Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today is National Piña Colada Day. This drink was already famous when Rupert Holmes put together his song about it - which is good, because originally he had a very different pair of words at the center of the song. Plus: the sitcom The Goldbergs found a way to get laughs from a real life story involving this hit song. Rupert Holmes ("Pina Colada Song") (Songfacts) Rupert Holmes' &#...

Today in 1832, people in what is now the far north woods of New Hampshire were in the middle of a border dispute and decided, we’re just gonna do our own thing. Plus: today in 2024 in Cornwall, beachgoers did their darndest to reel in an ice cream truck that had been pulled out to sea by the tide. Our Town: The Republic of Indian Stream (New Hampshire Magazine) Tourists rush to save ice cream van...

Today in 1947, the birthday of Burkey Belser, the designer of the nutrition facts label, and someone whose influence is close by pretty much any time we buy groceries. Plus: for National Ice Cream Sundae Day, a visit to Las Cruces, New Mexico, home to a green chile sundae. Burkey Belser, designer of ubiquitous nutrition facts label, dies at 76 (Washington Post) New Mexico’s green chile sundae land...

We're getting ahead of Shark Week this year with a story of an ocean mystery: why do great white sharks have a kind of secret gathering place in the Pacific Ocean? Plus: an installation at this year's Venice Biennale might take you back to the stories you read as a kid. White Shark Café: The mysterious meeting spot for great whites in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (Live Science) Mind-Ben...

For International Kissing Day, here's the story of Richard Ramsey, who spent a work day getting kissed by colleagues to test whether there were any ill effects from certain cosmetic additives. Plus: today in 2023, a news report about a roadworthy car in Pennsylvania designed to look like a 1950s bumper car. My Coal Tar Valentine (LIFE)  Knoebels replica bumper car hits Lackawanna County roads...

We’re also a couple days away from the anniversary of the day in 1915 that one of the most famous symbols of the newly independent country went on a cross-country train tour. Plus: tomorrow in Epping, New Hampshire, it’s a stop on the Døds Diving tour. ⁠The Liberty Bell Tour of 1915: A Journey of Patriotism and Unity⁠ (Texas State Historical Association) ⁠DØDS Diving World Tour⁠ ⁠Backing our show...

Today in 1979, the US Mint released a new dollar coin featuring suffragist leader Susan B. Anthony. The Mint struck hundreds of millions of them, expecting high demand… but that’s not really how it played out. Plus: for National Disco Day, the story of a gas station chain whose locations have a “disco bathroom.” The Susan B. Anthony Dollar 40 Years After Its Debut (Govmint.com) This Kentucky Gas S...

Today in 1874, the debut of the Sholes and Glidden desk typewriter. This was not the first typewriter, but it was the first one to become a hit with customers. It’s also the reason that so many English language keyboards don’t read ABCDEFG but QWERTY. Plus: today in Illinois, it’s the Elizabeth Freedom Festival.  A brief history of the QWERTY keyboard (CNET) Elizabeth Freedom Festival   Type the a...

It's National Soda Pop Day, so we're going to tell the origin story of the name 7UP... or we would if there was one. The guy who created the soda never explained what the name meant, even though there have been lots of theories. Plus: we wrap up Pride Month with a visit to Toronto, which is home to the World's Longest Rainbow Road. Untangling the Lie of the 7Up Origin Story (The Soda F...

There's a cathedral in southwestern England with a remarkable medieval astronomical clock, and on a door that leads into the workings of this clock there's a small medieval hole that carpenters cut so that the cathedral's cat could go in and out while on mouse patrol. Of course people in modern times love it. Plus: for National Day in Seychelles, the story of the world's smallest n...

Today in 1931, a scientist in Florida brought home a baby chimpanzee. Already at home: a human baby. And the scientist decided he would raise the two little ones in the exact same way to see how chimp and human measured up. Plus: starting today in Minnesota, it’s Akeley Paul Bunyan Days. This Guy Simultaneously Raised a Chimp and a Baby in Exactly the Same Way To See What Would Happen (Smithsonian...

We’re in a time of huge technological changes… but today we’re talking about an upgrade that's relatively small. Or, at least, the users of this particular new tech are small. And ratty. Plus: starting Saturday in Duluth, Minnesota, it’s the Chum Rhubarb Festival. BYU engineering students design new wearable tech for search and rescue rats... yes, rats! (Brigham Young University) Chum Rhubarb...

Around this time in 2004, the end of a decade-long court challenge. It was about a guy who turned up at casinos and beat the house at roulette, thanks to a lot of observation and a lot of calculation. Plus: this weekend in Wisconsin, it’s the Ellsworth Cheese Curd Festival.  Court backs gambler (The Age) Ellsworth Cheese Curd Festival Backing our show on Patreon is always a safe bet

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...