Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today in 1943, a US Navy ship almost caused a gigantic tragedy, by inadvertently launching a torpedo at the president of the United States. Plus: this month in 1932, the UK’s Home Office got a complaint about ancient drawing known as the Cerne Abbas Giant and his “impassioned obscenity.” This WWII Naval Ship Was So Unlucky, It Almost Killed FDR (Task and Purpose) To Whom It May Concern (Futility C...

For Veterans Day, the story of the Comanche Code Talkers, 17 veterans of the second World War who created an unbroken code in their native language that saved lives and helped the US military effort.  Comanche language helped win World War II (US Army) Comanche Code Talkers (Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center) 124th Signal Battalion (ArmyHistory.org)

Today in 1958, the Hope Diamond became property of the Smithsonian Institution. Legend has it the giant blue diamond carries with it a centuries-old curse... even though some of its owners have actually done just fine for themselves. Plus: a statue in Spain pays tribute to a heavy metal enthusiast known as the Rocker Grandma.  History of the Hope Diamond (Smithsonian Institution) The Secret H...

There's a new technique that could help people trying to fend off chronic nightmares - and it involves playing "neutral" piano chords at just the right times. Plus: an art museum in Germany discovers one of its Mondrian paintings has been on display upside down for decades! A piano chord helped reduce chronic nightmares, a study showed (Washington Post) Painting by Mondrian has been hanging upside...

It's National Tongue Twister Day, and among those who practice tongue twisters as part of their training are auctioneers. Here's a look at how they do their work. Plus: a visit to Montana's famous Ringing Rocks.  What it takes to be an art auctioneer at the largest auction house in the world (Insider) Auctioneer Practice Drills & Exercises (Western College of Auctioneering)   Ringing...

This day in 1916 was an important day in US Postal Service history - a rule change that came after the community of Vernal, Utah basically had a bank mailed to them, in installments of bricks. Plus: a developer in England tore down a pub that was considered a historic site, so they had to put the original pub back up in its original location with the original bricks. The Bank of Vernal: The "Parce...

Today in 1980, six counties in southern New Jersey voted on whether they should strike out on their own and become a separate state of South Jersey. And five of those counties actually voted yes! Plus: the Peace Tower on Canada's Parliament Hill has a giant clock that cannot ever be turned backwards. So how does it handle the end of Daylight Saving Time?  South Jersey voted to secede from NJ...

It's National Sandwich Day, and there are lots of great ones out there. The worst sandwich has a pretty clear champion - the Raines sandwich. Though to be fair, it wasn’t ever really intended to be eaten. Plus: back in 1984, the number one song on the Billboard pop chart was “Caribbean Queen” by Billy Ocean. He actually recorded different versions of the song featuring queens from different parts...

Around this time in 2001, eccentric Hollywood legend Marlon Brando held a 10-day seminar called “Lying For A Living" where he alternately taught acting and did very, very Marlon Brando things. Plus: this weekend in Florence, South Carolina, it’s the South Carolina Pecan Music and Food Festival. Marlon Brando’s Real Last Tango: The Never-Told Story of His Secret A-List Acting School (The Hollywood...

Today in 1800, President John Adams first moved into the president's house, which, despite rumors to the contrary, was always a White House. Here's how it gets repainted. Plus: for National Calzone Day, a visit to a place in West Virginia that serves a gigantic calzone challenge.  It takes a lot of work to keep the White House painted white! (White House Historical Association on Twitter) The...

Happy Halloween! Today we pay a visit to a house in Waxahachie, Texas that's a real-world replica of the home of TV's Munsters. Plus: today in 2002, a soccer record that probably won’t ever be equaled: a team from Madagascar scored 149 goals against itself.  Welcome to the ‘Munsters’ Mansion in Waxahachie (Texas Monthly) Mingle with monsters (and Marilyn) at the Munster Mansion, a perfect rep...

Today in 1883, a bizarre headline in the New York Times: “Actor Demoralized By Tomatoes.” Why have audiences thrown tomatoes and other foods at performers? Plus: this weekend in Yardley, Pennsylvania, it’s Canal-O-Ween, a special stroll through a waterway of lit pumpkins.  AN ACTOR DEMORALIZED BY TOMATOES. (The New York Times) HAS THERE EVER BEEN AN ACTUAL CASE OF SOMEONE BEING PELTED WITH TO...

If you have fields, you almost certainly have weeds. Pulling them can take a lot of time or money, but farmers now have a new way to make that part of the job a lot easier: a weed-zapping robot that uses lasers. Plus: this weekend in Hiawatha, Kansas, runners are set to take part in the Great Pumpkin Relay. This new farming robot uses lasers to kill 200,000 weeds per hour (Interesting Engineering)...

It's National Mule Day, so it's a great day to celebrate a mule who singlehandedly… showed up at some Major League Baseball games. Here's the story of the official mule mascot of the New York Mets. Plus: The Instagram account Les Facades de Paris focuses on the fabulous fronts of Paris’s shops, homes and other buildings. Double Bray: When the New York Mets Replaced Mr. Met With a Live Mule (Mental...

Today in 1944, the greatest concert in Carnegie Hall history, featuring a truly incomparable singer: the one and only Florence Foster Jenkins. Here's how the woman sometimes called the worst opera singer of all time ended up on one of the most famous stages of all time. Plus: today in 1912, the birthday of Grand Ole Opry comedian Minnie Pearl, who's celebrated in her hometown, Centerville, Tenness...

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...