Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today in 1933, Camden, New Jersey became the site of the very first drive-in movie theater. Here's the story of Richard Hollingshead, who brought movies outside so people could drive right up to the picture. Plus: a new watercraft that sure sounds like it’s out of a movie.  June 6, 1933: The Era of Drive-In Movies Begins (Newspapers.com) All Aboard the Party Submarine (UrbanDaddy) We want to...

Fried dough cakes have been around seemingly forever, but for National Doughnut Day, we have the story of an innovation that helped make this treat the icon that it is today: the invention of the doughnut hole. Plus: this weekend in Chittenango, New York, east of Syracuse, it’s Oz-stravaganza, a celebration of the Wizard of Oz in the town where author L. Frank Baum was born.  The Maine Ship C...

The Paper House of Rockport, Massachusetts has a wood frame, but otherwise owner Elis Stenman made the place almost entirely out of old newspapers. And you can still read the stories in the walls today. Plus: this weekend in northern Indiana, it’s the Mentone Egg Festival, celebrating an area that’s been called the “Egg Basket of the Midwest.” The Paper House—made of 100,000 newspapers—has a worki...

Today in 2012, the birthday of Amy Jones-Elliott of Glenmore, County Kilkenny, Ireland. But it wasn't the birthday of her twin sister, Katie. The two hold the world record for twins with the largest amount of time between their births: 87 days. Plus: ExitReviews can tell you not just whether a product works well, but how long it'll last and what parts might break on it first.  First day at sc...

Washington State University has developed a high-tech wearable (I guess you call it a wearable?) to make it easier to take care of a very important test for some babies: a smart pacifier. Plus: the Doomsday Alarm Clock app will scare you out of bed with one of several end of the world scenarios. Smart pacifier developed to monitor infant health in hospitals (Washington State University) The Doomsd...

For Memorial Day, we look at what's become an annual tradition at this time of year: an exhausting CrossFit workout in honor of a Medal of Honor winner and Navy SEAL who gave his life while serving in Afghanistan. His full name was Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, but he's also known far and wide today as Murph, the namesake of the "Murph Challenge."  How Murph Became the Most Legendary Fitness...

When there's road work to be done, crews put up cones, barrels and fences to keep workers safe. Now a "smart work" zone system being tested in Virginia could make those spaces even safer. Plus: if you need a road trip destination, how about a New Mexico museum about a key part of many of those road trips?  Virginia Tech Transportation Institute researchers to deploy smart work zone in Wise, V...

We now have some 750,000 miles of internet cable on ocean and seafloors. A research team found a way to use those cables to measure seismic activity, without installing anything extra. Plus: “London’s Invisible House” got its name because nearly all of its exterior is covered in mirrors. A breakthrough in fiber optics turned an undersea cable into 12 seismographs (Interesting Engineering) Richmond...

It's the day in 1977 that Star Wars first showed in movie theaters. Props and costumes from the Star Wars movies have shown up in museums, and a few have had stranger afterlives, including an original model of the Death Star. Plus: a statue first put up in the old Soviet Union was repurposed in more recent times to join the Star Wars universe.  SAVING THE DEATH STAR: HOW THE ORIGINAL MODEL WA...

Today in 1854, the first sitting of the parliament of New Zealand. And there’s an interesting story about that lawmaking body that involves a very special biscuit tin. Plus: for those still working remotely, the YouTube channel Everything Is Hacked presents the Zoom Pants Filter! Biscuit tin democracy: the humble start of New Zealand's most progressive laws (The Guardian) Zoom Pants Filter (The Aw...

Today in 1921, Green and Green cracker company of Dayton, Ohio trademarked the name of a new product that is still doing quite well: it’s the birthday of the Cheez-It. Plus: Today in Pennsylvania, it’s 143 Day, celebrating the one and only Mister Rogers.  Were Cheez-Its really invented in Dayton? Yes, and here's the story (Dayton.com) 143 Day in PA in honor of Fred Rogers (Philly Voice) Our P...

Today in 2000, Dr. Anna Bågenholm's body temperature fell to the lowest level ever survived by a human being. Here's the story of how she faced extreme hypothermia and came back to life. Plus: tomorrow in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, it’s the Kielbasi Festival/Heritage Day.  Frozen Woman: A 'Walking Miracle' (CBS News) Between life and death – the power of therapeutic hypothermia (The Guardian)...

We don't know for sure it's hers, but researchers have found traces of a perfume that was likely popular during Cleopatra's time - and they think they may be able to brew some of it up. Plus: a patent for a safety harness that generates electricity from a worker who falls off a building! What Did Cleopatra Smell Like? (Hyperallergic) Electricity from falling workers (Weird Universe) Join our show...

Today in 1953, Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier. Then again, Cochran moved at high speed her whole career. Plus: today in 1838, the birthday of Alexander Miles, a Black inventor who made elevators what they are today.  JACQUELINE COCHRAN (National Air and Space Museum) Alexander Miles (National Inventors Hall of Fame) Who keeps this show flying? Our Patreon...

50 years ago today, a man named Donald Gorske ate a McDonald’s Big Mac. It was the first of over 30,000, and yes, he holds the world record for most Big Macs eaten by a single person. Plus: scientists at the University of Florida just got edible plants to grow in rock and dust taken from the moon about half a century ago. This American Hero Ate 30,000 Big Macs and Survived (VICE) Plants grow in lu...

A company called Envision has designed a set of glasses that uses artificial intelligence to help blind people with a wide range of activities. They can decode text, detect color and describe outdoor scenes to the wearer, among many other functions. Plus: a cafe in Tokyo is geared toward the key demographic of writers trying to finish their manuscripts on deadline!  AI-powered smart glasses f...

The Canadian Tulip Festival is getting underway in Ottawa. Here's the history of the annual event, which (pun intended) has its roots in the history of World War II. Plus: if you can't make it to Ottawa, maybe you could drop by the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan.  Princess Margriet to make public appearance at Tulip Festival this weekend (CBC) 2022 Tulip Time Festival (Holland.org)...

This month in 1921, an American submarine known as R-14 ran out of usable fuel in the Pacific Ocean, and lost radio contact with the Navy. To get home, the crew turned the sub into a sailboat, making bunk beds and blankets into sails. Plus: a tattoo artist helps a friend get six-pack abs even when diet and exercise didn't get the job done.  A Submarine Made it Home with a Sail Made of Blanket...

Today in 2018, Australian James Harrison gave blood for the last time. He had donated about once a week for some 60 years, and because his blood included a rare antibody, his donations helped save millions of lives. Plus: the website Typatone gives users a new way to make a little music online from their writing. James Harrison's story (Australian Red Cross) Make music while you write  (Nag o...

Today in 1893, the highest court in the land made a controversial ruling that would profoundly affect Americans to this day: the US Supreme Court ruled that the tomato was a vegetable. Plus: today in 1999, Vermont not only named apple pie its official state pie, it outlined the officially correct way to serve the state pie.  The Supreme Court and the Great Tomato Controversy (IIT Chicago-Kent...

A new study finds colorful painted murals around, or in place of, traditional striped crosswalks may cause drivers to yield more around pedestrians and keep them safe. Plus: a team from two Australian universities studies concrete infused with old bits of tires to see if that might give us a more eco-friendly road surface.  Study Finds That Colorful Road Art Prevents Traffic Accidents by 50%...

Today is National No Homework Day. For many years in the US, every day was a no homework day - but then Sputnik happened. Plus: this weekend in North Carolina, it's the Smithfield Ham and Yam Festival.  How the Cold War Space Race Led to U.S. Students Doing Tons of Homework (History.com) Ham and Yam Festival   Our Patreon backers make it so we can do our homework on each episode of the s...

In Rambouillet, France, a startup is developing street lights that are bioluminescent - they’re powered by bacteria that glow. Plus: around this time in 1965, a woman sees a car selling for "1,395 bananas" and shows up at the dealership with actual fruit.  French Town to Light its Streets With Bacteria Luminescence That Needs No Electricity (Good News Network) Car sold for 1395 bananas (Weird...

For International Firefighters Day, it's the story of Molly Williams, an enslaved Black woman who became the first known woman firefighter, and the first Black firefighter, in the United States. Plus: on the anniversary of Rhode Island declaring independence, a visit to one of the state's most unusual attractions.  Molly Williams, a black woman and a slave, fought fires years before the FDNY...

There’s evidence that people in the Stone Age took plaquettes, limestone representations of animals, put them near the fire and watched as the light created a kind of animation. Pretty high-tech stuff for 14,000 years ago. Plus: an enterprising young raccoon in Germany takes advantage of the rules. Stone Age people may have gathered at night to watch animated “fireside art” (Ars Technica) A wild r...