Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

This month in 1930 an experiment to document a very, very slow process began. It holds the world record for longest-running lab experiment: the Pitch Drop Experiment at the University of Queensland. Plus: this weekend in Easton, Pennsylvania, the Easton Garlic Fest. Pitch Drop experiment (University of Queensland) Easton Garlic Fest   No rush, but could you please drop a few bucks in to support th...

Today in 1936, the premiere of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 1. That was 71 years after the symphony was written, which is what happens when a symphony is thought to be lost. Plus: atarting tomorrow at the Conner Prairie outdoor history museum in Indiana, it's the Headless Horseman Festival. José Serebrier writes about the strange history of Dvořák’s First Symphony, The Bells of Zlonice (Class...

This month in 1995, the conclusion of a very odd saga involving one Patrick Combs, who deposited a promotional check from a piece of junk mail and actually got the money! Plus: it's the Day of German Unity. Under a German law, if a family had a seventh kid, the country's president would automatically serve as godparent! Playing With Money / How a $95,093.35 junk mail check changed Patrick&...

Today was the birthday in 1890 of Groucho Marx, perhaps the best known of the comic geniuses known as the Marx Brothers. And yet, if it hadn’t been for a runaway mule, they might never have ended up doing comedy. Plus: today in 2006, musician Katie Melua and her band set a world record for deepest underwater concert by playing over 300 meters below sea level, for workers in an oil rig in the North...

It's National Coffee Day, and while most coffee fans prefer to brew and drink the stuff, there are other options. For example, have you ever tried coffee jelly? Plus: Binasco, Italy is home to MUMAC, which in Italian is an acronym for the Museum of Coffee Making Machines. Boston's Forgotten Coffee Jelly Lives On in Japanese Desserts (VICE)  Coffee Machine Museum (Bookofjoe) For less than t...

Around this time in 2011, an event that was definitely not a “blink and you’ll miss it” affair: a staring contest that took over 40 minutes. Plus: a research team in Japan has developed an artificial intelligence system "capable of interpreting various emotional states in chickens." Victory for 'Eyesore' in 40-minute staring competition (ABC Australia)  Scientists Say New AI Can...

Around this time of year, the Tiwi Islands in northern Australia can start counting on pretty much the same thunderstorm showing up at the same time every day. It's so reliable, they even named it. Plus: this weekend in Newport, Indiana, it's the annual Antique Auto Hill Climb. Hector arrives promptly at 3pm. But Hector isn’t a person  (CNN)  Newport Antique Auto Hill Climb Help us show up...

Today in 1774 was the birthday of Johnny Appleseed. In some ways, the real life John Chapman was like the person depicted in books and movies. But he was also a savvy, albeit eccentric, entrepreneur whose apples were less for eating than they were for drinking. Plus: a billboard to promote the Beatles album Abbey Road (released today in 1969) loses a head! The Real Johnny Appleseed Brought Apples—...

Today in 1897, the birthday of William Faulkner, the Nobel Prize winning author of novels like The Sound and the Fury, and, for a few years, one of the most unproductive postmasters the US mail has ever seen. Plus: on this day in 2020, a German rapper calling himself Hans Solo released the first full-length hip hop album entirely in Klingon.  William Faulkner Was Really Bad at Being a Postman (Lit...

It’s National Dear Diary Day. And nobody kept a diary quite like Robert Shields, who for decades chronicled just about every little thing that happened in his life. Plus: starting today in Warrens, Wisconsin, it's the Warrens Cranberry Festival. Robert Shields, Wordy Diarist, Dies at 89 (The New York Times)   Warrens Cranberry Festival Wouldn't it be great if you could write in your diary...

Today in 1850, the birthday of Sam Brinkley, who was a groundbreaker in the field of having a really really long beard. Plus: starting tomorrow in Fairmount, Indiana, it’s the start of the annual Remembering James Dean Festival. A beard taller than Danny DeVito: how this NC man’s facial hair became world famous (Charlotte Observer)  Sam Brinkley and His Beard (NCpedia) Remembering James Dean Festi...

Today in 2006, the Pentagon announced it would tear down a fascinating piece of Cold War history: a hot dog stand that the Soviets had once thought was actually a top military target. Plus: starting tomorrow in Benson, North Carolina, it’s Benson Mule Days. The Cold War’s Most Important Hot Dog Stand (Now I Know) Benson Mule Days Everybody knows that our Patreon backers are the ones who make this...

Today in 1968, the Soviet Union was launching the Zond 5 mission, orbiting the moon. But on cosmanaut, knowing the US would be listening, decided to pretend he’d landed on the moon's surface. Plus: a woman in California got a call from an animal shelter saying they had her cat - except that her cat had gone missing nine years earlier. The First Soviet Cosmonaut Team by Colin Burgess and Rex Ha...

A UCLA study finds that humans might be able to find some transportation inspiration from another creature that moves around in large numbers: the ant. Plus: a dude in Germany has built a remote control "trash train" that moves his waste bins to the curb on garbage day and brings them back to the house after they've been emptied. Could insights from ants help people build better tran...

This month in 1915, the ancient site known as Stonehenge went up for sale at auction. It's almost unthinkable today, but it happened - what took place after that auction was pretty mind-boggling too. Plus: a worker in New Zealand brings a "support clown" with him to a layoff meeting. Stonehenge sold for £6,600 a hundred years ago today (English Heritage) New Zealand: Man brings clown...

This week in 1917, the birthday of Joyce Chen, restaurateur, cookbook author, TV host and one of the biggest reasons why Chinese food became a big hit in the United States. Plus: starting tomorrow in Valliant, Oklahoma, it’s the Valliant Watermelon Festival.  Joyce Chen (National Women's History Museum) Valliant Watermelon Festival  (Travel Oklahoma) Help keep this show growing as a backer on...

Today in 1848, a workplace accident caused an iron bar to go through the skull and brain of railroad worker Phineas Gage. Somehow, he lived, and ended up changing science forever. Plus: starting tomorrow in Nevada, it’s the Silver State Classic Challenge, a road race from Las Vegas to Ely that is, by some accounts, the fastest in the world. The Improbable Tale of Phineas Gage (Harvard Brain Tour)...

Today in 1952, a group of people in Flatwoods, West Virginia encountered... something . The locals refer to it as, among other names, the Flatwoods Monster. Plus: this weekend in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, it's The Great Sand Castle Contest. The Flatwoods Monster (Braxton County, WV)  The Great Sand Castle Contest Back us on Patreon and you'll keep the monsters away

It’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, so we thought we'd talk about one truck driver who added bigger and bigger parts to his pickup and ended up creating monster trucks. Plus: this weekend in Fort Wayne, Indiana, it's the Johnny Appleseed Festival.  'Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!' A Crushing History of Monster Trucks (Mental Floss)   Bigfoot Creator Bob Chandler: What I'd Do...

Today in 1664, the city previously known as New Amsterdam came under English control and was promptly renamed New York. So we're celebrating an NYC classic, the egg cream. Plus: the US Postal Service has an interesting new set of stamps featuring close-ups of really, really tiny stuff. The Origins of NYC’s Famous Egg Cream and Where to Find One (Untapped New York)  A New USPS Collection Enlarg...

If part of your morning routine involves caffeine in a cup, you may be interested to know about a new research project that uses coffee grounds to improve concrete. Plus: the new web game Clone-a-Lisa gives you a blank canvas, a set of colors, and 60 seconds to create your own version of La Gioconda. Scientists strengthen concrete by 30 percent with used coffee grounds  (Engadget)  Can You Reprodu...

We have smart glasses already, and soon there could be smart contact lenses powered by a method that might make your eyes water. Plus: today in Northfield, Minnesota, the start of the annual Defeat of Jesse James Days festival.  NTU Singapore scientists invent micrometres-thin battery charged by saline solution that could power smart contact lenses (Nanyang Technological University Singapore)    ...

A new project using smart cameras could help keep our neighborhoods in proper working order, and it’s all based around garbage trucks. Plus: a less than helpful encounter at a bakery. Smart Garbage Trucks Help With Street Maintenance  (Hackaday) Mishap leaves two-year-old Missouri girl with cake saying ‘Happy Birthday, Loser’ (FOX2Now) It's smart to back our show on Patreon

Today in 1848, the birthday of Lewis Howard Latimer, an inventor whose work helped make the world what it is today. Plus: today in 2014, not a great work day for the person who was supposed to play the national anthems before a soccer match between Malta and Slovakia.  Latimer, Lewis Howard (1848-1928) (Harvard Square Library)  National anthem replaced by Linkin Park song at Malta-Slovakia friendl...

The first Sunday in September is typically the time when a village in Italy holds something called the Festival of the Ugly - which, when you learn more about it, actually sounds kind of nice. Plus: starting today in Mill Spring, North Carolina, it's the Earl Scruggs Music Festival.  The Ugly Club (Orion Magazine)  Earl Scruggs Music Festival (Visit NC) It would be beautiful if you backed this...