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PODCAST

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Three minutes each weekday of cool facts, weird news and awesome discoveries with Brady Carlson. Back us at http://patreon.com/bradycarlson

society & culture

All Episodes

00:03:32

A Political Dispute In Washington State Led To A...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/24

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

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00:03:39

When Key West Left The US To Become The Conch Republic

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/23

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

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00:03:01

Planet Earth Got Its Name From The Earth Beneath Us

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/22

Happy Earth Day. Our planet is the only one in our solar system not named for a Greek or Roman god. At the risk of sounding flip, the name Earth comes from… earth. Plus: this weekend in North Carolina, it’s the Asheville Bread Festival. Why is Earth called 'Earth'? (BBC Sky At Night) Asheville Bread Festival We invite all Earthlings to back this show on our Patreon page

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00:03:01

Queen Elizabeth II Wrote A Letter To Sydney,...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/21

Today in 1926, the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning queen on record, and one that left a letter that she said shouldn’t be opened until the year 2085. Plus: for National Tea Day in the UK, a visit to the world’s largest collection of teapots (which is not in the UK).The Queen Left Behind A Secret Letter That Cannot Be Opened Until 2085 (Elle)The World’s Largest Collection Of Teapots Can Be Found At The Trenton Teapot Museum In Tennessee (Only In Tennessee)Drop us a line on our

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00:03:07

A Town In Northern Japan Says It’s Home To The “Tomb...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/18

There’s a town in northern Japan that bills itself as the actual hometown of Jesus, and points visitors to a place named the tomb or grave of Christ. Not the Easter story most of us have heard. Plus: just outside the Austrian town of Gmünd, there’s a divided chapel, with parts on both sides of a road. Weird Legend of Jesus in Japan (ABC News)The Divided Church of Gmünd (Amusing Planet)Wherever you call home, you can support this show on Patreon

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00:03:01

In Sweden And Finland, The Thursday Before Easter Is...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/17

We're just a few days away from Easter for many people around the world. For kids in Finland and Sweden, the Thursday before Easter is itself a pretty important time: it’s when they turn themselves into witches. Plus: today in 1967 was the last episode of the sitcom Gilligan’s Island. So we've got a story about a time the TV audience of the 60s stood up for the Skipper and his little buddy. Easter in Sweden comes in many shapes and forms. But there's no getting around the eggs (or the

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00:03:20

On The Micronesian Island Of Yap, Huge Stone Discs...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/16

This is Money Smart Week, so we're going to look at what exactly money is and what it means, by looking at a kind of money on a Pacific island made out of huge stones. Plus: a shopping plaza in Greenfield, Massachusetts includes an ATM nestled inside a large fiberglass tree. The Island Of Stone Money (NPR)WOW: You Can Get Money Out of a Tree in This Massachusetts Town (WSBS)It only takes a little money on Patreon to make a big difference for this show

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00:03:01

A Museum In Virginia Is Home To A Ham From 1902

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/15

It's National Ham Day, so we've got the story of a ham in Smithfield, Virginia that’s stood the test of time for over 120 years. Plus: if you build the LEGO Colosseum set, and you have a cat, that set could quickly turn into a cat bed. Isle of Wight Museum adds a new historic ham to the collection (WTKR) LEGO’s Colosseum Becomes a Regal Nap Spot for Cats Everywhere (My Modern Met)Help our show get old, tough and leathery when you back it on Patreon

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00:03:59

Don Calhoun, The Fan Who Hit The Chicago Bulls’...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/14

Lots of teams have fans try really difficult challenges to win big prizes. Nearly all of them fail, but today in 1993, a guy in Chicago stepped onto the Bulls' home court for a million dollar shot… and made it. Plus: today in 1983, the release of “Murmur,” the first full album by rock greats R.E.M. And during the making of that record, a member of the band helped a very different recording project happen. The $1 million shot that changed sports contests forever (ESPN)R.E.M. Share Memories Of

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00:03:01

America’s Oldest Board Game Was A Road Trip Through...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/11

It's National Board Game Day, so we’re going back in time to the very first board game in US history. Though explaining which game was the very first is slightly complicated. Plus: opening tomorrow in Kansas City, it’s the Museum of BBQ. What America’s first board game can teach us about the aspirations of a young nation (The Conversation)Museum of BBQRoll on over to our Patreon page and back this show today

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00:03:05

Walter Hunt Invented The Modern Safety Pin To Pay Off...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/10

Today in 1849, the US issued a patent for one of the smallest big ideas of the century: the safety pin. And a big factor behind that little invention was paying off a big debt. Plus: today in 1921, the birthday of Robert Wade, a chess master who once proved that even top notch players can have a bad day. Three Millennia of Safety Pins (The Atlantic)Worst chess defeat (Generalist Academy)Pin yourself to our Patreon page so you can support our show

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00:03:37

Pennsylvania Once Tried To Make It A Crime To Mock...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/09

Today in 1843, the birthday of Samuel W. Pennypacker. When he was governor of Pennsylvania his supporters tried to make certain types of editorial cartoons a crime (!) Plus: today in 1942, a funeral for John Pecinovsky, known as “the Half-and-Half Man,” because he would wear clothes that were white on one side and black on the other. When Cartoonists Were Criminals (Historical Society of Pennsylvania) John Pecinovsky, the Half-and-Half Man (Weird Universe) Feel free to make a cartoonishly large

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00:03:10

The Physiophone Turned Music Into Physical Sensations...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/08

This month in 1920, the magazine Electrical Experimenter featured the physiophone. It was a Hugo Gernsback invention that turned sound into electrical impulses, so Deaf people could feel the music. Plus: for National Library Week, a visit to the central library in Kansas City, where the building itself looks like a bookshelf. This Invention From the Grandfather of Science Fiction Was Promoted as Music For the Deaf (Paleofuture)Here’s The Story Behind the Kansas City Public Library’s Giant Community

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00:03:20

Beavers Build Dams That Can Last Centuries, Maybe...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/07

Happy International Beaver Day! These toothy, flat-tailed rodents are some of the greatest builders on earth, and, as some scientific research has shown us, they build for the long term. Plus: for National Beer Day, the story of a beer receipt from ancient Mesopotamia. Beaver Dams Can Last Centuries, 1868 Map Shows (Treehugger)The Oldest Beer Receipt (Circa 2050 BC) (Open Culture)Build this show for the long term as a backer on Patreon

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00:03:17

Some Spiders In Loud Areas Soundproof Their Webs

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/04

Spiders know what it's like to get distracted by excess noise. A new scientific paper finds certain arachnids in louder environments build their webs differently than those where it’s quiet. Plus: a film archive intern comes across a silent movie that researchers had long thought was lost to history. Getting Annoyed at Your Noisy Neighbor? Spiders Are, Too. New Research Finds They’ll Build Webs Differently in Loud Conditions (Smithsonian)Long-Lost Silent Film About Abraham Lincoln Discovered by

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00:03:01

To Protect Riders, This 3D Printed Bike Helmet...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/03

Bike helmets have been more or less the same for many years, but there’s a new effort to make safer and more responsive headgear with 3D printing. Plus: for National Burrito Day, the story of the first restaurant to put the breakfast burrito on its menu. Safer bike helmet with new design of material (University of Gothenburg) The Breakfast Burrito Was Invented At This Restaurant In New Mexico In The 1970s (Only In New Mexico)Ride on over to our Patreon page and support the show

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00:03:23

Scientists Sent A Diaper-Wearing Ferret Named Felicia...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/02

It's National Ferret Day, so here’s the story of a ferret named Felicia who contributed to the field of physics as a kind of living pipe cleaner for some heavy-duty equipment. Plus: the Instagram account known as Chair of Virtue showcases and celebrates some of the wildest chair designs in the world. Felicia Ferret (Fermilab History and Archives Project via Archive.org) Bizarre True Story: Physicists Once Put a Ferret in a Particle Accelerator (Science Alert)Take a seat! This online magazine is

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00:03:25

The BBC Once Ran An April Fools Day Story About...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/04/01

April Fools Day is when people try to mislead each other, sometimes the people you’d least suspect. Like how on this day in 1957, one of the world’s most steady and preeminent news outlets reported that spaghetti was growing on trees. Plus: today in 2015, someone played an April Fools Day joke on the community of Winters, California, installing an old parking meter in town. BBC’s 1957 April Fool’s “spaghetti-tree hoax” is more relevant than ever (Ars Technica)The Lonely Parking Meter (Atlas

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00:03:23

An Engineer Wanted To Add Car Ramps To The Eiffel Tower

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/03/31

Today in 1889, the formal opening and dedication of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. What a strange life it’s had, including a proposal in the 1930s to add two huge car ramps to the sides of the thing. Plus: the tower gets a fresh coat of paint about every seven years, but it hasn't always been the same color. 1936 Crazy Project to Make the Second Floor of the Eiffel Tower Accessible by Car (Vintage Everyday)Painting the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel Paris)Ride with our show every day as a backer on

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00:03:11

“Wing Walker” Gladys Ingle Could Change An Airplane’s...

Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson ·

2025/03/28

Today in 1899, the birthday of Gladys Ingle. She was called a “wing walker," which meant she could walk on the wings of a plane in mid-flight and perform some of the most daring and death-defying stunts you could imagine. Plus: there's an online collection of uniforms for stewardesses and flight attendants through the years. Wing Walker Woman Climbs From One Plane to Another to Make a Mid-Air Tire Change in 1926 (Laughing Squid)Cliff Muskiet's Stewardess/Flight Attendant Uniform Collection Take off

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