Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

This daily podcast is like a study group for trivia players. So today we're going to give you some trivia about the word trivia! Plus: today in 2010, the opening of the Burj Khalifa, a building so tall that at the top you can see the sun even when it’s dark at the bottom. trivia (n.) (Online Etymology Dictionary) Where Does the Word 'Trivia' Come From? (Merriam-Webster) Dubai Burj Khalifa: Ramadan...

Around this time in 2003, the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond introduced a new attraction: a 29 ton globe that people can push around. Here's a look at the mechanics behind Kugel Balls. Plus: an automaker adds a QR with a classic meme to one of its new vehicles.  Very Richmond #9: Grand Kugel at Science Museum of Virginia (Richmond on the James)  Toyota Literally Rickrolled the Wo...

This was a bonus episode of Cool Weird Awesome for the people who make the show possible! It was exclusive to them until January 1,  2023.   One of the classic changes people try to make at this time of year,  for better or for worse, is trying to cut calories. But what are calories,  exactly, and where did the measurement come from? Plus: a new year’s  tradition that’s pe...

Our last show of the year is about the Plock, a very unique clock that doesn’t so much tell the time as it writes the time out. Plus: outside of the Idaho statehouse in Boise, the annual Potato Drop is taking place to mark the end of the year.  This clock writes the time (Insider via YouTube) Potato Drop 'excited' to be back in person to ring in 2022 (KTVB) Our Patreon backers get an exclusiv...

Polish designer Iga Węglińska has a new way to help us stay in touch with our emotions: she's created clothes that will respond when we get stressed out. Plus: in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the annual PeepsFest is underway. Emotional Clothing responds to the wearer's changes in stress levels (Dezeen) PeepsFest returning to SteelStacks (WFMZ) Our Patreon backers always fill us with good feelings, joi...

Today in 1912 was the birthday of John Milkovisch, who took tens of thousands of old beer cans and turned them into aluminum siding and decorations for his house in Houston, Texas. The Beer Can House is now a local landmark. Plus: an 8 year old in Glasgow wins an award for having the messiest room in the UK.  A Man’s 6-Pack Can Serve as His Castle (The New York Times) Beer Can House History (...

Iowa became a state today in 1846. And in the 23rd Century, the community of Riverside, Iowa is supposed to see the birth of Captain James T. Kirk from "Star Trek." Here's how the town made itself part of future history. Plus: artist Faig Ahmed's colorful rugs have familiar forms, at least until you see the ends.  Star Trek historians headline the 34th Trekfest in Riverside (Little Village Ma...

"Rust: The Art Gallery" is in Manchester, England, and it showcases the artistic effects of rust and deterioration, as curated by artist and longtime rust connoisseur Stephen Raw. Plus: two French artists create a set of geometric shapes on special paper that can ignite into what look like mini fireworks shows.  This Gallery Is Dedicated to the Aesthetic Joys of Rust (Hyperallergic) Incendiar...

Every Christmas Eve, at 6pm, the people of Abbadia San Salvatore in Italy light pyramids of wood called fiaccole they they've carefully collected and stacked for weeks. On what's one of the coldest and darkest nights of the year, the work together to celebrate with heat and light for everyone. Plus: the story of an annual gift comedian Steve Harvey gave to a teacher who had something to say about...

The history of Christmas cards has taken some strange turns over the years, but maybe none stranger than when Surrealist icon Salvador Dalí made Christmas cards for Hallmark. Plus: Australia tries to prevent highway hypnosis by offering drivers signs with trivia questions (and answers).  These Salvador Dali Christmas cards outraged Hallmark shoppers in 1960 (Washington Post) Australian road s...

Today in 1966, the Beatles were trying to make one great take of their new song “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and with help from producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick, they ended up making that one great take out of two half takes. Plus: the YouTube channel The Brick Wall created a LEGO system to give you just the right amount of wrapping paper for each gift.  Mixing, editing: Stra...

In the late 1980s Romania was still behind the Iron Curtain, but its people wanted to see and hear film, TV shows and music from the US and other countries. Irina Nistor used her voice to bring some of that outside media to the people. Plus: it's said the story of the "Loyal Women of Weinsberg" began today in 1181.  The voice that brought Hollywood films to communist Romania’s TV screens (The...

Harvard, Nebraska is home to about a thousand people and six historic markers, one of which tells the strange but true story of a teenager who ended up owning the city jail. Plus: if you’re still looking for a present for somebody this week, how about an official Tetris waffle maker?  The Jailhouse That Got Accidentally Sold (Amusing Planet) History of Harvard (Harvard, Nebraska) Tetris Waffl...

Today in 1977, the Not Ready For Prime Time Players were joined by perhaps the most unusual guest host ever: Miskel Spillman, an 80 year old grandma from New Orleans and the winner of the "Anyone Can Host SNL Contest." Plus: an iconic world record has fallen! Meet the new loudest burper in history.  Saturday Night Live's Anyone Can Host Contest (Mental Floss) The World's Loudest Burp Record H...

3D printing is getting bigger and bigger. There are so many amazing ways we can use the technology. And the range of substances you can use in 3D printing projects is growing, too - including a new project that uses bacteria to make a 3D ink. Plus: people who really want to get into the holiday spirit are heading to a rental unit in Utah - that has been designed to look like the home of the Grinch...

Today in 1979, two guys in Canada dreamed up one of the most popular board games of all time: Trivial Pursuit. Here's how it all went down. Plus: it's said today was the birthday of Emperor Nero. Legends claim he fiddled while Rome burned but archeologists found evidence that he rotated while eating dinner.  The High School Dropout Who Co-Created Trivial Pursuit (Today I Found Out) Nero’s Rot...

Today in 1901, the first table tennis tournament concluded in London. It's also known as ping pong, and there were plenty of other proposed names back in the early days. Plus: in St. Paul, Minnesota, a theater company is putting on a stage version of “It’s A Wonderful Life” with a twist that the Federation might not like.  The Rise of Table Tennis and Ping Pong Diplomacy (VICE) History of Tab...

Back about 120 or so years ago, in Berlin, Germany, you might have encountered a strange sight: a man named Wilhelm Von Osten asking math questions of a horse named Clever Hans. Was the horse actually solving the problems, or was something else at work? Plus: Today in 1989, the town of Avesta, Sweden created the world’s largest Dala horse. Clever Hans: The Horse Who Could Do Math (Amusing Planet)...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes that take place up in the air. In this one from July 2019, the story of Larry Walters, who entered aviation history as the pilot of a craft called Inspiration I. That craft was a lawn chair attached to 42 large weather balloons. Plus: some high school students in Toronto, Ontario use a weather balloon to launch a Lego figure into near space....

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes that take place up in the air. In this one from April 2019, two researchers go back through old CIA surveillance photos, not for their Cold War history, but for archaeology. And it turns out, these photos showed a lot. Plus: in Woodstock, Illinois, the Great Lakes Steelpan Festival gets underway. Declassified U2 spy plane images reveal bygone...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes that take place up in the air. In this one from March 2020, we marked the birthday of Jerrie Cobb, who could have been the first woman in space but ended up flying to great heights nonetheless. Plus: it was on this day in 2011 that a museum in the Netherlands first put on exhibit a work called “Peanut Butter Floor," which was exactly what it...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes that take place up in the air. In this one from July 2019, Patrouille Swiss, the official aerial acrobatics team for Switzerland, flew over the community of Langenbruck for a festival honoring a local aviation hero... or tried to. They weren’t actually over Langenbruck. Plus: New York City  is now home to Poster House, the first Ame...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes that take place up in the air. In this one from June 2020, we mark the anniversary of a pretty unusual moment in the history of human flight: the time an airplane flew over the English Channel that was entirely powered by its pilot. Plus: watching the heaviest airplane ever built take off is a sight to see. Pedal-Driven Plane Flies Channel (W...

Happy Hanukkah! For this holiday we're replaying a show from 2019 about a growing sport in New York City. Major League Dreidel takes the Hanukkah favorite and turns the intensity way, way up. Plus: an agency in Nova Scotia decided people needed a break from ads during the holidays, and released some ad-free ads. Competitive Dreidel-Spinning Is a Thing. Here's How Major League Dreidel Got Started....

Today in 1952, PEZ received a US patent for its famous dispensers, which, like the candies they contain, were first intended to help people quit smoking. Plus: researchers in Germany can now make eco-friendly, cost-effective insulation out of popcorn.  The History of PEZ (PEZ.com) Researchers Make Insulation Board Out of Popcorn (Treehugger) Our Patreon backers are so, so sweet