Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

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...

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...