Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today in 2019, New Scientist published a study that trained rats to maneuver little cars around to find Froot Loops. Plus: now underway at the Dietrich Theater in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, it's Spooky Fest. ⁠Scientists have trained rats to drive tiny cars to collect food⁠ (New Scientist) ⁠Spooky Fest⁠ (Dietrich Theater) ⁠Drive on over to our Patreon page and help support the show⁠

Today in 1911, the birthday of William A. Mitchell, a food inventor whose name might not ring a bell but whose creations - including Pop Rocks, Cool Whip and Tang - are unforgettable. Plus: today in 1905, a story in the Clinton Mirror newspaper with an odd headline: “Man Was Mailed.” The Scientist Behind Some of Our Favorite Junk Foods (Smithsonian) "Man Was Mailed." (Clinton Mirror via Google New...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about flags and those who fly them. In this episode from June 2021, the story of Superflag, a 505 foot long, 255 foot tall American flag that was once flown over Hoover Dam (because they don't make flagpoles that large). Plus: a study finds people can learn and effectively use click-based echolocation in the real world after practicing for 10...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about flags and those who fly them. In this episode from July 2021, the story of how the flag of Alaska, was designed by a 13 year old. Plus: pastry lovers in Maine mark an important moment in the history of fried dough. Benny Benson: An Alaska Kid Who Made History  (Alaska Historical Society) The Hole Truth: Celebrating a Huge Day in Doughnu...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about flags and those who fly them. In this episode from January 2022, the story of Bob Heft, who, as a high school student in Ohio, designed the first flag representing 50 states. Plus: there was once an effort to make a biopic about Edgar Allan Poe starring none other than Sylvester Stallone. A Boy Scout designed the 50-star American flag  ...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about flags and those who fly them. In this episode from June 2023, the story of the American flag that led to the writing of what is now our national anthem. Plus: the community of Pocatello, Idaho raised a new flag in 2017 after old flag was named the ugliest in the country. The Star-Spangled Banner  (National Museum of American History) Ea...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about flags and those who fly them. In this episode from January 2023, the story of Betsy Ross, whose backstory is pretty interesting even if it didn't go quite how the legends tell it. Plus: a village in Austria with an expletive for its name makes a big change. Betsy Ross likely didn’t sew the first U.S. flag (National Geographic) Betsy Ros...

There’s a new experiment underway that’s going to see whether music playlists and some stress-sensing technology can help people who are trying to stay sober. Plus: why Marshall, Texas named its annual community festival after fire ants. Studying music and technology to reduce stress, alcohol relapse (Washington State University) FireAnt Festival  Keep our playlist growing as a backer on Patreon

One hundred years ago today, the birthday of the man that has long been celebrated as the worst movie director of all time, so bad that some people actually love his movies: Ed Wood. Plus: starting Saturday at the Sunday River resort in Maine, it’s the North American Wife Carrying Championship. Ed Wood, Jr. Centennial: An American Cinematheque Retrospective (American Cinematheque) North American W...

This Sunday on Okinawa in Japan, it’s an event on a grand scale: the Naha Great Tug of War, with thousands of people pulling a 200 meter long rope. Plus: researchers at the University of New South Wales have developed a more eco-friendly lithium-ion battery that uses acids from foods and wine. Naha Tug of War  Booze to battery: Wine powers new energy storage tech, can boost EV range, performance (...

Today in 1997, a very gourd day on the campus of Cornell University: people found a very large pumpkin on top of McGraw Tower, 173 feet in the air. Plus: this Sunday, in Austin, Texas, it’s Quesoff. HOW THE PUMPKIN GOT ON THE TOWER (Cornell Sun via Archive.org)  Quesoff Help our show keep climbing as a backer on Patreon

Welcome to National Newspaper Week. The newspaper business has changed a lot since the peak of print, like how the New York Times took a very small but important punctuation mark out of its logo. Plus: there's now a luggage set you can buy where the cases are shaped like LEGO. The Daily Heller: The Designer Who Put a Full Stop to the Period! (Print Magazine) LEGO Luggage (The Awesomer) Our Patreon...

Today in 1957, Sputnik because the world’s first artificial satellite. This changed the world around us in countless ways, including one that doesn’t get a lot of attention: it gave the English language a brand new word. Plus: today in 1992, two Toronto Blue Jays stars pranked their rookie teammate by pretending to give away his car on Fan Appreciation Day. How the Beat Generation Became “Beatniks...

It's National Roller Skating Month, and we’re going all the way back to the guy who created the first skates. It's a little reassuring that even he had trouble rolling along like the rest of us. Plus: Starting tomorrow in Massachusetts, it’s SandwichFest. The History of Roller Skating (HowStuffWorks) Sandwich Fest  Help keep our show rolling as a supporter on Patreon

Today in 1869, inventor Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès received the French patent for margarine. The butter substitute is used around the world today, though for a while it was banned in parts of the US. Plus: an explorer accidentally drops his GoPro off the side of a cruise ship and ends up with a kind of candid camera for sea life. This week in science history: Margarine inventor’s fame spreads (Cosmos...

Today in 1935, the birthday of Walter De Maria, an artist behind one of the most unusual art installations you’ll ever come across: a loft in New York that he filled with dirt. Plus: the Morris Arboretum and Gardens at the University of Pennsylvania is now home to an immersive audio installation by artist Richard Hamilton. Inside The SoHo Apartment That's Been Filled With Dirt Since 1977 (Gothamis...

Today in 1951, the birth of Barry Marshall, a Nobel Prize winning doctor who, while working with colleague Robin Warren, proved what was behind most ulcers by giving himself an ulcer. Plus: an 11 year old in England saves an engraving from the dumpster that turns out to be pretty important. The Doctor Who Drank Infectious Broth, Gave Himself an Ulcer, and Solved a Medical Mystery (Discover Magazin...

Tomorrow is International Rabbit Day, so today we’re going to celebrate the real and very cute sport known as rabbit show jumping. Plus: starting tomorrow in Nevada, it’s the Genoa Candy Dance, a fundraiser with a long and electric history. Rabbit, Run Is an Exhortation Oft Heard in England Now (Wall Street Journal) Genoa Candy Dance   Hop on over to our Patreon page and support the show

Around this time of year, volunteers on the Westman Islands, off Iceland's southern coast, are on puffling patrol, trying to help lost baby puffins get to sea by tossing them off cliffs. As one does. Plus: starting this Sunday, it's the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival. Why it's perfectly normal to see baby puffins thrown off cliffs in Iceland each year (NPR) Vermont Pumpkin Chuck...

Astronauts who live and work on space stations have to make sure to clean every last spot in their quarters, partly to keep big balls of moldy goo from growing! There's research underway to help keep the microbes from moving in. Plus: starting tomorrow in Kingwood, West Virginia, it’s the Preston County Buckwheat Festival.  Keeping mold out of future space stations (Ohio State University) Pres...

Today in 1929, Lieutenant James H. Doolittle did what no other pilot had done before: take off, fly and land only using instruments and radio. Plus: today in 2021, Japan's Narita Airport had to delay a flight because of a turtle on the runway. Flying Blind (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Errant turtle closes runway, delays turtle-themed plane at Japan's Narita Airport (The Mainichi)  Bac...

Around this time in 2011, two people in Oklahoma gave themselves and their part of the state a very off-the-beaten-path anniversary gift: the Winganon Space Capsule. Plus: ever hear someone call a run-down cafe or bar a “hole in the wall”? There’s a coffee shop in the Philippines that serves drinks through an actual hole in the wall. The Winganon Space Capsule: Oklahoma, We Have A Problem (MAKE) ...

Today in 1977, the first broadcast of the Happy Days episode in which Henry Winkler’s character, The Fonz, jumps over a shark on water skis. "Jumping the shark" is a phrase we use today to talk about shows that get weird and go downhill, but why was Fonz jumping over the shark to begin with? Plus: starting tomorrow in Springfield, Missouri, the Cider Days festival. Henry Winkler is '...

Today in 1986, Australian cricketer Dean Jones stepped up during a really important match, literally leaving it all on the field as he played through high heat and humidity, dehydration, exhaustion and illness. Plus: today in 1911, the birthday of author William Golding, whose biggest novel only became a hit after being rejected over and over again. 'I can't remember a thing after 120 in t...

For National Cheeseburger Day, here’s the story of the guy who brought us one of the world’s most massive and massively popular burgers: Jim Delligatti, the inventor of the Big Mac. Plus: a designer in Belgium, Mathilde Wittock, has come up with a way to upcycle used tennis balls into furniture. Michael "Jim" Delligatti, Big Mac creator, dead at 98 (CBS News) Artist Makes Furniture Out o...