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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

38:01

Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart was Darn Near Unkillable

Ridiculous History ·

2024/10/15

Born to an aristocratic Belgian family, Adrian Carton de Wiart could have lived the easy life, with a plum job in government or law. Instead, however, he embarked on a bloody, hyperviolent career across multiple wars and decades. He was shot repeatedly, lost an eye, survived wounds that would kill an orindary man and, when doctor refused to remove his shattered fingers, Carton de Wiart ripped them off himself. Join Ben, Noel and Max as they learn more about this unkillable soldier.See

en-US

32:03

CLASSIC: Are All US Presidents Actually Related?

Ridiculous History ·

2024/10/12

In 2012 a student in Salinas, California, startled genealogists when she claimed that all Presidents save one were actually related. Could it be true? Join Ben and Noel in today's classic episode as they dive into this strange claim, separating fact from fiction while tackling what it means, exactly, to be related to someone. (It's all relative.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

42:58

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

Ridiculous History ·

2024/10/10

George W. Bush is super into painting. Barak Obama loves making playlists. Taft decided to join the Supreme Court. In the part two of this week's two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the astonishing post-Presidential careers of numerous former US Presidents. Spoiler: some are weirder than others.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

37:16

Post-Presidential Careers, Part One: Happy Birthday,...

Ridiculous History ·

2024/10/08

Over here in the US, there's one dream job so exclusive that only 45 people have held it so far: President of the United States of America, not to be confused with the band bearing a similar name. In the first part of this week's two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the astonishing post-Presidential career of Georgia's own James Carter, often lauded as the best human being to hold the office -- even if he wasn't the best actual President.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

en-US

58:33

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

Ridiculous History ·

2024/10/05

Despite being pretty rare in comparison to other denominations, the U.S. two-dollar bill is one of the most storied notes in American folklore. So why do some people think it's lucky? Why do others think it's bad luck? Join Ben and Noel as they explore the bizarre evolution of the two-dollar bill in this week's Classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

43:15

Mark Twain Was a Terrible Investor, Part Two:...

Ridiculous History ·

2024/10/03

Well, Ridiculous Historians, as our pal Mark Twain settled into a life of literary fame, he still couldn't help himself from making huge investments in terrible ideas -- sometimes, at an enormous emotional cost to his family. In the second part of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore some of Twain's most infamous bad investments, from a bizarre nutritional powder to his own board game, his deep friendship with Nikola Tesla, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

en-US

43:24

Mark Twain Was a Terrible Investor, Part One: The...

Ridiculous History ·

2024/10/01

Today, Mark Twain is widely thought of as one of America's greatest authors -- but he was also, get this, a terrible investor. Inspired by his father's unfailing (and unsuccessful) efforts to become a business tycoon, Twain spent loads of time and money backing inventions that either didn't work... or were outright scams. In part one of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore how Twain's early life experiences set him on this path -- and how he originally had a different pen name

en-US

27:28

CLASSIC: How James Bond Created a Mexican Dia de los...

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/28

The Day of the Dead is a longstanding traditional celebration in Mexico, and currently hundreds of thousands of people associate it with a gigantic parade -- you know, like the one they saw in the James Bond film "Spectre". There's just one strange twist about that parade: before the movie, the procession didn't exist. Join Ben and Noel as they trace the weird evolution of this event from fiction to the real world in this week's Classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

en-US

34:36

What is Karaoke? Part Two: Going Global; Careful What...

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/26

As the karaoke phenomenon became a global pastime, it likewise transformed to adapt to cultures outside of Japan. In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the expansion of karaoke as both technology and culture as well as the troubling ethical nature of AI, arriving their own interpretations along the way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

34:59

What is Karaoke? Part One: An Origin Story

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/24

Nowadays most people are at least generally familiar with the concept of karaoke -- technology allows you to sing along with your favorite songs, often to the delight of your friends and fellow amateur vocalists. It's a global phenomenon, and has created countless karaoke-based communities wherein, if only for a moment, anyone can be a star. In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max delve into the origin story of karaoke, which may have began all because one Japanese guy was mad

en-US

38:14

CLASSIC: Did Richard Nixon Unwittingly Smuggle Drugs...

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/21

It's become one of the strangest anecdotes in modern American history -- numerous sources will swear to you that, in a last-minute panic before reaching customs, legendary musician Louis Armstrong had Richard Nixon's unwitting assistance smuggling a hefty amount of marijuana through US customs. It's bizarre (and pretty hilarious) if true... but how true is it? Tune in as the guys get to the bottom of this bizarre American fable in this week's Classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

en-US

31:48

The Nebraska Episode

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/19

Let's be honest: when many Americans think of Nebraska, we immediately think of corn. Yet there's much more to the Cornhusker State than a single crop. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into several ridiculous bits of Nebraska history, from an epic barn move to the surprising, silly origin story of how Lincoln, Nebraska ended up with its name.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

39:49

Occupy Alcatraz!

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/17

Alcatraz! For a lot of us, this former island prison occupies an iconic space in the American zeitgeist. It's been home to some of the country's most notorious criminals, and has been the inspiration for tons of top-notch works of fiction and cinema. Yet in today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn this supposedly-impenetrable place was not once, but multiple times invaded and occupied by Native American activists in the modern day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

51:15

CLASSIC: 3 Times Society Refused to Accept New Books...

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/14

Progress versus preservation: It's one of the eternal dilemmas found throughout every instance of human civilization. Should we embrace disruptive thoughts and science that challenges our beliefs, or should we cling to the comfort of the status quo? Join Ben and Noel in this week's Classic episode as they explore the tragic and inspiring stories of books that were banned not for racy, fictional scenes -- but for furthering our understanding of the universe and our place within it.See

en-US

36:46

The Ridiculous, Murky Origins of Pasta, Part Two:...

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/12

Today pasta is a worldwide phenomena, and the story of pasta's spread is, in a very real way, also a study of global trade and civilization. Tune in to part two of this week's two-part series as Ben, Noel and Max explore the continuing evolution of pasta. (Spoiler: people are still inventing new shapes!)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

33:00

The Ridiculous, Murky Origins of Pasta, Part One:...

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/10

Pasta is amazing. But where does the concept come from? In part one of this week's two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max delve into the origin of a simple series of ingredients -- and discover there's a lot more to the story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

29:02

CLASSIC: That Time We Erased a (HUGE) Waterfall

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/07

It's often been said that "the art of losing isn't hard to master", and humanity overall seems to have a knack for losing everything from car keys to entire civilizations. Join Ben and Noel as they travel (vicariously) to South America and delve into the story of two nations who, eventually, lost an entire waterfall in this week's Classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

48:40

Patents Are Absolutely Bonkers: An Origin Story

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/05

Have you ever had a good idea -- like, a brilliant idea? If so, you may have immediately started trying to figure out the cartoonishly complicated, labyrinthine world of patents. In today's episode, the guys dive into the strange history of the concept and process of patents.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

44:15

That Time a Swedish Queen Became So Enlightened, She...

Ridiculous History ·

2024/09/03

Christina wasn't your average monarch of her day -- while many rulers sought to subjugate and terrorize their kingdoms, she sought to acquire knowledge, and to empower the public with information. Often called the "Minerva of the North," this ruler skillfully navigated treacherous geopolitical waters while also seeking to establish Stockholm as an international center of intellectual and philosophical thought. Eventually, she quit the job altogether.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

en-US

33:17

CLASSIC: The Poetic Justice of Death by Molten Gold

Ridiculous History ·

2024/08/31

It's a grisly death familiar to many fans of fiction and fantasy -- a hapless, greedy villain meets their end by having molten metal, often lead or gold, poured upon them or down their throats. But was this morbid means of execution ever used in real life? Join the guys as they dive into the deadly science of real-life murder by molten gold in this week's Classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

1,004 results

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