Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today was the birthday in 1809 of author Edgar Allan Poe. It was also the day that, for decades, a mysterious individual would pay tribute to the great writer with a mask, three roses and a bottle of cognac. Plus: students at Washington State University have built a life-size version of the game Operation.  Poe’s Memorial Grave (The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore) Life-size ‘Operation’...

Today in 1943, the US government tried to help the war effort in a way that did NOT go over well. They tried to halt the sales of sliced bread. Plus: for Winnie the Pooh Day, a reminder that there is a world championship for a game from the books known as Poohsticks. Pre-Sliced Bread Was Once Banned in the United States (Today I Found Out) Witney's World Poohsticks Championships mark 35 years (BBC...

Today in 1899 was the birthday of Al Capone. Not everyone would brag about getting a gift from the notorious gangster, but there’s a hospital in Baltimore that’s happy to share its connection. Plus: today in 1931, the birthday of James Earl Jones, legendary actor and occasional CB radio prankster.  For Union Memorial, Al Capone's tree keeps on giving (Baltimore Sun) James Earl Jones on Darth...

Dr. King gave his most famous speech in Washington D.C. When he was in the capital city and when he was hungry, he often stopped at a landmark restaurant known as Ben’s Chili Bowl. Here's some of its story.  My Restaurant Has Hosted Protestors Including MLK for More Than 60 Years (Thrillist)  Ben's Chili Bowl Celebrates 45th Anniversary (CNN)

Tomorrow in Las Vegas, the 2023 AArrow Sign Spinners competition begins, with elite-level sign spinners showing off their best moves. Plus: for National Rubber Ducky Day, a visit to the world’s largest rubber duck store. AArrow Sign Spinners Competition Broward Man Heading to World Sign Spinning Championship in Las Vegas (Miami New Times) Meet 2 sign spinners who will compete in Las Vegas in a wor...

Today in 2015, the first news reports about Eclipse, a dog in Seattle that had figured out how to get itself to the dog park on the city bus. Plus: Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF) is going to be visible from Earth this month and in early February, and you probably don’t want to wait until its next go-round to see it. Seattle dog's rush hour ride: on the bus, by herself, weekly (KOMO News) Bus-riding dog who t...

When the snow and ice comes, it makes me think of getting out the snowblower. But a snowy city in Japan thinks, we could power our lights with this . Plus: a scenic train in Japan's Miyazaki Prefecture is now running on a special kind of fuel that's made in part from leftover ramen broth. Electricity from snow? A Japanese city believes it can be done (Nikkei) This Japanese Train Ditched Convention...

A lot of products, even some otherwise green ones, still use a lot of disposable single-use plastic. But there’s a research project that aims to replace that plastic wrapping with a completely biodegradable version made from cranberries. Plus: Vollebak has some literally green-tech, a solar-powered winter jacket that gives off a green glow in the dark. Could Dissolvable Cranberry Film Replace Plas...

Today in 1913, the birthday of Richard Nixon, 37th president of the United States, and the only one who ever went a wild ride with the head of the Soviet Union. Plus: next month in Denmark, they’re opening a museum on the site of REGAN Vest, the country’s Cold War bunker. Town Car Diplomacy – 40 Years Ago (Nixon Foundation) Venture Into the Apocalypse at This Bunker-Turned-Museum in Europe (Thrill...

Today in 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state in the Union. And so far, it’s the only one where a state lawmaker tried to make expert witnesses dress like wizards in court. Plus: tomorrow in Yuma, Arizona, the Yuma Medjool Date Festival! Odd Law Alert: New Mexico Expert Wizard Amendment (University of Cincinnati Law Review) Yuma Medjool Date Festival  Our Patreon backers are magical 

Today was the birthday in 1914 of the man who brought spray can and whipped cream together: Aaron “Bunny” Lapin. Plus: today in 1895, the birthday of pioneering microbiologist Dr. Rebecca Lancefield. Some scientists mark her accomplishments by making her recipe for eggnog.  Aaron 'Bunny' Lapin, 85, Dies (Washington Post) Aaron S. Lapin, Reddi-wip Creator, Dies at 85 (New York Times) More Evid...

It's the first Wednesday of the new year. How come many of us don’t pronounce it “WED-ns-day”? Plus: around this time in 1939, Lyra Ferguson of Missouri set a goal of traveling to each of the then-48 states and finding a job in each of them, for just one week. Why 'Wednesday' Isn't Pronounced the Way It's Spelled (HowStuffWorks) 45 Jobs in 45 States (Weird Universe) Our Patreon backers make our sh...

We have some good news early in this new year: the Leaning Tower of Pisa isn’t leaning quite as far as it used to! Plus: today in 2020, people in Venice saw an unusual sight: two emu-like birds known as rhea or nandu took a train ride into the city and then roamed around like tourists. The Leaning Tower of Pisa Now Leans Less, Its Infamous Tilt Having Been Reduced by 1.6 Inches Over the Last Two D...

Most people have O, A, B or AB type blood, but there are dozens of rarer blood types, including Rhnull, which is sometimes called "golden blood." Plus: Today in 1978, a guy in a snowman costume ended up on fire?!?  'Golden blood' - only 43 people in the world have this rare blood type (Jerusalem Post)  Landry, Cowboy Coach, Enjoys Day at Movies (New York Times) Our Patreon backers are as...

Today in 1752, the birthday of the woman known today as Betsy Ross. The legend goes that after meeting with General George Washington, Mrs. Ross put together the very first version of what would become the flag of the United States. Historians are pretty sure that’s just a legend, but there are reasons why the story came to be. Plus: today in 2021, a village in Austria changed its name. When you k...

There are lots of winter sports, like snowshoeing, skiing, ice skating, sledding, hockey and curling. One sport that used to be a big hit around this time of year? Competitive barrel jumping. Plus: tomorrow in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the 9th annual Chile Drop for New Year’s Eve. The Wholesome Lost World of Competitive Barrel Jumping (Messy Nessy Chic) Las Cruces Chile Drop Thanks to our Patreon ba...

Taking plastic out of the ocean is hard, especially when it comes to microplastics. Now there’s a study out of Princeton that says we can get some help in that effort from egg whites. Plus: a group of college students in Malaysia has another system for removing tiny bits of debris from the ocean, known as Whalecro.  How Egg Whites Can Help Clean the Ocean (Cool Hunting) whalecro vehicle captu...

Researchers have a pretty good idea what all the chatter between crows is about. They seem to figure out when to launch a mass takeoff by discussing it. Plus: a very small ornament is also a fully functional IBM PC that can play the classic game Doom on its tiny, full color screen. Noisy jackdaw birds reach 'consensus' before taking off (Science Daily) The Christmas tree ornament of Doom (Boing Bo...

Maybe you had to pick up some batteries for some of the presents you bought this month. When it comes to toys, we’ve got AA, AAA, C and D batteries… but not B! Why not? Plus: a research team has demonstrated a “smart bandage" that can not only monitor how a wound is healing in real time, it can help speed that healing process along. Why Aren't There B Batteries? (Mental Floss) Wireless, closed-loo...

This week in 1996, a British sailor competing in a race around the world decided that winning the race wasn’t as important as helping a fellow sailor who was in trouble. Plus: if you’re looking for some fascinating reading at the end of the year, check out food writer Julia Skinner's piece about living with gustatory synesthesia.  HOW WE MET: PETE GOSS AND RAPHAEL DINELLI (Independent.co.uk)...

There are lots of classic holiday songs, but one of them didn’t get a warm welcome from some corners when it was first released. Here's why "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" was condemned and even briefly banned in some parts of the US. Plus: the time some parents had an aspiring drummer in the house and lost the plot for Christmas presents.  Jimmy Boyd: 1939-2009 (Chicago Tribune) This Reddi...

Anybody can put on a red suit and hat, don a white beard and say “ho ho ho” to passersby. But if you want to do Kris Kringle’s job properly, you can do what hundreds and hundreds of them have done: go to Santa school. Plus: a not so warm welcome for a holiday decoration in British Columbia.  How Professional Santas Are Trained (Insider via YouTube) Red-nose rage: Aggressive deer keep attackin...

There are quite a few sites from the ancient world that mark the solstice in pretty special ways. Stonehenge is probably the most famous one, but there’s another site that offers an amazing solstice experience, if you’re fortunate enough to see it: Newgrange in Ireland. Plus: if you’re still figuring out your holiday decorations, you might get some inspiration at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn,...

When most people mark Hanukkah with lights, they mean candles on a menorah. But Philip Grosman of Houston is bringing all the lights for the festival at Hanukkah House. Houston's famous Hanukkah house shines bright for the holidays (KHOU) This show is powered by our backers on Patreon!

Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” was first published today in 1843. The character of Ebeneezer Scrooge is said to be based on a real life person, though which person it was that inspired the story depends on who’s telling the story. Plus: what exactly was it that Scrooge had for his Christmas Eve dinner?  Campaign To Honour Real-Life Ebenezer Scrooge John Elwes (Huffington Post) Revealed:...