Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Today in 1932, the London newspaper The Times published its first edition with a brand new typeface: Times New Roman. And it's been a big deal ever since, even in the computer age. Plus: today in 2023, the end of a very long era for a book club in southern California. Where Did Times New Roman Come From? (New York Public Library) 28 years ago, a book club began reading one novel. It’s finally...

Today in 1998, the debut of the Furby. This 90s phenomenon became so popular that it actually raised some concerns in the national security community. Plus: if you’re into toys cars, then you may want to head to the Matchbox Road Museum in Newfield, New Jersey.  How Old Is Your Furby? (Computer History Museum) New Jersey’s Matchbox Road Museum Is Die-Cast Car Heaven (The Drive) Keep the future of...

Today in 2008, the state of Maryland formally recognized Smith Island Cake as its official state dessert. It’s yellow cake and chocolate frosting in layers and layers and layers. Plus: for inspiration on this National Homemade Cookies Day, you might try the cookie recipe that's inscribed on a gravestone in Brooklyn.  Maryland's Smith Island Cake Has A Romantic History (Southern Living) Cem...

Today in 1861, the birthday of William Wrigley, Jr., who made a huge fortune selling a small product: chewing gum. But that wasn't originally the way he expected to make it big. Plus: a man driving home from a workout has a massive heart attack, but fortunately he crashed in front of a cardiologist's office. How Wrigley Chewed Its Way to Gum Greatness (JSTOR)  Virginia man's 'mirac...

Today is National Coffee Day, and there is a micronation in Sweden that has a cup of coffee on its flag, along with a cuckoo bird. Which should tell you that this is no ordinary place. Plus: a Chinese cafe chain makes a splash with a drink called Sweet Little Rain. Önneköp (Arnold’s Cannibal Museum) Republic of Önneköp (Atlas Obscura)   Magical Cup of Coffee Comes with Floating Cotton Candy Cloud...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite pizza-themed episodes. In this episode from April 2019, a visit to Organ Piper Pizza, a restaurant just outside Milwaukee with a giant pipe organ. Plus: police in respond to reports of a man on a train, sharpening a big carving knife. Turns out it was just a professional ham cutter on his way to work. Remembering the Dining Fad of ‘Pizza and Pipes...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite pizza-themed episodes. In this episode from January 2020, a bold group of pizza researchers studies how to stretch your pizza budget to get the most pizza, and found that the answer is all about the geometry of circles. Plus: the Cocoa Press is a 3D printer for chocolate, freeing this popular dessert from bar shapes and other molds. One 18″ Pizza...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite pizza-themed episodes. In this episode from February 2022, the delicious history of Detroit-style pizza, which got an assist from something else the city is known for. Plus: students in Japan build a system using lasers to scan a birthday cake and then tell the server the exact angle to use to cut slices. How Detroit’s car industry helped shape it...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite pizza-themed episodes. In this episode from February 2023, the story of the first person to order a pizza on the internet, who also happened to be a giant in the tech world. Plus: Anchorage, Alaska hosts the annual Outhouse Races. AppStorey talks with Steve Green about Steve Jobs, The Smithsonian and how a pizza with basil became the first food de...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite pizza-themed episodes. In this episode from May 2021, the inside story of Charles Entertainment Cheese (yes, that's his real name), the only mouse anyone ever wanted to see in a pizza place. Plus: the past meets the future in 1905, when a film crew documents the funeral of the last known veteran of the War of 1812. An Oral History Of Those Cre...

National Cleanup Day is tomorrow, so we'll tell you about a young person in the UK who’s made pretty much every day a cleanup day: Nadia Sparkes, who’s now known as “Trash Girl.” Plus: starting tomorrow in Rapid City, South Dakota, it’s the Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival. 'Trash Girl' Nadia Sparkes moves schools over bullying (BBC) The Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival (Visit Rapid City...

There have been a number of Muslim astronauts, including one who went to the International Space Station today in 2006. Scholars and scientists have tried to figure out how to adapt religious traditions astronauts practice on Earth when they're spending time far above our home planet. Plus: today in 1981, a world record moment for the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta. Muslims in Outer Space (Harv...

Today in 1967, The Who made their American TV debut, and it’s not an understatement to say that performance blew up. That’s just telling it like it is. Plus: New Haven, Connecticut may have held a world record-sized pizza party. The Who literally spark an explosion on national television (History.com) 'New Haven ah-beetz can’t be beat!': City says it set world record for largest pizza part...

For IT Professionals Day, the history of the screen saver, which was originally just supposed to keep monitors from getting overworked but eventually took on a whimsical style of their own. Plus: Warsaw, Poland is encouraging commuters to try something other than looking at their phones. Saving One Screen At A Time (Tedium) Warsaw opens metro station ‘express’ library to get commuters off their ph...

Today we pay tribute to Maru the cat, one of web culture’s most beloved cats. YouTube cat fans and cardboard boxes will never be the same without him. Plus: today in 2015, a guy in Louisiana realizes he's in no condition to drive, so he finds a very different way home. The World Will Always Remember Maru (Neatorama) Drunk cowboy: 'Horse knows the way home' (WBRZ) Want more episodes abo...

Today in 1975, Pink Floyd released the album Wish You Were Here. It's a landmark both musically and visually, thanks to its cover featuring two men in suits are shaking hands… and one of them is on fire. Plus: starting tomorrow at the Nelson-Adkins Museum of Art, it’s the Kansas City Deaf Cultural Festival. The Story Behind Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ Album Cover (American Songwriter) Ka...

Today in 2001, as the world watched the horrific scene in lower Manhattan, and as those on scene faced all kinds of obstacles, a guide dog named Roselle stayed focused on her job, and helped her human get to safety. Michael Hingson (911Memorial.org)

We have baths and we have showers, but now a company in Japan is offering a pod that it says will wash and dry a person in about 15 minutes. Plus: today in 1881, a big first for Major League Baseball. Japan’s Innovative “Human Washing Machine” Can Clean up and Dry a Person in 15 Minutes (My Modern Met) Grondahl: Historian finds first grand slam in MLB history - in Rensselaer (The Times-Union) Keep...

It’s Teddy Bear Day. Kids of all kinds have loved and been loved by this OG stuffie, even if there was a time when Very Concerned People thought the teddy bear could imperil the nation’s future. Plus: a town in South Dakota used to be home to an enormous collection of teddies. The Teddy Bear Was Once Seen as a Dangerous Influence on Young Children (Smithsonian) The World’s Largest Indoor Teddy Bea...

Today is Actors Day, and few actors have left an impression like Robert "Romeo" Coates, who was sort of the Florence Foster Jenkins of English stage stars. Plus: today in 2022, the passing of Queen Elizabeth II of England, which triggered a very old custom of notifying the royal bees. The Amateur of Fashion: Robert "Romeo" Coates (Folger Shakespeare Library) The Queen’s Bees Ha...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes when the world of sports went off course. In this episode from March 2021, Maryland was the first state to adopt an official state sport, and that official state sport is jousting. Plus: a woman in New York does “space clearing,” which removes the negative energy from a home that won't sell. A look into Maryland’s curious state sport:...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes when the world of sports went off course. In this episode from June 2021, the story of a guy who took two sports and fused them into one: Ed Headrick, known today as the Father of Disc Golf. Plus: an exhibit highlights the original rainbow Pride flag, the one Gilbert Baker designed for San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade in 1978. The F...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes when the world of sports went off course. In this episode from June 2021, the winner of the prestigious 1934 U.S. Open golf tournament was sick as a dog the whole time. And the winner wasn’t the only golfer who had an odd time at the event. Bobby Cruickshank – the war hero who became one of Scottish golf’s nearly men in United States  (Th...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes when the world of sports went off course. In this episode from January 2021, a look at how one of the popular fads of the 1920s was flagpole sitting. Plus: for National Bird Day, a look at the shoebill, a bird for the record books. St. Simeon Stylites  (Britannica) In the Netherlands Sitting on a Pole for Hours on End Is a Competitive Spo...

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes when the world of sports went off course. In this episode from March 2021, about 200 runners in Los Angeles set out to run all the way to New York City. Plus: The Long Trail is a 272 mile hike through Vermont's Green Mountains, from the Massachusetts line to the border with Quebec. Endurance Racing: First Leg, the Bunion Derby  (New Y...