Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Today in 1861, the birthday of a woman with a very strange story. For reasons that aren’t at all clear, Karolina Olsson went to bed as a 14 year old and apparently didn’t wake up until she was in her forties. Plus: someone marked Halloween by playing keyboards in a New York subway station dressed up as Michael Myers.  To this day, the questions remain (Svenska Dagbladet via Archive.org)    Karolina Olsson: The Woman Who Allegedly Slept for 32 Years (Amusing Planet) Keyboardist Dressed as Michael Myers Plays the ‘Halloween’ Theme in New York City Subway Station (Laughing Squid) Don’t sleep on our podcast, back us today on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

For National Chocolate Day, the story of a World War II-era chocolate bar that wasn't too sweet, and that’s exactly how it was supposed to be. Plus: there was a couple who had a zombie-themed wedding at a bar in Little Rock, Arkansas back in the 2000s.  How Hershey’s Chocolate Helped Power Allied Troops During WWII (History.com) Wild days at White Water Tavern (Arkansas Times) It would be sweet of you to back our show on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Starting tomorrow in Manitou Springs, Colorado, it’s an event known as the Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival. And oh man, does the story of Emma Crawford and her coffin take some explaining. Plus: today in 1964, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall recovered a fumble and took off toward the end zone... just not his team's end zone. Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival (ManitouSprings.org) Vikings: 50 years later, Jim Marshall’s wrong-way run remains an NFL classic (Twin Cities Pioneer Press) Race on over to our Patreon page to support the show --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

My chemistry teacher called today Mole Day, and while this story doesn't have much chemistry in it, it does have a mole: a Londoner called William Lyttle who dug huge tunnels around his place. Plus: ever wanted your clothes to act like a Theremin? A pair of researchers from the Intelligent Instruments develops sound-rich smart fabrics known as "e-textiles." Great London Eccentrics: The Mole Man Of Hackney (Londonist) e-textiles make sounds like electronic musical instruments when users touch or stretch them (designboom) We dig it when people back this show on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1957, the water tower in Norwood, Ontario, which looked like a big can of soda or beer, suddenly looked like a big crushed can of soda or beer. We'll explain why. Plus: starting Saturday at Coarsegold Historic Village, near Yosemite National Park, it’s the Coarsegold Tarantula Awareness Festival. Norwood: Norwood once had a crushed beer can water tower (Peterborough Examiner) Coarsegold Tarantula Awareness Festival (Yosemite This Year) Keep our show strong, make a contribution on Patreon today --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 2019, New Scientist published a study that trained rats to maneuver little cars around to find Froot Loops. Plus: now underway at the Dietrich Theater in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, it's Spooky Fest. ⁠Scientists have trained rats to drive tiny cars to collect food⁠ (New Scientist) ⁠Spooky Fest⁠ (Dietrich Theater) ⁠Drive on over to our Patreon page and help support the show⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1911, the birthday of William A. Mitchell, a food inventor whose name might not ring a bell but whose creations - including Pop Rocks, Cool Whip and Tang - are unforgettable. Plus: today in 1905, a story in the Clinton Mirror newspaper with an odd headline: “Man Was Mailed.” The Scientist Behind Some of Our Favorite Junk Foods (Smithsonian) "Man Was Mailed." (Clinton Mirror via Google News Archive)  Help feed this podcast as a backer on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about flags and those who fly them. In this episode from June 2021, the story of Superflag, a 505 foot long, 255 foot tall American flag that was once flown over Hoover Dam (because they don't make flagpoles that large). Plus: a study finds people can learn and effectively use click-based echolocation in the real world after practicing for 10 weeks. Was the World’s Largest U.S. Flag Displayed at Hoover Dam? (Snopes) Echolocation: People trained to hear like bats in a study that could help those with vision loss (Science Focus) Our Patreon backers are pretty super, join them today! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about flags and those who fly them. In this episode from July 2021, the story of how the flag of Alaska, was designed by a 13 year old. Plus: pastry lovers in Maine mark an important moment in the history of fried dough. Benny Benson: An Alaska Kid Who Made History (Alaska Historical Society) The Hole Truth: Celebrating a Huge Day in Doughnut History (The Fiscal Times) Make history as one of our Patreon backers! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about flags and those who fly them. In this episode from January 2022, the story of Bob Heft, who, as a high school student in Ohio, designed the first flag representing 50 states. Plus: there was once an effort to make a biopic about Edgar Allan Poe starring none other than Sylvester Stallone. A Boy Scout designed the 50-star American flag (Scouting Magazine) Robert G. Heft (Ohio History Central) Stallone Shows Why He Was Wrong for Edgar Allan Poe, But Vows to Finish Script (Movieweb) We salute our Patreon backers for making this show possible --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about flags and those who fly them. In this episode from June 2023, the story of the American flag that led to the writing of what is now our national anthem. Plus: the community of Pocatello, Idaho raised a new flag in 2017 after old flag was named the ugliest in the country. The Star-Spangled Banner (National Museum of American History) East Idaho City Ditches ‘Worst Flag In North America’ (Boise State Public Radio) Fly the flag for this show as a backer on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about flags and those who fly them. In this episode from January 2023, the story of Betsy Ross, whose backstory is pretty interesting even if it didn't go quite how the legends tell it. Plus: a village in Austria with an expletive for its name makes a big change. Betsy Ross likely didn’t sew the first U.S. flag (National Geographic) Betsy Ross (Museum of the American Revolution) Austrian village of ‘Fucking’ decides to change its name (Deutsch Welle) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

There’s a new experiment underway that’s going to see whether music playlists and some stress-sensing technology can help people who are trying to stay sober. Plus: why Marshall, Texas named its annual community festival after fire ants. Studying music and technology to reduce stress, alcohol relapse (Washington State University) FireAnt Festival  Keep our playlist growing as a backer on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

One hundred years ago today, the birthday of the man that has long been celebrated as the worst movie director of all time, so bad that some people actually love his movies: Ed Wood. Plus: starting Saturday at the Sunday River resort in Maine, it’s the North American Wife Carrying Championship. Ed Wood, Jr. Centennial: An American Cinematheque Retrospective (American Cinematheque) North American Wife Carrying Championship   Support Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This Sunday on Okinawa in Japan, it’s an event on a grand scale: the Naha Great Tug of War, with thousands of people pulling a 200 meter long rope. Plus: researchers at the University of New South Wales have developed a more eco-friendly lithium-ion battery that uses acids from foods and wine. Naha Tug of War  Booze to battery: Wine powers new energy storage tech, can boost EV range, performance (Interesting Engineering)  Pull our show into the future as a backer on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1997, a very gourd day on the campus of Cornell University: people found a very large pumpkin on top of McGraw Tower, 173 feet in the air. Plus: this Sunday, in Austin, Texas, it’s Quesoff. HOW THE PUMPKIN GOT ON THE TOWER (Cornell Sun via Archive.org)  Quesoff Help our show keep climbing as a backer on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Welcome to National Newspaper Week. The newspaper business has changed a lot since the peak of print, like how the New York Times took a very small but important punctuation mark out of its logo. Plus: there's now a luggage set you can buy where the cases are shaped like LEGO. The Daily Heller: The Designer Who Put a Full Stop to the Period! (Print Magazine) LEGO Luggage (The Awesomer) Our Patreon backers make this show possible, period --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1957, Sputnik because the world’s first artificial satellite. This changed the world around us in countless ways, including one that doesn’t get a lot of attention: it gave the English language a brand new word. Plus: today in 1992, two Toronto Blue Jays stars pranked their rookie teammate by pretending to give away his car on Fan Appreciation Day. How the Beat Generation Became “Beatniks” (JSTOR Daily) WHEN THE BLUE JAYS GAVE AWAY DEREK BELL’S CAR, AND OTHER PRANKS (SB Nation) Help keep our show beeping, so to speak, as a backer on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

It's National Roller Skating Month, and we’re going all the way back to the guy who created the first skates. It's a little reassuring that even he had trouble rolling along like the rest of us. Plus: Starting tomorrow in Massachusetts, it’s SandwichFest. The History of Roller Skating (HowStuffWorks) Sandwich Fest  Help keep our show rolling as a supporter on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1869, inventor Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès received the French patent for margarine. The butter substitute is used around the world today, though for a while it was banned in parts of the US. Plus: an explorer accidentally drops his GoPro off the side of a cruise ship and ends up with a kind of candid camera for sea life. This week in science history: Margarine inventor’s fame spreads (Cosmos via Archive.org)  The Butter Wars: When Margarine Was Pink (National Geographic) Man Drops GoPro Overboard on Cruise Ship, Captures Incredible Undersea Footage (My Modern Met) Our backers on Patreon are smooth --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support