Ridiculous History

Heads-up, folks: this is a PG-13 episode. Ben and the legendary guest producer, also Ben, welcome author and journalist Ross Benes for a wide-ranging discussion on the ridiculous ways in which sex has altered the course of human civilization. We're talking about the origin story of the vibrator, the way the US military accidentally made San Francisco a 'gay mecca,' the fanatical drives of the Puri...

When the city of Guanajuato instituted a grave tax, they included some harsh penalties for those who couldn't pay -- if you went more than three years without paying the tax on your loved one's resting place, the body would be disinterred and taken from its grave. As gravediggers began removing corpses, they discovered something bizarre: Many of the bodies had somehow naturally mummified. Word of...

Today, we all generally understand that the brain is responsible for what we call personality and thought -- yet this wasn't always the case. Once humans figured out the brain was more than a weird lump in the skull, it took centuries of trial and error, along with quack science, to really understand how it works. In today's episode, the guys welcome back special guest Jorge Cham, the creator of S...

What is the universe? Where did it come from, and what happens to it in the future? Humanity has wrestled with these questions since the dawn of civilization -- and though we've made a lot of progress, there's still much more to learn. In today's episode, the guys join special guest Jorge Cham, the polymath, engineer, author, cartoonist, and creator of the hit new show ScienceStuff as he explains...

Nowadays the iconic 'SPAM' logo is recognized around the world -- whether you're traveling in the US state of Minnesota or Busan, Korea, you'll more often than not run into a couple of Spam cans in the local grocery store. But what made this particular processed meat so popular? Join Ben, Noel and special guest, Savor cohost Anney Reese as they explore the strange circumstances that paved the way...

Ah, the bane of authors, students and copywriters the world round: the infamous typo! Something as small as a single misplaced letter can call the entire credibility of a book, text, or essay into question. Usually readers can still "get the gist," but every so often an innocent typo sows chaos, hilarity, scandal and disaster. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore some of history's weirdes...

What on Earth is a "palooka"? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max embark on a bizarre journey -- inspired by a single, fascinating word, they discover one of the weirdest, life-long beefs between two cartoonist legends of yesteryear. We don't want to spoil it, so please tune in! Also, the guys once again crack on James Joyce. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With another Father's Day in the books, Ben, Noel and Max hit the new studio for the first time, exploring the history of this paternal partner to the slightly-more famous Mother's Day. Featuring a cameo from the one and only Matt in this week's Classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max discover stunning commonalities between Father's Day celebrations across culture, community, and time. We wrote that first sentence knowing our Dads will not read the rest, and we genuinely believe we have some good jokes with this one. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For most of us -- hopefully! -- dental care is a fundamental piece of the morning routine. There are few things quite as refreshing as starting the day with a fresh, minty smile. Then, of course, deodorant (please)! In the second part of the History of Morning Routines, Ben, Noel and Max give massive thanks to the many inventors of yesteryear who worked tirelessly to create toothbrushes, toothpast...

In 1805, two French Marshals found themselves in quite a pickle -- Jean Lannes and Joachim Murat needed to cross the Danube at the Tabor bridge (a series of three bridges, actually) to reach Vienna. However, Austrian forces held the bridges and were prepared to destroy them before allowing the French to cross. With a brilliant talent for improvisation and more than a healthy dose of confidence, th...

It's no secret that politics can be a minefield of quirky events, and strange things happen in the lead up to elections. But just how strange can it get? Join the guys and returning guest Christopher Hassiotis as they explore bizarre tales of non-human politicians in this special Classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regardless of culture or country, most people have some sort of morning routine. This could be a simple as a shower, a shave and brushing one's teeth -- on the other hand, some morning routines are elaborate affairs requiring an hour or more of careful grooming, mousiturizing, meditation, and more. So where do these rituals come from? In the first part of this two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max j...

Horror fans can tell you there's more than one type of vampire -- in fact, there are hundreds of vampire-like fiends in cultures around the world. In most cases these are dismissed as spooky stories for children or ancient myths, but when the CIA needed to oust a group of Communist rebels in the Philippines, they decided to make the myth of the Aswang a reality. Join Ben and Noel for a bizarre adv...

Whether we're talking jet black, stunning platinum or fire engine red, there's just something fascinating about hair as a fashion statement. And, of course, forms of hair dye have been used since antiquity to help people maintain a youthful appearance... even when the ingredients caused tremendous physical harm. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the fascinating (and surprisingly dang...

Statues are sort of a big deal. Even today, most folks you meet don't have a statue of themselves. So it comes as no surprise that back in the day, one statue in particular became a wonder of the ancient world. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the story of Zeus. (Ben here: I need everyone to know we are not talking about the origins of Zeus as a G-d; just this crazy, huge IKEA-level s...

Years ago, if you wanted to start a fight in Hartlepool in north eastern England, all you'd have to do is start calling people 'monkey hangers'. But why? Join the guys as they explore how the Napoleonic War, a terrified village and one incredibly unlucky monkey collided -- allegedly -- in one of the most ridiculous events of its time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newly inspired by his recent associations in amateur magazine circles, HP Lovecraft returns to fiction. In the second part of this series, Ben, Max and special guest Jonathan Strickland witness Lovecraft's work building a mythos with his friends and collaborators, his love life, his tragedies and triumphs. Also his strange hatred of so many things (including, oddly, seafood). See omnystudio.com/li...

Love him or hate him, there's no denying that Howard Phillips Lovecraft fundamentally altered the course of horror and speculative fiction. So how did he become one of the most influential authors in all of horror history? In the first part of this special two-part episode, Ben and Max welcome returning guest Jonathan Strickland for an exploration of Lovecraft's tragic childhood and long record of...

In today's Classic episode, Ben, Noel, Casey In Spirit and Max explore a bizarrely American story. The adventurer and filibuster William Walker was, in his heyday, lauded as an American hero for his repeated failed invasions of areas of Mexico and Nicaragua. But what led this man on a fanatical mission to invade these regions? Perhaps more importantly, why did so many folks in the US support his v...

While things like the Slinky and the Post-it Note may seem pretty ubiquitous, simple ideas today, they each have their own bizarre accidental origin story. In the second part of this week's two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the stories of military coil research and a tenacious 3M employee nicknamed "Mr. Persistent." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans have always been compelled by curiosity -- sometimes, this leads to misfortune, but other times... curiosity and accident can also lead to world-changing innovations. In part one of this week's special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the origin stories of history's greatest accidental inventions, from penicillin to the microwave oven and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

When middling baseball player Alfred Lawson first learned of the Wright Brothers, he experienced a revelation that would guide the greater part of his life: Aviation, he believed, was the future of more than just transit -- it would become one of the most important advances in the history of the human race. Lawson, brimming with confidence and charisma, led the charge to popularize aviation, publi...

Why is the United States so culturally opposed to the metric system? According to a popular legend, this conundrum dates back to the late 1700s, when a French polymath named Joseph Dombey sailed to Thomas Jefferson with two crucial artifacts: a rod measuring exactly one meter, and a copper cylinder weighing one kilogram, set to bring the new nation a system of rational measurement. As the story go...

Have you been blessed -- or, perhaps, cursed -- with a nickname that just won't go away? Some of most terrifying, inspiring and ridiculous figures in human history are in the same boat. Join Ben, Noel and Max as they return to their continuing series on Ridiculous Historical Honorifics, exploring the stories of Charles the Bald, Ethelred the Unready, and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...