naidoo finished a half marathon quite a bit after every other runner on the course. But, then, he had a really good reason for coming in after everybody else. Plus: today in 1935, another amazing rescue in New Jersey, involving a ten year old boy and a show dog. A doctor saved a runner’s life during a Jersey City half marathon. Then he finished the race. (NJ.com) Champion...

Today in 1768, the birthday of Gottfried Mind, a Swiss artist who won acclaim for his drawings of cats. He probably would have done well here in the Internet age. Plus: tomorrow in Williamsburg, Virginia, it’s the World Pancake Eating Championship. Gottfried Mind, The Raphael of Cats (Public Domain Review) World Pancake Eating Championship   Do what Business Cat probably would have done, and back...

Around this time in 2013, Reader’s Digest magazine published findings on a big question: if you accidentally dropped your wallet somewhere, would a typical person take what was inside, or would they try to get it back to you? Plus: today in 2019, an author and farmer tells the story of a lost item with the best and happiest ending. Most Honest Cities: The Reader’s Digest “Lost Wallet” Test (Reader...

Today in 1846, a German astronomer spotted a body orbiting the Sun that we now know as Neptune… and the reason he was looking for an eighth planet had a lot to do with the seventh planet. Plus: this Saturday in New York, it’s the Saratoga Giant PumpkinFest.  Planet Neptune is discovered (History.com) Saratoga Giant PumpkinFest   Don’t space out, back our podcast today on Patreon

Today in 1964, the birthday of the first person to ever win both an Olympic medal and Paralympic medals: fencing champion Pál Szekeres. Plus: ahead of World Rivers Day, we visit a river in northern China that's about as narrow as a river can get. “Maybe fencing and my accident made me a better person” – Szekeres (World Parafencing) The World’s Narrowest River Is Only a Few Centimeters Wide (Od...

Today in 1897, the New York Sun newspaper published the "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" editorial. We'll explain who Virginia was. Plus: on the birthday of comedian and actor Dave Coulier, we celebrate the amazing Tumblr account “The Same Picture of Dave Coulier Every Day.”  The Santa Letter That Made an Eight-Year-Old a Celebrity (New Yorker) The mad genius behind Tumblr’s ‘...

Today in 1947, the birthday of the United States Air Force. It’s had some pretty amazing pilots over the years, and some pretty amazing planes. Plus, one really, really loud one, known as the Republic XF-84H or "Thunderscreech." Plus: starting today in De Pere, Wisconsin, it’s the Wisconsin Arborist Association Tree Climbing Championship.  Republic XF-84H (National Museum of the United S...

Today in 1800, the birthday of John Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland and one of the 19th Century’s true eccentrics, given his years of digging massive tunnels to his apparent need to avoid just about everyone he could. Plus: for National Pet Bird Day, the story of Puck, who set the world record for the largest vocabulary in bird history. Biography of William John Cavendish-Bentinck-Scott, 5th Duke o...

Today in 1977, Billy Carter, the brother of then-president Jimmy Carter, told the world he was going to be the namesake of a new line of beer. We'll explain why this became a big deal for a little while. Plus: congrats to the two winners of a prestigious digging contest recently organized by the Hungarian Association of Cemetery Maintainers and Operators. Presidential sibling Billy Carter gets...

Today in 2017, Port Allegany, Pennsylvania dedicated Serenity Glass Park, which pays tribute to the town's long history in making glass blocks. Plus: today in 2024, police in Bedford, Ohio responded to a call involving an eight year old and a car that she apparently took to the store (?) Serenity Glass Park sparkles with the ‘true character’ of its community (Community Media Group)  8-year-old...