Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

This month in 1927, Americans were fawning over an animal at the National Zoo in Washington: a presidential hippo named Billy. Plus: starting today in Elizabeth City, it’s the North Carolina Potato Festival. The Presidential Hippopotamus at the National Zoo (WETA)  North Carolina Potato Festival   Want more shows about famous zoo animals? Back our show on Patreon today

Today in 1857, the birthday of Williamina Fleming, a big name in the world of astronomy but one who had a pretty low-profile start. Plus: starting tomorrow in Illinois, it’s the Long Grove Chocolate Festival. Williamina Fleming, From Scottish Maid to Harvard Astronomer (New England Historical Society) Long Grove Chocolate Festival   Help this show shine as a backer on Patreon

There may be no more important part of road safety than the bright red stop sign, though in the early days, they weren’t red. Plus: Leonardo the tortoise went missing from his home in England; after nine months, he didn't exactly get that far. Stop Signs Used to Be Yellow—More Recently Than You Think (Readers Digest) Tortoise missing for months found a mile from home (BBC) Make a stop at our P...

Today in 1940, Life Magazine published a series of photos of a little boy in Liberty County, Georgia - photos that, two decades later, would inspire one of the most famous picture books ever published. Plus: this Saturday in South Bend, Indiana, it’s the Donut & Beer Festival. The Enduring Footprints of Peter, Ezra Jack Keats, and The Snowy Day (The Horn Book) Donut & Beer Festival   Help...

It's United Nations Global Road Safety Week, so here's the story of a driver in Ireland who seemed to be breaking every traffic law on the books... until the authorities figured out there was something more to their story. Plus: underway this week in Washington state, it’s the Spokane Lilac Festival. Dictionary helps crack case of notorious Polish serial offender (Irish Times) Spokane Lila...

Commencement season is here, which means a lot of people hearing a composition known as “Pomp and Circumstance.” Though that piece of music was not written with graduation in mind. Plus: today in 2023, a herd of cows help catch a guy who'd fled a traffic stop (!) The Beautiful Irony of Pomp and Circumstance (WCRB) After man flees traffic stop, cows lead officers "directly to where the sus...

It’s World Donkey Day, so we're visiting an Arizona ghost town that's visited by a nearby colony of wild donkeys. Plus: in 2018 a donkey sanctuary in Ontario started giving its donkeys pants! How one town became infested with donkeys (ABC 10) Dapper donkeys: sanctuary fights flies with tailored trousers (CTV News) Want more donkey episodes like this? Back our show on Patreon

Smart speakers can be really useful, but only if you have a voice to activate them. A new device called Scribe could help nonverbal users with their smart systems by letting them "write" commands into the air. Plus: RoboCake is, you guessed it, a robotic wedding cake featuring a series of dancing gummy bears. An Alternative to Speech: Writing in the Air With ‘Sonic Ink’ (University of Ma...

Thanks to loads of security measures, no one has ever robbed the Bank of England. But if you ask whether anyone’s broken into the bank's famous gold vaults, the answer is a little more complicated. Plus: the English town of Burslem is about to dedicate a statue of a local rocker made good, Motorhead frontman Lemmy. Has any gold ever been stolen from the Bank of England? (Bank of England) Lemmy...

Many people like to get together from time to time for adult beverages. New research finds chimpanzees apparently also gather to imbibe and share alcohol. Plus: trading card fans in Japan are enjoying cards that feature... middle aged guys doing their everyday jobs and hobbies? New Study Suggests Chimpanzees May Enjoy “Social Drinking” Just Like Humans (My Modern Met) Middle-aged men are the new P...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from July 2020, the story of Pheasant Island, which is administered by several sovereign powers but not simultaneously. Spain and France take turns with it. Plus: auto racing fans in Lublin, Poland found a way to root for their favorite drivers while still social distancing during COVID. The islan...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from July 2020, the story of how Canada got its name, and a few of the country's most interesting alternates. Plus: several Canadian Tire stores in Ontario had to briefly shut down because a glitch made every item the workers scanned show up in the computer as a Mr. Potato Head toy. What Canad...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from August 2019, the app what3words breaks down all the spaces on earth into 3 meter by 3 meter squares and assigns each of those squares a unique set of three words, giving us a new way to pinpoint our locations. Plus: Athens, Wisconsin is home to the center point of the northern half of the wes...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from June 2021, a look at when the geographic powers that be recognized the Southern Ocean as its own entity, and also where the word "ocean" comes from. Plus: a South Korean designer develops a wearable “third eye” that watches for and warns you about any obstacles in your way so you ca...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from July 2019, a look at Sad Topographies, a site that collects the most bummed-out place names on the map. Plus: If places with depressing names aren’t your thing, we've got an upbeat event: the annual World Santa Claus Congress in Denmark. 21 Of The Saddest Places On Earth From Instagram’s...

Today in 1917, the birthday of Ella Fitzgerald, a towering figure in jazz, a legendary voice, a star among stars… especially when she became pals with movie icon Marilyn Monroe. Plus: starting today in Georgia, it’s the Thomasville Rose Show and Festival. Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe: Inside Their Surprising Friendship (Biography) THOMASVILLE ROSE SHOW & FESTIVAL   Be a star and back thi...

Around this time in 1938, Washington state politics got really, really weird, when the Governor and Lieutenant Governor raced to return to the state to block each other. Plus: starting tomorrow in Houston, the World Coffee Roasting Championship. Meyers, Victor A. (1897-1991) (HistoryLink) 2025 World Coffee Championships   Race on over to our Patreon page and help support this show

Today in 1982, Key West, Florida, decided it was time to do its own thing, declaring independence from the United States and forming its own country. We'll explain why. Plus: this week in Indiana, the Orleans Dogwood Festival continues. The Founding of the Conch Republic (ConchRepublic.com) Orleans Dogwood Festival   What do you say we be independent together? Back our show on Patreon today

Happy Earth Day.  Our planet is the only one in our solar system not named for a Greek or Roman god. At the risk of sounding flip, the name Earth comes from… earth. Plus: this weekend in North Carolina, it’s the Asheville Bread Festival. Why is Earth called 'Earth'? (BBC Sky At Night)  Asheville Bread Festival   We invite all Earthlings to back this show on our Patreon page

Today in 1926, the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning queen on record, and one that left a letter that she said shouldn’t be opened until the year 2085. Plus: for National Tea Day in the UK, a visit to the world’s largest collection of teapots (which is not in the UK). The Queen Left Behind A Secret Letter That Cannot Be Opened Until 2085 (Elle) The World’s Largest Collection Of...

There’s a town in northern Japan that bills itself as the actual hometown of Jesus, and points visitors to a place named the tomb or grave of Christ. Not the Easter story most of us have heard. Plus: just outside the Austrian town of Gmünd, there’s a divided chapel, with parts on both sides of a road. Weird Legend of Jesus in Japan (ABC News) The Divided Church of Gmünd (Amusing Planet) Wherever y...

We're just a few days away from Easter for many people around the world. For kids in Finland and Sweden, the Thursday before Easter is itself a pretty important time: it’s when they turn themselves into witches. Plus: today in 1967 was the last episode of the sitcom Gilligan’s Island. So we've got a story about a time the TV audience of the 60s stood up for the Skipper and his little buddy...

This is Money Smart Week, so we're going to look at what exactly money is and what it means, by looking at a kind of money on a Pacific island made out of huge stones. Plus: a shopping plaza in Greenfield, Massachusetts includes an ATM nestled inside a large fiberglass tree. The Island Of Stone Money (NPR) WOW: You Can Get Money Out of a Tree in This Massachusetts Town (WSBS) It only takes a l...

It's National Ham Day, so we've got the story of a ham in Smithfield, Virginia that’s stood the test of time for over 120 years. Plus: if you build the LEGO Colosseum set, and you have a cat, that set could quickly turn into a cat bed. Isle of Wight Museum adds a new historic ham to the collection (WTKR)  LEGO’s Colosseum Becomes a Regal Nap Spot for Cats Everywhere (My Modern Met) Help ou...

Lots of teams have fans try really difficult challenges to win big prizes. Nearly all of them fail, but today in 1993, a guy in Chicago stepped onto the Bulls' home court for a million dollar shot… and made it. Plus: today in 1983, the release of “Murmur,” the first full album by rock greats R.E.M. And during the making of that record, a member of the band helped a very different recording pro...