Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today in 1959, groundbreaking for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis. The Gateway Arch has a unique design that mostly supports its own weight. Or at least that's what the math tells us. Plus: some one-star reviews of the Arch find it too archy. How the St. Louis Arch Stands Against All Odds (HowStuffWorks) Wild one-star Google reviews of the Gateway Arch (FOX 2 Now) Our Pa...

For National Kissing Day, we look at the history of kissing, which goes back so far that it probably predates humans. Plus: starting this Saturday, it’s the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races. Who Kissed First? Archaeology Has an Answer. (New York Times) Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races (Discover Hong Kong) Backing our show on Patreon is as sweet as a kiss, or something

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from September 2020, the story of a man in Illinois, a president of the United States, and the sandwich that’s a link between them. Plus: Calm Office offered a soundscape of clicking computer keys, fax machines, and people talking for those who missed background noise in the early days of the pandemic. Watch now: Richar...

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from March 2021, researchers find something surprising: choosing a hot sandwich instead of a cold one might help keep you from ordering extra food. Plus: an unusual performance of Guiseppi Verdi’s opera Aida at the base of the Great Pyramid in Egypt! Consumers Buy More Food When They Order Cold Meals and Drinks, Reports...

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from November 2022, a sandwich in New York was maybe the worst of all time, though it wasn't ever really intended to be eaten. Plus: Billy Ocean hit it big with the song "Caribbean Queen," but in other parts of the world, that queen is from places other than the Caribbean. To Evade Pre-Prohibition Drinking...

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from April 2024, a look at the sandwich rivalry between Tampa and Miami, Florida. Each city claims to be home to the authentic Cuban sandwich. Plus: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania hosts the 2024 Artisan Guitar Show. Tampa vs. Miami: The Fight for the Cuban Sandwich (Delish)  Artisan Guitar Show A tasty way to start the weeken...

Back in 1976, a sandwich run that topped them all, when Elvis Presley flew from Graceland to Denver for a sandwich. Of course, giant sandwiches are only one part of the world of Elvis food. Elvis Presley’s “Fool’s Gold” sandwich was born in Denver  (Denver Post) A Dish Fit for a King  (NPR) Well you can do anything but don’t step on our Patreon backers’ shoes

There were travelers before GPS and navigation apps, even in the early days of the US. And some of them turned to a set of paper maps that became the first US road atlas. Plus: tomorrow in Battle Creek, Michigan, it’s the National Cereal Fest. An 18th Century Survey of the Roads of the United States of America (Library of Congress) National Cereal Fest in Battle Creek, MI We’ve mapped it out, and...

Today in 1971, pilot Sheila Scott began her third flight around the world. Those three flights are only a few of the accomplishments of this award-winning, record breaking pilot. Plus: starting tomorrow in Wisconsin, it’s the New Glarus Polkafest. Sheila Scott: The first British pilot to fly around the world (National Museums Scotland)  NEW GLARUS POLKAFEST   Fly on over to our Patreon page and su...

Today in 2022, the world celebrated the end of a major international conflict. It involved two countries, one island, an international border... and a whole lot of liquor bottles. Plus: today in 2016, Summerville, South Carolina became home to the record for the world’s largest sweet tea. Canada and Denmark end decades-long dispute over barren rock in Arctic (The Guardian) Summerville, South Carol...

It was likely this week in 1752 that Benjamin Franklin famously flew a kite in a thunderstorm. The story of this experiment has been changed and twisted over time, so we'll sort out facts from myth, and figure out why and how Franklin was doing what he was doing. Plus: today in 1961, the birthday of Michael J. Fox, whose acting career took off like lightning despite the best efforts of one of...

Today in 1959 may have been the day the US government completed a secret report that suggested one way to win the Cold War space race: build a base on the Moon. Plus: congratulations to Richard Delcid of Manassas, Virginia, who just won the "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" contest in Las Vegas. U.S. reveals secret plans for ’60s moon base (CNN) ‘I didn’t know I could go that fast’: Virg...

Today is Denmark’s Constitution Day. That document broadly guarantees the right to personal expression, including burning the country’s flag. But doing that same thing to other countries’ flags is 100 percent against the law. Plus: starting today, it's the Georgia Peach Festival. History and Debate of Flag Burning (Debate.org) Georgia Peach Festival   Exercise your right to back our show on Pa...

Today in 1991, a rare early print of the Declaration of Independence went up for auction, and the story of how it came up for sale is pretty weird. Plus: starting tomorrow in Pasadena, California, it's the 17th annual Classic Tetris World Championship. Did a Bargain Hunter Find Original Print of Declaration of Independence? (Snopes) Classic Tetris World Championship   You can back our show on...

This is Museum Week, and while a lot of us love visiting these institutions, some people dropped by some of the best museums in the whole world and they weren’t feeling it. For reasons. Plus: starting Friday in Collinsville, Illinois, the International Horseradish Festival. 15 Hilariously Terrible Reviews of Wonderful Museums (Mental Floss)   International Horseradish Festival   We give our Patreo...

Today in 1975, the city of London had some unexpected weather. At a time the calendar might have suggested summery weather… it snowed. Plus: this Saturday in North Carolina, it’s Asheville HoneyFest.  London weather: What happened the strange time it snowed in London in the middle of summer (MyLondon.news) Asheville HoneyFest 2026 (Center for Honeybee Research) Our Patreon backers support this sho...

It’s Dinosaur Day, so we’re headed to a spot in Bolivia where you can see thousands of dinosaur tracks all at once, in an almost inexplicable setting. Plus: this weekend at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, Indiana, it’s Limestone Weekend.  The Incredible Dinosaur Wall of Bolivia (Kuriositas) Limestone Weekend, Spring Mill State Park   Join our wall of fame, so to speak, as a backer on Patreon

Today in 1856, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that was so powerful, so unforgettable, that nobody documented it and so now it’s known as Lincoln’s “Lost Speech.” Plus: today in 1917, the birthday of John F. Kennedy, who used the power of words as a 10 year old to ask his dad to raise his allowance. Abraham Lincoln's Lost Speech (RogerJNorton.com) A Plea for a raise (Letters of Note) Don’t wait...

Today in 1974, the start of the National Hockey League draft. It’s remembered today as the time hockey’s Buffalo Sabres made a groundbreaking choice: the first time a team drafted someone who didn’t exist. Plus: starting today, Durant, Oklahoma is kicking off its Magnolia Festival. Unknown Stories of WNY: The man behind the Legend of Taro Tsujimoto (WGRZ) Magnolia Festival of Durant OK You’re a so...

Today in 1937, the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco - or, more accurately, the beginning of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. The city was so pumped, the celebrations went on for days. Plus: starting Friday in Pennsylvania, it’s the Johnstown PolkaFest.  The 1937 Golden Gate Bridge Opening Was Completely Bananas (KQED) Johnstown PolkaFest   Open up our Patreon page and back...

Today in 1936, the St. Louis Globe Daily Democrat newspaper had a headline you might not expect: "Robot Warns Pedestrians of Red Light Crossing Danger." We'll explain. Plus: on the birthday Lenny Kravitz, the story of the time a job seeker apparently tried to put his meeting with the musician to professional use. This 'Voice in a Box' Warned Pedestrians About Jaywalking in 19...

For today’s holiday we wanted to replay an episode from 2020 about the speech future president James A. Garfield gave at the first Memorial Day event at Arlington National Cemetery in 1868. It was, shall we say, not a short speech.  ⁠10 Things To Remember About Memorial Day⁠ (Mental Floss)

This week in 2023, some students in Fort Meade, Maryland, tried to wrap up their time in school in a big way… by trying to put the school up for sale. Plus: New Orleans hosts what is believed to be its first opera, on the way to becoming the "Opera Capital of North America." Pranksters list Anne Arundel County high school on Zillow for $42,069. Nice. (Baltimore Banner)  10 Ridiculously W...

Today in 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman and only the second person to make a nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. But she wasn’t the first female pilot - in fact, she learned to fly from another well-known woman aviator. Plus: around this time in 2006, a park in Boston got an odd new addition now known as the Jamaica Pond Bench. Neta Snook (Ames History) What’s up with the b...

Today in 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a patent for what the paperwork called "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings.” Their blue jeans were originally meant for people when they were out working in really hard, tough jobs. And ironically, that’s what ended up making jeans popular for everyday use. Plus: the Netherlands has a job for people on the internet! How Blue Jeans Beg...