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Brady Carlson
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Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The Great Moon Hoax Showed Misinformation Spread In The 19th Century Much Like It Does Today
Today in 1835, the start of a six-part series in the New York Sun newspaper about fantastical creatures living on the moon. It wasn't true, but it was wildly popular. Plus: starting today, an auction of some rare US gold coins from the collection of an 80s rocker and avid collector. The Great Moon Hoax of 1835: The Birth of Fake News? (Interesting Engineering)Rick Springfield Collection of U.S. gold coins to be sold (Coin World)It would be fantastic (but not fantastical) for our listeners to back our show on Patreon
2025-08-25
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
A Formerly Enslaved Man Roasted His Former Master In A Classic Letter
Today in 1865, newspapers published "Letter From A Freedman To His Old Master," Jordan Anderson's note perfect response to a guy who probably shouldn’t have written to him in the first place. Plus: starting today in Illinois, it’s the Dekalb Corn Fest. How did ex-slave's letter to master come to be? (Salt Lake Tribune via Conifer) Dekalb Corn Fest Get in touch with us as a backer on Patreon
2025-08-22
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
A Restaurant In Wisconsin Keeps Goats On The Roof
it’s World Goat Day, so we’re heading to a spot in Sister Bay, Wisconsin, where goats get to go on the roof. Plus: today in 2023, the start of a contest to find the laziest citizen in Montenegro. Why Are There Goats on the Roof at This Swedish Restaurant in Wisconsin? (Thrillist)Montenegrins vie for record in lying down contest (Reuters)Our Patreon backers are all GOATS
2025-08-21
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Isabel Morgan Unlocked The Mysteries Of Polio On The Road To A Vaccine
Today in 1911, the birthday of Isabel Morgan, a scientist and researcher whose breakthroughs in polio helped protect millions of kids from that terrible disease. Plus: Pixply is a digital game board that can change its layout depending on which game you want to play. Forging the Trail for Polio Vaccination: Isabel Morgan and Dorothy Horstmann (American Society for Microbiology)Pixply Rollable Digital Game Board (The Awesomer)Keep this show healthy as a backer on Patreon
2025-08-20
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Potatoes Have Made Their Contribution To World Peace
The potato’s influence stretches out well beyond French fries and tater tots. In fact, there was a study in 2017 that said the potato helped keep the peace in Europe for centuries. Plus: a Prince Edward Island town is home to the Canadian Potato Museum. Potatoes helped keep peace in Europe for hundreds of years (Earth.com)The Canadian Potato Museum Potatoes can't back our show, but you can, join us on Patreon today
2025-08-19
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” Was Partly Based On Real Bird Weirdness
Today in 1961, a news report in the Santa Cruz Sentinel about a strange bird event along the coast of California that ended up shaping an iconic movie about a strange bird event. Plus: this week in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, the King Coal Show. Here’s the real story behind Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ (Popular Science)King Coal Association Back our show today on Patreon and keep the shows about weird bird happenings coming
2025-08-18
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
When Eating With A Fork Was Scandalous
It’s National Spork Day! The spork gets a lot of grief, but not as much as one of its parents used to get. At one time, eating with a fork was a scandal. Plus: Arcola, Illinois is home to a 62 foot long Hippie Memorial. FORKS (California Academy of Sciences)One and Only Hippie Memorial (Roadside America)Serve up more episodes of our show as a backer on Patreon
2025-08-15
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The Guy Who Officially Had The First Social Security Number
Today in 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. Americans who pay into the system and receive benefits have Social Security Numbers, so who had the first one? The answer is kind of strange. Plus: starting tomorrow in Indiana, it’s the Elwood Glass Festival. New Rochelle Man Was First Person to Get a Social Security Number (Talk of the Sound)Elwood Glass Festival Secure the future of this show as a backer on Patreon
2025-08-14
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
A Guy In Saudi Arabia Has Over 400 Video Game Consoles Connected To A Single TV
Today in 2024, Guinness announced a world record for most gaming consoles connected to a single TV, 444 in all. Here's how the record holder does it. Plus: this Friday at Georgia Tech University, it’s The Great Cardboard Boat Race. Guy Plugs A Record-Breaking 444 Video Game Consoles Into A Single TV (Kotaku)THE GREAT CARDBOARD BOAT RACE Connect with us as a backer on Patreon
2025-08-13
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
“Drop Kick Me Jesus” Is Country Music’s “Christian-Football Waltz”
Today in 1938, the birthday of Paul Craft, an acclaimed songwriter and musician whose catalog includes probably the world’s best known religious country football song: “Drop Kick Me Jesus (Through The Goalposts Of Life).” Plus: starting this Friday in Glasgow, Scotland, it’s the World Pipe Band Championships. Drop Kick Me Jesus (Through The Goalposts Of Life) (Songfacts)World Pipe Band ChampionshipsKeep this show moving toward the goalposts as a backer on Patreon
2025-08-12
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
A Fair In Washington State Is Famous For Its Spaceburgers
If you’re near Moses Lake, Washington in the next couple days, you can try an iconic fair food: the Spaceburger. Plus: today in 1911, Hawaii's Duke Kahanamoku breaks a world swimming record by so much that the athletic organizers can't quite believe it. History & Mysteries of the “Space Burger” in Moses Lake, WA (The Quake 102.1) Duke Kahanamoku (Library of Congress)Space out with us on our Patreon page
2025-08-11
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Here’s A Robot That’s Learning To Make Us Pizzas
We've done a lot of shows about robots, and we've done a lot of shows about pizza. Now, we're doing a show about a robot that's learning to make pizza with help from a team at Virginia Tech. Plus: Baltimore is home to the world’s tallest five-sided building in which the sides are all equal length. But first, pizza: Team creates assistive robotics that can make you a meal (Virginia Tech) The World’s Tallest Regular Pentagonal Building Is In Baltimore And You’ll Want To Visit (Only In Your State)Keep these hu...
2025-08-08
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The Winchester Mystery House Probably Wasn’t Built To Be Mysterious
Sarah Winchester's decades-long renovation project turned an eight-room farmhouse into hundreds of rooms, and sparked endless rumors that at least some of those rooms are haunted. Plus: starting tomorrow in Ohio, it’s the Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival. Everything you think you know about the Winchester Mystery House probably isn't true (SFGate)TOMATO FESTIVAL REYNOLDSBURG, OHIO Help us build this podcast as a backer on Patreon
2025-08-07
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Campbell’s Soup Grew To Love Andy Warhol’s Soup Can Paintings, Just Maybe Not Right Away
Today in 1928, the birthday of Andy Warhol. He made a mark with his paintings of Campbell's Soup cans, though the company wasn’t immediately thrilled with his work. Plus: starting tomorrow in Indiana, it’s the Van Buren Popcorn Festival. Why Campbell Soup hated, then embraced, Andy Warhol’s soup can paintings (CNN)Van Buren Popcorn Festival If you like the art we produce every day, back it on Patreon
2025-08-06
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The “ManhattAnt” Is New York City’s Very Own Ant Species
It's World Ant Day, so we’re looking at an ant species that got so comfortable living in New York City that it earned the nickname “ManhattAnt.” Plus: if you missed National Mustard Day over the weekend, check out a pizzeria in New Jersey known for making the "mustard pie." Scientists identified the ‘ManhattAnt’ — and they have theories on why it’s taking over NYC (CNN)Papa's Tomato Pies, the oldest pizzeria in NJ, is home of the mustard pie (NorthJersey.com)Let’s build a big colony of backers on our Patreon site
2025-08-05
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Brad Lewis Kept His Son Safe As They Both Fell Off A Balcony
Today in 2018, a dad in Sydney, Australia saw his kid in danger and put himself on the line to make sure that kid was safe. Here's his story. Plus: today in 1922, a very quiet moment in the history of telecommunications. Heroic father breaks skull leaping off 4m balcony to cushion son’s fall (News.com.au)Telephones Were Silenced for One Minute After Alexander Graham Bell Died (Smithsonian)You don’t have to put yourself in danger to help our show, just back us on Patreon
2025-08-04
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
“Illustrated Songs” Were Proto-Music Videos Almost A Century Before MTV
Today in 1981, the debut of MTV. It brought music videos to the mainstream, but it didn't invent them - in fact, there were proto-music videos almost a century before the cable channel first appeared. Plus: starting tomorrow in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the 4th Annual Youth Hoop Dance Championship. The Complete History of the Music Video: From the 1890s to Today (Open Culture)4TH ANNUAL YOUTH HOOP DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPIf you want your Cool Weird Awesome, support it as a backer on Patreon
2025-08-01
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
One Of MGM’s Roaring Lions Lived A Life Even Stranger Than The Movies
Today in 1928, the debut of Leo, MGM's roaring lion. One of the lions that played Leo in the movies used up more than a few of its nine lives while traveling for the movie studio. Plus: starting today in Indiana, it’s the Jasper Strassenfest. Meet ‘Leo The Lucky’—The MGM Lion Who Cheated Death 6 Times (Forbes)Jasper Indiana Strassenfest Send a little good luck to this show as a backer on Patreon
2025-07-31
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Ford Once Tried To Replace The Steering Wheel With A “Wrist Twist” System
Today in 1863, the birthday of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company. The automaker has had a huge impact on the auto industry, but not all of its ideas worked out. Like the time it tried to reinvent the (steering) wheel. Plus: starting tomorrow in Brownstown, Indiana, it’s the Jackson County Watermelon Festival. Mercury “Wrist-Twist” Steering Tried a Tesla Model S–Style Yoke in 1965 (Motor Trend)Jackson County Watermelon Festival Drive on over to our Patreon page where you can support this show
2025-07-30
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Bacteria Can Consume Used Plastic And Turn It Into Medicine
New research finds a way to take waste plastic that might end up in landfills and turn it into a common pain medicine. Plus: starting Friday in South Dakota, it's Clark Potato Days. Microbes transform plastic waste into paracetamol (University of Edinburgh)CLARK POTATO DAYS Our backers have transformed this show into what it is today, join them on Patreon
2025-07-29
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
We’ve Tried Quite A Few Times To Send Mail By Rocket
Today in 1934, a big day in the history of sending mail by rocket. There's a whole history of rocket mail that goes back two centuries. Plus: today in 2017, the birth of a calf in Kerrville, Texas. that looked a little like a certain fire-breathing member of KISS. The rise and fall of rocket mail (Engadget) Texas calf resembles Kiss rocker Gene Simmons (BBC)Help launch our show forward as a backer on Patreon
2025-07-28
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Books And Authors Week: Meet Some Of The Oldest Books Ever Found
This week we're replaying our favorite shows about writers and the printed page. In this episode from September 2022, National Read A Book Day brings to mind an article from HowStuffWorks called “What is the oldest book in the world?” Plus: Ithaca, New York is home to a tribute to the world of growing, eating, sharing and decorating gourds of all kinds. What Is the Oldest Book in the World? (HowStuffWorks)Ithaca is ‘gourd-geous’: Welcome to Gourdlandia, where the world’s most versatile vegetable is transformed into art (Roadtrippers)Our Patreon backers are as wise as a cl...
2025-07-25
02 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Books And Authors Week: Does A Book With 1,250 Endings Ever Really End?
This week we're replaying our favorite shows about writers and the printed page. In this episode from March 2020, Sri Lankan author Sybil Wettasinghe set a world record for the most alternative endings in a single book. Plus: in the early days of COVID-19, a pilot in Austria goes up in the air to do his part for social distancing. Children’s book gets Guinness record with 1,250 alternative endings (UPI)Pilot writes message for world in the sky: ‘Stay home’ (CNet)Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon
2025-07-24
02 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Books And Authors Week: I Review The Body Electric
This week we're replaying our favorite shows about writers and the printed page. In this episode from May 2019, one of the most interesting moments of Walt Whitman’s life, the time he reviewed his own book in the newspapers. Plus: Plymouth, North Carolina hosts the North Carolina Black Bear Festival. “Walt Whitman and His Poems” by Walt Whitman (Whitman Archive)“Promoting Himself” (Library of Congress)North Carolina Black Bear FestivalCool Weird Awesome is listener-supported! Back this show on Patreon today!
2025-07-23
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Books And Authors Week: A Big-Time Librarian Kept “Goodnight Moon” Off The Shelves For 25 Years
This week we're replaying our favorite shows about writers and the printed page. In this episode from January 2020, the New York Public Library didn’t have a copy of one of the most iconic children's books of all time for decades, because a librarian didn’t like it. Plus: two pranksters added silent records to a jukebox, but customers decided they liked the quiet. Top 10 Checkouts of All Time (New York Public Library)The Quintessential Librarian Stereotype: Wrestling With the Legacy of Anne Carroll Moore (School Library Journal)The Restorative Pause of Silent Reco...
2025-07-22
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Books And Authors Week: Never Skip The Dedication Page Of A Book, They Can Get Wild
This week we're replaying our favorite shows about writers and the printed page. In this episode from November 2020, we look at book dedications. Most are straightforward, but there are surprises. Plus: a scientific report sheds light on the pelagornithid, perhaps the largest flying bird ever.Brilliant Book Dedications (Sad and Useless)Scientists Reveal What May Be the Largest Flying Bird Ever (Smithsonian)We dedicate today’s show to our Patreon backers. So if you join us, today’s show is especially for you!
2025-07-21
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The North Pole Moved Three Feet Because Of Dams
A Harvard study finds that the thousands of dams humans have built over the last couple centuries have locked up so much water it's actually affected Earth's poles! We'll try to explain. Plus: starting today in Michigan City, Indiana, it’s the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival. Water storage in dams has caused minute shifts in Earth’s poles (Harvard's Advancing Earth and Space Sciences) The Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival It would be a dam shame if you didn’t back our show on Patreon
2025-07-18
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Watergate Salad Is An Actual Sweet Dish Named For Our “Long National Nightmare”
Today in 1972, a break-in at the Watergate hotel that kicked off a huge political scandal... and also, somehow, gave a gelatin dessert the name "Watergate salad." Plus: in 2022, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington hosted an exhibit called “Watergate: Portraiture and Intrigue.”Jell-O Journalism: Investigating the Origins of Watergate Salad (Mental Floss)Watergate: Portraiture and Intrigue (National Portrait Gallery)This podcast is not a crook, but it is backed by our listeners on Patreon
2025-07-17
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
A Blood Sample From A Late Composer Is Powering A Musical Experiment
There's a new musical work that is, maybe, kind of, sort of from a composer who’s been gone three years. Plus: rice farmers in Gyoda, Japan turn their paddies into large-scale works of art. Musical Composer’s Brain Matter Is Still Making Music Three Years After His Death (My Modern Met)Tanjiro Emerges in the Fields as Gyoda Unveils 2025 Rice Paddy Art (Spoon + Tamago)Our show is powered by our backers on Patreon
2025-07-16
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Guitarist Cordell Jackson Was Rocking Out Before There Was Rock Music
Today in 1923, the birthday of Cordell Jackson, a guitarist who rocked out exactly the way she wanted to for over half a century. Plus: today in 2023, a Florida woman apparently took a fire truck out for a ride. Jackson, Cordell (Women In Rock Project) Woman accused of impersonating firefighter after stealing firetruck, Florida cops say (Miami Herald)Help our show rock out every day as a backer on Patreon
2025-07-15
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
A Burma-Shave Ad Offered A Trip To “Mars,” And A Guy Tried To Take That Trip
A decade before Mariner 4 got to Mars (on this day in 1965), a company famous for its advertising jokingly offered its customers a chance to go to the Red Planet - and a very serious customer tried to get them to follow through. Plus: a design studio in France builds a walk-through installation out of nearly 800 old baguettes. Did Burma-Shave Offer to Send a Contest Winner to Mars? (Snopes)780 leftover baguettes turn into public pavilion by MERO studios in montpellier (designboom)Help this show keep keeping on / as a backer on Patreon
2025-07-14
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Quiet Riot’s Biggest Hit Came From A Recording Session They Tried To Tank
Today in 1983, Quiet Riot released its massive hit single "Cum On Feel The Noize," though they kind of tried to tank the recording session at the time. Plus: for 7/11, a story about a 7/11 with a tree in the middle of the store. Cum On Feel The Noize by Quiet Riot (Songfacts)This 7-11 in Monterrey Mexico has a tree growing through it. (lostfoundartny via Instagram)Rock out with us as a backer on Patreon
2025-07-11
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Which Horse Is On Wyoming’s License Plate? It's Complicated
Today in 1890, Wyoming became the 44th state in the Union. Its license plates feature a silhouette of a person, with cowboy hat in hand, riding a bucking horse. The story of which horse and which rider inspired that silhouette is a bit of a bumpy ride. Plus: starting tomorrow, it’s the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Wyoming’s Long-lived Bucking Horse (Wyoming History)Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Ride on over to our Patreon page to back this show
2025-07-10
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The BBC Once Reported That Cows Might Have Accents
For Cow Appreciation Day, a look at the time in 2006 that news reports made it sound like scientists had proven that cows had regional accents like people do, only the story was a little more complicated than that. Plus: Solstice 2.0 is a kinetic clock that changes shape as the day goes on. Cows also 'have regional accents' (BBC)It's always silly season in the (BBC) science section (Language Log) Mesmerizing Kinetic Clock Expands and Contracts With the Passage of Time (My Modern Met)Back our show on Patreon and we’ll kee...
2025-07-09
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
A Shop In Small-Town Nebraska Gave The World The Tin Roof Sundae
It's National Ice Cream Sundae Day, which might be a good day to visit Potter, Nebraska, the birthplace of the Tin Roof Sundae. Plus: Roswell, New Mexico is very popular with UFO tourists, but it's also home to the Miniatures and Curious Collections Museum. Why Is It Called Tin Roof Sundae? (Chowhound) The Miniatures and Curious Collections Museum of Roswell, NM, is filled with wonderful things (Boing Boing)Treat yourself! Back this show on Patreon
2025-07-08
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Tiny Swarms Of Robots Might Help Us Get Through Sinus Infections
Lots of people have warned about robot invasions, but not like this: tiny bots that don’t want to take over the world, but want to help clear your sinuses of germs. Plus: a group of 15 monkeys living at Kyoto University's primate research institute figure out a way to escape their habitat. Light-powered robot swarms may replace antibiotics for tough sinus infections (Interesting Engineering)Monkeys use trees to catapault themselves out of Japanese laboratory (Daily Telegraph)Let’s all swarm this show’s Patreon page with donations
2025-07-07
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
How Fireworks Illuminate Independence Day, The Way John Adams Wanted
America's second president once said that Independence Day should always feature "illuminations." We'll explain how those pyrotechnics illuminate the sky each July 4. Plus: Seward, Nebraska is a relatively small community, but it goes big every time this holiday rolls around. The chemistry behind fireworks (University of Pennsylvania) Seward Is A Small Town In Nebraska That Offers Plenty Of Peace And Quiet (Only In Your State)Help make our Patreon page blow up (so to speak) with your gift today
2025-07-04
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The Original Version Of The Michelin Man Was Kind Of Terrifying
For National Tire Safety Week, the story of a character made of tires, one of the most famous mascots in advertising history… and one who was originally kind of a hot mess. Plus: starting today in Pittsburgh, it’s the World Beard and Moustache Championships. Michelin Man: The Inside Story (CNN)2025 World Beard and Moustache Championships Bounce over to our Patreon page and help support this show
2025-07-03
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Graham Island, The Mediterranean’s Disappearing Volcanic Island
This month in 1831, the Mediterranean Sea got a whole new island, one that European powers bickered over for a few months before the debate ended pretty abruptly. Plus: starting Friday in New Hope, Pennsylvania, it’s the Red, White & Blueberries BBQ Bash. The Mediterranean's short-lived 'Atlantis' (BBC)Red, White & Blueberries BBQ Bash Here’s hoping we see a lot of backers rise up on Patreon (and that their support also doesn’t sink back a few months later)
2025-07-02
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
How Canada’s Flag Ended Up With A Maple Leaf Instead Of Union Jacks, Beavers Or Mounties
Happy Canada Day! The flag you’ll see at events across the country today has quite an origin story: one guy, one red pen and a lot of potential roadblocks. Plus: for National Postal Worker Day in the US, the story of how the Postal Service set up an office in Antarctica. A letter, a red pen and a hand-drawn sketch: How George Stanley created Canada's flag (CBC) Little America, Antarctica, Post Office (US Postal Service)Fly the flag for our show as a backer on Patreon
2025-07-01
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
June Robertson McCarroll, The Doctor Who Painted A Line Down The Middle Of The Road
Today in 1867, the birthday of June Robertson McCarroll, a doctor in California who made a big difference for safety by painting a line down the middle of a road. Plus: starting today in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, it’s the American Jump Rope National Championship. Dr. June Robertson McCarroll Was the Valley’s First Woman Doctor—but She’s Best Known for a Transportation Innovation (Coachella Valley Independent) American Jump Rope National Championship Drive over to our Patreon page and back this show
2025-06-30
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Fashion Week: The Jumpsuit Century
We’re replaying some of our favorite shows about clothes and the people who wear them. In this episode from May 2019, the fascinating and unlikely history of the garment that got its name because it was the outfit of choice for people jumping out of airplanes. Plus: we know there’s no jumpsuit like an Elvis jumpsuit. Quartz noted that one of the King’s suits, the white peacock-themed one, sold at auction in 2008 for a record $300,000.Jumpsuits (Quartz)Elvis Hoodie (GearHuman)Back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon for just $1 a month!
2025-06-27
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Fashion Week: The Fabric With A Built-In Cooling System
We’re replaying some of our favorite shows about clothes and the people who wear them. In this episode from August 2020, a research team in China invents a fabric that can transfer heat away from us and back into the surrounding air. Plus: for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, the story of the biggest chocolate chip cookie of all time. 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
2025-06-26
02 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Fashion Week: The Plastic Bags Of Today Could Be The Fashionable Fabric Of Tomorrow
We’re replaying some of our favorite shows about clothes and the people who wear them. In this episode from July 2021, a multi-country research project thinks old plastic bags might be useful to the fashion industry. Plus: Many of us spend a lot of our waking hours typing, but James Cook turns his typing into art. Plastic Bags Could Be Recycled Into Wearable Fabrics, Says New Research (Designboom)This Artist Draws Using Only Letters and Numbers on Old Typewriters (The Sifter)Help make this podcast even more fashionable as a backer on Patreon!
2025-06-25
02 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Fashion Week: Bioprinting Clothes (And More) Out Of Algae
We’re replaying some of our favorite shows about clothes and the people who wear them. In this episode from May 2021, a research team at the University of Rochester and the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands makes some big advancements in bioprinting, which is 3D printing with living materials. Plus: a pro golfer and a race car driver set a world record for longest golf drive into a moving vehicle. Will your future clothes be made of algae? (University of Rochester)Watch a Pro Golfer Land a Golf Ball Into a Moving BMW M8...
2025-06-24
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Fashion Week: The First Top Hat Got Its Inventor Arrested
We’re replaying some of our favorite shows about clothes and the people who wear them. In this episode from January 2021, the story of the debut of the top hat, and what a debut it was. Plus: the time in 1974 that a team at MIT built a 35 pound yo-yo and dropped it from a 21 story building. History of the Top Hat (International Formalwear Association via Archive.org)James H. Williams, Jr. and the world’s largest yo-yo, 1974 (MIT Black History)Hats or not, we think our Patreon backers are tops
2025-06-23
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Monkeys Follow Some Of The Same Economic Principles As Humans Do
Today in 2005, the release of a study that found something interesting: monkeys appeared to have some of the same economic ideas that humans have, especially when it comes to something known as loss aversion. Plus: tomorrow in Illinois, it's the Great Galena Balloon Race. Humans Rational and Irrational Buying Behavior Is Mirrored in Monkeys (Yale University)Great Galena Balloon Race (Enjoy Illinois)When you back this show on Patreon, everybody gains and nobody loses
2025-06-20
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
How The Juneteenth Holiday Spread From Galveston, To Texas, To The Whole United States
Holidays don't just show up; people make them happen. Here's the story of how a commemoration of a key moment in ending the institution of slavery eventually became a national holiday across the United States. Former State Rep. Al Edwards, Who Helped Make Juneteenth A State Holiday, Dies At 83 (Houston Public Media)How 97-Year-Old Activist Opal Lee Became the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” (Biography)
2025-06-19
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The Vatican Once Sang The Praises Of The Blues Brothers
This week in 2010, a classic movie gets a shout-out from a very unusual place: the Vatican was repping The Blues Brothers. Plus: starting tomorrow in Ingliston, Edinburgh, Scotland, it's the Royal Highland Show. Vatican beatifies Blues Brothers ... well almost (Reuters)World Highland ShowYou on the motorcycle! You two girls! Tell your friends! Back this show on Patreon!
2025-06-18
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
To Get Kids To Eat Their Veggies, A Company Sold A Line Called “I Hate Peas”
For National Eat Your Vegetables Day, the story of the time a company tried to get kids to eat French fry-shaped versions of dinner table vegetables, but with a name that may not have done them any favors. Plus: this weekend in Washington state, it's Sumner's Rhubarb Days Festival. Funky Fries and other foods that flopped (CNN)Rhubarb Days 2025 If you love this show as much as kids don’t love certain veggies, then back us on Patreon today
2025-06-17
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Cracker Jack Originally Came With More Peanuts And No Prizes
Today in 1893, the invention of the beloved snack Cracker Jack, though there was a time when its signature sweet blend of peanuts and popcorn was considerably different, and the prizes were nowhere to be found. Plus: today in 2006, the end to a more than a century-long war, one that was only ever on paper. 14 Classic Facts About Cracker Jack (Mental Floss)Montenegro, Japan to declare truce (UPI)Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, Patreon’s the site where our show you can back
2025-06-16
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The Man Versus Horse Marathon Is Pretty Much What The Name Suggests
Tomorrow in Wales, a race where there are human runners and horses with riders on the same course, trying to get to the finish line ahead of each other. And it all started with an argument in a pub. Plus: starting tomorrow in Brooten, Minnesota, it’s Redhead Creamery Curd Fest. 44th MAN VERSUS HORSE Redhead Creamery Curd Fest Race on over to our Patreon page so you can back this show
2025-06-13
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Easy Listening Emerged From When Radio Programmers Tried To Target Women
Today in 1971 that the magazine Record World published an article about a new and very chill radio format that was the precursor of Easy Listening. Plus: this Saturday in New York City, it’s Pigeon Fest. Music Only for a Woman: The Birth of Easy Listening (JSTOR)Pigeon Fest Help keep this show chill as a backer on Patreon
2025-06-12
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The Centuries-Long Quest To Choose A Punctuation Mark For Irony And Sarcasm
Today in 1841, a newspaper publisher from Belgium put out an article that included a mark he called “un point d’ironie.” The history of punctuation is full of efforts to choose a mark that would make it clear to readers when the writer is being ironic or sarcastic. Plus: a couple in Sweden finds a way to make their home more eco-friendly while keeping them warm during the country's very cold winters. Can irony really be conveyed with punctuation? (Christian Science Monitor)Swedish Family Encloses Entire Home in Greenhouse Glass to Create Year-Round Warmth (My Modern...
2025-06-11
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The US Once Had A National Raisin Reserve
Today in 2013, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling that put an end to something called the National Raisin Reserve. Here's why the US used to have a massive government stockpile of raisins. Plus: Memoria is a concept for a device for people with Alzheimer’s disease, prompting patients with information they might be trying to remember or use at that moment. One grower’s grapes of wrath (Washington Post via Archive.org)memoria home medical device and necklace help people with alzheimer's remember (designboom)Grow our show as a backer on Patreon
2025-06-10
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Don Ritchie, “The Angel of the Gap”
Today in 1926, the birthday of Don Ritchie, a man who helped hundreds of people in the most difficult moments of their lives and helped them find ways to carry on. (If today's topic is uncomfortable for you, no worries, we'll talk with you again tomorrow.) Plus: now underway in Michigan, it's the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, there is help available right now from the National Suicide Crisis Lifeline at 988An angel walking among us at The Gap (Sydney Morning...
2025-06-09
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
As The Allies Stormed The Beaches On D-Day, Bill Millin Played The Bagpipes
Today in 1944, D-Day, the largest invasion force ever. There were hundreds of thousands of troops, tens of thousands of vehicles, over 100,000 tons of equipment, and at least one guy playing bagpipes. Plus: today in Franklin, Indiana, it’s the Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival. Bill Millin (The Economist via Archive.org) Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival Make some noise on behalf of our podcast as a backer on Patreon
2025-06-06
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
When Teenager Michael Chang Beat The World’s Top Tennis Player At The French Open
On any given day, anybody can defeat anybody else. Today in 1989, a not very well known American tennis player proved it with an upset for the ages against one of the top names in the sport. Plus: starting Saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska, it’s the Flatland Juggling Festival. How Michael Chang defeated Ivan Lendl at the French Open in 1989 (The Guardian)Flatland Juggling FestivalWant more stories about great upsets? Back our little show on Patreon today
2025-06-05
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Tyromancy Is The Practice Of Fortune Telling Through Cheese
It's National Cheese Day, and while cheese is one of the world’s most influential foods, that's not the whole story. Some people claim that they can tell the future through cheese. Plus: for athletes who get tired just thinking about triathlons now have a race of their own: the Nice Tri. The Un-Brie-Lievable History of Tyromancy (Saveur)The Nice Tri It would be really Gouda to back our show on Patreon
2025-06-04
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Living Wall Coatings Could Make City Buildings Greener
Researchers in Austria and Slovenia have been developing a set of living surfaces to apply to the sides of buildings, that can filter pollutants and capture carbon from the air, and maybe even repair cracks to the buildings' exteriors. Plus: this Friday in Indiana, it’s the Strawberry Festival in downtown Kokomo. Living tattoos for buildings could turn city walls into pollution-fighting surfaces (Interesting Engineering)Strawberry Festival in downtown Kokomo!Help build up our show as a backer on Patreon
2025-06-03
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The ReefRanger Is A Robot That Could Help Restore Coral Reefs
A lot of people are trying to do something to help coral reefs these days. Now, those people can some help themselves from a robot. Plus: Texas-based artist Montrel Beverly is winning lots of attention for eye-catching recreations of famous artworks made of pipe cleaners. Robots that can climb trees or restore coral reefs (ETH Zurich)Montrel Beverly recreates the biblical and art history with pipe cleaners (It’s Nice That)We get help on this show from our backers on Patreon, join them today
2025-06-02
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Home Sweet Home Week: There’s A House In The Middle Of France’s Loire River
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about houses and the people who live in them. In this episode from September 2022, La maison dans la Loire, or “The House In The Loire,” which was a house built for an art installation. Plus: Baltimore is home to the Big Dill, otherwise known as the “World’s Largest Pickle Party.”The Famous House in the Middle of the Loire River (Oddity Central)The Big Dill Our Patreon backers keep this show from getting all wet
2025-05-30
02 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Home Sweet Home Week: In The 60s, There Was A Plan To Make Houses Out Of Heineken Bottles
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about houses and the people who live in them. In this episode from April 2022, beer magnate Alfred Heineken and architect John Habraken designed a house that could be built out of used Heineken bottles. Plus: it’s beer day every day at a spot in Taunton, Massachusetts. 100,000 Bottles of Beer in the Wall (Cabinet Magazine)Did Alfred Heineken Invent Bottle To Function as a Brick To Build Houses? (Snopes)Beer Can Museum & Beer Can Hall of FameWe raise a glass to our...
2025-05-29
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Home Sweet Home Week: The Spite House, An Elegant, Expensive Way To Get Back At Somebody
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about houses and the people who live in them. In this episode from September 2021, a look at spite houses, structures that have been built to block other coveted views or for maybe even more ice cold reasons. Plus: an interesting fact about Michelangelo's David. Five Spite Houses in New England (Boston Magazine)10 Fun Facts About Michelangelo’s David (The Florence Insider)Our Patreon backers help us build new episodes, but out of love, not spite
2025-05-28
02 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Home Sweet Home Week: A Guy In Massachusetts Made Pretty Much His Whole House Out Of Old Newspapers
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about houses and the people who live in them. In this episode from June 2022, the story of a guy in Rockport, Massachusetts who made almost an entire house out of old newspapers. Plus: a visit to the Mentone Egg Festival in northern Indiana. The Paper House—made of 100,000 newspapers—has a working fireplace, electricity, and running water (Roadtrippers)Mentone Egg Festival (Visit Indiana)Our Patreon backers always come first
2025-05-27
02 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Home Sweet Home Week: They Built A Real-Life Simpsons House In Nevada
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about houses and the people who live in them. In this episode from December 2019, the story of the full-size, three-dimensional replica of the old Simpson place in Henderson, Nevada. Plus: the closest real-life community to the Simpsons' hometown, Springfield, may not be a Springfield at all. Duff beers, colorful walls and THAT saggy couch: Inside the real-life Simpsons house that was built as a competition prize in the 1990s … but the winner decided to take the money instead! (Daily Mail)25 things you never knew about The Si...
2025-05-26
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Leonard Nimoy Once Drove The Bangles Around In A Music Video
Today in 1984, the release of The Bangles' debut album, All Over The Place. For one of the videos to promote that album, these 80s icons got a little help from an icon from the 60s. Plus: starting today in Louisiana, it’s the Gonzales Jambalaya Festival. Leonard Nimoy drove the Bangles to video stardom (Albany Park Press)Gonzales Jambalaya Festival You can help drive this show forward as a backer on Patreon
2025-05-23
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
When Mailman Floyd Martin Retired, The People On His Route Gave Him A Big Sendoff
Today in 2019, a community in suburban Atlanta wanted to show its appreciation for mailman Floyd Martin, who had been a daily part of their lives for more than three decades. Plus: starting today in Springfield, Illinois, it’s the International Carillon Festival. When their mailman retired, the neighbors along his route threw him one heck of a goodbye party (CNN)63rd Annual International Carillon Festival (Visit Springfield) Help us share more good news as a backer on Patreon
2025-05-22
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Betty Crocker May Not Be A Real Person, But She’s Been A Real Help To Bakers For Years
We're a few days out from World Baking Day, so here's the story of a woman who’s helped people find their way around the kitchen for more than a century… even though she isn’t a real person. Plus: starting tomorrow in Jeffersonville, Indiana, it’s Abbey Road on the River. Who Was Betty Crocker? (PBS)Abbey Road on the River You can be a helper to our show as a backer on Patreon
2025-05-21
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
How The Streisand Effect Makes The Information People Want Hidden More Popular
Today in 2003, the filing of a lawsuit that led to a fascinating and significant phenomenon here in the Information Age: it’s known as the Streisand Effect. Plus: for World Bee Day, the story of a 2014 art project created in part by bees! Streisand files $50 million lawsuit over aerial photos (SFGate)Artist Aganetha Dyck Collaborates with Bees to Create Sculptures Wrapped in Honeycomb (Colossal)Back this show on Patreon for just $1 a month, or $50 million if you’d prefer
2025-05-20
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Ohio Was The 17th State, And Also Kind Of The 48th
Today in 1953, Ohio became a state... which was weird because Ohio had already been a state for a century and a half. Technicalities can be that way. Plus: for National Pizza Party Day, the story of a guy in Nashville who used social media to connect people in need with donors willing to send a little pizza their way. Ohio: The 48th State? (Ohio History Connection)Nashville man helps hundreds of people in need get a free pizza every week (NewsChannel 5 Nashville)Help keep sending our show out to every state in the...
2025-05-19
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Calvin Coolidge’s Family Kept Their Pet “William Johnson Hippopotamus” At The National Zoo
This month in 1927, Americans were fawning over an animal at the National Zoo in Washington: a presidential hippo named Billy. Plus: starting today in Elizabeth City, it’s the North Carolina Potato Festival. The Presidential Hippopotamus at the National Zoo (WETA) North Carolina Potato Festival Want more shows about famous zoo animals? Back our show on Patreon today
2025-05-16
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Williamina Fleming, The Onetime Maid Who Became A Legendary Astronomer
Today in 1857, the birthday of Williamina Fleming, a big name in the world of astronomy but one who had a pretty low-profile start. Plus: starting tomorrow in Illinois, it’s the Long Grove Chocolate Festival. Williamina Fleming, From Scottish Maid to Harvard Astronomer (New England Historical Society)Long Grove Chocolate Festival Help this show shine as a backer on Patreon
2025-05-15
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Stop Signs Used To Be Yellow
There may be no more important part of road safety than the bright red stop sign, though in the early days, they weren’t red. Plus: Leonardo the tortoise went missing from his home in England; after nine months, he didn't exactly get that far. Stop Signs Used to Be Yellow—More Recently Than You Think (Readers Digest)Tortoise missing for months found a mile from home (BBC)Make a stop at our Patreon page and back this show today
2025-05-14
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The Real-Life Kid Who Inspired Ezra Jack Keats’ “The Snowy Day”
Today in 1940, Life Magazine published a series of photos of a little boy in Liberty County, Georgia - photos that, two decades later, would inspire one of the most famous picture books ever published. Plus: this Saturday in South Bend, Indiana, it’s the Donut & Beer Festival. The Enduring Footprints of Peter, Ezra Jack Keats, and The Snowy Day (The Horn Book)Donut & Beer Festival Help inspire our future stories as a backer on Patreon
2025-05-13
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The Strange Story Of Ireland’s Worst Driver Ever
It's United Nations Global Road Safety Week, so here's the story of a driver in Ireland who seemed to be breaking every traffic law on the books... until the authorities figured out there was something more to their story. Plus: underway this week in Washington state, it’s the Spokane Lilac Festival. Dictionary helps crack case of notorious Polish serial offender (Irish Times)Spokane Lilac Festival (Visit Spokane)Drive on over to our Patreon page and back this show today
2025-05-12
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
“Pomp And Circumstance,” A Graduation Musical Tradition, Was Not Written For Graduations
Commencement season is here, which means a lot of people hearing a composition known as “Pomp and Circumstance.” Though that piece of music was not written with graduation in mind. Plus: today in 2023, a herd of cows help catch a guy who'd fled a traffic stop (!) The Beautiful Irony of Pomp and Circumstance (WCRB)After man flees traffic stop, cows lead officers "directly to where the suspect was hiding," North Carolina police say (CBS News)Backing this show on Patreon would be a nice gift for a new graduate, just saying
2025-05-09
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Oatman, Arizona, The Gold Rush Town That’s Now Home To Wild Donkeys
It’s World Donkey Day, so we're visiting an Arizona ghost town that's visited by a nearby colony of wild donkeys. Plus: in 2018 a donkey sanctuary in Ontario started giving its donkeys pants! How one town became infested with donkeys (ABC 10)Dapper donkeys: sanctuary fights flies with tailored trousers (CTV News)Want more donkey episodes like this? Back our show on Patreon
2025-05-08
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
We Could Run Our Smart Speakers By Writing Into The Air
Smart speakers can be really useful, but only if you have a voice to activate them. A new device called Scribe could help nonverbal users with their smart systems by letting them "write" commands into the air. Plus: RoboCake is, you guessed it, a robotic wedding cake featuring a series of dancing gummy bears. An Alternative to Speech: Writing in the Air With ‘Sonic Ink’ (University of Maryland)robotic wedding cake with dancing gummy bears moves using edible rechargeable batteries (designboom)Tell your smart speaker to play our podcast, and then back the podc...
2025-05-07
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
The Only Guy Who Ever Broke Into The Bank Of England’s Vault Of Gold
Thanks to loads of security measures, no one has ever robbed the Bank of England. But if you ask whether anyone’s broken into the bank's famous gold vaults, the answer is a little more complicated. Plus: the English town of Burslem is about to dedicate a statue of a local rocker made good, Motorhead frontman Lemmy. Has any gold ever been stolen from the Bank of England? (Bank of England)Lemmy Forever Stoke-on-Trent statue unveiling ceremony and festivities announced (RadioX)Backing our show on Patreon is golden
2025-05-06
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Chimps Apparently Like To Get Together For Drinks
Many people like to get together from time to time for adult beverages. New research finds chimpanzees apparently also gather to imbibe and share alcohol. Plus: trading card fans in Japan are enjoying cards that feature... middle aged guys doing their everyday jobs and hobbies? New Study Suggests Chimpanzees May Enjoy “Social Drinking” Just Like Humans (My Modern Met)Middle-aged men are the new Pokémon and we’re here for it (Collector Club)Let’s gather together over at our Patreon page and toast the success of this show
2025-05-05
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Map Week: Every Six Months This Island Switches Countries
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from July 2020, the story of Pheasant Island, which is administered by several sovereign powers but not simultaneously. Spain and France take turns with it. Plus: auto racing fans in Lublin, Poland found a way to root for their favorite drivers while still social distancing during COVID. The island that switches countries every six months (BBC)Fans Rent Cranes to Watch Car Race from Outside Arena During Pandemic (Oddity Central)Start your weekend off right as a Cool We...
2025-05-02
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Map Week: Canada Was Almost Named “Borealia”
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from July 2020, the story of how Canada got its name, and a few of the country's most interesting alternates. Plus: several Canadian Tire stores in Ontario had to briefly shut down because a glitch made every item the workers scanned show up in the computer as a Mr. Potato Head toy. What Canada was ALMOST named (CBC Kids)Canadian Tire in Lindsay temporarily closed after every item scanned comes up as “Mr Potato Head” (Kawartha411)Join us as a b...
2025-05-01
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Map Week: How To Find Where You Are In Just Three Words
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from August 2019, the app what3words breaks down all the spaces on earth into 3 meter by 3 meter squares and assigns each of those squares a unique set of three words, giving us a new way to pinpoint our locations. Plus: Athens, Wisconsin is home to the center point of the northern half of the western hemisphere. This Smartphone App Can Save Your Life with Just 3 Words (Interesting Engineering)45 X 90 Geographical Marker (Atlas Obscura)Back Cool Weird Awesome...
2025-04-30
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Map Week: Earth Has Five Oceans Now, But Also Just One Ocean, It’s Complicated
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from June 2021, a look at when the geographic powers that be recognized the Southern Ocean as its own entity, and also where the word "ocean" comes from. Plus: a South Korean designer develops a wearable “third eye” that watches for and warns you about any obstacles in your way so you can keep looking at your phone while walking, How many oceans are there? (NOAA)Dividing the Ocean Sea by Martin W. Lewis (Geographical Review via JSTOR)Nation...
2025-04-29
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Map Week: Point No Point And Other Amazing, Actual Places
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from July 2019, a look at Sad Topographies, a site that collects the most bummed-out place names on the map. Plus: If places with depressing names aren’t your thing, we've got an upbeat event: the annual World Santa Claus Congress in Denmark. 21 Of The Saddest Places On Earth From Instagram’s sadtopographies (Brilliant Maps)Shades of Death Road (Weird NJ)Washington State’s bummer place names, mapped (Curbed Seattle)World Santa Claus CongressFeelin...
2025-04-28
02 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Ella Fitzgerald And Marilyn Monroe Were Kind Of Besties For A While
Today in 1917, the birthday of Ella Fitzgerald, a towering figure in jazz, a legendary voice, a star among stars… especially when she became pals with movie icon Marilyn Monroe. Plus: starting today in Georgia, it’s the Thomasville Rose Show and Festival. Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe: Inside Their Surprising Friendship (Biography)THOMASVILLE ROSE SHOW & FESTIVAL Be a star and back this podcast on Patreon
2025-04-25
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
A Political Dispute In Washington State Led To A Weird Race Between The Governor And Lieutenant Governor
Around this time in 1938, Washington state politics got really, really weird, when the Governor and Lieutenant Governor raced to return to the state to block each other. Plus: starting tomorrow in Houston, the World Coffee Roasting Championship. Meyers, Victor A. (1897-1991) (HistoryLink)2025 World Coffee Championships Race on over to our Patreon page and help support this show
2025-04-24
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
When Key West Left The US To Become The Conch Republic
Today in 1982, Key West, Florida, decided it was time to do its own thing, declaring independence from the United States and forming its own country. We'll explain why. Plus: this week in Indiana, the Orleans Dogwood Festival continues. The Founding of the Conch Republic (ConchRepublic.com)Orleans Dogwood Festival What do you say we be independent together? Back our show on Patreon today
2025-04-23
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Thanksgiving Week: We’re Grateful For Off The Wall Thanksgiving Sides
This week we’re replaying some of our past episodes about the holiday and its traditions. In this episode from November 2019, we celebrate that for which we are all most grateful: the bewildering foods that inexplicably become part of our annual Thanksgiving dinners. Plus: at this time of year, enthusiasts who turn their houses into massive holiday light displays, like the one known as Peteyville in Hammond, Indiana. i cannot wait to hear about the recipes you’re all excited to make for thanksgiving (Maya Kosoff on Twitter) Instant Appetizer (Brady Carlson on Twitter) Pe...
2024-11-26
03 min
History Shorts
Conversations: Visiting the graves of all American Presidents, w/ Brady Carlson
Mr. Brady Carlson is a reporter, author of Dead Presidents, on-air NPR host, and podcast producer and host of the Cool, Weird Awesome podcast. https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2024-07-26
20 min
Mending on the Fly
Healing on the Fly: Brady Busby's Journey of Resilience, Conservation, and the Power of Fly Fishing
In this moving episode, we welcome Brady Busby, a veteran, fly fishing guide, author, artist, and Arizona congressional candidate. Brady shares his remarkable journey of overcoming adversity, including his battle with PTSD and the devastating loss of his daughter. Discover how fly fishing, fly tying, and the great outdoors became powerful tools for healing and growth in Brady's life. We discuss his work with the Ashes Grove Foundation, supporting fellow veterans and trauma survivors through outdoor therapy and conservation advocacy. While this episode is not a political endorsement, Brady's story of resilience, hope, and the transformative power of nature...
2024-03-11
1h 14
Carlson Cards Sports Card Podcast
TOM BRADY & MOST INSANE SET RAINBOW YOU WILL EVER SEE w/ Caleb Peterson (@powerwh33ls)
In this week's episode, we are joined by Caleb (@powerwh33ls on Instagram). Caleb's collecting strategy is extremely direct. He buys cards he loves of players he loves, and holds on to them for the long haul (while never going above his means to do so). His collection includes one of the most ridiculous Tom Brady rainbows you will ever see from Topps Finest. Caleb's journey has SO MANY learning lessons for all of us!
2023-08-15
1h 08
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
We Let AI Write This Show And Host Most Of It, Too
This bonus episode is a way to say thanks for all your generosity and encouragement since we debuted on this day in 2019. We had ChatGPT write what it thought was an episode of our podcast; then we had an AI-generated version of Brady's voice "read" that script. It's... interesting. Thanks to our Patreon backers for making every episode of our show possible!
2023-03-31
03 min
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
Unusual Music Week: The Pizza and Pipe Organ Connection
This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about music that sounds a little different. In this episode from April 2019, we visit Organ Piper Pizza in Greenfield, Wisconsin. As you eat, an organist plays an enormous Wurlitzer organ, which also controls stage lights, disco balls, a mechanical gymnast and a family of singing ducks. Plus - a story that's, amazingly, not an April Fool's Day prank, in which police in Madrid respond to a guy on a bus sharpening a big carving knife (!) The Carlson Kids Visit Organ Piper Pizza (YouTube) Remembering the Dining Fa...
2022-06-13
03 min
Sammsy
Is Brady naturally this good looking?
Brady, Sam, and Brady pick each other’s brains to find out a little more about life, love, and even Hitler? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
2020-06-15
1h 00
The Formula Podcast with Trevor Carlson
The Keto Diet and Optimizing Your Body for Performance with Dr. Brady Salcido #45
On this episode of the Formula, Trevor Carlson and Dr. Brady Salcido breakdown the ketogenic diet and how YOU can optimize your body for its highest performance. Who this episode is for: -People looking for a boost in brain or body performance -A lifestyle change to improve energy -The Ketogenic Diet -Improving your diet overall On this episode Trevor and Dr. Salcido discuss: -What is the KETOGENIC diet -Why do people feel so good on the ketogenic diet? -Quick tips to get more fat throughout the day (hint: bulletproo...
2018-07-17
52 min
...These Are Their Stories: The Law & Order Podcast
Brady Carlson: L&O S7 E11 "Menace"
On this installment, author and Law & Order savant Brady Carlson joins Kevin and Rebecca as they dig into the classic Mothership episode, season 7 episode 11, "Menace." A woman jumps from a crowded bridge. Did she kill herself or was she chased to her death?
2016-10-25
42 min
Billy and Devo talk Sports and Manliness
Tom Brady is Rude and Toddler Toilet Humor
Aside from the usual fantasy recap, we talk about why Tom Brady is a rude bastard, the University of Florida did the right thing where Florida State didn't and the rest of college football's wild weekend. Away from sports, we talk about Devo's experience bringing a toddler to a wedding and wrap it up with some toddler toilet humor. Music credit: Ice Flow, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
2014-10-08
59 min
Billy and Devo talk Sports and Manliness
The Fading Tom Brady and USF Battles the Badgers
This week, we have the usual fantasy recap (no more winless teams!). We also unveil our newest project, discuss the fading Tom Brady, USF's battle with Wisconsin and we close out by discussing Will Ferrell's best 3 and worst 3 movies. Music credit: Ice Flow, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
2014-10-01
58 min