Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today in 1944, Astrid Lindgren of Stockholm, Sweden fell on ice and sprained her ankle. While stuck in bed, she decided to write down some stories she'd been telling her daughter, stories that would lead to one of the most popular children's book series of all time. Plus: today in 2005, an ultramarathon runner from Tucson, Arizona, Pam Reed, set a world record by running 301 miles. She ran for 79...

Today in 1948, two meteorologists helped make things safer for those living in the path of severe storms, when they issued the first successful tornado warning. Plus: the Circle Guitar by Anthony Dickens has a rotating sequencer disc that lets the instrument play its own strings.  The Types of Airmasses in Which North American Tornadoes Form (JSTOR)  The First Operational Tornado Forecas...

According to a new study, remembering old times can actually be good for your health - in particular, it may help regulate our response to pain. Plus: Lushfoil Photography Sim aims to send players through extremely detailed and extremely scenic environments to take the perfect simulated photo. Scientists find a surprising connection between nostalgia and pain relief (Inverse) Super-Realistic Grass...

The HMS Challenger spent years studying the world's oceans and the creatures that call them home. Today in 1875, the mission made one of its most astonishing discoveries. Plus: a company in Tokyo that makes elevator buttons and lights lets factory visitors push a copy of every button it's ever produced - over a thousand in all. HMS Challenger: The voyage that birthed oceanography (BBC) H.M.S. Chal...

There really is a robot now called the Pipe-Worm. It's built to unclog pipes, and it does it by mimicking earthworms. Plus: for World Water Day, we look back at a project by artist Dylan Martinez that looks like bags of clear, clean water... or is it?  Worms and cockroaches inspired this robot that can unclog any pipe (Fast Company) Glass Sculptures by Dylan Martinez Perfectly Imitate Water-F...

This was a bonus episode for our Patreon backers, who make the show possible! It was exclusively available to them on Patreon for one year. If you want to hear future bonus episodes before that, join us for just $1 a month . The new book "Bitten by Witch Fever" by Lucinda Hawksley highlights hundreds of wallpaper patterns from the UK in the 19th century, a time when some of the pigments...

Jaundice is treatable with phototherapy, but not all places have access to light therapy machines. A startup in Nigeria is building solar-powered phototherapy machines to fill that gap. Plus: today in 2021, a guy in England tried to rob a bank, only his handwriting was so messy the tellers couldn't read his demand.  This Nigerian tech startup is fighting baby jaundice with solar-powered cribs...

The Brandt’s vole has an interesting way to protect itself from predators overhead: a research project found that the little rodent cuts the grass so it can keep a lookout. Plus: a new company is selling work from home pods/writing cabins made from sections of old airplanes.  Voles cut grass to watch flying predators (University of Exeter) Turning old airplanes into home offices (CNN) Join ou...

Today in 1948 that a guy in Portland, Oregon, dedicated Mill Ends Park, two square feet of green space in the middle of a parkway. It's still the world’s smallest park today. Plus: it’s Peeps season again, and the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin wants your submissions for the 14th Annual International Peeps Art Exhibition. Mill Ends Park (Portland.gov) Call for Artists: RAM 13th Annual Internationa...

Today in 1750, the birthday of an astronomer who definitely made her mark on the sky: Caroline Herschel, the first woman to discover a comet. Plus: residents of Pooler, Georgia, are down one giant mailbox painted to look like a cow, but don't worry, it'll be back.  Caroline Herschel (NASA) Eight Women Astronomers You Should Know (JSTOR) Who moo-ved the giant mailbox? Chatham County landmark d...

Maine became a state today in 1820. One of its best-known inventors was Chester Greenwood, who came up with a way to keep his, and many other people's, ears warm. Plus: there's a new world record for longest car, though you'll be forgiven if you don't see a whole lot difference between this car and the previous record holder.  Greenwood, Chester (Maine, An Encyclopedia)  The story of the...

It's National Potato Chip Day, so of course we’re going to take you through the history of potato chips and the story of chef George Crum, the man sometimes called “the Edison of grease.” Plus: potatoes have been turned into chips, fries, soup and more; now they're being used for perfume.  How the Potato Chip Took Over America (Smithsonian) ‘Frites by Idaho’: Idaho Potato Commission giving aw...

Researchers in Europe have built an algorithm that can decode the sounds of pigs to figure out what they’re feeling, whether it's happy, concerned, curious, anxious or just sort of hanging out. Plus: this weekend in Owensboro, Kentucky, it's the Kentucky State Fiddle Championship.  Pig grunts reveal their emotions (University of Copenhagen)   Kentucky State Fiddle Championship Our Patreo...

There's a new exhibit at the Indiana State Museum about Marshall "Major" Taylor, a Black cycling star who became famous before Jack Johnson, Joe Louis or Jackie Robinson. Here's some of his story. Plus: today in 1888, actor Barry Fitzgerald was born; he later proved with an Academy Award that if you win something big, be careful with it.  Major Taylor Fastest Cyclist In The World (Indiana Sta...

Today Lionel Richie is receiving the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Not only has he sold millions of records, he’s become a home goods entrepreneur, an art enthusiast - and one time, personal clothes shopper for none other than Nelson Mandela. Plus: today in Northbrook, IL, it’s the 2022 World Clown Association convention - aka the Class Clown Reunion. Lionel Richie to Receiv...

There were cold-like illnesses and sore throats long before there were humans to catch colds and to get sore throats. A research project has found another creature that got sniffles: dinosaurs. Plus: this month marks 200 years since the birth of Harriet Tubman, and there's a lot happening to celebrate her life and her legacy. Even dinosaurs couldn’t escape the sniffles (Popular Science) Harriet Tu...

Today in 1929, the start of one of the most outlandish stories in American political history: the time Louisiana Governor Huey Long had the governor's house torn down and a virtual replica of the White House built in its place, because (as it's said) he wanted to get used to living in the White House before he was elected president. Plus: meet the Flairdrum, a percussion instrument built out of re...

Today in 1837 an act to incorporate the city of Chicago passed. A decade or two later, thousands of workers helped raise many of its buildings up 14 feet to make way for a badly needed wastewater and stormwater system. Plus: today in 1791, Vermont became a state, and one that's home to a 38 drawer tall filing cabinet. Chicago’s ‘sunken’ homes are remnants of a bold effort to raise the city out of...

Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology took stem cells and treated them with high-frequency sound waves, which was enough to convert them into bone cells. Plus: today in 2018, runner Murielle Ahoure found an ingenious way to celebrate her country after a big win.  Sonic advance: How sound waves could help regrow bones (RMIT) World Indoor Championships: Ivory Coast's Ahoure...

Today in 1962 one of the most stunning performances in the history of basketball, or really in all of pro sports: Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game. Plus: today in 1935, the release of a short film called “Donkey Baseball," in which humans lead donkeys around in a baseball game (the donkeys aren't the ones playing baseball).  The Legacy Of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-Point Game (WBUR) F...

Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday, etc is typically the day a community in central Mexico has a somewhat notorious festival in which people put homemade explosives on top of sledge hammers and slam the hammers into stuff to make big explosions. If you go, don't blame us for anything that happens. Plus: a town in Kansas marks Pancake Day with a pancake flipping race.  The explosive f...

Most years February is 28 days long. Every fourth year it has 29. But one time, in one country, for one year, there was a February 30th. Plus: today in 1903, the oldest sound recording made in Japan is made.  February 30th (Now I Know) 118 Years Later, Japan’s Earliest Sound Recordings Still Resonate (Atlas Obscura)  Our Patreon backers keep us going every day of the year 

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about presidents. In this show from February 2020, we remember the time in 1862 that President Abraham Lincoln said thanks, but no thanks, to an offer of elephants from the king of Siam, now Thailand. It was a gracious letter, which was appropriate because elephants themselves have lovely manners. Lincoln Rejects the King of Siam's Offer of E...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about presidents. In this show from February 2020, we recall the time Lyndon Johnson visited the Pentagon on Leap Day 1968 - and became the first President of the United States to get stuck in an elevator. Plus: Graceland hosts the third annual Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Weekend. LBJ Stuck In An Elevator (Atlas Obscura) Ultimate Elvis Trib...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about presidents. In this show from February 2020, we remember the time in 1974 that Gerald Ford became president, spending the first 10 days of his term living not at the White House but at his family home in Alexandria, Virginia.  Gerald R. Ford House (BradyCarlson.com) Thanks to Cool Weird Awesome backers on Patreon for supporting the...