Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today in 1749 two British nobles decided to play a trick on London’s theatergoers. And their trick, known today as the Great Bottle Hoax, proved their point, while also managing to mostly backfire. Plus: police in Heber City, Utah are turning into frogs on the job! At least according to AI. The Great Bottle Conjurer Hoax (The Paris Review) Ribbit ribbit! Artificial Intelligence programs used by He...

Today in 2009, the "Miracle on the Hudson," in which an airplane in distress made an emergency landing on a river and everyone on board survived. While winning national acclaim for his piloting, the captain had to do some explaining at his local library. Plus: a car guy from Long Island gets a special ride for his dad and finds a bit of hip hop history. Library lets late fees fly for Hud...

Today in 1976 Tizi Hodson wrote a letter applying for what she called her dream job… and I don’t imagine that her dream included waiting almost half a century to hear back from the employer. Plus: today’s the birthday of track great Shawn Crawford, who won multiple Olympic medals but was just as well known for bringing a lighter side to sports.  Woman gets reply about job application - 48 years on...

Today in 1979, the YMCA filed a lawsuit against the Village People, for their song paying tribute to the YMCA! But don't worry, there's a happy ending for both sides here. Plus: Switzerland's Silvesterkläuse help ring in the new year and maybe maybe get a drink or two as they do. “Y.M.C.A.” (An Oral History) (SPIN)  Silvesterkläuse both beautiful and ugly (Swiss National Museum) It’s f...

Today in 2018, the closest of close calls for Brock Meister of Plymouth, Indiana: he survived a rarely survivable medical injury known as “internal decapitation.” Plus: for National Soundcheck Day, meet the Soundcube, a 1969 installation with loudspeakers in every direction.  Brock Meister's life was saved by his best friend — six months later, Brock was able to save his own brother's life...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite hoops-related episodes. In this episode from February 2022, a basketball story that’s almost too perfect for words: a high school team put its manager into the game, and not only did he play, he stole the show. Plus: the Glacier Express is called the “world’s slowest express train,” and its eight hour trip takes you through all the stunning scener...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite hoops-related episodes. In this episode from November 2021, a look at an NBA game in 1978 in which, thanks to some complications, four players are on the box score for both teams. Plus: two artists build an installation in Taiwan that resembles a stairway to heaven! Alert Led Zeppelin. In 1978-79 season, deal like no other happened at NBA trade de...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite hoops-related episodes. In this episode from July 2022, the story of Wataru “Wat” Misaka, who became the first non-white player to be drafted into what is now the NBA. And basketball wasn't the only sport in which he excelled. Plus: the Twin Cities hosts a "kick volleyball" competition at the Hmong International Freedom Festival. Jap...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite hoops-related episodes. In this episode from February 2022, Lisa Leslie, a high school basketball player who would later become one of the biggest names in the WNBA, had a record day, scoring 101 points in just 16 minutes. Plus: research finds a silver lining for Olympic runners up. That One Time: Lisa Leslie Scored 101 Points in a High School Gam...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite hoops-related episodes. In this episode from March 2022, we look at one of the most stunning performances in the history of pro sports: Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in an NBA game. Plus: a short film called “Donkey Baseball” featured fans in a baseball game where, yes, most of the players had to ride donkeys. The Legacy Of Wilt Chamberlain’s...

Today in 1910, the birthday of Charlie Douglass, who popularized the use of prerecorded laughter to help TV comedies seem more funny. Amirite folks? Plus: an astronaut uses microgravity to demonstrate a shape that we can't reproduce on Earth. Charles Rolland 'Charlie' Douglass (Variety via Archive.org )   The Art of Science: Soft Cell in Space (University of Oxford)  Laugh along with o...

A brand new year can be confusing for lots of reasons, but for Romans, the year 46 BC was when they tried to fix all the issues with their calendar and it made time literally drag on. Plus: a new wooden compass could help people with dementia find their way through the world. Why Julius Caesar's Year of Confusion was the longest year in history (BBC) wooden compass with single red arrow leads...

New Year’s Eve is full of traditions, including several in different parts of the world where people wear red underwear for luck as one year ends and the next begins. Plus: in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, the New Year's disco ball drop comes with a Pennsylvania Dutch twist. Grab Your Red Underwear and Get Ready for New Year’s Eve (Ripley’s)  PEEPS, PICKLES, AND PUCKS: Unique New Year’s celebrations...

ToFuel is a research project in Europe that aims to collect the stems, leaves and other uneaten tomato bits into an alternative and more eco-friendly fuel for jets. Plus: today in 1941, a photograph for the ages, thanks to a photographer with some gumption.   Scientists turn tomato waste into climate-friendly jet fuel to cut aviation emissions (Interesting Engineering) The Taming of Winston Church...

Today in 1962, the US designated Hawaii's Fort Elizabeth as a National Historic Landmark. The fort was the idea of Georg Schäffer, who thought it might be step one in making Hawaii a colony of Russia. Plus: a scientist in Hungary has been teaching rats how to play the 90s video game Doom II. Russian Fort/ Fort Elizabeth (National Park Service) Rats Successfully Trained to Shoot Demons in “Doom...

If you’re in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria or several other countries in southeastern Europe today, be careful and keep your wits about you. This is when Christmas goblins are on the loose again. Plus: if you've ever just wanted to sit for a bit with a nice hot cup of coffee, we have a moment in patent history for you. Kallikantzaroi: Tree-Chopping Christmas Goblins (The Atlas of Christmas by Alex...

Merry Christmas! If you lived in Boston in the 1920s, you might have come across a hot dog vendor who decided to give hungry kids a special treat on December 25. He became known as the city's "Hot Dog Santa." Plus: one family Christmas tradition involves cataloguing everybody's weirdest mistakes and then giving out the family "Goober award." Hot Dog Santa Brings Christm...

It's said that today in 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the verses to what is now the most famous Christmas poem of all time. But the eminent professor wasn't always thrilled that this poem was his most famous written work. Plus: Did you know that there was once a tourist town in Arizona called Santa Claus? Time for a Visit from St. Nicholas (Library of Congress) Santa Claus, Arizona (Atl...

According to Seinfeld, December 23 is Festivus. It's a made-up TV holiday that has roots in a real family's tradition, though it may be even more inexplicable than the famous version. Plus: December 23 in Oaxaca, Mexico is known as “Night of the Radishes.” What is Festivus? The 'Seinfeld' holiday has real 'sinister' origins (Cincinnati Enquirer)  Mexico's Night of the Radishes, a Quirky Christmas...

Today in 1882, a big moment in holiday decorations: thanks to inventor Edward H. Johnson, for the first time, a Christmas tree festooned with colorful electric lights. Plus: Iceland has a fascinating Christmas tradition: the Yule Cat. Who invented electric Christmas lights? (Library of Congress) A festive feline: Iceland's terrifying Christmas Yule Cat (History.co.uk) Light up our podcast as a...

Today in 1892, the birthday of Fred Thomas, who had the unusual distinction of being an active duty member of the military while playing in baseball’s World Series. And his two jobs helped lead to a pretty big custom in modern American sports. Plus: this Sunday in Anchorage, Alaska, it’s the Winter Solstice Festival. Fred Thomas (Society for American Baseball Research) Winter Solstice Festival   W...

Today in 1620, people aboard the English ship Mayflower dropped anchor supposedly at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. Only the story of the rock came much later, and then people had a hard time keeping the rock in one piece. Plus: some online reviewers have not exactly been rocked by visiting Plymouth Rock. Thomas Faunce: The Man Who Saved Plymouth Rock (New England Historical Society) The Funniest...

Happy Hanukkah! In this episode from December 2022, we visit Hanukkah House in Houston. When most people mark Hanukkah with lights, they mean candles on a menorah. But Philip Grosman brings all the lights for the festival. ⁠Houston's famous Hanukkah house shines bright for the holidays⁠ (KHOU) ⁠This show is powered by our backers on Patreon!

A little over a century ago, a group of women, fed up with the overly commercial side of Christmas, formed the Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving, or SPUG. And they made a pretty big splash along the way. Plus: today in 1773, the Boston Tea Party, though it was known by a slightly wordier name in its time. Only You Can Prevent Useless Gifts (JSTOR) The Destruction of the Tea (Boston Tea...

Happy Bill of Rights Day! One of the original amendments Congress sent to the states for ratification made it into our governing document two centuries later. It's literally a long story. Plus: students at Osaka Public University in Japan just built a bicycle that flies. 27th Amendment or Bust (The American Prospect) Japanese Students Successfully Build a Flying Bike That Gets off the Ground b...