Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today in 1966, NBC’s “The Tonight Show” turned Twister, a board game that might have fallen through the cracks, into a big hit. Plus: the new photo book “Most Touched” features the unique and sometimes striking designs of door handles. How Johnny Carson Saved Twister (History.com) 'most touched' photo book gathers more than 1,000 door handles from around the world (designboom) This show is...

It's our 1000th episode! To celebrate, here's the story of a guy this month in 1929 who won a bet by proving he could push a peanut all the way up Pikes Peak with his nose. Plus: a prisoner tries a novel way to get out from behind bars. Colorado Springs man hopes to be the fourth person to push a peanut up Pikes Peak with his nose (Colorado Public Radio) MISCELLANY: Miscellany, may 2, 1960...

In the 12th and 13th Centuries, monks were tracking the looks of the moon, including lunar eclipses. Modern-day researchers took another look to see if some of those eclipses were actually volcanic eruptions. Plus: for Butter Day, a visit to the Butter Museum in Cork, Ireland. Medieval monks accidentally recorded some of history’s biggest volcanic eruptions (University of Cambridge) Cork Butter Mu...

Today in 2011, UK politician Ed Balls sent a tweet that just said "Ed Balls." He was trying to search for his name, not post it, but the inadvertent self-rep turned into a meme and a wonderfully weird annual tradition. Plus: for Arbor Day, the story of a guy from Quebec who set the world record for most trees planted in a single day. (It's a lot.) Ed Balls Day Is Upon Us! Here Are th...

Forty years ago today, the first ever Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon began. Five days later, the first guy to cross the finish line was a 61 year old farmer with arthritis in both legs. Here's how self-described "old turtle" Cliff Young pulled off such an unexpected win. Plus: tomorrow in Wilmington, Delaware, it’s day one of the Wilmington Coffee Fest. When age and modesty won t...

Today in 1884, A.A. Adams of Kansas took what is the earliest-known photo of a tornado. Early storm photos are pretty remarkable, for a lot of reasons. Plus: this weekend, the incomparable cellist Yo-Yo Ma is set to play a one of a kind concert. TORNADO PHOTO FROM AUGUST 1884 ON DISPLAY AT CULTURAL HERITAGE CENTER (South Dakota Historical Society Foundation) World's Earliest Tornado Photos (We...

Today in 1947, the start of a big moment in the history of sweets: kids in Canada protested a hike in chocolate bar prices with what would eventually become known as the Candy Strike. Plus: for National Poetry Month, a look at the math-based form known as Fibonacci Poetry. Historicist: The Candy Bar Strike (Torontoist) Fibonacci Poetry (or The Fib): Poetic Forms (Writers Digest) Our Patreon backer...

It’s National Library Week, so let’s pay a visit to a couple very unusual libraries in Portugal where some of those who help protect the books are bats. Plus: the Brautigan Library in Vancouver, Washington is a physical and online library that collects unpublished manuscripts. These Portuguese Libraries Are Infested With Bats — and They Like It That Way (Travel + Leisure via Yahoo!) The Brautigan...

Today in 1972, astronauts John Young and Charles Duke stepped on the Moon during the Apollo 16 mission. Along the way, one of the moonwalkers revealed to the world, without meaning to, that orange juice had made him gassy. Plus: today in St. George, South Carolina, the start of the World Grits Festival. The time an Apollo 16 astronaut swore about farting on the moon (Gizmodo) World Grits Festival...

In extremely cold Antarctic weather, some of the researchers and staff have come up with an unusual way to pass the time: rushing from an extremely hot sauna to the extremely cold conditions around the South Pole, in extremely light outfits (if any!). Plus: every year on April 20th, it’s… National Lima Bean Respect Day? South Pole's 300 Club not for the cold-blooded (Reuters) On Getting Naked...

It's National Banana Day, so we've got the story of people in the UK who went to great lengths to simulate having bananas when the real deal was off limits during World War II. Plus: today in 1988, the Oklahoma State House approved a resolution describing the official state meal, which was kind of enormous. To Cope With a Wartime Banana Ban, British Home Cooks Made ‘Mock Bananas’ (Atlas Ob...

He called it just another day of skydiving, but today in 1987, Gregory Robertson saved a fellow skydiver’s life with a high-speed free fall of more than a mile. Plus: on the anniversary of Paul Revere's ride, the story of the expense account he sent for reimbursement to colonial officials. Man rescues fellow skydiver seconds before impact (UPI) Revere's expense account revealed (Bangor Dai...

The NHL postseason is getting underway, but once the Stanley Cup has been won, what do hockey fans watch? Here's one idea: underwater hockey, which is a growing sport set to make a splash. Plus: April 17 in Japan is known as Queen Day, where rock lovers celebrate the band's first appearance in their country. Deep dive into the world of underwater hockey (ESPN) The Pandemic Hasn’t Dulled Ja...

For National Dolphin Day, the story of a dolphin called Pelorus Jack who was famous for allegedly escorting ships off the coast of New Zealand. Plus: in Louisiana, it’s day one of the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival. The Truth About the Legend of Pelorus Jack (Today I Found Out) The story of Pelorus Jack  (Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand) Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival We're guided t...

There’s a new startup in Japan that’s getting hot in more ways than one: it's turned a former city bus into a mobile sauna. Plus: it's the birthday of the Reverend Al Green, who has had multiple hits but got his biggest royalty checks from something other than records. A Refurbished Public Bus is Currently Travelling Japan as a Mobile Sauna (Spoon + Tamago) Daily Limit: Billy Bass Christma...

It's National Licorice Day. People who love it, love it - and the people who don’t aren’t shy about saying so. Maybe it would help if we explained how we got to this impasse? Plus: today in 1912 was the birthday of Beverly Cleary, so here's the story of how she once gave a school a very Ramona Quimby-like answer. The Twisted History of Licorice, the Candy We Love to Hate (Bon Appetit) Why...

Today in 1903, the birthday of Dr. Claire Weekes, who helped the world understand that sometimes the way to stop a spell of anxiety in its tracks… is, in a way, to stop trying to stop it. Plus: pets are supposed to help make us calm, right? Maybe not this one. Face, accept, float, let time pass: Claire Weekes' anxiety cure holds true decades on (The Sydney Morning Herald) One woman’s six-word...

Today in 1921, the birthday of Sheb Wooley, who had a hit song in the 50s called the “Purple People Eater" and is believed to be the guy who gave a scream that's been featured in hundreds of movies: the Wilhelm Scream. Plus: today in 1976, a challenging moment for then-President Gerald Ford and his tamale. Does That Scream Sound Familiar? (ABC News) No one told Ford tamales need to be unw...

Today in 1850, a man in California decided to start his own country. While it didn’t last, and may not have happened at all, the name is unforgettable: the Great Republic of Rough and Ready. Plus: a woman in Wales got a big chocolate Easter egg when she was 11, and kept it in the box for more than 70 years. Welcome to Rough and Ready, the Tiny Town That Used to Be a Republic (KQED) Independent Ben...

Today in 1930, one of the sweetest treats of our time made its debut. Here's how the Twinkie became the Twinkie. Plus: the story of Louis Browning, who ate at least one Twinkie a day for decades and decades. Twinkies, 75 Years And Counting (Washington Post) This Week In Illinois History: Birth Of The Twinkie (April 6, 1930) (Northern Public Radio)

For National Walking Day, the story of the guy known as the “Walking Man of Annapolis,” Carlester Smith, and how he helped keep his neighborhood clean on daily speedwalks. Plus: a tour operator in London has something called the Rubbish Trip.  Carlester Smith, the Annapolis ‘Walking Man,’ has died at age 63 (Capital Gazette) London Rubbish Tour (University College London) Keep our show moving as a...

For National Volleyball Day, the story of the annual volleyball game played between Naco, Arizona and Naco, Sonora, Mexico, in which the net was a border fence. Plus: today in 1940, a newspaper reported on a Pennsylvania woman who said she had practiced mental telepathy on her hens. When neighbors played volleyball over the U.S.-Mexico border fence (Univision) Egg Telepathy (Weird Universe) Help k...

Last week was school spring break where I live, so today all the families are back to packing backpacks, putting homework in folders and packing lunches.  Maybe next spring break we should head to Columbus, Georgia to visit the Lunchbox Museum. Plus: today in 1920, the birthday of Theron Holland, who had an enormous collection of Native American arrowheads and stone artifacts, more than 70,000 in...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about the old ball game. In this episode from August 2021, the story of a very strange thing that happened in a baseball game: a guy on second base ran backwards and stole first base, the base he'd just been on. Plus: why some people end up celebrating music legend Louis Armstrong's birthday a month late. Germany Schaefer (Society...

This bonus episode is a way to say thanks for all your generosity and encouragement since we debuted on this day in 2019. We had ChatGPT write what it thought was an episode of our podcast; then we had an AI-generated version of Brady's voice "read" that script. It's... interesting. Thanks to our Patreon backers for making every episode of our show possible!