Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

The Tension-Activated Repair Patch could help people with back injuries, and it works a little bit like how we patch flat tires on the road. Plus: The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is typically the start of a unique tradition in Albuquerque, New Mexico: making a snow person out of tumbleweeds! New ‘patch’ uses natural body motion to fix disc herniation (University of Pennsylvania) Tumbleweed Snowman...

Today in 1940 the birthday of Bruce Lee, movie and TV star, martial arts trainer to the stars, poet, philospher and... cha cha champion. Plus: today in 1942, the birthday of Jimi Hendrix, rock icon and board game enthusiast. THE TRUTH ABOUT BRUCE LEE'S DANCING SKILLS (Grunge) Graham Nash recalls playing Risk with Jimi Hendrix on acid (SiriusXM) Dance right over to our Patreon page and back our...

Domino's Japan once tried to send its pizzas out by reindeer, but they had to backtrack after a week because, well, you can probably figure out why. Plus: Minnesota asks for suggestions on a new state flag and boy oh boy did they get suggestions. Domino's Tried a Reindeer Delivery Program... You Can Guess How That Went (NBC News) Whole lotta loons: 2,000-plus submissions unveiled for new M...

Happy Thanksgiving! Back in the early days of this American holiday, kids would dress up in costumes and go door to door, asking for treats. It was known as the Ragamuffin Parade. Plus: back in 2010, the website Passive-Aggressive Notes posted a class assignment by 7 year old Lola, who declared "turkeys think of Thanksgiving as a war." Thanksgiving Ragamuffin Parade (New York Public Libr...

New research finds groups of chimpanzees spy on each other, carrying out recon missions to either avoid other groups or to try to encroach on their territory when it's safe to do so. Plus: a visit to the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon. Chimpanzees use hilltops to conduct reconnaissance on rival groups (University of Cambridge)  Take a trip around the world in the Sign Post Forest (Trav...

Today is World Hello Day, so we explain how and when English speakers started using the word "hello" to say hello. Plus: scientists at the University of California-Davis have figured out how sunflowers turn their colorful heads toward the sun as it moves through the day.  World Hello Day: History of a Greeting (Saturday Evening Post) How Sunflowers See the Sun (UC-Davis) Say hello to our...

It was this month in 1936 that a guy in Knoxville, Tennessee started promoting his newly-invented giant trash receptacle, named the dumpster. Plus: there's apparently a new effort in northern China to keep nighttime drivers awake and alert with a series of colorful laser patterns shining over the road. Dempster Dumpster (Fire) (Visit Knoxville) Congratulations, everybody: ‘Dumpster fire’ is no...

The tech industry is always on the lookout for the next big thing in batteries. Scientists on the East Coast may have found it in crab shells. Plus: this is typically the weekend in the city of Taketa, Japan for the Chikuraku Festival. Don't Toss Out The Crab Shells (WBOC) 20,000 Bamboo Lanterns Illuminate the Chikuraku Festival (Spoon + Tamago) This show is powered by our Patreon backers, joi...

Today in 1907 Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union. Oklahoma's panhandle has a complicated history that includes a time when it was known as “No Man’s Land.” Plus: this Saturday in Luther, Oklahoma, it’s the Luther Pecan Festival. The Secret History of the Oklahoma Panhandle (Conde Nast Traveler) Luther Pecan Festival   Join us on Patreon and we’ll bring more new episodes to all 50 stat...

Ten years ago today, one of the sweetest moments in recent history: the day a five year old got to celebrate the end of his cancer treatments by becoming a superhero and saving the day in front of tens of thousands. Plus: a set of antique glass photo negatives from the late 19th century was on its way to the dumpster... but now it's going to college. Watch Make-A-Wish Turn San Francisco Into B...

It's National Pickle Day. Maybe you put these briny cucumbers on sandwiches, or burgers, or just snack on them as they are. Or, if you’re a Texan, you might order a few up when you go to the movies. Plus: around this time in 2014, Italian artist Sven Sachsalber decided to test one of the most classic metaphors in the English language by looking for a needle in a haystack. Why are pickles sold...

Today in 1988, a strange moment in Green Bay, Wisconsin: a Packers game got interrupted by a turkey named Henrietta. Plus: today in Las Vegas, the Indoor Environmental Healthcare and Hospitality Association presents its Housekeeping/Environmental Services Olympics.  'Fowl' play: Woman reveals truth about Lambeau Field turkey prank (WBAY)  IEHA Housekeeping/Environmental Services Olympics O...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite past episodes about Earth's number one satellite. In this episode from July 2019, the BBC brings in the band known for playing space rock to improvise on-air for its coverage of the Apollo 11 mission. Plus: we'll remember the time Pizza Hut produced a TV ad in which all the dialogue was in Klingon.   My moon-landing jam session (The Guardi...

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...