Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today in 1971, the release of the fourth Led Zeppelin album. The opening track, "Black Dog," still gets played and shared today, and it got its name from a very unusual visitor to the studio. Plus: in 2023, a researcher came across the original version of the photo on the Zeppelin album's cover, the one with the older man carrying a big bundle of sticks on his back. Headley Grange Led Zeppelin at...

On Election Day 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt won 56 percent of the popular vote, a huge majority in the Electoral College, and two ostriches. No, really. Plus: starting tomorrow near Haines, Alaska, it’s the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt Won a Presidential Election…And a Pair of Ostriches (Smithsonian) Alaska Bald Eagle Festival  Backing our show on Patreon is just...

Today is apparently National Taxi Day, which means we get to talk about a program in New York City where they got some very famous voices to give safety tips for taxi riders. Plus: this Saturday in Las Vegas, Major League Eating presents its Hotcake Eating Championships. ⁠A Celebrity in Every Taxi⁠ (Ironic Sans) ⁠NORMS Las Vegas: Hotcake Eating Championship⁠ (Major League Eating) ⁠Drive over to ou...

Whatever you're feeling on this Election Day, you might enjoy a slice of an old-school election cake many Americans used to serve when it was time to vote. Plus: this week in Pelion, South Carolina, it's the Pelion Peanut Party. When Elections in Hartford Were a Piece of Cake (Connecticut History) Pelion Peanut Party   Vote for Cool Weird Awesome as a backer on Patreon

Happy National Easy Bake Oven Day! It was today in 1963 that kids could start baking by lightbulb thanks to these colorful little toy appliances. We'll explain how it all came together. Plus: today is National Candy Day, so probably a good time to visit the online Candy Wrapper Museum. The Untold History of the Easy Bake Oven (Gizmodo) Take a Peek Inside the Candy Wrapper Museum (Smithsonian) You...

For el Dia de los Muertos, the living honor loved ones who have passed on with music, dancing, elaborate decorations and food, including what's known as pan de muerto, the bread of the dead. Plus: tomorrow at the Nashville Farmers Market, it’s the annual Turnip Green Festival. San Antonio bakers explain pan de muerto's importance during Day of the Dead (MySanAntonio.com) Turnip Green Festival (Nas...

Halloween didn't turn out so great for the title character of “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” But that led viewers to do something nice for him afterward. Plus: if you happen to be in Caracas, Venezuela, on this Halloween, keep an eye out for a spot known as the "Balcony of the Dolls."   Charlie Brown’s Halloween Miracle (Now I Know)  Creepy Doll-Filled Balcony in Caracas Looks Like the S...

Today in 1735, the birthday of John Adams, the only president who ever spent a night bickering in bed with Benjamin Franklin. Plus: starting tomorrow in Kansas City, it's the World Series of Barbecue.  That Time Ben Franklin Slept in the Same Bed With John Adams (Entrepreneur) World Series of Barbecue  Help this podcast stay independent as a backer on Patreon

Today in 1861, the birthday of a woman with a very strange story. For reasons that aren’t at all clear, Karolina Olsson went to bed as a 14 year old and apparently didn’t wake up until she was in her forties. Plus: someone marked Halloween by playing keyboards in a New York subway station dressed up as Michael Myers.  To this day, the questions remain (Svenska Dagbladet via Archive.org)    Karolin...

For National Chocolate Day, the story of a World War II-era chocolate bar that wasn't too sweet, and that’s exactly how it was supposed to be. Plus: there was a couple who had a zombie-themed wedding at a bar in Little Rock, Arkansas back in the 2000s.  How Hershey’s Chocolate Helped Power Allied Troops During WWII (History.com) Wild days at White Water Tavern (Arkansas Times) It would be sweet of...

Starting tomorrow in Manitou Springs, Colorado, it’s an event known as the Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival. And oh man, does the story of Emma Crawford and her coffin take some explaining. Plus: today in 1964, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall recovered a fumble and took off toward the end zone... just not his team's end zone. Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival (ManitouSpri...

My chemistry teacher called today Mole Day, and while this story doesn't have much chemistry in it, it does have a mole: a Londoner called William Lyttle who dug huge tunnels around his place. Plus: ever wanted your clothes to act like a Theremin? A pair of researchers from the Intelligent Instruments develops sound-rich smart fabrics known as "e-textiles." Great London Eccentrics: The Mole Man Of...

Today in 1957, the water tower in Norwood, Ontario, which looked like a big can of soda or beer, suddenly looked like a big crushed can of soda or beer. We'll explain why. Plus: starting Saturday at Coarsegold Historic Village, near Yosemite National Park, it’s the Coarsegold Tarantula Awareness Festival. Norwood: Norwood once had a crushed beer can water tower (Peterborough Examiner) Coarsegold T...

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...