Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

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...

Today in 1945, the birthday of singer/songwriter Van Morrison. His biggest fans and his loudest critics can agree that the guy does not like being told what to do, and he proved it by recording one of the strangest albums in the history of music. Plus: a program at MIT offers a certificate in piracy! Shelved: Van Morrison’s Contractual Obligation Album (Longreads) One of The Country’s Most Competi...

There’s new research about a very complex water system built in China around four thousand years ago. And this very complex system was apparently built in a very uncommon way. Plus: this week in Hoopeston, Illinois, it’s the start of the National Sweetcorn Festival. China’s oldest water pipes were a communal effort (University College London)   The National Sweetcorn Festival Join us on Patreon an...

There’s an urban legend floating around the web that claims today in 1968, the television industry was briefly stopped in its tracks by the devil. We'll unpack this wild story. Plus: in space, no one can hear you scream, except that two physicists in Finland say they've found a workaround. Did American TV Viewers Hear the Devil's Voice on Aug. 29, 1968? (Snopes)  Physicists Figure Out...

Today is, thanks to a long-ago calendar change, one of two birthdays in 1896 of Leon Theremin. He invented a very unusual musical instrument that you play without touching it. Plus: a UK woman pranked her husband by pretending she'd won the lottery, only three weeks later, she really did. Leon Theremin’s two birthdays: his official biographer speaks (Moog Foundation) Theremin (Quartz) Woman wi...

Today in 1958, eaters looking for a quick, inexpensive and tasty option got what they were looking for: it was the birthday of instant noodles. And the man known as the Father of Instant Noodles was Momofuku Ando. Plus: today in Askov, Minnesota, the Askov Rutabaga Festival and Fair is starting up! The Humble Origins of Instant Ramen: From Ending World Hunger to Space Noodles (Gizmodo)  Askov Ruta...

TranscribeGlass is a new set of glasses powered by artificial intelligence that can transcribe speech in real time and create captions for people who need them. Plus: in August 1930, an architect told Modern Mechanix magazine that banks could foil robbers if everything was made of transparent glass.  Stanford Students Create AI Glasses That Transcribe Speech in Real-Time for Deaf People (My Modern...

Today in 1974, John Lennon said he saw a UFO while looking out the window. Whatever it was that actually happened, he was far from the only famous musician to say they'd encountered something in the skies. Plus: we pour some water on the claims that Alexander the Great claimed to have seen UFOs too. John Lennon says he saw a UFO  (Songfacts) 11 pop stars who claim to have seen UFOs (BBC)  16 F...

This month in 2001, a self-described “sign guy” decided to solve an issue on southern California highways by adding his own road sign. Plus: today in 1851, the very first America's Cup competition, won by - as you might guess from the name - a ship named America .  How an Artist Helped Millions of Drivers With a Counterfeit Highway Sign (The Drive) U.S. wins first America’s Cup  (History.com)...

There’s new research out that suggests that for those trying to eat healthy, bigger is better - at least when it comes to font sizes on parts of the menu. Plus: the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest has announced this year’s winner of the worst opening sentence to an unwritten novel.   Font size can ‘nudge’ customers toward healthier food choices (Washington State University) 2023 Grand Prize Winner (...

This week we’re replaying some of our favorite past episodes about some delicious between-meal treats. In this episode from October 2019, we find out why candy corn has fans, not just detractors. After all, someone's eating those 9 billion pieces produced each year. Plus: a haunted house in Utah with an unforgettably creepy name.  The Saccharine History of Candy Corn (National Geographic) 2019...

This week we’re replaying some of our favorite past episodes about some delicious between-meal treats. In this episode from May 2020, authorities in Belgium call on citizens to do their duty and help the country's potato farmers by ordering frites twice a week - fitting, since Belgium is home of the world's only Frietmuseum and considers itself the birthplace of the fried potato. Plus: tod...

This week we’re replaying some of our favorite past episodes about some delicious between-meal treats. In this episode from December 2020, we take a closer look at the amazing and frequently disturbing history of gingerbread, including how one of the most famous royals of all time helped bring gingerbread people into the world. Plus: a lesson in patience from a musical great who made herself into...