Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about presidents. In this show from January 2021, we tell the story of Rebecca the raccoon, who definitely left her mark on the White House during Calvin Coolidge's presidency. Plus: a company in the UK makes a 500-plus pound protein bar.  When Rebecca the Raccoon Ruled the White House (Library of Congress) Calvin Coolidge’s Reuben (Pres...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about presidents. In this show from April 2020, we mark a very odd anniversary in the history of the US presidency: the day in 1979 that Jimmy Carter got into a fight (of sorts) with a swamp rabbit. Plus: the annual Sechselauten brings on spring by blowing up a snowman! In 1979, Jimmy Carter was attacked by a giant swimming rabbit (AV Club) T...

A team at MIT has come up with a new substance that do-it-yourselfers will love: a surgical "duct tape" that can help seal up wounds and tears in the body's gastrointestinal system. Plus: a guy in Minnesota uses the snow in his front yard to build a life-size Tyrannosaurus Rex. As one does. Engineers develop surgical 'duct tape' as an alternative to sutures (Science Daily) Someone Built A Life-Siz...

Taxiing accounts for about 5 percent of a jet's fuel consumption, so one way to make flying greener is making taxiing greener, like through an all-electric towing system. Plus: if you’re in the market for a new couch, Sara Hayat's Tetris Couch might help you put the pieces together, so to speak.  A Boeing 747 burns one ton of fuel while taxiing. This electric towing system could help (Fast Co...

Today in 1923, King Tut's tomb was opened and entered. That may not have been the afterlife the young pharaoh had hoped for, but it could have been worse: for centuries artists used a paint called Mummy Brown, which was made with actual mummy parts. Plus: the time musicians tried to play the trumpets found in Tut's burial chamber and almost ruined them.  Mummy Brown (Florida State University...

Today in 2006, a high school basketball team put its manager into the game. Jason McElwain not only played, he stole the show. Plus: if you’re looking to slow life down a little in these hectic times, try a trip on the "world's slowest express train," the Glacier Express in Switzerland.  The game nobody could forget (ESPN) The World’s Slowest Express Train Has Panoramic Glass for Breathtaking...

Today is the assumed birth date in 1817 or 1818 of Frederick Douglass, who is known for his powerful writing and speeches, but was also probably the most photographed person of his time. Plus: a cruise ship operator is offering couples the chance to get married in Antarctica. Picture This: Frederick Douglass Was The Most Photographed Man Of His Time (NPR) Be One of the First Couples to Get Married...

With Abraham Lincoln's birthday a day away, we look at one of the most timeless memorials to the 16th president - or at least the undercroft that's been out of public view for a long time. Plus: back in 1865 a man in Maryland carved a pretty unusual Lincoln memorial of his own into a beech tree.  Lincoln Memorial Undercroft (Atlas Obscura)  The Presidents' Tree (Friends of Sligo Creek) P...

Today in 1907, Charles Oldrieve finished walking from Cincinnati to New Orleans. The catch? He walked the whole way on special shoes that let him float in water. Plus: if you’re looking for some peace and quiet, try the website Sounds of Earth.  He Walked On Water From Cincinnati To New Orleans (The Waterways Journal) Sounds of Earth is an ambient audio player where you can listen to nature s...

For National Pizza Day, here's the story of one of the hottest types of pizza in the country: Detroit-style, first made in a special pan that wasn't meant to be a pan at all. Plus: high school students in Japan invent a system that can help you cut perfectly even slices of cake.  How Detroit’s car industry helped shape its pizzas (Phaidon) Detroit-Style Pizza Is Having a Moment. But Are Its O...

When it comes to sweets, words matter. Research from the Ohio State University just found that the words we use to describe food can affect how we perceive its taste. Plus: artist Tatsuya Tanaka posts images of worlds he’s created by transforming everyday objects.  How to ruin the taste of a cookie with just 2 words (Ohio State University) Ordinary objects used to create a miniature world (Me...

Today in 1990, a high school basketball player scored 101 points in just 16 minutes. That was Lisa Leslie, who would become one of the biggest names in the WNBA. That One Time: Lisa Leslie Scored 101 Points in a High School Game (24/7 Live Culture) Olympians That Win Silver Tend To Live Longer Than Those That Win Gold (UNILAD) Let's set some records together, join our show as a backer on Patreon!

For the next two weeks, Winter Olympians will be going for the gold. That's what javelin thrower Bruce Kennedy tried to do in 1972, 1976 and 1980, but that's not quite how things played out. Plus: you know how some medalists bite their prizes? As one medalist proved, this should be done with caution. With the Tokyo Olympics Facing Uncertainty, Bruce Kennedy Knows The Landscape (Cal Sports Report v...

Today in 1945, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, began heading to England for deployment. These 855 servicemembers, all Black women, took on a mission that may not have been glamorous but was considered absolutely essential to the war effort. Plus: today in 1947, TIME Magazine reported on a trip by a BBC crew that didn't go quite so well.  The Black Female Battalion That Stood Up...

Today in 1970, an Air Force pilot had to eject from his fighter jet during a training exercise. So the plane just sort of got itself back onto the ground, mostly successfully. Plus: in 1974, the "Hibernating Groundhog Lodge" of Quarryville, PA built a contraption intended to get weather predictions from not just one groundhog, but thousands of them.  “Gary, You Better Get Back In It!” (Air Fo...

Today in 1939, the birthday of Wally Funk. She first passed astronaut training in her 20s and could have been one of the first US astronauts, but after some 60 years of trying, she finally got into space. Plus: today in 2016, ScreenDaily reported on the ten hour movie “Paint Drying," which shows just what the title suggests.  Who Is Wally Funk? Photo Reveals "Mercury 13" Aviator Is Third Blue...

There's a new way to use the leftover shells from hazelnuts to make wood-like panels and furniture. So you might want to get yourself some Nutella while we explain how it works. Plus: today in 1997, the last message in Morse Code before the world moved to the more high-tech Global Maritime Distress and Safety System for distress calls. And the message was kind of a bummer.  Hazelnut shells ge...

Villas Las Estrellas is a tiny community run by Chile on Antarctica's King George Island. And it's so remote that one of the rules is that everyone who lives or works there has to have their appendix out before they show up. Plus: an art exhibit in DC celebrates TV legend Betty White, as we all should.  The Antarctica outpost where every resident must remove their appendix (News.com.au) Māori...

For many Native people in the U.S. and beyond, this is a time of year to tell stories with string. Here's a little about how they work, and why in many places they're only told in winter. Plus: Forest Grove, Oregon is home to the world’s tallest barber pole. 'String games' arrive with the snow (Indian Country Today) Forest Grove, Oregon: World's Tallest Barber Shop Pole (Roadside America) Help us...

Today was the birthday in 1925 of actor and entrepreneur Paul Newman, who made some very popular and very acclaimed movies. But there was one movie he made that he loathed so much, he actually took out ads to convince people not to watch it. Plus: meet Hoss, the world’s largest ball of human hair. THE SILVER CHALICE, Paul Newman and a $1200 ad… (By The Gods) Meet Hoss, the World’s Largest Human Ha...

Today in 1890, Nellie Bly finished her trip around the world. She was trying to do what Jules Verne's character Phineas Fogg had done in 80 days, and she took just 72. Plus: today in 2021, a butcher in Scotland marked Burns Night in a stellar way.  Nellie Bly: Around the World (Heinz History Center)  Haggis launched to the edge of space in celebration of Burns Night (Sky News) Our backer...

Today in 1975, one of the best selling jazz albums of all time was recorded - a live concert in Cologne, Germany by pianist Keith Jarrett. And it almost didn't happen at all. Plus: the Instagram account Brik Font showcases some of the biggest and best typefaces, all in LEGO form. Keith Jarrett: The Cologne Concert (BBC For One Night Only) Typeface Studies by Designer Craig Ward Recreate Fonts and...

Today in 1942 the city of New York decided to take on the scourge of the time, the invention that had been the ruin of so many people… pinball. Here's a look at why what's considered a pretty harmless hobby in our day was such a menace back then. Plus: this weekend in Minneapolis, it’s the Lake Harriet Winter Kite Festival. That Time America Outlawed Pinball (History.com) The War On Pinball (Slate...

A team at the University of British Columbia has come up with a way to make durable, stretchy and waterproof batteries that could be useful in wearable devices. Plus: three crew members on the International Space Station try out what they call orbital badminton. Scientists create the first stretchable and washable battery (designboom) Video: Orbital badminton in 360 degrees (Phys.org) Our Patreon...

Today in 1942 was the birthday of Bob Heft, who designed a 50-star US flag for a high school class project as Alaska and Hawaii were on their way to statehood. Plus: it's the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe, who was almost portrayed on the big screen by a pretty big Hollywood star.  A Boy Scout designed the 50-star American flag (Scouting Magazine) Robert G. Heft (Ohio History Central) Stallone S...