Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Sometimes the rise of a hot new technology comes with growing pains. In the case of TV, there was a risk of literal pains - which is why early sets came with “implosion guards." Plus: an airport group in India puzzles people with its choice for a customer satisfaction award. The Cover-Up (Tedium)No planes, no problem: India's 'no 1 airport' Khajuraho has zero flights (Times of India)Use whatever screen’s in front of you now to support our podcast on Patreon

For decades, St. Mary's, Newfoundland, has been smelling decades-old tanks of fish sauce when the wind blew toward town. But at long last that's starting to change. Plus: a couple in Ohio welcomes two new babies into the world, on the perfect day. Decades in the making, work begins to remove rotten fish sauce from St. Mary's plant (CBC)Northeast Ohio twins born on the same day as both parents (Cleveland 19)Your support for our show on Patreon would be a breath of fresh air

Today in 1891, the US government gave an explosive idea a try: they wanted to bring rain by putting dynamite in the air and then blowing it up. Plus: today in 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported on the popularity of climbing Yosemite's Half Dome, including the park's black bears (!) When the U.S. Government Tried to Make It Rain by Exploding Dynamite in the Sky (Smithsonian)Black bears are also scaling Yosemite’s Half Dome: What to do if you meet up (Los Angeles Times)Let’s make it rain on this podcast by backing us on Patreon

Today in 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. When there's confusion about whose Social Security Number is whose, it can get messy. Just ask one Hilda Witcher. Plus: starting tomorrow in North Carolina, it’s the Woodleaf Tomato Festival. Social Security Cards Issued by Woolworth (Social Security Administration)Woodleaf Tomato Festival Secure this show’s future as a supporter on Patreon

Western New York has some extremely beloved culinary traditions, and one of the most beloved is in Rochester, New York, where it's known as the Garbage Plate. Plus: yodelers in Switzerland have come up with some clever and effective ways to beat the heat this summer. How the Garbage Plate surpassed Kodak as Rochester's signature thing (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) Swiss yodellers rehearse in public fountains as Basel swelters (MSN) Keep this show strong and (mostly) garbage free as a backer on Patreon

Today in 1990, scientist Sue Hendrickson famously spotted several vertebrae on a bluff in South Dakota. The dinosaur found that day, named Sue in Hendrickson's honor, has become as one expert put it, the Rosetta Stone of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Plus: in the garden of physicist Erwin Schrödinger (born today in 1887) there's a cat-like feature. And depending on the way the light hits that feature, the cat looks alive or not so alive. SUE the T. rex (Field Museum)Schrödinger's Cat Zurich (Spotted By Locals)Make a dinosaur-sized contribution to support this show on Patreon (which size of dinosaur is up to you)

This month in 1817, residents of Gloucester, Massachusetts saw something quite out of the ordinary: a sea serpent who just hung around the coast for days and days. Plus: authorities in Colorado say they arrested a man for allegedly breaking into a locomotive and then, like, surfing on top while it was moving. Regaling tales of the Gloucester Sea Serpent, a forgotten legend of cryptozoology (GBH)Man arrested after surfing naked on top of moving locomotive (KDVR)Want more episodes about sea creature sightings? Back us on Patreon

Today in 1984, two athletes at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles tried one of the oldest tricks in the book… they tried to pull a switcheroo. Plus: for World Lion Day, the story of one of the all time great lion photos, with six male lions all chillaxing together on a hill in Tanzania. In 1984, These Puerto Rican Twins Hatched an Insane Plan to Switch Places at the Olympics (Remezcla)The Story Behind the Perfectly Unposed Shot of Six Lions Relaxing Together in Tanzania (My Modern Met)You and/or your twin are invited to back our show today on Patreon

This week we're replaying our favorite shows about beating the heat. In this episode from March 2021, a surprising research finding: choosing a hot sandwich instead of a cold one might help keep you from ordering extra food. Plus: an unusual performance in 1912, of Guiseppi Verdi’s opera Aida at the base of the Great Pyramid in Egypt! Consumers Buy More Food When They Order Cold Meals and Drinks, Reports Rutgers‒Camden Researcher (Rutgers-Camden)Today in 1912 ‘Aida’ opens in open-air production beneath the Great Pyramid (Victorian Masculinity)It would be fun to go out for a hot sandwich, chips and a drink with our Patreon backers

This week we're replaying our favorite shows about beating the heat. In this episode from August 2020, a fabric with its own built-in cooling system suggests we maybe wouldn’t need to cool rooms, if the people in those rooms were already cool. Plus: for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, the story of the biggest chocolate chip cookie of all time, in Flat Rock, North Carolina. New fabric could help keep you cool in the summer, even without A/C (Science Daily)Largest biscuit / cookie (Guinness World Records)Nobody’s cooler than the Cool Weird Awesome backers on Patreon

This week we're replaying our favorite shows about beating the heat. In this episode from September 2020, a discovery that may make the world a little better: a thermoelectric cooler that’s so small, the naked eye can’t see it. Plus: for the International Day of Sign Languages, a celebration of interpreters at heavy metal concerts. UCLA scientists create world’s smallest ‘refrigerator’ (UCLA)10 Epic Sign Language Interpreters at Metal Shows (YouTube)International Day of Sign Languages (United Nations)Rawk out as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon

This week we're replaying our favorite shows about beating the heat. In this episode from June 2022, the story of the yakhchāl, a storage building which could keep foods cold all year long. And they were used over 2,000 years ago. Plus: Munfordville, Kentucky has its own Stonehenge. Yakhchāls, Āb Anbārs, & Wind Catchers — Passive Cooling & Refrigeration Technologies Of Greater Iran (Persia) (Cleantechnica)Kentucky’s Stonehenge is one man’s rocky wonderland (FOX Lexington)Our Patreon backers are the coolest of the cool

This week we're replaying our favorite shows about beating the heat. In this episode from June 2023, a look at the history of air conditioning, in which you’ll find quite a few times where people said, are we sure this is a good idea? Plus: a zoo in Japan holds a lion escape drill with some help from a human inside a lion costume. The Unexpected History of the Air Conditioner (Smithsonian)Japanese zoo staff chase furry fake lion in escape drillBacking this show on Patreon is really cool

It's National Avocado Day, so we’re going to take a look at one of the most popular ways we use avocado, and how an actual pirate is part of that recipe’s history. Plus: starting tomorrow in California, it's the World Dog Surfing Championships.We Can Thank A Pirate For Writing Down The Oldest Guacamole Recipe (The Takeout)   WORLD DOG SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS Our backers on Patreon keep this podcast sounding delicious, join them today

Today in 2010, the Wall Street Journal reported on a lawsuit pitting two titans of toothpaste against each other over showing toothpaste on their packages. Plus: starting today in Idaho, it’s the Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival. And May the Best Nurdle Win (Wall Street Journal)YELLOW PINE HARMONICA FESTIVALKeep this show clean and fresh as a backer on Patreon

It's National Lipstick Day. During World War II, lipstick became one way that women in Allied nations could show their true feelings about public enemy number one. Plus: the community of Luverne, Minnesota, has just installed the tallest nutcracker in the world. Why women in Allied countries wore red lipstick to protest Hitler during WWII (Snopes)Giant nutcracker, Verne the Patriot, introduced to Luverne (Yahoo! News)Keep this podcast colorful as a backer on Patreon

Today in 1887, the birthday of Marcel Duchamp. He was both an accomplished artist and an artistic provocateur, like the time he released a “new” work of art that was a reproduction of the Mona Lisa, on which he had painted a mustache. Plus: in January 1917, Duchamp and some fellow artists and performers declared the creation of the Free and Independent Republic of Greenwich Village. When Marcel Duchamp Drew a Mustache & Goatee on the Mona Lisa (1919) (Open Culture)When Greenwich Village Artists Partied On Top of the Washington Square Arch (Untapped New York)Back our podcast on Patreon; if you want to draw a mustache on us while you do, go ahead

This month in 1959, an expedition set out to clear up some of the confusion around Hannibal’s legendary crossing of the Alps by recreating that journey, complete with an elephant. Plus: authorities in Maryland say they've apprehended a bank robber with a cat-themed MO you don't see very often. The British Alpine Hannibal Expedition (JohnHoyte.com)Cat burglar steals kitten, tries to rob bank in Maryland, gets caught instead (NBC News)Back our show on Patreon so we can create more episodes that are unforgettable for humans and elephants alike

Some obscure video games help shed light on the early days of the industry. But people who study those early days sometimes have to do a lot of digging. Plus: today in 2019, a news report on a guy who left quite a legacy for Iowans trying to go to college. Press ‘start’ on ’70s arcade history (University of Virginia)Iowa man used his secret fortune to send 33 strangers to college (CBS News)Insert coin on Patreon to support this show

Today in 1945, the Seattle Daily Times newspaper revealed a great wartime hoax: for several years, a key military factory had been cosplaying as a neighborhood! Plus: Hyve is an autonomous off-road rover that hosts a colony of live bees and lets them sort of go on a pollination tour. Boeing made an entire fake neighborhood to hide its bombers from potential WWII airstrikes (Seattle Times)nicolas nielsen designs self-driving HYVE beehive to pollinate cities (designboom)Join our neighborhood of backers on Patreon today

Today in 1966, a ground technician in the UK was doing some ground testing of an English Electric Lightning fighter jet… when suddenly the test was no longer on the ground. Plus: today is the start of The Great Montreal Poutine Fest. How a RAF Ground Engineer Accidentally Took Off in a Fighter Jet (Interesting Engineering)The Great Montréal PoutineFest (Tourisme Montreal)Help this show fly every day as a backer on Patreon

A research study out of the University of Cambridge finds that putting the right level of physical pressure can essentially double the lifespan of an electric vehicle battery. Plus: today in 1987, Guns 'n' Roses released the album "Appetite for Destruction," and a music video shoot for one of the songs proved the band was living the title. Physical pressure could make EV batteries last twice as long and reduce environmental impact (University of Cambridge)Guns N' Roses Video History: Behind the Scenes of the 'Appetite' Clips (Rolling Stone via Archive.org)No pressure, but we’d love it if you backed our show on Patreon

It's International Chess Day. In Japan, there’s a popular chess-like game known as shōgi, and one of the variants of that game is played on a scale that’s hard to even describe. Plus: designer Pierre Cardin celebrated the moon landing (on this day in 1969) with a moon dress. Armageddon (Futility Closet)Pierre Cardin’s Moon Dress (Weird Universe)Make a move over to our Patreon page and back this show

We're replaying more of our favorite baseball-themed episodes this week. In this one from March 2020, a look at how baseballer Keith Comstock managed to engineer a baseball card in which he’s being hit in, shall we say, a very sensitive place. Plus: Atlanta-based salon owner Heidi Oley had to close her shop during the pandemic, so she practiced her skills on her boyfriend and posted the results on Instagram. ‘You’re the guy with the ball to the crotch’: The inside story behind the funniest baseball card ever made (ESPN)This Hairstylist Can’t Work So She’s Giving Her Boyfriend a New Daily Hairdo Instead (Twisted Sifter)Cool Weird Awesome’s Patreon backers always have style

We're replaying more of our favorite baseball-themed episodes this week. In this one from October 2019, a sports tech company develops a high-tech compression sleeve for pitchers with sensors, to track whether a pitcher’s arm is getting tired as a game goes on, or if that arm is at risk of a more serious injury. Plus: a pitcher who called himself “Phenomenal” Smith irritates his teammates and gets some less-than-phenomenal backup as a result. Smart Sleeve Tells Baseball Pitchers When to Get Off the Mound (IEEE.org)How Smith became “Phenomenal”  (Bob Lemke)Back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon and together we’ll always throw strikes!

We're replaying more of our favorite baseball-themed episodes this week. In this one from June 2020, we look at the time when sports mascot drama almost left us all talking about the Atlanta Chicken instead of the San Diego Chicken. Plus: we'll explain why is at the Gerald Ford Presidential Library in Michigan as well as the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Profiles in Plumage: The San Diego Chicken (Society for American Baseball Research)A look back at the ‘Grand Hatching’ of the San Diego Chicken (ESPN)Found at the Presidential Libraries Dr. Seuss, Air Force One, and the San Diego Chicken (Prologue Magazine)This show needs backers on Patreon like a sports team needs a chicken mascot. Join today!

We're replaying more of our favorite baseball-themed episodes this week. In this one from July 2020, the Charleston, S.C. RiverDogs got some extra attention for holding a "Nobody Night," long before the pandemic prompted major league teams to play games in front of zero attendees. Plus: Muscotah, Kansas pays tribute to its local celebrity, early baseball star Joe Tinker, by building a giant baseball.RiverDogs’ “Nobody Night” Promotion Recalled on Today’s ESPN’s “First Take” (MILB.com)Muscotah, Kansas: World’s Largest Baseball (Roadside America)Knock it out of the park every day as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon

We're replaying more of our favorite baseball-themed episodes this week. In this one from September 2021, Willie Mays made one of the most improbable plays in baseball history, known today as “The Catch," though really, that was only one amazing part of this amazing play. Plus: Belfast has a statue of Alec the Goose, who they say a century ago used to walk young children to and from school. The true ‘Catch’ story (ESPN)Goose Day – ‘Alec the Goose’ (Atlas Obscura)Our Patreon backers make the impossible happen every day

Today is National Piña Colada Day. This drink was already famous when Rupert Holmes put together his song about it - which is good, because originally he had a very different pair of words at the center of the song. Plus: the sitcom The Goldbergs found a way to get laughs from a real life story involving this hit song. Rupert Holmes ("Pina Colada Song") (Songfacts)Rupert Holmes' 'Escape (The Pina Colada Song)' gets caught in the ... car stereo ... in an all-new 'The Goldbergs' (Niagara Frontier Publications)If you like piña coladas, back our show on Patreon today

Today in 1832, people in what is now the far north woods of New Hampshire were in the middle of a border dispute and decided, we’re just gonna do our own thing. Plus: today in 2024 in Cornwall, beachgoers did their darndest to reel in an ice cream truck that had been pulled out to sea by the tide. Our Town: The Republic of Indian Stream (New Hampshire Magazine)Tourists rush to save ice cream van washed out to sea in Cornwall (The Guardian)Keep this podcast independent as a backer on Patreon

Today in 1947, the birthday of Burkey Belser, the designer of the nutrition facts label, and someone whose influence is close by pretty much any time we buy groceries. Plus: for National Ice Cream Sundae Day, a visit to Las Cruces, New Mexico, home to a green chile sundae. Burkey Belser, designer of ubiquitous nutrition facts label, dies at 76 (Washington Post)New Mexico’s green chile sundae lands on ‘Most Unique Local Dishes’ list by Yelp (KRQE)It’s a fact that our Patreon backers make this podcast possible

We're getting ahead of Shark Week this year with a story of an ocean mystery: why do great white sharks have a kind of secret gathering place in the Pacific Ocean? Plus: an installation at this year's Venice Biennale might take you back to the stories you read as a kid. White Shark Café: The mysterious meeting spot for great whites in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (Live Science)Mind-Bending Slanted Chapel Recreates the Fairy-Tale Moment Before It’s Huffed and Puffed Down (My Modern Met)Want more shark-themed episodes of this show? Back us on Patreon, chum

For International Kissing Day, here's the story of Richard Ramsey, who spent a work day getting kissed by colleagues to test whether there were any ill effects from certain cosmetic additives. Plus: today in 2023, a news report about a roadworthy car in Pennsylvania designed to look like a 1950s bumper car.My Coal Tar Valentine (LIFE) Knoebels replica bumper car hits Lackawanna County roads (Scranton Times-Tribune via YouTube) A kiss is just a kiss, and backing our show on Patreon is just $1 a month

We’re also a couple days away from the anniversary of the day in 1915 that one of the most famous symbols of the newly independent country went on a cross-country train tour. Plus: tomorrow in Epping, New Hampshire, it’s a stop on the Døds Diving tour. ⁠The Liberty Bell Tour of 1915: A Journey of Patriotism and Unity⁠ (Texas State Historical Association)⁠DØDS Diving World Tour⁠⁠Backing our show on Patreon is :chef’s kiss:⁠

Today in 1979, the US Mint released a new dollar coin featuring suffragist leader Susan B. Anthony. The Mint struck hundreds of millions of them, expecting high demand… but that’s not really how it played out. Plus: for National Disco Day, the story of a gas station chain whose locations have a “disco bathroom.”The Susan B. Anthony Dollar 40 Years After Its Debut (Govmint.com)This Kentucky Gas Station Features a Viral 'Disco Bathroom' (Thrillist)For a single dollar coin a month you can support this show on Patreon

Today in 1874, the debut of the Sholes and Glidden desk typewriter. This was not the first typewriter, but it was the first one to become a hit with customers. It’s also the reason that so many English language keyboards don’t read ABCDEFG but QWERTY. Plus: today in Illinois, it’s the Elizabeth Freedom Festival. A brief history of the QWERTY keyboard (CNET)Elizabeth Freedom Festival Type the address of our Patreon page into your browser, and then back our show

It's National Soda Pop Day, so we're going to tell the origin story of the name 7UP... or we would if there was one. The guy who created the soda never explained what the name meant, even though there have been lots of theories. Plus: we wrap up Pride Month with a visit to Toronto, which is home to the World's Longest Rainbow Road. Untangling the Lie of the 7Up Origin Story (The Soda Fountain)World’s Largest Rainbow Road (Atlas Obscura)Back our clear, cool and refreshing podcast today on Patreon

There's a cathedral in southwestern England with a remarkable medieval astronomical clock, and on a door that leads into the workings of this clock there's a small medieval hole that carpenters cut so that the cathedral's cat could go in and out while on mouse patrol. Of course people in modern times love it. Plus: for National Day in Seychelles, the story of the world's smallest national park. The World’s Oldest Cat Door Has Been Letting Working Cats Enter the Cathedral Since the 14th Century (My Modern Met)Moyenne Island: The world's smallest national park (BBC)Back this show on our Patreon page before the next chime of that astronomical clock

Today in 1931, a scientist in Florida brought home a baby chimpanzee. Already at home: a human baby. And the scientist decided he would raise the two little ones in the exact same way to see how chimp and human measured up. Plus: starting today in Minnesota, it’s Akeley Paul Bunyan Days. This Guy Simultaneously Raised a Chimp and a Baby in Exactly the Same Way To See What Would Happen (Smithsonian)Akeley Paul Bunyan Days Humans, chimps and so on, let’s all join together to back this show on Patreon

We’re in a time of huge technological changes… but today we’re talking about an upgrade that's relatively small. Or, at least, the users of this particular new tech are small. And ratty. Plus: starting Saturday in Duluth, Minnesota, it’s the Chum Rhubarb Festival. BYU engineering students design new wearable tech for search and rescue rats... yes, rats! (Brigham Young University)Chum Rhubarb Fest 2026 Our Patreon backers are the ones carrying this show on their backs

Around this time in 2004, the end of a decade-long court challenge. It was about a guy who turned up at casinos and beat the house at roulette, thanks to a lot of observation and a lot of calculation. Plus: this weekend in Wisconsin, it’s the Ellsworth Cheese Curd Festival. Court backs gambler (The Age)Ellsworth Cheese Curd FestivalBacking our show on Patreon is always a safe bet

Today in 1959, groundbreaking for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis. The Gateway Arch has a unique design that mostly supports its own weight. Or at least that's what the math tells us. Plus: some one-star reviews of the Arch find it too archy. How the St. Louis Arch Stands Against All Odds (HowStuffWorks)Wild one-star Google reviews of the Gateway Arch (FOX 2 Now)Our Patreon site is ready for your very precise and mathematical support

For National Kissing Day, we look at the history of kissing, which goes back so far that it probably predates humans. Plus: starting this Saturday, it’s the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races. Who Kissed First? Archaeology Has an Answer. (New York Times)Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races (Discover Hong Kong)Backing our show on Patreon is as sweet as a kiss, or something

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from September 2020, the story of a man in Illinois, a president of the United States, and the sandwich that’s a link between them. Plus: Calm Office offered a soundscape of clicking computer keys, fax machines, and people talking for those who missed background noise in the early days of the pandemic. Watch now: Richard Nixon ate a sandwich in Sullivan 60 years ago. Here’s the story of the man who kept it. (Decatur Herald&Review)Because People Miss The Office Sounds (Neatorama)Keep us going for (maybe) 60 years as a backer on Patreon!

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from March 2021, researchers find something surprising: choosing a hot sandwich instead of a cold one might help keep you from ordering extra food. Plus: an unusual performance of Guiseppi Verdi’s opera Aida at the base of the Great Pyramid in Egypt! Consumers Buy More Food When They Order Cold Meals and Drinks, Reports Rutgers‒Camden Researcher (Rutgers-Camden)Today in 1912 ‘Aida’ opens in open-air production beneath the Great Pyramid (Victorian Masculinity)It would be fun to go out for a hot sandwich, chips and a drink with our Patreon backers

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from November 2022, a sandwich in New York was maybe the worst of all time, though it wasn't ever really intended to be eaten. Plus: Billy Ocean hit it big with the song "Caribbean Queen," but in other parts of the world, that queen is from places other than the Caribbean. To Evade Pre-Prohibition Drinking Laws, New Yorkers Created the World’s Worst Sandwich (Atlas Obscura)Billy Ocean – European Queen (Discogs)Our Patreon backers make this show the best

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from April 2024, a look at the sandwich rivalry between Tampa and Miami, Florida. Each city claims to be home to the authentic Cuban sandwich. Plus: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania hosts the 2024 Artisan Guitar Show. Tampa vs. Miami: The Fight for the Cuban Sandwich (Delish)  Artisan Guitar Show A tasty way to start the weekend is to back our show on Patreon

Back in 1976, a sandwich run that topped them all, when Elvis Presley flew from Graceland to Denver for a sandwich. Of course, giant sandwiches are only one part of the world of Elvis food.Elvis Presley’s “Fool’s Gold” sandwich was born in Denver (Denver Post)A Dish Fit for a King (NPR)Well you can do anything but don’t step on our Patreon backers’ shoes

There were travelers before GPS and navigation apps, even in the early days of the US. And some of them turned to a set of paper maps that became the first US road atlas. Plus: tomorrow in Battle Creek, Michigan, it’s the National Cereal Fest. An 18th Century Survey of the Roads of the United States of America (Library of Congress)National Cereal Fest in Battle Creek, MIWe’ve mapped it out, and our backers on Patreon are the ones who make this show possible

Today in 1971, pilot Sheila Scott began her third flight around the world. Those three flights are only a few of the accomplishments of this award-winning, record breaking pilot. Plus: starting tomorrow in Wisconsin, it’s the New Glarus Polkafest. Sheila Scott: The first British pilot to fly around the world (National Museums Scotland) NEW GLARUS POLKAFEST Fly on over to our Patreon page and support our show for just $1 a month