Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

This week we're replaying some of our favorite past episodes about Earth's number one satellite. In this episode from May 2020, we look at a time in 1110 when records indicate that the moon vanished for months, or maybe even a year or longer. Scientists finally think they know what happened. Plus: a Japanese newspaper has a secret message about social distancing - but you have to be social...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite past episodes about Earth's number one satellite. In this episode from September 2019, we mark the first time a spacecraft tried to land on the moon but crashed instead. Plus: Mount Airy, NC, where Andy Griffith grew up, is hosting the 30th annual Mayberry Days this week.  ⁠India’s Chandrayaan-2 Marks 60 Years of Moon Crashes and Hard Landings...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite past episodes about Earth's number one satellite. In this episode from March 2020, we look at a research project that shows Earth days used to be about a half-hour shorter than they are now, mostly because of the moon. Plus: in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the National Shag Dance Championships are getting underway. How Long Until The Moon Slo...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite past episodes about Earth's number one satellite. In this episode from November 2019, we look at the Apollo 12 mission, the second time humans went to the moon and the first time we launched an artificial earthquake there. Plus: one of the two moonwalkers painted a picture that included their command module pilot on the lunar ground.  Crash Si...

Today in 1924, the birthday of Alberto Manzi, who taught millions of Italian adults to read and write through a TV show. Plus: starting today in North Carolina, it’s the Cape Fear Kite Festival. Interdisciplinary Collaboration Shows It’s Never Too Late (Dartmouth) Alberto Manzi, a pioneer of distance education (L'Italo Americano) Cape Fear Kite Festival   Backing our show on Patreon is a smart...

Today in 1865, the birthday of Warren Harding, 29th president of the United States. His presidency was full of scandals thanks to his so-called friends - if only those friends had been as good to Harding as his dogs had been. Plus: this month in November, the Diagram Prize for the oddest book title of the year was dog themed and that's all we can say about it. Good Boy (Futility Closet) Meet L...

This week in 1926, a will left behind by a very unusual lawyer in Toronto led to a ten year baby-having contest nicknamed the “Stork Derby.” Plus: there’s a new world record for loudest purr, thanks to Bella the cat in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. The Toronto 'Stork Derby' Baby Race (Snopes) Babies Got Bank (This American Life) Elder Tabby Cat Sets Guinness Record for Loudest Purr...

Chances are high you might see some carved pumpkins this Halloween, but if you want to trace the holiday back to its roots, you might want to include some root vegetables. Plus: when a college in Ohio bans a student from carving pumpkins in his dorm, he maliciously complies. Before We Carved Pumpkins for Halloween, People Carved Turnips (Mental Floss) Pumpkin dorm ban? Akron student carves apples,...

A grade school custodian in New Hampshire has been showing up to the late shift in a creepy clown costume. So, first of all, why, and also, what is it about clowns that many people find so creepy? Plus: a crow in Latvia helps a hedgehog find its way through traffic. Concord School Custodian Investigated For Dressing As A Horror Clown (Concord Patch) Why Do We Find Clowns So Creepy? (Psychology Tod...

Today in 1811, the birthday of Isaac Singer. He’s best known as the inventor of the modern sewing machine, but had it been up to him, Singer would have been known for stage acting. Plus: tomorrow in Los Angeles, the Carrera de los Muertos, a Day of the Dead-themed 5K race. Isaac Singer (Biography) Carrera de los Muertos Back us on Patreon and together we'll invent some great episodes of the sh...

When we say "music can bring us together," we usually mean it bridges divides and builds communities. But a new study finds that, biologically speaking, music really can bring people together. Plus: today in Washington, DC, it’s the induction ceremony for the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Classical music synchronises the audience's heartbeats and sweating (New Scientist)  National...

Today we’re looking at a robot that’s moving up in the world, because this robot, known as the Ascento Pro, can climb stairs. Plus: to keep a growing bear population from moving too close to rural communities, Japan is turning to a robot it calls Super Monster Wolf!  Ascento Pro, A Self-Balancing Two-Wheeled Autonomous Robot That Can Easily Climb Stairs (Laughing Squid) Robotic ‘Super Monster Wolv...

Today in 1962, the recording of the landmark James Brown album “Live at the Apollo,” one that came together after the recording team dealt with one pretty big obstacle. Plus: the social media account Midwest Modern is sharing photos of some fascinating and underappreciated designs in this part of the country.  James Brown Live at the Apollo – a classic report from the vaults (The Guardian)  One Gu...

Today in 1920, the birthday of Ted Fujita, a pioneer in meteorology who was so revered by colleagues he became known as “Mr. Tornado.” Plus: a group of Japanese companies is trying to encourage youngsters to drink their milk by printing manga around milk bottles. Pioneering research by late UChicago scholar Ted Fujita saved thousands of lives  (University of Chicago)  seki milk bottles reveal read...

Today in 1982, the World Series St. Louis Cardinals made baseball history with the first major league team-wide dogpile. We explain how players who are celebrating a big moment can sometimes inadvertently hurt each other. Plus: today in 1973, the opening of the Sydney Opera House, where a chicken in an opera once landed on top of a cellist. UVA Baseball Players Attest: Dogpiles Come With Temporary...

It's a big and little development in medicine and technology all at once: a robotic system that can autonomously move a medical needle safely through living tissue. Plus: starting tomorrow in Grand Marais, Minnesota, it's the Moose Madness Family Festival. Medical robot steers needle through living lung (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill) Moose Madness Family Festival Make all the...

Today in 1867, the United States formally purchased the land now known as Alaska. The day before had been a Friday, but because of the transfer, that day became a Friday too. Plus: today in 2019, a hard-hitting news story out of Biddeford, Maine about a student ID photo and a hot dog costume. When the Day After Friday is Friday (Now I Know)  Seward's Bargain: The Alaska Purchase from Russia (A...

Today in 1978, Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand released their enormous hit duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." a duet that pretty much happened by accident. Plus: today in 1989, a massive earthquake strikes just before a World Series game in the Bay Area, and a baseball legend reportedly responds in an unusual way. The Number Ones: Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond’s “You Don’t Br...

Today in 1869, one of the most famous hoaxes of the 19th century began, when workers in Cardiff, New York supposedly uncovered the remains of a 10 foot tall man known as the Cardiff Giant. Plus: today in 1962 Manute Bol was born. At 7 foot 7 inches, he was the tallest player in NBA history, and yet, when he first came to the US from Sudan, his passport said he was just 5 foot 2!  “A Remarkable Dec...

A lot of people believe Friday the 13th is bad luck, and that comes from a lot of legends and traditions. But a guy in 19th Century New York decided to rep this maligned number by flouting superstition and holding regular meals for what he called the Thirteen Club. Plus: the Chicago Botanic Garden is welcoming visitors for the Night of 1,000 Jack-o'-Lanterns. Origins of Friday the 13th: How th...

Today in 2020, the Nobel Foundation tried to call a Stanford professor to tell him he'd won the Economics Prize... except that he was asleep with his phone in Sleep Mode! Fortunately they found a good workaround. Plus: this weekend in Goffstown, New Hampshire, it’s the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off And Regatta.  Doorbell camera captures moment Nobel Prize winner is told he won (NBC News) Giant Pumpk...

Flip a standard coin and you’ve got a 50 percent chance of heads and a 50 percent chance of tails, right? Well, there’s new research out that says… maybe not quite. Plus: for National Coming Out Day, the story of a teen who came out to her family with a cake and a pun-filled letter. Coin toss not so random after all, says groundbreaking study (Boing Boing)  Girl comes out to parents with help from...

This month in 1870, a magazine called The Galaxy published a puzzling article that essentially asks, what's the big deal about Yosemite?   Plus: the channel Jamie’s Lego Jams just used LEGO to build an air-powered pipe organ. Is Yosemite Worth It? This 150-Year-Old Negative Review Laughingly Misses the Mark (Outside via MyYosemitePark.com)  LEGO Pan Pipe Organ  (The Awesomer) You'll make o...

Today we’re learning about new research on learning in jellyfish that suggests that you can learn even if you don’t have a brain! Plus: we have a new record holder for the world’s longest mullet! Brainless jellyfish show they can learn from past experience (Interesting Engineering)  I Have The World's Longest Mullet! (Guinness World Records via YouTube) Let's put our brains together and su...

This month in 1993, the start of a project that is going to take a while: the Zeitpyramide, a 120 block art installation that’s being built at the rate of one block every decade. Plus: starting tomorrow in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, it’s the Wisconsin Mac & Cheese Fest. Zeitpyramide   Wisconsin Mac & Cheese Fest Back us on Patreon and, over time, we'll build something great together