Ridiculous History

Often called "The Napoleon of the West", mainly by himself, Santa Anna was a legendary, larger-than-life politician, general and exile. While hundreds of stories have been told about this man, one in particular stood out to Ben and Noel: Santa Anna lost his leg not once, but twice to enemy forces. And, once upon a time, he held an elaborate funeral for his fallen leg. Learn more about this bizarre...

What began with marching bands all those decades ago has evolved past all expectations - and even if you don't particularly follow football, you'll probably tune in for the Super Bowl Halftime show. In the second part of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore some of the most iconic -- and controversial -- halftime performances in the history of football. See omnystudio.com/listen...

Whether or not you consider yourself a die-hard football fan, you've almost certainly watched a halftime show. Over the past few decades, these performances have almost become their own entertainment entity, featuring some of the world's most notable (and, at times, controversial) celebrities. In the first part of this special two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the origin story of the w...

Inarguably the most well-known Wookie in the Star Wars universe, Chewbacca also bears a strong resemblance to another popular creature in American culture -- the towering, hirsute cryptid known as Bigfoot. So much so, in fact, that during filming the studio (allegedly) became very concerned for the safety of Peter Mayhew, the actor who played Chewbacca onscreen. While filming Return of the Jedi in...

In most of the modern world, the average person has an astonishing resource for any disastrous situation: you find a phone, then dial 3 numbers to be immediately connected with someone who can call police, EMTs, fire fighters or other first responders. It's a fantastic concept, and though it remains a work in progress, these resources inarguably save lives. But how did we get here? Join Ben, Noel...

House cats are astonishing, fascinating, and at-times frustrating little creatures -- yet they've made a comfortable home with humans, spreading in step with every civilization they join. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore an intriguing theory that busts more than a few stereotypes: What if Vikings were responsible for spreading cats even farther around the world? See omnystudio.com/lis...

Born in Corsica, Napoleon Bonaparte rose from obscurity during the French Revolution, crowning himself Emperor of France in 1804. This brilliant, ruthless tactician changed the course of French history. Despite his meteoric rise and bloodied fall, Bonaparte still needed to grab lunch once in a while. That's when the rabbits got him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've been going through a bit of a sports phase here on Ridiculous History, and of course we can't talk sports without talking baseball. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into some of the strangest weather events to ever grace -- or curse -- an otherwise ordinary game of ball. Note - we don't talk about just how many people got struck by lightning on the field, but... there are a lot. Se...

Most people never get the chance to travel to Bhutan. Nestled high in the Himalayan mountains, this ancient kingdom is unique on multiple levels. It's the only Vajrayana Buddhist nation on the planet -- and it's also the only nation that measures its success in terms of happiness rather than money. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the history of Bhutan and the inspiring idea of GNH -...

California was admitted to the United States as the 31st state in 1850, but it acquired its unique name much, much earlier. Join Ben and Noel as they trace the strange story behind California's name, from the fiction that inspired it to the loss and rediscovery of the story and, of course, adventures on a legendary Amazonian island. Tune in to learn more in this week's Classic episode. See omnystu...

OK, imagine this: you've been captured by a neighboring civilization, hauled off to an unfamiliar city, and your captors tell you: "Hold up, we're not going to kill you yet. In fact, if you can win this game in front of our audience, we will let you live." In part two of our continuing series the world's weirdest sports, Ben, Noel and Max explore the brutal, bloody, and often lethal Mesoamerican s...

Regardless of everyone's differences in this wide, wide world, it's safe to say every culture loves some kind of sport. Often these sports can seem strange to outsiders -- but before we cast proverbial stones, let's remember almost every sport looks bizarre to people who don't know the rules! In the first episode of this continuing series, Ben, Noel and Max explore Buzkashī, the national sport of...

Like many ancient cultures, the civilizations of Mesoamerica had a vast and rich history of unique cultural practices, spiritual beliefs and ceremonies, some of which may seem bizarre to people in the modern day. In this episode, the guys examine a common practice from ancient Mayan culture: the ritual alcohol enema. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no denying Niccolò Paganini was a virtuoso -- in his heyday, this violinist was an international rock star, wowing crowds across Europe with his rollicking, frenetic performances. He was, in fact, so good that people were at a loss to explain exactly how he got so talented. As the years went on, people started claiming his musical gifts were the result of an infernal pact, and that Paganin...

In theory, the concept of credit scores is simple, and makes a lot of sense: lenders need to know they can trust someone to pay back their debts, and debtors need a way to prove they're trustworthy. In practice, however, credit scores are intensely confusing, often ridiculous, and a heck of a pain in the keister for pretty much everyone involved. So how did this system come about in the first plac...

Today Vermont is known for its progressive politics, beautiful forestry, Bernie Sanders and Ben and Jerry's. It's not a state you'll hear much about outside of the US and, for many Vermont natives, that's just fine. But once upon a time, Vermont was a very different place -- in fact, for a number of years, it was an independent Republic. How did this come about? How did it become part of the moder...

Who could have guessed a series of broth experiments revolutionized humanity's understanding of life? Spoiler, not us. In part two of this week's two part episode, Ben, Noel and Max continue their exploration of the once widely-accepted concept of spontaneous generation: the idea that certain nonliving objects could, for one reason or another, suddenly produce living things. See omnystudio.com/lis...

Today the idea sounds silly. Why would anyone think nonliving substances can suddenly generate living things? Yet for much of human history, the concept of spontaneous generation was widely accepted. In the first part of this week's two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the ridiculous theory of spontaneous generation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Located about 1500 miles to the east of the Phillipines in Micronesia, Guam is a small US territory with a tiny population, beautiful beaches and an incredibly complicated history. For almost four centuries it was a colonial possession of Spain -- but that all changed in 1898, when Guam, in a strange series of misunderstandings, became a possession of the American government. So what exactly happe...

Whether we're talking mysterious nosebleeds, drowning in full armor, or charging literally blind into battle, history is chock-full of ridiculous royal deaths. In the fifth -- and for now, final -- installment of this series, Ben, Max and Noel dive deep into more morbid tales of rulers who met with untimely ends. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Born to an aristocratic Belgian family, Adrian Carton de Wiart could have lived the easy life, with a plum job in government or law. Instead, however, he embarked on a bloody, hyperviolent career across multiple wars and decades. He was shot repeatedly, lost an eye, survived wounds that would kill an orindary man and, when doctor refused to remove his shattered fingers, Carton de Wiart ripped them...

In 2012 a student in Salinas, California, startled genealogists when she claimed that all Presidents save one were actually related. Could it be true? Join Ben and Noel in today's classic episode as they dive into this strange claim, separating fact from fiction while tackling what it means, exactly, to be related to someone. (It's all relative.) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

George W. Bush is super into painting. Barak Obama loves making playlists. Taft decided to join the Supreme Court. In the part two of this week's two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the astonishing post-Presidential careers of numerous former US Presidents. Spoiler: some are weirder than others. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over here in the US, there's one dream job so exclusive that only 45 people have held it so far: President of the United States of America, not to be confused with the band bearing a similar name. In the first part of this week's two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the astonishing post-Presidential career of Georgia's own James Carter, often lauded as the best human being to hold the offi...

Despite being pretty rare in comparison to other denominations, the U.S. two-dollar bill is one of the most storied notes in American folklore. So why do some people think it's lucky? Why do others think it's bad luck? Join Ben and Noel as they explore the bizarre evolution of the two-dollar bill in this week's Classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.