Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

It's United Nations Day, and UN headquarters in New York City is a pretty interesting place if you like geopolitics, world history or beekeeping. Here's a closer look at the UN's own beehives. Plus: a group of artists is raising awareness about the risks of "ghost gear" from fishing boats by making sculptures out of the lost material that resemble the marine life that's in danger.  The United...

Happy National Apple Day! Today it's the story of Maria Ann Smith, who discovered the tart, juicy green apple now known around the world as the Granny Smith. Plus: today in 1969, the Beatles’ record company, Apple, got a telegram asking if Paul McCartney wanted to come to New York for a pretty special recording session. Who was Granny Smith? (City of Ryde via Archive.org) Jimi Hendrix Sought Paul...

If we’re ever going to get to a world of self-driving cars we’re going to need ways to make sure that world is safe - and one way to keep pedestrians safe near autonomous vehicles may be… googly eyes. Seriously. Plus: this weekend in Pittsburgh, it's the Dirty Dozen Bike Race, which sends riders up the steepest hills in the city. Animated Googly Eyes Could Make Autonomous Cars Safer For Pedestrian...

A New York company has developed a process called Inflatable Flexible Factory Formwork that can quickly build inexpensive, sturdy and affordable houses. This may be the one type of inflation people in 2022 want to see more of. Plus: this weekend in Nashville, a literal presidential race at the home of our seventh chief executive.  Structure-inflating construction tech could give 3D printing a...

Today in 1924, the University of Illinois dedicated Memorial Stadium, which holds some 60,000 football fans and, legend has it, one bulldozer. We'll look at what really happened. Plus: this weekend in Crowley, Louisiana, it’s the International Rice Festival. Campus Mythbusting: Is there a bulldozer buried beneath Memorial Stadium? (University of Illinois Archives)  Crowley International Rice...

It's National Pasta Day, and here’s a pasta fact that you might have guessed: Fettucine Alfredo comes from an actual guy named Alfredo. Plus: this month in 1990 that a swarm of so-called "killer bees" crossed into the US for the first time on record. The south Texas community of Hidalgo had a big reaction.  The Real Alfredo (Saveur) Hidalgo, Texas's, Killer Bee Statue, a nod to a historical m...

This month in 1964 that the country first began using its world-famous bullet trains, so we've got a few, well, fast facts about them. Plus: today in Bridgeville, Delaware, the Apple-Scrapple Festival is starting. Shinkansen about more than speed (Japan Times via Archive.org) 15 Things You Didn't Know About Bullet Trains (Thrillist) How Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains changed the world of rail tr...

Back braces for scoliosis haven't always been the most comfortable or fun to wear in public. But Airy, the newest prototype back brace, could even be called stylish. Plus: today in 1960, Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski hit a World Series-winning home run, and the only video of that landmark moment came because a big star was too busy (or too nervous) to watch live.  'airy' sc...

Aerial Additive Manufacturing is a new process in which a team of drones 3D print while still flying, and then scanning drones fly by to make sure the job was done right. Plus: the story of a bridge in Ireland that shows sometimes a very little thing can keep a very big thing from doing its thing.  Drone Swarms that Can 3D Print While Flying (Core77) The Celtic Tiger bridge that wouldn't open...

If you watched any of the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, you know the UK has lots of traditions. Here's another one: once a year, sometime between about now and mid November, the city of London pays rent to the Crown for several pieces of land in what’s called the Ceremony of Quit Rents. Plus: around this time in 2013, a big typo on some coins struck for the Vatican.  The Ceremony of Quit Re...

October is National Stamp Collecting Month, and there are perhaps no more collectible stamps than the ones out of the small Asian country of Bhutan - like the "talking stamps" that were also vinyl records. Plus: a choice selection from some of the strangest responses to questions on geology tests. Little Ambassadors of the Country (Works That Work) “Coal Is Decayed Vegetarians" (Futility Closet) O...

Today in 1916, a college football game that was about as one-sided as it gets: Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland College 0. Here's how this absolute squash of a game played out. Plus: today in Smithfield, North Carolina, day one of the Ava Gardner Festival. Revisiting Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0 and how it may have saved the school (CBS Sports)  220-0-THE INFAMOUS CUMBERLAND GAP (Chicago Tribun...

Today in 1945 was the beginning of curse, or at least that's how frustrated fans of the Chicago Cubs. Here's the story of the Curse of the Billy Goat. Plus: today in Ketchum, Idaho, the Trailing of the Sheep Festival is getting underway. Are the Chicago Cubs Really Cursed? (LiveScience) Come on Down for the Big Cozy Sheep Parade (Thrillist) Our Patreon backers are champions every day

International Astronomy Day is coming up this weekend, so we’re talking about Hisako Koyama, an astronomer who hand-drew tens of thousands of daily observations of the sun and its spots. Plus: there's a remote spot in the African country of Namibia where you can hear the Toto song "Africa" on an endless loop.  This Japanese ‘hidden figure’ enlightened the world with her sunspot sketches (PBS...

Today in 1900, Margaret Abbott became the first American woman to win an Olympic title, even though she didn’t know she was in the Olympics. Plus: today in 2021, a woman in Canada got a very unexpected visitor.  Margaret Abbott (New York Times) B.C. woman awakes to a hole in her roof and a space rock on her pillow (Castlegar News) Our Patreon backers are golden 

Today in 1926, America’s aunt made her debut on the airwaves. That would be Aunt Sammy, who gave cooking tips to millions of listeners in the early days of radio. Plus: today in 78 BC a graffiti artist got to work in ancient Pompeii.  History of Aunt Sammy and Her Recipes (Quaint Cooking) Pompeii’s Graffiti and the Ancient Origins of Social Media (The Atlantic) Our Patreon backers make every...

The Texas State Fair is getting underway, and if it's fried food you're after, you have Abel Gonzales Jr., aka "Fried Jesus," to thank. Plus: the Comedy Pet Photo Awards have announced this year’s winners. I Believe I Can Fry (Texas Monthly) Who is Fried Jesus, Dallas restaurant owner? Abel Gonzales’ new nickname is the Texican (Dallas Morning News) Cats, Dogs, and a Smoking Alpaca Win Pet Photo A...

Today in 1921, President Warren Harding issued an executive order that would finally protect the United States’ most important documents after decades of wear and tear. Plus: if you're celebrating National Coffee Day, you could do worse than following the lead of Avery Sisk. His house in Collettsville, North Carolina is covered in 30,000 coffee mugs.  Constitution of the United States—A Histo...

One hundred years ago today was the birthday of Mike Yurosek, the father of the baby carrot. Here's the story of how he came up with the idea. Plus: some communities in Europe are starting mini gardens on the roofs of bus stop shelters to give bees and butterflies a little help.  Profiles in Doing Both: Mike Yurosek, Father of the 'Baby Carrot' (Forbes) Digging the baby carrot (USA Today) Buz...

School is back in session, and fortunately teachers aren't using dunce caps to shame their students. How did a hat that was once worn by prominent thinkers end up as the hat of choice for teachers trying to brand students as dopes? Plus: an apartment building in Concord, New Hampshire turns itself into a classic video game. What’s the origin of the dunce cap? (The Straight Dope) NH gets a cool new...

Today in 1990, the premiere of one of the most bewildering TV experiments of all time: Cop Rock. We'll explain how the show happened and why it didn't quite catch on. Plus: it's the birthday of George William Crump, a guy Ray Stevens could’ve written a song about. An oral history of Cop Rock, TV’s first and last musical police drama (AV Club) University Chronology (Washington University via Archiv...

It's known as the House in the Loire, and it's a popular sight for those on Loire River boat tours. But it's not a house on a formerly dry site that later flooded; nor does anyone live there. We'll explain. Plus: this weekend in Baltimore, it’s the Big Dill, otherwise known as the “World’s Largest Pickle Party.” The Famous House in the Middle of the Loire River (Oddity Central) The Big Dill ...

Hot days make for stuffy classrooms, and that can make it hard to learn, but going outside to scorching hot asphalt playgrounds isn’t much better. A school near Atlanta is demonstrating one partial solution, and it’s as simple as getting a fresh coat of paint. Plus: for the upcoming National Bunny Day, a visit to the Bunny Museum in southern California.  Thanks to an innovative new paint, thi...

It was a hit when it was first released in 1978. Today it’s an anthem. Here's how Earth, Wind & Fire got everybody dancing and remembering each September 21st. Plus: if you’re one of those workers who had to go back to the office and really didn’t want to, this may help register your discontent. The Song That Never Ends: Why Earth, Wind & Fire's 'September' Sustains (NPR) Do You Remember?...

Today in 1932, an unknown photographer took one of the most famous, most astonishing photographs of all time, the one known as “Lunch Atop A Skyscraper.” Here's more about how it happened. Plus: one of the most astonishing barnyard inventions of all time. Lunch Atop a Skyscraper Photograph: The Story Behind the Famous Shot (Smithsonian) Chicken Glasses (National Band and Tag Company via YouTube) O...