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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

55:21

The US Navy Teamed Up With Mobsters, Part One:...

Ridiculous History ·

2023/01/03

After the suspicious destruction of the USS Lafayette in Manhattan, the Navy became convinced saboteurs may be at work on American soil. There was another problem -- try as they might, they couldn't infiltrate the notoriously shady dockworker culture, which was in large part run by organized crime. This conundrum led to one of the strangest partnerships in the history World War II: the US Navy, hat in hand, came to the Mafia and asked for help. Tune in for more in part one of this special two-part

en-US

29:05

CLASSIC: When People Thought They Were Made of Glass

Ridiculous History ·

2022/12/29

In 1422, King Charles VI died after ruling France for more than 40 years. He was also remembered as Charles the Mad, in part because he was convinced that his body was made of glass and would shatter upon contact with other people. In today's classic episode, we will revisit this condition, known as the glass delusion, which would continue to pop up through medieval Europe until the late 19th century, seemingly disappearing in the modern day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

27:16

CLASSIC: Nazis, Churchill and Chocolate

Ridiculous History ·

2022/12/27

When Lord Victor Rothschild first heard the news, he was incredulous -- surely Nazi Germany wasn't seriously planning to assassinate Winston Churchill with an exploding chocolate bar. However, he learned the intelligence reports were solid. In today's classic episode, we will learn what Rothschild did to prevent this before the Prime Minister fell victim to a literal death by chocolate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

44:36

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

Ridiculous History ·

2022/12/22

Throughout history, despite all their occasional arguments to the contrary, members of royal families have been just as human as everyone else. In part two of this continuing series, Ben, Noel and Max dive into more stories of ridiculous deaths, from plans to become immortal, to an obsession with testing the boundaries of food allergies, and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

38:16

Ridiculous Royal Deaths, Part One: Revenge of the...

Ridiculous History ·

2022/12/20

It's no secret that the lives of historical royalty have often been filled with triumph and tragedy -- and, sadly, many royals have met strange, untimely ends. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into some of history's strangest (and most ridiculous) deaths.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

32:44

CLASSIC: When Dentist Sold Dentures Made with Corpse...

Ridiculous History ·

2022/12/15

Here in the modern day, most people don’t love going to the dentist — but we still have it much better than the dental patients of yesteryear! In today's classic episode, we join the guys as they dive into a strange, grisly story from the early days of dentistry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

49:58

From Mesopotamia to Hot Dogs: A History of Mustard

Ridiculous History ·

2022/12/13

Mustard! Whether you like it, love it, or hate it, you've almost definitely tried it in one of many varieties. In this installment of their continuing series on the ridiculous history of condiments, Ben, Noel and Max explore mustard's ancient origins all the way up the modern day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

37:10

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

Ridiculous History ·

2022/12/08

When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. won the Nobel Prize, Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. spearheaded a interdenominational celebration of King's work -- but many business leaders refused to go along. In fact, the whole thing may have fallen through were it not for the Coca-Cola company. Tune in to learn more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

40:32

William Mitchell Was Basically a Real-life Willy Wonka

Ridiculous History ·

2022/12/06

Do you like Tang? Are you known to gobble Pop Rocks, or find yourself lying awake at night, worried about the world's supply of tapioca substitutes? If so, you might be surprised to learn one brilliant, prodigious food scientist single-handedly changed the world with these inventions and more. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the story of William A. Mitchell, the real-life Willy Wonka behind everything from Cool Whip powdered egg whites.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

en-US

40:29

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

Ridiculous History ·

2022/12/01

Everyone's heard of the Olympics. This global competition brings athletes from around the world together to compete in various sports -- but, not too long ago, one man led the charge to bring artists, sculptors, musicians and more into the fray, with medal-worthy competitions of their own. In today's episode, the guys explore how this became part of the Olympics... and why the organization eventually revoked every single medal they awarded, striking these artists' work from the record.See

en-US

36:16

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

Ridiculous History ·

2022/11/29

If you live near any large city outside of mainland China, you may have seen advertisements for the world-famous Shen Yun Performing Arts Company, a US-based non-profit known for its elaborate shows in over 130 locations across the planet. But you might not know the full story of this company's origin. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the strange origin of Shen Yun -- along with that of the religious movement, Falun Gong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

53:26

How A Massive Turkey Screw-up Created TV Dinners

Ridiculous History ·

2022/11/24

Hey, it's us, your pals Ben, Noel and Max from Ridiculous History. We figured the holidays can be stressful for everyone, and we're pretty sure you've heard the history of Thanksgiving countless times. So instead of telling you that story, we decided to celebrate by exploring the weird history of TV dinners and microwave meals -- none of which would exist if the food company Swanson hadn't accidentally found itself with 260 tons of leftover turkeys after Thanksgiving in 1953. So tune in; we hope it

en-US

33:01

J. Paul Getty, Part Two: A Kidnapping Discount

Ridiculous History ·

2022/11/22

For members of the mob, the plot to kidnap J. Paul Getty's grandson was a home run -- after all, what's a few million to a literal billionaire? Yet, as it turns out... the mob didn't know who they were messing with. In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore a series of terrifying events that led to one of most ridiculous examples of miserliness in human history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

35:32

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

Ridiculous History ·

2022/11/17

It's often said that money doesn't buy happiness -- and, in the tragic case of the Getty family, it seems that saying holds true. In part one of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore Getty's origin story, his infamously... let's say... 'thrifty' nature, and how he earned a reputation of one of the coldest businessmen in modern history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

31:01

Have you heard of Andorra?

Ridiculous History ·

2022/11/15

While it may be unfamiliar to many folks outside the region, the 6th-smallest country in Europe has a fascinating history all its own. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the strange origin story of Andorra, from its ancient past to the modern day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

40:32

How Smart Was Alex the Grey Parrot?

Ridiculous History ·

2022/11/10

Picked at random from a pet store, a humble grey parrot named Alex went on to fundamentally alter the way humans think about animal cognition. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore how animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg and her parrot pal Alex spent three decades proving it's actually pretty impressive to be 'bird brained.'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

40:43

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

Ridiculous History ·

2022/11/08

Years before he became a world-famous actor, Christopher Lee did wetwork with elite special forces during World War II. Before entering public office, Harry Truman almost ruined his life by starting a haberdashery. In part two of this continuing series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the ins and outs of more surprising former careers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

56:24

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

Ridiculous History ·

2022/11/03

Ketchup is in almost 97% of US homes today -- and, while this statistic may sound surprising, it turns out there's a long story behind this humble condiment. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max trace the origin of ketchup from its ancient predecessors in Southern China and the Mediterranean to the introduction of the tomato all the way to the modern day. Tune in for the first episode in our continuing series on the history of condiments (and tell us which condiments you'd like us to explore

en-US

49:20

The Bizarrely Xenophobic Origins of Scotch Tape

Ridiculous History ·

2022/11/01

There's no two ways about it: tape is a pretty handy, amazing thing -- and one we often take for granted. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive deep into the origin story of Scotch tape, uncovering the weird prejudice behind the name, as well as the journey of the young man who changed the world with his... well, let's call it stick-to-it-iveness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

30:18

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

Ridiculous History ·

2022/10/27

Silent films took the world by storm, but the material they were manufactured from was notoriously -- cartoonishly -- flammable. Soon multiple studio buildings were burning to the ground. There wasn't always a spark involved, either: sometimes this stuff just spontaneously combusted. In part two of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore how silent films became so endangered in the modern day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

1,005 results

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