Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Today in 1979, two guys in Canada dreamed up one of the most popular board games of all time: Trivial Pursuit. Here's how it all went down. Plus: it's said today was the birthday of Emperor Nero. Legends claim he fiddled while Rome burned but archeologists found evidence that he rotated while eating dinner.  The High School Dropout Who Co-Created Trivial Pursuit (Today I Found Out) Nero’s Rotating Dining Room (CNRS News) Our Patreon backers are probably great Trivial Pursuit players, because they are smart --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1901, the first table tennis tournament concluded in London. It's also known as ping pong, and there were plenty of other proposed names back in the early days. Plus: in St. Paul, Minnesota, a theater company is putting on a stage version of “It’s A Wonderful Life” with a twist that the Federation might not like.  The Rise of Table Tennis and Ping Pong Diplomacy (VICE) History of Table Tennis (International Table Tennis Federation) St. Paul theater company to stage ‘Star Trek’/’It’s a Wonderful Life’ mashup, performed in Klingon (Twin Cities Pioneer Press) Join our Patreon backers today for as little as $1 a month! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Back about 120 or so years ago, in Berlin, Germany, you might have encountered a strange sight: a man named Wilhelm Von Osten asking math questions of a horse named Clever Hans. Was the horse actually solving the problems, or was something else at work? Plus: Today in 1989, the town of Avesta, Sweden created the world’s largest Dala horse. Clever Hans: The Horse Who Could Do Math (Amusing Planet) World's Largest Dalecarlian Horse (Bookofjoe) Nobody's as clever as our Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes that take place up in the air. In this one from July 2019, the story of Larry Walters, who entered aviation history as the pilot of a craft called Inspiration I. That craft was a lawn chair attached to 42 large weather balloons. Plus: some high school students in Toronto, Ontario use a weather balloon to launch a Lego figure into near space. Up, Up, and Away! Did Larry Walters soar above Los Angeles in a lawn chair attached to helium weather balloons? (Snopes) Teens Put Lego Man in 'Space' (Actually Stratosphere) Back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon and help it, um, fly!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes that take place up in the air. In this one from April 2019, two researchers go back through old CIA surveillance photos, not for their Cold War history, but for archaeology. And it turns out, these photos showed a lot. Plus: in Woodstock, Illinois, the Great Lakes Steelpan Festival gets underway. Declassified U2 spy plane images reveal bygone Middle Eastern archaeological features (Phys.org) Great Lakes Steelpan Festival --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes that take place up in the air. In this one from March 2020, we marked the birthday of Jerrie Cobb, who could have been the first woman in space but ended up flying to great heights nonetheless. Plus: it was on this day in 2011 that a museum in the Netherlands first put on exhibit a work called “Peanut Butter Floor," which was exactly what it sounds  like. Jerrie Cobb, America's first female astronaut candidate, dies at 88 (NBC News) Cobb, Geraldyn “Jerrie” M., Aviation Pioneer (National Aviation Hall of Fame) Peanut Butter Floor (Bookofjoe) Our backers on Patreon give Cool Weird Awesome wings! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes that take place up in the air. In this one from July 2019, Patrouille Swiss, the official aerial acrobatics team for Switzerland, flew over the community of Langenbruck for a festival honoring a local aviation hero... or tried to. They weren’t actually over Langenbruck. Plus: New York City  is now home to Poster House, the first American museum that’s fully  about posters and their history. Swiss aerial display team flies over yodeling festival by mistake (Deutsche Welle) WoodyFest in Okemah, OK Poster House Is the First Museum in the United States Dedicated Exclusively to Posters Help Cool Weird Awesome soar to new heights as a backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes that take place up in the air. In this one from June 2020, we mark the anniversary of a pretty unusual moment in the history of human flight: the time an airplane flew over the English Channel that was entirely powered by its pilot. Plus: watching the heaviest airplane ever built take off is a sight to see. Pedal-Driven Plane Flies Channel (Washington Post) Gossamer Albatross' famed flight 33 years ago today (Hartford Courant) Good Lord: Watching The World's Heaviest Aircraft Take Off (Geekologie) Fly high as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Happy Hanukkah! For this holiday we're replaying a show from 2019 about a growing sport in New York City. Major League Dreidel takes the Hanukkah favorite and turns the intensity way, way up. Plus: an agency in Nova Scotia decided people needed a break from ads during the holidays, and released some ad-free ads. Competitive Dreidel-Spinning Is a Thing. Here's How Major League Dreidel Got Started. (Civilized) Creative agency buys $10k of blank ad space to give everyone a break from ads (It's Nice That) Cool Weird Awesome is listener supported. Thanks to our Patreon backers! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1952, PEZ received a US patent for its famous dispensers, which, like the candies they contain, were first intended to help people quit smoking. Plus: researchers in Germany can now make eco-friendly, cost-effective insulation out of popcorn.  The History of PEZ (PEZ.com) Researchers Make Insulation Board Out of Popcorn (Treehugger) Our Patreon backers are so, so sweet  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

On or around this day in 1922, a pilot wrote the first skywriting message in the United States. It was a way to demonstrate an advertising technique that would be a big part of business for the next few decades. Plus: today in 2019, fans at a Hershey Bears’ hockey game set a record for most stuffed animals tossed onto the ice. How Skywriting Works (How Stuff Works) Watch: Hershey Bears’ teddy bear toss shatters world record as 45,650 stuffed animals hit the ice for charity (The Patriot-News)  Our Patreon backers set a record for coolest people ever --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1954, a woman in Alabama, Elizabeth Hodges, became the first person in modern history to be hit by a meteorite. Here's some of her story. Plus: for Mark Twain's birthday, the time he answered a very long question in a print column with just three words.  In 1954, an Extraterrestrial Bruiser Shocked This Alabama Woman (Smithsonian) Asked and Answered (Futility Closet) Our Patreon backers are stars --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1915, the birthday of an inventor who would change our viewing habits for the better: Eugene Polley, who created the first wireless remote control system for TVs. Plus: today in 2000, CNN reported on a hairstylist in Colombia who claimed he'd cured baldness by having cows lick his bald customers. Zenith Flash-Matic, the First Wireless TV Remote (Vintage Everyday) Eugene Polley, Conjuror of a Device That Changed TV Habits, Dies at 96 (New York Times) Colombian hairdresser says he can lick baldness (CNN) Our Patreon backers make this show happen, and they do it wirelessly, too --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1942 the landmark movie "Casablanca" was released. And once it became an unexpected hit, Hollywood tried a couple times to make a sequel. Plus: in the great city of Buffalo, New York, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is home to a one of a kind event called the World’s Largest Disco. Every Unmade Casablanca Sequel & Remake: Why They Didn't Happen (ScreenRant) World's Largest Disco  Our Patreon backers are outta sight --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

For some people it can be hard to think of anything to be thankful for in this screwy year. But maybe this can help: the story of Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton, who accidentally ended up together on Thanksgiving and became good friends. Plus: a rainy Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade leads to a very weird situation for one of the iconic giant balloons.  Young man who was accidentally invited to 'grandma's' Thanksgiving as a teen keeps tradition going (CNN) Pair that went viral for Thanksgiving dinner reuniting for sixth celebration (WWL) Most infamous balloon accidents from Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (KOAM) We are very thankful for our Patreon backers today and every day!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1868, at least on paper, Scott Joplin was born, though his actual birth date is probably a different day. He's best known for his groundbreaking ragtime works like "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer," but Joplin also wrote two operas. Plus: today in 2013, musician Dave Mustaine of Megadeth composed an unforgettable tweet about a "cool building" in Wisconsin.  Scott Joplin wrote operas 'The Guest of Honor' and 'Treemonisha' as well as Ragtime (Africlassical) Cool building in Madison (Dave Mustaine on Twitter) Our Patreon backers help make every episode of our show unforgettable, join them for just $1 a month!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Our wireless, hands-free, automatic, smart device era may be about to get even smarter, thanks to high-tech smart fabric that can send out signals to devices or turn itself into a health monitor. Plus: a trash barrel from the US goes on holiday, traveling all the way across the ocean to end up in Ireland.  Invention lets people pay for purchases with a high-five (Science Daily) Traveling Trash Can Visits Ireland From Myrtle Beach (City of Myrtle Beach, SC) Our Patreon backers are as smart and high-tech as they come --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

With a little help from a Chilean scientist, Leptospirillum ferriphilum can dissolve old iron nails in just a few days, a process that previously took months. That could help deal with the water pollution that comes from metal left over from old mines. Plus: a few Taylor Swift fans have been playing their 45 rpm LP versions of "Red (Taylor's Version)" at 33 rpm, and it sounds... different.  These Hungry Metal-Eating Bacteria Could Be the Solution to Mining Waste (Popular Mechanics) “The pressing is bad and it sounds like a man”: Taylor Swift fans confused by LPs pressed at 45rpm (The Line of Best Fit) We are never ever doing another episode without our Patreon backers. Like, ever  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Dance clubs can get hot when things are in full swing. So why not turn that extra heat into green energy? A nightclub in Glasgow is teaming up with a geothermal power company to use the energy dancers put out to heat and cool the place. Plus: when Apollo 12 reached the moon, astronaut Pete Conrad said some stirring words... that helped him win a bet.  This Glasgow nightclub is turning your dance moves into renewable energy (Dazed) NASA Honors Apollo 12 Commander Charles Conrad (NASA) We are powered by our backers on Patreon, though we could use some of that dance energy too  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

It's called the Intrepid Benthic Rover II, and its five year (or more) mission is to explore the deep ocean, most of the time by itself. Plus: in a new book artist Marina Luz paints the covers of books where people are trying to describe a book when they can’t remember the title. This deep-sea rover will autonomously explore the mysterious abyss for over five years (designboom) ‘A Library of Misremembered Books’ Is a Witty, Illustrated Compendium of Mistaken Titles (Colossal) This show can explore the most interesting stories in the world because of our Patreon backers, join them today --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support