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PODCAST

Ridiculous History

History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.

history

All Episodes

33:11

CLASSIC: The Weird Life of George Washington, Part 2

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/30

Join Ben, Noel, Casey and returning guest Christopher Hassiotis as they continue exploring the strange life and times of George Washington in the second part of this two-part series. Listen in to learn more about Washington's weird hair routine, his bizarre, lifelong medical issues, and his family's troubling history in early America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

43:37

CLASSIC: The Weird Life of George Washington, Part 1

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/27

Returning special guest Christopher Hassiotis joins the guys today for a round-robin discussion of the very weird life of George Washington, first President of the United States. (As you may have guessed from the title, there's more weirdness than we could fit in a single episode.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

37:25

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

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/25

Hey there, Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Ben, Noel and Max here: as we travel to hang with our friends and family, we like to do a little thing at the end of the year where we explore various tangents and trivia we didn't get to in our first run of a show. So, as you're hugging or dodging your own family -- and just maybe having some adventures with your cousins -- join us for a wild ride through the history of hair spray, inventors who accidentally died due to their own inventions, a load

en-US

42:42

Was 536 Really the Worst Year in History?

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/23

Welcome to the end of the year, fellow Ridiculous Historians! As Ben, Noel and Max look back on the events of 2025, they discovered historians do, in fact, have one year singled out as "the worst year in human history." But... why? Join the guys as they explore how DXXXVI absolutely wrecked Europe, the Middle East and Asia -- with consequences that reverberate in the modern day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

45:28

CLASSIC: Clara, The World's Most Famous Rhinoceros

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/22

For centuries most people in Europe thought of rhinos as another form of mythical creature, like unicorns or griffins. However, this all changed when an enterprising sea captain brought a young, orphaned rhino named Clara back to his home country after his travels abroad. It's often said that fame can have a powerful effect on the average human being, but how does it affect rhinos? Join the guys and special guest Katie Goldin, host of the podcast Creature Feature, as they unravel the mystery.See

en-US

43:55

Christmas Traditions Are So Incredibly Weird!

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/18

What's the strangest Christmas tradition you practice? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max ring in the end of the year with an exploration of Christmas celebrations across the world -- and speculate on inventing a few of their own.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

41:10

The Grim Christmas Folklore of Johnny Ace, with Jake...

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/16

While the career of rhythm-and-blues vocalist Johnny Ace was short, he left a huge mark on the music world. Up until Christmas Day of 1954, Ace seemed set to reach genuine crossover success in pop music -- until, that is, he met his untimely end during an ill-fated game of Russian Roulette. At least, that's the legend. Yet as special guest Jake Brennan, the creator of the hit podcast Disgraceland, reveals: there's much more to the story. Tune in as Jake and the gang explore a strange, disturbing

en-US

29:35

CLASSIC: How the Monopoly Board Game Became a World...

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/13

Ben, Noel and Max return with this week's Classic episode! Monopoly is a pretty divisive game, and people tend to either love it or hate it. However, for hundreds of Allied POWs captured during World War II, Monopoly became more than a mere diversion -- it became, instead, their ticket to freedom. Join the guys as they explore the strange sequence of events that led the UK to turn Monopoly into a real-life escape kit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

39:19

The Deliciously Ridiculous History of Fruitcakes

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/11

Let's be honest. If you live in the United States, you probably think fruitcake is ridiculous. It's like the MRE of Christmas, passed around from one family to the next. But what makes it so resilient? How, out of all the cakes in the world,did fruitcake become a thing -- and why does it remain with us today?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

39:02

That Time the US Government Brainwashed America into...

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/09

Picture this: it's just after World War II -- the world knows nuclear weapons can end civilization. So, how can a government help the public feel safe? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the ridiculous history of that time Uncle Sam tried to make the public build cartoonishly bad fallout shelters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

64:05

CLASSIC: Idiomatic For The People, Part I

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/06

Language is beautiful and, in many cases, continually evolving. As a result, we end up with hundreds of strange idioms and figures of speech that we use on a daily basis, with little to no understanding of what they originally meant. Join the guys and special guest, Rowan Newbie, the creator of the Pitches podcast, as they explore the bizarre origins of your favorite turns of phrase. (Ben here, with a bonus question: I went through and noted multiple turns of phrase we all used unintentionally - how

en-US

31:50

Spontaneous Human Combustion: A Bizarre Controversy

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/04

Can people really just, for no discernable reason, catch on fire? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the centuries old folklore and investigations of a phenomenon known as "spontaneous human combustion" -- and discover the debate continues, even in the modern day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

39:59

IP, Part Three: A Copyright for Everyone!

Ridiculous History ·

2025/12/02

As Ben, Noel and Max close out another year of Ridiculous History, they return to the patently baffling world of intellectual property. In part three of this series, the guys finally tackle one of the weirdest concepts out there -- a thoroughly confusing thing called a 'copyright'. What is it? Where did this idea come from, how does it work... and what exactly does it protect? Tune in to learn more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

28:59

CLASSIC: Was there a real-life Rapunzel?

Ridiculous History ·

2025/11/29

Most people in the West are familiar with the old Rapunzel fairy tale -- a beautiful princess is confined to a tower until a prince, captivated by her beauty, uses her hair as a ladder and comes to her rescue. But where did this story come from, exactly? Tune in to learn more in today's Classic episode from 2019.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

34:39

Ridiculous Maps: That Time Everyone Thought...

Ridiculous History ·

2025/11/27

Nowadays, pretty much anyone can easily find an accurate map of a city, a country, or the entire world. But this wasn't always the case. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore baffling cartography of old, when well-intentioned mapmakers, working with the best info they had at the time, often got things wrong. Our first episode in this continuing series: that time everyone thought California was an island.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

39:23

The Chicago Tylenol Murders

Ridiculous History ·

2025/11/25

For most people, Tylenol is nothing more than an ol' stand-by, over-the-counter pain reliever. Yet, as Ben, Noel and Max learn in today's episode -- this wasn't always the case. Today's episode takes the boys to 1980s Chicago, when a ghoulish series of still-unsolved murders rocked the pharmaceutical industry, and led to the creation of tamper-proof packaging.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

31:43

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

Ridiculous History ·

2025/11/22

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was a man of many interests, but his endeavors were by no means limited to technical innovation, philosophy and politics. In fact, throughout his life he had a reputation as an irredeemable lech -- literally, in later years, a dirty old man -- and his exploits were common knowledge on both sides of the Atlantic. He himself did not shy away from these accusations, and records show he even advised his younger friends on affairs, marriage, sex and romance. But was his

en-US

42:22

Wait! Can a tree really own itself?

Ridiculous History ·

2025/11/20

Do you have a favorite tree? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max head over to the famous college town of Athens, Georgia where -- legend has it -- one guy was so enamored with his childhood oak that he ultimately deeded it to itself. How much of the story is true? Can a tree really "own itself"?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

40:57

Doc Holliday Was, In Fact, A Deadly Dentist

Ridiculous History ·

2025/11/18

Longtime listeners are well-aware that the history of the 'Wild West' is more than a bit... embellished. Yet a grain of truth exists at the heart of almost every legend, and the story of Doc Holliday is no different. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn more about Tombstone's breakout star -- and how, if things were just a little different, he may have lived a happy, peaceful life as a dentist.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

24:53

CLASSIC: What does "Idaho" actually mean?

Ridiculous History ·

2025/11/14

Idaho was the 43rd state admitted to the Union, and today it's well-known for potatoes, mining, and stunning forests -- but, even in the modern day, Idaho is home to a surprising mystery: What does its name actually mean? Join the guys as they explore the ridiculous origin story of Idaho's name in this week's Classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

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