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All Episodes

Ridiculous History — 1008 episodes

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Title
1

The Bizarre Life of Elvis, Part Two: Public Fame, Private Chaos

2

The Bizarre Life of Elvis, Part One: From Poverty to Pop Stardom

3

CLASSIC:Hong Xiuquan: The Younger Brother of Jesus Christ Who Led a Bloody Rebellion in China

4

The Bizarre Saga of the Red Solo Cup

5

The Day a Dalí Escaped From Prison

6

CLASSIC: How Big Bill Speakman Fought Off North Korea With Beer Bottles

7

A Ridiculous History of Potatoes, Part One: the Origin Story

8

When Did We All Start Saying "Bulls*t"?

E
9

CLASSIC: New Providence: That Time Pirates Had A Government

10

The Ridiculous Truth About Pirates, Chapter Two: History's Most Successful Pirate Was A Woman

11

The Ridiculous Truth About Pirates, Chapter One: The Caribbean

12

CLASSIC: Teddy Roosevelt May Just Have Saved Modern (American) Football

13

Eurovision, Chapter Two: Pop Music as Problematic Diplomacy

14

Eurovision, Chapter One: A Ridiculous Origin Story -- and A Smash Success

15

CLASSIC: Prohibition, Prescriptions and the Rise of 'Medicinal' Booze

16

Fort Sauerkraut: North Dakota’s Strange, Ill-Planned Origin Story

17

The Bizarre Tale of the 1909 Catnip Riot

18

CLASSIC: Did Robert E. Lee hate Confederate Memorials?

19

IQ Tests are (Kind of) Dumb

20

Did Lead Lead to the Fall of the Roman Empire?

21

CLASSIC: California Schoolchildren and the Great Squirrel War

22

Don’t Be a Schmo Yo, Try a Yoyo!

23

The Ridiculous Secret of "Supreme" Pizza

24

CLASSIC: When West Virginia Begged the USSR for Foreign Aid

25

Knitting as Espionage, Part Two: Legendary Spies -- and One Traitor

26

Knitting as Espionage, Part One: Secrets in the Stitch

27

CLASSIC: Idiomatic for the People II, Part II

28

Inventors Who Died Due To Their Own Inventions: The Irrational Death of Hippasus

29

The Spiritualism Movement Was Utterly Ridiculous, Part Two: Con Artists, Skeptics, and Ghosts

30

CLASSIC: Idiomatic for the People II, Part I: What's in a word?

31

The Spiritualism Movement Was Utterly Ridiculous, Part One: A Prank Goes Viral

32

History's Weirdest National Anthems

33

CLASSIC: The Statue of Liberty Almost Lived in Egypt

34

Vacuum Cleaners are Ridiculous!

35

The Ridiculously Adorable, Feminist History of Kewpie Dolls

36

CLASSIC: Agent Garbo: The Strange Tale of the Man Who Saved D-Day

37

The Most-hated Condiment? A Ridiculous History of Mayonnaise

38

The Gang Goes To Waffle House

39

CLASSIC: The War of the Stray Dog: How Far Would You Go For Your Pet?

40

Ancient Wonders of the Modern World: the Lighthouse of Alexandria

41

People Knew the Earth Was Round Way Earlier Than You Think

42

CLASSIC: The Tragic Origin Story of Morse Code

43

The Secret World Of Roald Dahl, with Aaron Tracy, Part Two: the Man Behind the Author

44

The Secret World Of Roald Dahl, Part One: A "Noisy" Life

45

CLASSIC: Operation Gunnerside: How a Crew of Military Skiers Ruined the Nazi Bomb

46

The Thai Restaurant Conspiracy

47

The Ridiculous History of Ping Pong

48

CLASSIC: How far did Isaac Newton go to hunt down forgers?

49

A Ridiculous Love Letter to Atari, Part Two: a Rise, a Fall, and a Legacy

50

A Ridiculous Love Letter to Atari, Part One: From Pings to Pongs

51

CLASSIC: How Admiral Horatio Nelson Ended Up Dead in a Barrel of Brandy

52

What makes a word a 'word'?

53

The Rise (and Crash) of the Concorde Jet

54

CLASSIC: English Men Used to Sell Their Wives

55

A Ridiculous History of "Fad Diets," Part Two: Beverly Hills, Scarsdale and More

56

CLASSIC: How Louisiana Almost Became a Hippo Ranching Hub

57

CLASSIC: Who was the highest paid athlete in history?

58

Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu, with Tom Freston

59

CLASSIC: The Weird Life of George Washington, Part 2

60

CLASSIC: The Weird Life of George Washington, Part 1

61

Folks, We're Doing A Clip Show: Leftovers, 2025

62

Was 536 Really the Worst Year in History?

63

CLASSIC: Clara, The World's Most Famous Rhinoceros

64

Christmas Traditions Are So Incredibly Weird!

65

The Grim Christmas Folklore of Johnny Ace, with Jake Brennan

66

CLASSIC: How the Monopoly Board Game Became a World War II Escape Kit

67

The Deliciously Ridiculous History of Fruitcakes

68

That Time the US Government Brainwashed America into DIY Bomb Shelters

69

CLASSIC: Idiomatic For The People, Part I

70

Spontaneous Human Combustion: A Bizarre Controversy

71

IP, Part Three: A Copyright for Everyone!

72

CLASSIC: Was there a real-life Rapunzel?

73

Ridiculous Maps: That Time Everyone Thought California Was An Island

74

The Chicago Tylenol Murders

75

CLASSIC: Benjamin Franklin's Advice On "Finding A Mistress"

76

Wait! Can a tree really own itself?

77

Doc Holliday Was, In Fact, A Deadly Dentist

78

CLASSIC: What does "Idaho" actually mean?

79

The Ridiculous History of Dog Food

80

Bir Tawil: The Ridiculous Tale of "Earth's Worst Real Estate"

81

CLASSIC: Uncle Sam Tried to End World War II With Bat Bombs

82

The Ridiculous History of the "Ice Cream Sundae"

83

Zombies, Part Two: The Movies!

84

CLASSIC: The American Soldiers Who Defected to North Korea and Became Movie Stars

85

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Temple of Artemis

86

That Time Everyone Loved Radium: What Could Go Wrong?

87

CLASSIC: How a Broken Toilet Foiled a German Sub

88

CLASSIC: Creature Feature: The Dark Tetrad

89

CLASSIC: Gustaf Broman Tried to Cross the Atlantic in a Canoe . . . Or Did He?

90

CLASSIC: The Weird, Surprisingly Recent Origin of the Tooth Fairy

91

CLASSIC: When Vikings Loot The Wrong Town

92

CLASSIC: Were Tulips Really The Bitcoin of the 1600s?

93

CLASSIC: (Some of) History's Dumbest Military Prototypes

94

The Dumbest Mobster Ever Tried To Steal Ruby Slippers

95

The Ridiculously Disturbing History of North Korea

96

CLASSIC: The Forty Elephants: London’s All-Female Jewel Thieves

97

Disco Balls are Ridiculous, and We Love Them

98

The Truth About "Zombies"

99

CLASSIC: The Malleus Maleficarum: A Real-life Witch Hunter's Bible

100

How the Kentucky Derby Became a Thing

101

The Ridiculous History of the 90s and Low Culture, with Ross Benes

102

CLASSIC: The Great London Beer Flood of 1814

103

The True Story of Pac Man -- and a Ton of Weird Theories

104

The Ridiculous Origin of the the Word "Ridiculous"

105

CLASSIC: Dr. Seuss Wrote His Most Famous Book On A Bet

106

The Terrifying Science of Tiny Subs and D-Day, Part Two: The Rise of the Chamber Divers

107

The Terrifying Science of Tiny Subs and D-Day, Part One: The Return of Dr. Rachel "Big Spinach" Lance

108

CLASSIC: Feral Children and the True Story Behind The Jungle Book

109

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Colossus of Rhodes

110

Unlucky Numbers Across The Globe -- And Why They Are Ridiculous

111

CLASSIC: The Ridiculously Laxative-laden Journey of Lewis and Clark

112

Moon Rock Heists, Part Two: The Romantic Misadventures of Thad Roberts

113

Moon Rock Heists, Part One: Lunatic Heists and Space Law

114

CLASSIC: The Strange and Spectacularly Disgusting Story of the Great Kentucky Meat Shower

115

The Ridiculously Energetic History of Energy Drinks!

116

Japan is Overrun By Raccoons Entirely Due to a Single Cartoon

117

CLASSIC: The Bizarre Origin of the Oxford English Dictionary

118

Hoax! With Dana Schwartz and Lizzie Logan

119

Fabergé Eggs Are Ridiculous (And Fascinating)

120

The World of Non-Gregorian Calendars: What Day Is It, Really?

121

The Ridiculous Origin of the Modern Calendar

122

CLASSIC: George Carlin Gets Quoted in the Supreme Court: Ridiculous Stand-up Stories with Wayne Federman

E
123

The Ridiculous History of Fantasy Sports, Part Two

124

The Ridiculous History of Fantasy Sports, Part One

125

CLASSIC: The People vs. Lenny Bruce: Ridiculous Stand-up Stories with Wayne Federman

126

First Ladies Who Weren't Wives, Part Two, Part Two: Some Folks Didn't Want The Job

127

First Ladies Who Weren't Wives, Part Two, Part One: James "The Bachelor" Buchanan

128

CLASSIC: The Life and Times of Ol' Knife Hand

129

Batman, or Bat-Man? A Ridiculously Comical Feud For The Ages

130

Three Ridiculous Histories of "Bloody Mary"

131

CLASSIC: The Ridiculous Story of the World’s First (Documented) Serial Killer

132

A Ridiculous History of "Fad Diets"

133

A Titanic Disaster: That Time An Entire Production Crew Tripped Off Bad Chowder

134

CLASSIC: Back When the Rich Ate Corpses

135

A Ridiculous History of Sex, with Ross Benes

136

CLASSIC: The Mummies of Guanajuato

137

A Ridiculous History of Brain Science, with Jorge Cham

138

Jorge Cham Teaches Us The Universe: Big Bangs and Quantum Hangs

139

CLASSIC: The Curious Rise of SPAM

140

The Ridiclulous Hsitory of Typos

141

Come For the Palooka, Stay For the Farts!

142

CLASSIC: The Origins Of, and Backlash Against, Father's Day

143

Father's Day, Around the World

144

The History of Morning Routines, Part Two: All Hail The Toothbrush! And Deodorant!

145

CLASSIC: The Smooth-talking Takeover of Tabor Bridge: "Yes And-ing" Your Way To Victory

146

CLASSIC: History's Coolest (Non-Human) Political Candidates, Part I

147

The History of Morning Routines, Part One: Thank Goodness People Learned to Wash Themselves

148

CLASSIC: Attack of the Aswang: How the CIA Used Vampires as Weapons of War

149

The Ridiculous -- and Surprisingly Dangerous -- History of Hair Dye

150

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: That Super Humble Statue of Zeus

151

CLASSIC: Who are the Hartlepudlian Monkey Hangers?

152

HP Lovecraft Was A Super Weird Dude, Part Two: The Horror Stories That Changed The World

153

HP Lovecraft Was A Super Weird Dude, Part One: Childhood Tragedy

154

CLASSIC: William Walker: Filibuster and (Fantastically Bad) President

155

Accidental Inventions of the 20th Century, Part Two: The Slinky and the Post-it Note

156

Accidental Inventions of the 20th Century, Part One: Penicillin, X-Rays and the Microwave Oven

157

CLASSIC: Lawsonomy: How the Father of the Modern Airline Started His Own Religion

158

Did Pirates Really Ruin the US Dream of the Metric System?

159

Yet More Ridiculous Historical Honorifics: Ethelred Just Ain't Ready

160

CLASSIC: A Dead Pope Goes To Court

161

History's Most Ridiculous Clothing, with AJ Jacobs: Part Two

162

History's Most Ridiculous Clothing, with AJ Jacobs: Part One

163

CLASSIC: War and Candy: The Infamous Tootsie Roll Air Drop

164

A Ridiculous History of Tupperware

165

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

166

CLASSIC: The Man Who Assassinated Abe Lincoln's Assassin

167

Paul Is Dead, Part Two: Welcome to the Walrus

168

Paul Is Dead, Part One: The Beatles versus MI5

169

CLASSIC: The Cock Lane Ghost: Haunting, Hoax, Hysteria… or Hilarious?

170

CLASSIC: Roland the Farter and the Weird World of Professional Flatulence

171

CLASSIC: Gregor MacGregor Invented a Country and Convinced People to Invest in It

172

CLASSIC: Angry Feds and Deadly Booze: The Story of the Chemists' War

173

We're Late for the April Fools' Episode

174

The Ridiculous History of Vending Machines

175

CLASSIC: Fanny and Stella: The Cross-Dressing Scandal of Victorian England

176

Badass of the Week, with Ben Thompson - Part 2: the Battle of Karánsebes

177

Badass of the Week, with Ben Thompson - Part 1: History's Most Ridiculous Friendly-fire Incident

178

CLASSIC: That Time Kansas Imprisoned Women For Having STDs

179

A Ridiculous History of Processed Cheese

180

The Darién Gap, or: the Real Reason Scotland Lost Its Independence

181

CLASSIC: Oregon Was a White Supremacist Paradise

182

Apple Versus Apple: The Beatles' Decades-long IP War

183

Ancient Wonders of the Modern World: The (Alleged) Hanging Gardens of Babylon

184

CLASSIC: Project A119: The Cold War Plan to Nuke the Moon!

185

The US Camel Corps, Part Two: The Legend of the Red Ghost

186

The US Camel Corps, Part One: Several People With A Really Weird Dream

187

CLASSIC: Adidas Versus Puma: A Tale of Two Brothers

188

CLASSIC: The WWII Naval Battle Won Using Potatoes

189

CLASSIC: The Korean Soldier Who Fought for 3 Armies During WWII

190

CLASSIC: Philadelphia's Transylvanian Doomsday Cult: The Cave of Kelpius

191

CLASSIC: Weird Wars Fought For Dumb Reasons

192

CLASSIC: The FBI's Quest to Understand "Louie, Louie"

193

CLASSIC: The Time a Soviet Premier Was Banned From Disneyland

194

That Time Japan Absolutely Rinsed Russia, Part Two: The Togo Turn

195

That Time Japan Absolutely Rinsed Russia, Part One: The Race For Manchuria

196

CLASSIC: Kidnapping, Binge Drinking and Costumes: Voter Fraud in the 1800s

197

Victorians Got Super Weird With Flirting, Part Two: Courtship and Calling Cards

198

Victorians Got Super Weird With Flirting, Part One: "Fan Fiction"

199

Why did people hate the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge?

200

First Ladies Who Weren't Wives, Part One: The Niece Will Have To Do

201

Some of History's Funniest Honorifics, Part One: The Babymaker, the Debauchee, and More

202

IP, Part Two: The Baffling World of Trademarks

203

A Ton of Inventors Died Due To Their Own Inventions, Chapter Two: Li Si and the Five Pains

204

CLASSIC: The 1904 Racist Summer Olympic Games in St. Louis

205

The Ridiculously Ambitious History of the World's Fair, Part Two: Things Don't Always Work Out

206

The Ridiculously Ambitious History of the World's Fair, Part One: A Crazy Plan, and Crazy Success

207

CLASSIC: Why British Soccer Players Saluted the Nazis

208

How Dogs Went Domestic, Part Two: Yes, Dogs Know What You're Thinking

209

How Dogs Went Domestic, Part One: Classic Rom-Com

210

CLASSIC: Why don't Americans use bidets?

211

CLASSIC: The Earliest Recorded Mooning Killed Thousands

212

The Story of Claudette Colvin, with Nimene Wureh

213

CLASSIC: How did Fido become the default name for dogs?

214

Whatever Happened to Mac Tonight?

215

The First Recorded Christmas Was The Latest Birthday Party Ever

216

CLASSIC: Dock Ellis and the Legend of the LSD No-hitter

217

Whoops! All Quizster, Part Two: A Ridiculous History of HowStuffWorks

218

Whoops! All Quizster, Part One: The Gang Reunites

219

CLASSIC: Maryland’s State Song was a Diss Track

220

How The (English) Alphabet Became A Thing, Part Two: Each Letter Has A Story

221

Big Parma

222

How The (English) Alphabet Became A Thing, Part One: Writing Stuff Down Is A Bonkers Idea

223

CLASSIC: The Story of Max, South Africa's Famous, Crime-fighting Gorilla

224

History's Famous Mistranslations, Part Two: Life on Mars, the Cold War, and FARTFULL

225

Neckties are Utterly Ridiculous

226

CLASSIC: How Santa Anna Lost His Leg Twice, and Held a Funeral for It

227

The History of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, Part Two: A World-Class Show

228

The History of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, Part One: From Marching Bands to Celebrities

229

CLASSIC: That Time Chewbacca Needed Bodyguards

230

How Emergency Call Lines Became A Thing

231

Are the Vikings to Blame for Cats?

232

CLASSIC: Napoleon Bonaparte Was Attacked by Bunnies -- And Lost

233

The Most Ridiculous Weather of Baseball

234

Bhutan Grades Itself On Happiness

235

CLASSIC: California Was Named for a Fictional Island Ruled by a Black Amazon Queen

236

The World's Weirdest Sports, Part Two: Literal Murderball

237

The World's Weirdest Sports, Part One: Buzkashī is Where You Fight Over A Dead Goat

238

CLASSIC: Ancient Mayan Ritual Alcohol Enemas

239

One Guy Was So Good At Violin That People Thought He Worshipped Satan

240

Credit Scores are Absolutely Ridiculous

241

CLASSIC: That Time Vermont Was an Independent Republic

242

Spontaneous Generation, Part Two: "Broth Science"

243

Spontaneous Generation, Part One: Mice and Grain

244

CLASSIC: The Capture of Guam Was Bloodless and Quick, All Due to a Misunderstanding

245

Ridiculous Royal Deaths, Part 5: A Blind and Bloody Finale (For Now)

246

Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart was Darn Near Unkillable

247

CLASSIC: Are All US Presidents Actually Related?

248

Post-Presidential Careers, Part Two: Adams, Taft, And More

249

Post-Presidential Careers, Part One: Happy Birthday, Jimmy!

250

CLASSIC: What's the deal with two-dollar bills?

251

Mark Twain Was a Terrible Investor, Part Two: Typesetters, Steam Pulleys and Tesla

252

Mark Twain Was a Terrible Investor, Part One: The Legend of "Josh"

253

CLASSIC: How James Bond Created a Mexican Dia de los Muertos Tradition

254

What is Karaoke? Part Two: Going Global; Careful What You Sing

255

What is Karaoke? Part One: An Origin Story

256

CLASSIC: Did Richard Nixon Unwittingly Smuggle Drugs for Louis Armstrong?

257

The Nebraska Episode

258

Occupy Alcatraz!

259

CLASSIC: 3 Times Society Refused to Accept New Books on Science

260

The Ridiculous, Murky Origins of Pasta, Part Two: From Myth to the Modern Day

261

The Ridiculous, Murky Origins of Pasta, Part One: Basic Ingredients, Delicious Results

262

CLASSIC: That Time We Erased a (HUGE) Waterfall

263

Patents Are Absolutely Bonkers: An Origin Story

264

That Time a Swedish Queen Became So Enlightened, She Quit Being the Queen

265

CLASSIC: The Poetic Justice of Death by Molten Gold

266

You Auto-go to the Drive-in, Part Two: Driving In and Out of History

267

You Auto-go to the Drive-in, Part One: Cars Meet Cinema

268

CLASSIC: Japan, Baseball and the Curse of the Colonel

269

The Disturbing History of Last Meals, Part Two: Famous Final Snacks

270

The Disturbing History of Last Meals, Part One: A Creepy Origin Story

271

CLASSIC: That Time the US Built a Flying Aircraft Carrier

272

CLASSIC: Yes, Those are Corpses in the Diorama

273

CLASSIC: Weird People Who Built Weird Things

274

CLASSIC: What was the West Point Eggnog Riot?

275

The Noble -- and Kind of Ridiculous -- History of Butlers

276

CLASSIC: Lyndon Johnson Chatted on the Phone More than a Teenager

277

The Founding of the Smithsonian, Part Two: James Gives America a Fortune -- and a Mission

278

The Founding of the Smithsonian, Part One: The Remains of the James

279

CLASSIC: Arsenic: The Assassin's Dream Weapon

280

The Orphan Train: That Time the US Auctioned Children Via Rail

281

20 Questions: A Ridiculous Crossover, Part Two

282

CLASSIC: The Killer Marketing Campaign Behind Guy Fawkes

283

CLASSIC: When Ancient India Beat Machiavelli to the Punch

284

The Preposterous History of Artificial Flavors, Part Two: Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing

285

CLASSIC: The Rise of Harvey Wiley's Poison Squad

286

The Preposterous History of Artificial Flavors, Part One: The Vanilla Problem

287

"Right on," Said the Pope: How the Swiss Guard became the Elite Protectors of the Vatican

288

CLASSIC: Step Aside, James Bond: The Strange Stories of Espionage Animals

289

Ottoman Harems Were Disturbing and Ridiculous, Part Two: A Real-life Game of Thrones

290

Ottoman Harems Were Disturbing and Ridiculous, Part One: Busting Myths

291

CLASSIC: How Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Influenced Star Trek

292

Popeye Changed America, Part Two: Popeye Ain't Perfect

293

Popeye Changed America, Part One: A Breakout Star

294

CLASSIC: What was the 'Great Stink' of London?

295

The Constitution is Amazing (and Ridiculous), Part Two: The Game of Amendments

296

The Constitution is Amazing (and Ridiculous), Part One: A Troubled, Ambitious Origin Story

297

CLASSIC: How Farmers Built A Barbed Wire Phone Network

298

Ridiculous Video Game Tie-ins, Part Two: The Olympics and the Great Game of Chex Quest

299

Ridiculous Video Game Tie-ins, Part One: The Rise of Cool Spot -- and Fall of the Noid

300

CLASSIC: The Strange Story of Canadian Margarine Bootleggers

301

Malta: Tiny and Amazing, Just Like The Dog

302

The Ridiculous History of Credit Cards

303

CLASSIC: San Francisco's Egg War

304

Introducing: Sixteenth Minute (of Fame)

305

Skyscrapers, Part Two: An Arms Race to the Sky

306

Skyscrapers, Part One: A Guy and a Birdcage

307

CLASSIC: The Wild West Was Actually Pretty Chill

308

On Theme, Part Two: The Cyclical Evolution of Music

309

On Theme, Part One: Ernest Hogan's Success and Regret

310

CLASSIC: How A Grudge Match Launched the Ford GT40

311

The QWERTY Keyboard is Purposely Bad

312

Auction Houses: It's Not *All* Money Laundering

313

CLASSIC: "Vitamin Donuts" Were A Real Thing

314

Thomas Nast, Part Two: A Cartoonist Conquers Corruption (and Moves to Ecuador)

315

Thomas Nast, Part One: The Cartoonist Who Shaped America

316

CLASSIC: The Rotten, Sausagey Secret Origin of Botox

317

Books You Can't Read -- By Design!

318

La Maupin: The Swordfighting Opera Singer of France

319

CLASSIC: The Weird World of Meat Jell-O (A Gelatin Origin Story)

320

A History of Roller Coasters, Part Two: Higher, Faster, More Expensive

321

A History of Roller Coasters, Part One: Early Ups and Downs

322

CLASSIC: London Made a Train for the Dead

323

The Page-turning Evolution of the Encyclopædia Britannica

324

A Ridiculous History of Worcestershire Sauce

325

CLASSIC: Roald Dahl: Children's Author and Secret Agent

326

Micronations: How Liechtenstein Became A Country

327

Why Are There So Many Captain Marvels?

328

CLASSIC: When did ALL-CAPS type become YELLING?

329

Look at Us, Late to the Ridiculous History of Easter

330

Royal Deaths, Part Four: The Unfortunate Lives of Scottish Kings

331

The Delaware Wedge, Part Two: The Wedge and The Horn

332

The Delaware Wedge, Part One: A Tiny State with Massive History

333

Back to the Choo-ture: the Enduring Nostalgia of Model Trains

334

PEZ: Candy or Anti-smoking Aid?

335

Mobituaries with Mo Rocca, Part Two: What's Past is Prologue

336

Mobituaries with Mo Rocca, Part One: Mo Eulogizes The Pager

337

Awful Candy, Part Two: Peeps, Licorice, Wax Lips and More

338

Awful Candy, Part One: Tootsie Rolls Saved the War -- and Divided the World

339

It Is Literally Time For The Leap Year Episode

340

The Ridiculous History of Hot Sauce

341

CLASSIC: Why does the Guinness Beer Company Track World Records?

342

20 Questions: A Ridiculous Crossover, Part One

343

Tecumseh's Curse, Part Two: Boy, It's Tough to be President

344

Tecumseh's Curse, Part One: Rise of The Prophet

345

History Is Absolutely Riddled With Famous Mistranslations

346

Stuff That Got Left Over, Part Two: Hot Tubs, The Last Shantyman, President Taft Had Pet Cows

347

The Puzzler Returns, Part Two: A Field Trip to the CIA

348

The Puzzler Returns, Part One: Puzzles and Spies

349

A Boeing Wonderland, Part Two: A Fake Rooftop City For All!

350

A Boeing Wonderland, Part One: A Magician Tries to Camouflage Entire Airfields

351

Calvin Coolidge Was Super Weird...and Surprisingly Cool

352

The Ridiculous History of Baseball Caps: How One Hat Traveled the World

353

Breeching: A Weird Historical Obsession with Children's Pants

354

The Salton Sea: How A Little Whoopsie Turned into Ecological Disaster

355

CLASSIC: Digging Up James K Polk (For the Third Time)

356

CLASSIC: The Atomic Whoops: When the US Air Force Bombed South Carolina

357

The History of Soda Pop is So Weird, Part Two: Nostalgia is a Heck of a Drug

358

The History of Soda Pop is So Weird, Part One: The Saga of Spicy Water

359

The Puzzler, Part Two: Waldo, Rubik, and More

360

The Puzzler, Part One: The Crossword Moral Panic

361

Christmas Has A Dark Side: The Krampus Episode

362

A House Divided: Various Times Congress Tried to Beat the Snot Out of Each Other

363

Scientists Who Were Horrifically Persecuted, Part Two: Alan Turing

364

Serious Diseases with Seriously Funny Names, Part Two: Rickets, Brain Fever, and Maple Syrup

365

Serious Diseases with Seriously Funny Names, Part One: Dropsy

366

Oh Man, James Joyce was a Dirty Dude!

E
367

What's the Deal with Turkey on Thanksgiving?

368

Tammany Hall: America's Early Puppet Masters

369

The Hoover Dam is Ridiculous, Part Two: The Audacity!

370

The Hoover Dam is Ridiculous, Part One: Man Versus Nature

371

CLASSIC: Waging War With Hallucinogenic Honey

372

CLASSIC: Ben Franklin Tried To Reinvent the Alphabet

373

CLASSIC: When the Puritans Canceled Christmas

374

How Did Trick-Or-Treating Become a Thing?

375

The Tangled History of Topiary, Part Two: That Shrub Is Looking at Me Funny

376

The Tangled History of Topiary, Part One: The Ancient Art of Fancy Plants

377

Scientists Who Were Horrifically Persecuted, Part One

378

The Crappy, Commodious History of Toilets

379

Aaron Burr, Part Two: The Fall of a Guy Nobody Liked

380

Aaron Burr, Part One: The Rise of a Guy Nobody Liked

381

Introducing: McCartney A Life in Lyrics

382

Royals Who Died on the Toilet: Our Classiest Episode Yet

383

That Time Indiana Tried to Change Pi

384

Why Don't People Wear White After Labor Day?

385

Michigan Has Its Own Bermuda Triangle

386

The Road to Modern Basketball, Part Two: How Dribbling Became A Thing

387

The Road to Modern Basketball, Part One: Naismith and "The Incorrigibles"

388

The 10th President's Grandson is Alive Today

389

Stuff That Got Left Over: Nukes

390

Ralph Nader Versus Big Auto

391

CLASSIC: Baguettes and Vacation: France versus Bakers

392

Everyone Was Covered in Poop: A Grimy History of Soap

393

Behind the Logo: The Story of the Nike Swoosh

394

The Architecture of Spite, Part Three: The Pie House and a Scorned Argentine

395

The Architecture of Spite, Part Two: Macy's and The Skinny House

396

The Ridiculous History of Intellectual Property, Part 2: When Things Get Weird

397

The Ridiculous History of Intellectual Property, Part 1: The Ancient Past

398

World War II's Alaskan Front: The Aleutian Island Campaign

399

Micronations: The Amazing Story of Vatican City

400

The FBI versus Hip-Hop

401

The Inventor of the Saxophone Had Some of the World's Worst Luck

402

Animals On Trial, Part 2: Legal Personhood "Goes Wild"

403

Animals On Trial, Part 1: Tons of Animals Went to Kangaroo Courts

404

Broken Arrows, Part 2: In Which Actions Have Consequence

405

Broken Arrows, Part 1: Whoops, Where's Our Nuke?

406

New Providence: That Time Pirates Had A Government

407

Tons of People Married Their First Cousins

408

Lost Media, Part 2: The Magnificent Ambersons

409

The Ridiculous History of "Snake Oil"

410

Badass of the Week, Part 2: Rise of the Kung Fu Werewolf

411

Badass of the Week, Part 1: An Origin Story

412

That Time Abe Lincoln Trolled His Way Into a Real-life Duel

413

The Creation of (and Backlash Against) Father's Day

414

Colorado's Ridiculous, Disturbingly Corrupt 1904 Election, Part Two: Everyone Resigns

415

Colorado's Ridiculous, Disturbingly Corrupt 1904 Election, Part One: Let's Jump Off The Train

416

How Horrible Chocolate Helped Win World War II

417

Micronations: How a Guy Got Ran Out of Town and Created San Marino

418

The Library of Congress is Full of Super Weird Stuff

419

That Time A Guy Literally Bought The London Bridge

420

We Got Super Into Toy Cars, Part Two: Rivalry and Nostalgia

421

We Got Super Into Toy Cars, Part One: Matchbox versus Hot Wheels

422

Why The Creator of Mother's Day Got So Mad About Mothers' Day

423

Micronations: Monaco is More than a Casino!

424

Fonts They Love to Hate, Part Two: Papyrus, Times New Roman and Beyond

425

Fonts They Love to Hate, Part One: Origins of Comic Sans

426

Even More Ridiculous Royal Deaths

427

A (Completely Different) History of Sampling: Free Stuff

428

A History of Sampling, Part Two: Creativity in Court

429

A History of Sampling, Part One: An Origin Story

430

How Did Monster Trucks Become a Thing?

431

The Ridiculous, Scrumptious Desserts of Mardi Gras

432

The Amazing History of Japanese Toys, Part Two: The World Takeover

433

The Amazing History of Japanese Toys, Part One: A Serious Business

434

The Weird Journey of the $2 Bill

435

The Fascinating History of Ice Cream Trucks

436

The Strange Tale of Charles Entertainment Cheese, Part Two: Betrayal and Nostalgia

437

The Strange Tale of Charles Entertainment Cheese, Part One: Atari and Pizza

438

CLASSIC: What's the Deal with Smashing Cake at Weddings?

439

THE LAST SOVIET - EP 5: Three Hot Days in August

440

CLASSIC: Conquest via Bird Poop: One Island at a Time

441

The Architecture of Spite, Part One: Lovers, Loiterers and Murderers

442

Turn, Turn, Turn: A History of Turn Signals

443

A Legally Haunted House

444

The Oddly Dark History of Crash Test Dummies (Not The Band)

445

The Deeply Weird Stories of Patron Saints

446

Svetlana! Svetlana! The Strange Life of Josef Stalin's Daughter, with Dan Kitrosser

447

Let's Start a Coup! Ep 1 – A Basket Full of Fascists

448

Weird Epidemics, Part One: From Sweating to Pokemon

449

CLASSIC: When Scientists Hid Under Beds To Spy On Kids

450

Surprising Former Careers, Part III: Goldberg, Trudeau and Buscemi

451

Introducing: The Last Soviet

452

It Turns Out Blue Laws Aren't Entirely Terrible

453

The Origin of Moby Dick, Part Two: Horrors At Sea

454

The Origin of Moby Dick, Part One: Mocha Dick

455

The (Weirdly Crooked) History of the Food Pyramid

456

That Time Europeans Went Nuts For Dancing

457

Star Trek Almost Never Happened, Part Two: In Which We Boldly Go

458

Star Trek Almost Never Happened, Part One: Pilots and Peril

459

“It’s Edible!” The Origin of Breakfast Cereal, Part Two

460

“It’s Edible!” The Origin of Breakfast Cereal, Part One

461

Would-be Presidents, Part One: If At First You Don't Succeed...

462

The Leaf Blower Episode

463

The US Navy Teamed Up With Mobsters, Part Two: The Mob Goes to War

464

The US Navy Teamed Up With Mobsters, Part One: Luciano Gets Lucky

465

CLASSIC: When People Thought They Were Made of Glass

466

CLASSIC: Nazis, Churchill and Chocolate

467

Ridiculous Royal Deaths, Part Two: Don't Drink Mercury

468

Ridiculous Royal Deaths, Part One: Revenge of the Buck-Toothed

469

CLASSIC: When Dentist Sold Dentures Made with Corpse Teeth

470

From Mesopotamia to Hot Dogs: A History of Mustard

471

Coca-Cola, Dr. King, and the Civil Rights

472

William Mitchell Was Basically a Real-life Willy Wonka

473

The Olympics Used to Have an... Extraordinarily Weird Art Competition

474

A Circus, or a Cult? The Strange Story of Shen Yun

475

How A Massive Turkey Screw-up Created TV Dinners

476

J. Paul Getty, Part Two: A Kidnapping Discount

477

J. Paul Getty, Part One: Money Doesn't Make You Happy

478

Have you heard of Andorra?

479

How Smart Was Alex the Grey Parrot?

480

Surprising Former Careers, Part 2: Truman Can't Sell Hats

481

The Ancient -- and Surprisingly Divisive! -- Story of Ketchup

482

The Bizarrely Xenophobic Origins of Scotch Tape

483

Lost Media, Part Two: We Didn't Start The Fire

484

Lost Media, Part One: What Happened to All Those Silent Films?

485

A Ridiculous History of Hot Tubs

486

Eugene V Debs, Part Two: A Prisoner Runs For President

487

Eugene V Debs, Part One: Railroad Workers Fight The Power

488

The Michelin Man was an Unhinged Lunatic

489

The Yukio Mishima Story, Part Two: Mishima's End

490

The Yukio Mishima Story, Part One: Confessions of a Mask

491

Wait, How Do I Know It's Funny? A Rollicking History of Laugh Tracks

492

Who, exactly, were the Luddites?

493

Instant Noodles Changed The World, Part Two: Going Global

494

Instant Noodles Changed The World, Part One: An Origin Story

495

The Accidental Invention of Holding Music

496

Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions: Flyin' or Dyin', Part Two

497

Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions: Flyin' or Dyin', Part One

498

Wilhelm Reich and Orgone, Part 2: Willy vs. The Feds

499

Wilhelm Reich and Orgone, Part 1: Sexy Psychoanalysis

500

The History of Pringles: Once You Pop...

501

Lincoln Loved Cats, and Other Presidential Pets

502

CLASSIC - Presidents Love Their Ridiculous Pets

503

What Happened to Ronald McDonald? Part Two: Supersizing A Mystery

504

What Happened to Ronald McDonald? Part One: Everybody Loves A Clown

505

The 1904 St. Louis Marathon Was Absolutely Bonkers

506

Andrew Jackson Beat the Snot Out of His Would-be Assassin

507

CLASSIC: When (and why) did the US start calling its citizens consumers?

508

A Ridiculous History of Reality TV, Part Two: Reality Goes Global

509

A Ridiculous History of Reality TV, Part One: An Origin Story

510

Surprising Former Careers of the Famous

511

A Humorous History of Genetics

512

Tsutomu Yamaguchi: The World's Only (Recognized) Double Atomic Bomb Victim

513

Gods of Deception, Part II: Art, History, Fiction and War

514

Gods of Deception, Part I: Alger Hiss in the Halls of Power

515

Operation LAC: That Time Uncle Sam Sprayed Poison Across St. Louis

516

CLASSIC - Does the US Confederacy Still Exist in Americana, Brazil?

517

Millerism, Part II: The Great Disappointment (and the Aftermath)

518

CLASSIC - Did a Real-Life Rainmaker Almost Drown San Diego?

519

Millerism: America’s First End Times Gospel

520

Ben Franklin Faked a Rival's Death to Promote His Almanac

521

Why was Phrenology a Thing? Part II: A Pseudoscience (Sort of) Informs the Modern Day

522

Why was Phrenology a Thing? Part I: The Rise of Dr. Finger

523

Nancy Wake, the White Mouse of the French Resistance

524

The US Boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and Puerto Rican Boxers Went Anyway

525

Disco Demolition Night: How Disco Died at a White Sox Game

526

Bolivia Fought -- And Lost -- A War For Bird Poop

527

Why You Can't Say "MacBeth" in a Theater

528

Operation Mincemeat: Britain's Ghoulish Plan to Fool the Nazis

529

Who the heck was Joseph Warren?

530

Chocolate Syrup: From Medicine to Dessert

531

Historical Hypocrisy: The Confederacy's Weird Stance on "Individual Rights"

532

Juana Maria: The Real-life Story Behind "Island of the Blue Dolphins"

533

Curling: The Most Ridiculous Sport?

534

Nobuo Fujita Bombed Brookings, Oregon -- and Then Became a Town Hero

535

A Teetotaling Preacher Basically Invented Modern Tourism

536

Ira Aldridge: Actor, Activist and Record-breaker

537

Lithuanian Book Smugglers Vs. The Russian Empire

538

The Yule Lads Terrified Children Across Iceland

539

The Infamous Aurora UFO Incident of 1897

540

How The Evil May Day of 1517 Became the Perfect Propaganda Opportunity

541

Day Drinkers (Sort of) Helped Stop Cholera in London

542

The Much-Maligned Reign of Swedish Queen Maria Eleonora

543

Weird Ways People Used to Communicate, Part II: Smoke Signals and Bottled Messages

544

Weird Ways People Used to Communicate, Part I: Only a Pigeon Away

545

That Time A Dead Guy Won an Olympic Medal

546

Julia Barnett Rice Waged an Elitist War on Noise

547

Ridiculous History Presents: A History of "Adult" Toys, Part 2

E
548

Ridiculous History Presents: A History of "Adult" Toys, Part 1

E
549

The Cobra Effect, Part 2: Four Pests and a Disastrous Success

550

The Cobra Effect, Part 1: Snakes, Rats, and Unintended Consequences

551

British Suffragettes Knew Jūjitsu

552

A Tale of Two Hansons: Busting Myths About the 'First' US President

553

Did Soldiers in World War I Really Team Up to Fight Wolves?

554

Slum Tourists: When Wealthy People Toured Chinatown ‘For Fun’

555

That Time Victorians Treated Seaweed like Pokemon

556

Valentine's Day Is So Much Weirder Than We Thought

557

Weirdest Celebrity Busts, Part II: Mr. David Lee Roth and a Drunken John Wayne

558

Weirdest Celebrity Busts, Part I: Nixon Smuggled Weed, Arbuckle Was Innocent

559

CLASSIC: X-Rays, Songs and Soviets: The Stilyagi Story

560

Tossed Popcorn, Part 2: Chaplin was a Jerk, Brando was Insane

561

Tossed Popcorn, Part 1: The Wizard of Oz and the Titanic

562

Peter Freuchen: Explorer, Raconteur, Movie Star and War Hero

563

Did Honduras and El Salvador Really Go to War over Soccer?

564

The US Literally Had Nazi Summer Camps

565

The Emperor of the United States

566

The Trans-Saharan Ostrich Expedition of 1911

567

That Time Everyone Tried To Outlaw War

568

CLASSIC: Who Solves Murders in Antarctica?

569

The Lil Ice Age Was Way Less Cute Than It Sounds

570

Nub City: Florida's Infamous Amputation Scam

571

London's Tiger King, Part Two: Charles Jamrach Becomes a Problematic Hero

572

London's Tiger King, Part One: When Exotic Animal's Were The Hottest Flex

573

The Atlantropa Project, Part Two: What Happened to the Supercontinent?

574

The Atlantropa Project, Part One: Saving Europe via Supercontinent

575

People Used Bed Bugs as Medicine for Thousands of Years

576

The US Literally Threw Pianos From Planes During World War II

577

The Sinister Side of Little Orphan Annie, Part Two: Drink Your Ovaltine

578

The Sinister Side of Little Orphan Annie, Part One: Parents Were Terrified

579

CLASSIC: How White America Tried To Destroy Chinese Restaurants

580

Russia’s Real-life Ice Queen, Part 2: Weird, Brutal Flexes

581

Russia’s Real-life Ice Queen, Part 1: The Tsar is a Jerk

582

That Time a Baboon Worked for the Railroad

583

Austin and the Texas Archives War

584

King for a Week: The Strange Story of Otto I

585

The Bloody Tale of the Sausage War

586

Modern Thanksgiving, Part Two: Sarah Josepha Hale Finally Gets Her Wish

587

Modern Thanksgiving, Part One: A Culture War

588

How Haunted Houses Became A Thing

589

New England versus Vampires, Part Two: Desperation and Desecration

590

New England versus Vampires, Part One: The Brutal, Terrifying Life of Early Colonists

591

Ada Lovelace, Part Two: The Analytical Engine

592

Ada Lovelace, Part One: How Lord Byron’s Daughter Became a Tech Visionary

593

The King of Scotland Got Real Weird with Language Experiments

594

The Rum Riot of Portland, Maine

595

The Love of Candy Almost Drove a Cactus Extinct

596

The Australian Prison Break of 1876, Part 2

597

The Australian Prison Break of 1876 Part 1

598

37 Days of Peril, with Alex Williams

599

Robert Smalls Stole A Confederate Ship and Sailed to Freedom, Part Two: From Slavery to Congress

600

Robert Smalls Stole A Confederate Ship and Sailed to Freedom, Part One: Planning the Heist

601

Sky Pilot: The Man Who Brought Religion to Lumberjacks

602

CLASSIC: Butter: Protestantism's Secret Ingredient?

603

Ridiculous Live: The Humor and the Heavy

604

Flu Julia: The Con Artist Nurse That Made Bank Off Of Misery

605

History's Dumbest Criminals, Part 2

E
606

History's Dumbest Criminals, Part 1

E
607

That Time People Were Terrified of Libraries

608

Ostracism: How Ancient Greeks Handled Uncool Politicians

609

Military Cats, Part 2: Simon Saves the British

610

Military Cats, Part 1: Spies and Mascots

611

That Time People Rioted Over a Hot Air Balloon

612

An Alabama Town Built a Statue Honoring the Insect that Almost Destroyed It

613

A Prince and His Poodle: The Supernatural Adventures of Rupert and Boy

614

How One Guy Made Europe Fall In Love With Potatoes

615

Weird Courtship Rituals, Part Two

616

Weird Courtship Rituals, Part One

617

A Brief History of Underwear

618

One Guy Was Certain Telepathic Snails Would Replace Telegraphs

619

The Duke of Portland Hated People and Loved Tunnels

620

Where do Lemonade Stands Come From?

621

Painless Parker and the Dental Circus

622

The Rise and Fall of Curative Plane Flights

623

That Time People Paid Rent With Eels

624

The Miracle of the Gulls: A Cricket War

625

A History of Pregnancy Cravings, Part 2: Stereotypes, Superstitions and Science

626

A History of Pregnancy Cravings, Part 1: Pickles and Ice Cream

627

The Carrington Event, Part II: Attack of the Sun!

628

The Carrington Event, Part I: The Sun is Acting Strange

629

Loveday: Henry VI's Well-intentioned, Terrible Attempt at Making Peace

630

Classic: Why do British lawyers wear wigs?

631

That Time Al Capone Ran A Soup Kitchen

632

The Phantom Barber of Pascagoula

633

Joseph Bonaparte, Cryptid Hunter

634

The Mystery of the Devonshire Colic

635

The Troubling, Hidden History of Turpentine

636

A Race Across the World: From New York to Paris in 1908

637

The Age of the Crakow, Part 2: A Fashion Arms Race, But For Your Feet

638

The Age of the Crakow, Part 1: Medieval Europe Went Nuts For Pointy Shoes

639

How Pie in the Face Became a Comedy Classic, Part 2: The Fall (of the Pie)

640

How Pie in the Face Became a Comedy Classic, Part 1: Rise of the Pie

641

The Great Panjandrum: A Hilariously Terrible Idea

642

Dr. T. W. Stallings: One Man's Corvid-Hating Quest to Make Oklahoma Literally Eat Crow

643

Pineapples In Europe, Part 2: People Literally Rented Pineapples to Impress their Friends

644

Pineapples In Europe, Part 1: A Weird, Cartoonishly Expensive Flex

645

The Mysterious Dark Day That Terrified New England

646

The Windham Frog Fight of 1754

647

Ancient Mesopotamian Societies Sacrificed Substitute Kings to Eclipses

648

The Mad Gasser of Mattoon, Part 2

649

The Mad Gasser of Mattoon, Part 1

650

A Currency for Colonies: The Strange Story of "Leprosy Money"

651

Wyoming Tales, Part 2: Absaroka, the State That Almost Was

652

Wyoming Tales, Part 1: Walking in the Shoes of Big Nose George

653

The Rise and Fall of the Flea Circus, Part 2

654

The Rise and Fall of the Flea Circus, Part 1

655

History's Most Ridiculous (and Deadly) Beauty Trends

656

Billy Cottrell, the Tyrant Mayor of Cedar Key, Florida

657

The US and the UK Almost Went to War over a Pig

658

The 1973 Michigan Pizza Funeral

659

Elagabalus The Raunchy, Racy High Priest Who Became a Roman Emperor

660

John Wilkins Started a 17th-century Astronaut Program, Part 2: Wilkins (Tries to) Start a Space Program

661

John Wilkins Started a 17th-century Astronaut Program, Part 1: Why not aim for the Moon?

662

Turtle Soup, Part 2: Rise of the Mock Turtle

663

Turtle Soup, Part 1: A Delicacy of Yesteryear

664

Stab Yourself to Health and Happiness: The Bizarre Rise of the Lebensweker

665

The Hatpin Peril

666

It's a Cat's World, Part 2: The Rise of the Cat Show

667

It's a Cat's World, Part 1: The Sacred and the Suspicious

668

Dan Sickles, American Scoundrel, Part 2: The Civil War

669

Dan Sickles, American Scoundrel, Part 1: How to Get Away with Murder

670

That Time New York Banned Spitting

671

Admiral Byrd and the Polar Dairy

672

Weird 21st Century Predictions from Ages Past, Part 2: Your Personal Plane, A World Without Disaster and Retiring on the Moon

673

Weird 21st Century Predictions from Ages Past, Part 1: Tesla, Square Tomatoes and Pseudosteak

674

The Old Rituals of New Years, Part 2: Neuroscience, Resolutions and the Rick Steves Fan Club

675

Holiday Classic: When the Puritans Canceled Christmas

676

Holiday Classic: The Strange History of Antarctic Fruitcake

677

Goodyear and the Mystery of the Ghost Blimp

678

Benito Mussolini was Super into Wearable Milk

679

Snowmen as Protest: The Miracle of 1511

680

Why are Chimney Sweeps good luck at weddings?

681

People Have Been Convinced Robots Will Take Their Jobs For Centuries

682

That Time the US was Terrified of Tomatoes

683

How the Pandemic Helped (and Hurt) the Struggle for Women's Rights

684

How a German Prince Built his own Artificial Volcano

685

The Weird Origin of Pink Lemonade, Part 2: The Rise of Clown Pants

686

The Weird Origin of Pink Lemonade, Part 1: A Humble Citrus

687

An Elephant in the Vatican, Part 2: An Elephant in the Reformation

688

An Elephant in the Vatican, Part 1: The Discovery of Hanno

689

S T O V E G O B L I N

690

The US Didn't Always Have Secret Ballots

691

The Case of the Greenbrier Ghost, Part 2: The Court

692

Ridiculous History Presents: Criminalia

693

The Case of the Greenbrier Ghost, Part 1: An 'Everlasting Faint'

694

The Hand of Glory, Part 2: Recipes, Necropants and Toes

695

The Hand of Glory, Part 1: A Thief's Theme

696

Brooms and Witchcraft, Part 2: Inquisitions and Iniquity

697

Brooms and Witchcraft, Part 1: A Killer in the Rye?

698

The Beast of Gévaudan, Part 2: The Birth of a Grisly Legend

699

The Beast of Gévaudan, Part 1: Murders In France

700

The BBC Convinced People Spaghetti Grows on Trees

701

The US Waged War on Pinball for Decades

702

The Misadventures of Wade Boggs, Part 2

703

The Misadventures of Wade Boggs, Part 1

704

The Tragic Tale of the 'Turnspit Dog'

705

Knocker-Uppers: The Human Alarm Clocks of the Industrial Age

706

That Time New York City Rioted Over Shakespeare

707

Babies in Incubators were Once a Sideshow Attraction

708

The Rise of the US Camel Corps

709

The United Kingdom Has A Weird Thing With Swans

710

The Nazi Super Horse Program, Part 2: A Horse-filled Heist

711

The Nazi Super Horse Program, Part 1: Equine Eugenics

712

Railroad Tycoons Decided What Time It Is Now

713

Why do people 'christen' ships with champagne?

714

The Hidden History of Jewish Pirates, Part 2: Famous Privateers

715

The Hidden History of Jewish Pirates, Part 1: Escaping Europe

716

Ridiculous "Remedies" of the Spanish Flu: The Rise of the Lemon

717

That Time Rebellious Freemasons Starting Kissing Porcelain Pug Butts

718

Clever Hans, Part 2: The Rise and Fall of Hans

719

Clever Hans, Part 1: The Equine Mathematician

720

Henry VIII and That English Sweat, Part 2: A Disease and a King

721

Henry VIII and That English Sweat, Part 1: A Pandemic

722

The Hobo King: Leon Ray Livingston, Chapter Two

723

The Hobo King: Leon Ray Livingston, Chapter One

724

The Vikings Made a Fortune in the 'Unicorn' Trade

725

Did People Really Throw Tar And Feathers On Each Other?

726

Kate Warne, the Pinkerton Detective Who Saved Abe Lincoln, Part 2: To Rescue A President

727

Kate Warne, the Pinkerton Detective Who Saved Abe Lincoln, Part 1: The Origin Story

728

What is Fudge, Part 2: The Rebellion

729

What is Fudge, Part 1: The Science, The Curious Name

730

The North Pole, Part 2: The Chase To The North

731

The North Pole, Part 1: Maps and Legends

732

The Mysterious Origin of (and Disturbing Problems with) the "Wolf Whistle"

733

World War I and the Rise of the Peat Moss Bandage

734

Flashback: Unforeseen Consequences Throughout History: Part 2

735

Flashback: Unforeseen Consequences Throughout History: Part 1

736

Louis Wain, the Godfather of Cat Memes: Part 2

737

Louis Wain, the Godfather of Cat Memes: Part 1

738

Feedsack Fashion: How Thrifty Inventiveness Transformed America

739

Emperor Tiberius Was Debauched, Deranged and Probably Not Fun At Parties

740

The Return of Historical Flexes, Part 2: Flexcessiveness

741

The Return of Historical Flexes, Part 1: 2 Flex 2 Furious

742

The Authors Of Curious George Were On The Run From Nazis

743

People Used To Straight Up Drink Gold

744

New Zealand's Tragic (And Pretty Hilarious) Exploding Pants Epidemic

745

That Time Trainwrecks Became a Spectator Sport

746

Miguel de Cervantes and the Case of the Fake Don Quixote

747

The CIA Paid War Spies with Stuff From the Sears Catalog

748

The Bottle Jumping Hoax (And Riot)

749

The Bizarrely Disturbing History of People Jumping Out of Cake

750

HL Hunley: The Mysterious Demise of a Civil War Submarine, with Rachel Lance

751

Dromomania: The Wanderlust Disease

752

Key West, Florida Declared a One-Minute War on the United States

753

That Time the US Literally Banned Sliced Bread

754

Two Green Children Mystified Woolpit, England

755

Pepsi Briefly Became the Sixth Largest Navy in the World

756

The Ponzi Scheme with Chelsea Ursin

757

The History of MREs with Jacqueline Raposo

758

Donald Crowhurst Faked a Race Around the World

759

Calvin Coolidge Skipped Town and Went Fishing for Three Months (While He was President)

760

The Presidential Dinner That Scandalized America

761

Was the Lone Ranger Inspired by a Black U.S. Marshall?

762

Night Soil Men Were the Unsung Heroes of Urban Sanitation

763

The Tiny Spanish Town That Went To War With France For 100 Years

764

The Great Diamond Hoax - Part 2

765

The Great Diamond Hoax - Part 1

766

'Mad' Jack Churchill: The Bagpipe Playing Soldier Who Hunted Nazis with a Longbow - Part 2

767

'Mad' Jack Churchill: The Bagpipe Playing Soldier Who Hunted Nazis with a Longbow - Part 1

768

Erasto Mpemba: The High School Student Who Disproved Thermodynamics

769

The Straw Hat Riots of 1922

770

The Legend of Tarrare, the Insatiable Glutton Who Ate a Quarter of a Cow Daily

771

Why Genghis Khan's Great-Great Granddaughter Was Just as Badass

772

That Time Ernest Hemingway's Younger Brother Started His Own Country

773

The Ersatz Wild West Shootouts of Palisade, Nevada

774

The Great Goldfish Gulping Craze That (For Some Reason) Swept America

775

Pneumatic Tubes: The 'Futuristic' Transport System That's Over 150-Years-Old

776

Violet Jessop, the Unsinkable Stewardess Who Survived Three Famous Shipwrecks

777

Abandoned Ship: What Really Happened Aboard the "Mary Celeste"?

778

That Time America Fell In Love With Competitive Walking

779

The Weird Stories Behind Your Favorite Christmas Carols

780

The Time Salvador Dali Partnered with Walt Disney - Part 2

781

The Time Salvador Dali Partnered with Walt Disney - Part 1

782

Colonel Blood and the Theft of the Crown Jewels

783

The Starving Time: When Jamestown Colonists Turned Cannibal, Part 2

784

The Starving Time: When Jamestown Colonists Turned Cannibal, Part 1

785

The Strange Tradition that Forced Everyone in New York to Move House on the Same Day

786

French Waiters Once Had to Strike for Their Right to Wear Mustaches

787

The Honey Trap: Sex in Espionage Throughout History

788

The Weird, Weird History of Shipping: Part 2

789

The Weird, Weird History of Shipping: Part 1

790

Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Who Called Out the Hypocrisy of Slavery, Part 2

791

Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Who Called Out the Hypocrisy of Slavery, Part 1

792

How Bertha Heyman Conned Her Way Into Show Business

793

That Time Germany Got Obsessed With Polar Bear Photos

794

Rose Mackenberg: Houdini's Ghostbuster

795

Science and Spiritualism: Why were ghost stories so popular in the 1800s?

796

John of Bohemia, the Blind King Who Charged Into Battle

797

Kakigōri: The Story of Japan's Famous Shaved Ice

798

John Edmonstone: The Man Who Trained Darwin

799

The Death of Luxury Air Travel

800

The Bizarre Capitulation of Stettin

801

John Wilkes Booth's Brother Saved Abraham Lincoln's Son

802

John Clem: The 12-year Old Civil War Hero

803

Christopher Columbus Was Such A Jerk That Even Spain Turned Against Him

804

The Kaiser’s Plan to Invade the United States

805

How Uncle Tom's Cabin Became One of the Most Popular Books in China

806

Tom Watson Gordy: How One Uncle’s Adventures Inspired Jimmy Carter to Join the Navy

807

Teddy Bears, Rhinos, Safari and Everywhere Else: A Conversation with Daniel Scheffler

808

The Gaspee Affair: Rhode Island’s Revolutionary “Tea Party”

809

Otto Rahn, The Nazi Occultist Who Hated Nazis and Inspired Indiana Jones

810

4 Times Women in the US Were Actually Arrested for Wearing Pants

811

Sir Francis Drake and the Great Iowa Swindle

812

Around the World in a Model T: The Story of Aloha Wanderwell

813

Why George Washington is Huge in Barbados

814

John Willis Menard: The First African American Elected To US Congress

815

The Bloody Revenge of Saint Olga of Kiev

816

The Super Fight: When Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano Had A Fight That Never Happened

817

Shame and Fish: The Embarrassing and Tragic Story of François Vatel

818

Creature Feature: Go Home Nature, You're Drunk

E
819

Hunting Fireflies for Fun (and Profit)

820

The Listener Mail Extravaganza

821

That Time Ancient Monks Waged War Over A Copyright

822

Ye Xian: The Story of China's Cinderella

823

The Portuguese Bank Note Crisis: How One Lucky Forger Almost Destroyed A Nation's Economy

824

Cow Shoe Camouflage: How Prohibition-era Moonshiners Outsmarted the Feds

825

Castle Itter: When Germans and Americans Joined Forces in World War II

826

A Grave Mistake: The Story of Patton's "Abandoned Rear"

827

Did the US Mafia actually start in New Orleans?

828

Meet Albert Cashier, the Trans Man Who Fought for the Union in the Civil War

829

Operation Northwoods: How the US Planned to Attack Itself and Start a War with Cuba

830

That Time Irish Separatists Invaded Canada

831

The Night Witches: How an All-female Soviet Bomb Squad Terrorized Nazi Germany

832

Bug Wars: When We Tried to Turn Insects into Soldiers

833

Yasuke, the African Samurai

834

The Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm I Tried To Make An Army of Super Tall Soldiers

835

Playboy, Progressive Politics and Stand-up: The Dick Gregory Story with Wayne Federman

E
836

I Modi: The Scandalous Erotic Blockbuster Banned By The Vatican

837

Patriots, Prisoners and Plants: The World of Political Body Doubles

838

Fort Blunder: The US Fort Mistakenly Built in Canada

839

The Duke of Edinburgh is Literally a God in Vanuatu

840

The Honorary Citizens of the United States

841

The Nature of Ephemera, with Alex Williams

842

The Return of Listener Mail

843

That Time Ohio and Michigan Almost Went To War

844

The Rise and Fall of Local Scrip: Alternative Currencies of the Great Depression

845

The Attack of the Japanese Balloon Bombs

846

Marie Antoinette and the Diamond Necklace Hoax

847

Nosy Boraha: The Pirate's Paradise (And Cemetery)

848

How the Black Death Came To Norway On A Ghost Ship

849

Susanna Caroline Matilda: The Colonial Grifter Princess

850

History's Weirdest Flexes, Part 2

851

History's Weirdest Flexes, Part 1

852

How Robert 'The Fastest Knife in the West End' Liston Conducted a Surgery With a 300% Mortality Rate

853

How Oliver Cromwell Got Executed Several Years After His Death

854

Hong Xiuquan: The Younger Brother of Jesus Christ Who Led a Bloody Rebellion in China

855

How Big Bill Speakman Fought Off North Korea With Beer Bottles

856

Teddy Roosevelt May Just Have Saved Modern (American) Football

857

Prohibition, Prescriptions and the Rise of 'Medicinal' Booze

858

Did Robert E. Lee hate Confederate Memorials?

859

California Schoolchildren and the Great Squirrel War

860

When West Virginia Begged the USSR for Foreign Aid

861

Idiomatic for the People II, Part 2

862

Idiomatic for the People II, Part 1

863

The Statue of Liberty Almost Lived in Egypt

864

Agent Garbo: The Strange Tale of the Man Who Saved D-Day

865

The War of the Stray Dog: How Far Would You Go For Your Pet?

866

The Tragic Origin Story of Morse Code

867

Operation Gunnerside: How a Crew of Military Skiers Ruined the Nazi Bomb

868

How far did Isaac Newton go to hunt down forgers?

869

How Admiral Horatio Nelson Ended Up Dead in a Barrel of Brandy

870

English Men Used to Sell Their Wives

871

How Louisiana Almost Became a Hippo Ranching Hub

872

The Weird Life of George Washington, Part 2

873

The Weird Life of George Washington, Part 1

874

Who was the highest paid athlete in history?

875

Clara, The World's Most Famous Rhinoceros

876

How the Monopoly Board Game Became a World War II Escape Kit

877

Idiomatic For The People, Part 1

878

Was there a real-life Rapunzel?

879

Benjamin Franklin's Advice on 'Finding a Mistress'

880

What does 'Idaho' actually mean?

881

Uncle Sam Tried to End World War II With Bat Bombs

882

The American Soldiers Who Defected to North Korea and Became Movie Stars

883

How a Broken Toilet Foiled a German Sub

884

Creature Feature: The Dark Tetrad

885

Gustaf Broman Tried to Cross the Atlantic in a Canoe . . . Or Did He?

886

The Weird, Surprisingly Recent Origin of the Tooth Fairy

887

When Vikings Loot The Wrong Town

888

Were Tulips Really The Bitcoin of the 1600s?

889

(Some of) History's Dumbest Military Prototypes

890

The Forty Elephants: London’s All-Female Jewel Thieves

891

The Malleus Maleficarum: A Real-life Witch Hunter's Bible

892

The Great London Beer Flood of 1814

893

Dr. Seuss Wrote His Most Famous Book On A Bet

894

Feral Children and the True Story Behind The Jungle Book

895

When Dentist Sold Dentures Made with Corpse Teeth

896

The Laxative-laden Journey of Lewis and Clark

897

The Strange and Spectacularly Disgusting Story of the Great Kentucky Meat Shower

898

The Bizarre Origin of the Oxford English Dictionary

899

How Conman Victor Lustig Sold The Eiffel Tower (Twice)

900

George Carlin Gets Quoted in the Supreme Court: Ridiculous Stand-up Stories with Wayne Federman

E
901

The People vs. Lenny Bruce: Ridiculous Stand-up Stories with Wayne Federman

E
902

The Life and Times of Ol' Knife Hand

903

The Ridiculous Story of the World’s First (Documented) Serial Killer

904

Back When the Rich Ate Corpses

905

The Mummies of Guanajuato

906

The Curious Rise of SPAM

907

The Smooth-talking Takeover of Tabor Bridge

908

History's Coolest (Non-Human) Political Candidates, Part I

909

Attack of the Aswang: How the CIA Used Vampires as Weapons of War

910

A Dead Pope Goes To Court

911

Who are the Hartlepudlian Monkey Hangers?

912

William Walker: Filibuster and (Fantastically Bad) President

913

Lawsonomy: How the Father of the Modern Airline Started His Own Religion

914

War and Candy: The Infamous Tootsie Roll Air Drop

915

The Man Who Assassinated Abe Lincoln's Assassin

916

The Cock Lane Ghost: Haunting, Hoax, Hysteria… or Hilarious?

917

Roland the Farter and the Weird World of Professional Flatulence

918

Gregor MacGregor Invented a Country and Convinced People to Invest in It

919

Angry Feds and Deadly Booze: The Story of the Chemists' War

920

Project A119: The Cold War Plan to Nuke the Moon!

921

Adidas Versus Puma: A Tale of Two Brothers

922

Fanny and Stella: The Cross-Dressing Scandal of Victorian England

923

Kansas Imprisoned Women For Having STDs

924

The WWII Naval Battle Won Using Potatoes

925

The Korean Soldier Who Fought for 3 Armies During WWII

926

Oregon Was a White Supremacist Paradise

927

Why did people hate the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge?

928

The 1904 Summer Olympic Games in St. Louis Hosted a Racist 'Special Olympics'

929

When Heineken Made Bottles That Could Be Used as Bricks

930

Why British Soccer Players Saluted the Nazis

931

The United States That Never Were

932

Philadelphia's Transylvanian Doomsday Cult: The Cave of Kelpius

933

Enough About Us: What About You?

934

Weird Wars Fought For Dumb Reasons

935

The FBI's Quest to Understand 'Louie, Louie'

936

The Time a Soviet Premier Was Banned From Disneyland

937

Kidnapping, Binge Drinking and Costumes: Voter Fraud in the 1800s

938

Why don't Americans use bidets?

939

The Earliest Recorded Mooning Killed Thousands

940

The Presidential Reason Fido Became the Default Name for a Generic Dog

941

Dock Ellis and the Legend of the LSD No-hitter

942

Maryland’s State Song was a Diss Track

943

The Story of Max, South Africa's Famous, Crime-fighting Gorilla

944

How Santa Anna Lost His Leg Twice, and Held a Funeral for It

945

That Time Chewbacca Needed Bodyguards

946

Napoleon Bonaparte Was Attacked by Bunnies -- And Lost

947

California Was Named for a Fictional Island Ruled by a Black Amazon Queen

948

Ancient Mayan Ritual Alcohol Enemas

949

Vermont Was an Independent Republic

950

The Capture of Guam Was Bloodless and Quick, All Due to a Misunderstanding

951

Are all US Presidents actually related?

952

What's the deal with two-dollar bills?

953

How James Bond Created a Mexican Dia de los Muertos Tradition

954

Did Richard Nixon Unwittingly Smuggle Drugs for Louis Armstrong?

955

3 Times Society Refused to Accept New Books on Science

956

That Time We Erased a (HUGE) Waterfall

957

The Poetic Justice of Death by Molten Gold

958

Japan, Baseball and the Curse of the Colonel

959

That Time the US Built a Flying Aircraft Carrier

960

Yes, Those Are Corpses in the Diorama

961

Weird People Who Built Weird Things

962

What was the West Point Eggnog Riot?

963

Lyndon Johnson Chatted on the Phone More than a Teenager

964

When Germany Sacrificed Sausage For War

965

Arsenic: The Assassin's Dream Weapon

966

The Killer Marketing Campaign Behind Guy Fawkes

967

When Ancient India Beat Machiavelli to the Punch

968

The Rise of Harvey Wiley's Poison Squad

969

Step Aside, James Bond: The Strange Stories of Espionage Animals

970

How MLK influenced Star Trek

971

What was the 'Great Stink' of London?

972

How Farmers Built A Barbed Wire Phone Network

973

The Strange Story of Canadian Margarine Bootleggers

974

When People Waged War Over Eggs

975

The Wild West Was Actually Pretty Chill

976

How A Grudge Match Launched the Ford GT40

977

Vitamin Donuts Were A Real Thing

978

The Rotten, Sausagey Secret Origin of Botox

979

The Weird World of Meat Jell-O (Gelatin Origin Story)

980

London Made a Train for the Dead

981

Roald Dahl: Children's Author and Secret Agent

982

When did ALL-CAPS type become YELLING?

983

Why does the Guinness Beer Company Track World Records?

984

Digging Up James K Polk (For the Third Time)

985

Presidents Love Their Ridiculous Pets

986

The Atomic Whoops: When the US Air Force Bombed South Carolina

987

Waging War With Hallucinogenic Honey

988

Ben Franklin Tried To Reinvent the Alphabet

989

The Strange History of Antarctic Fruitcake

990

When the Puritans Canceled Christmas

991

Baguettes and Vacation: France versus Bakers

992

What's the deal with smashing cake at weddings?

993

Conquest via Bird Poop: One Island at a Time

994

When Scientists Hid Under Beds To Spy On Kids

995

When People Thought They Were Made of Glass

996

Nazis, Churchill and Chocolate

997

When (and why) did the US start calling its citizens consumers?

998

Does the US Confederacy still exist in Americana, Brazil?

999

Did a real-life rainmaker almost drown San Diego?

1000

X-Rays, Songs and Soviets: The Stilyagi Story

1001

Who solves murders in Antarctica?

1002

How White America Tried to Destroy Chinese Restaurants

1003

Butter: Protestantism's Secret Ingredient?

1004

Wharram Percy Versus The Undead

1005

Why do British lawyers wear wigs?

1006

The Wild Hippos of Pablo Escobar

1007

Ridiculous History: Episode Zero

1008

Ridiculous History: Trailer