Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Today in 1978, George Lucas's least favorite part of the Star Wars universe, "The Star Wars Holiday Special," aired on TV. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's the only one that has a Jefferson Starship video, a Bea Arthur-owned cantina and opening dialogue that's entirely in Wookiee. Plus: today in 1968, NBC cuts away from the final minutes of a nail-biter football game because it was time to show the movie "Heidi."  The Epically Terrible Star Wars Holiday Special: An Oral History (Lit Hub) The 'Heidi Game' (Pro Football Hall of Fame) We don't have to break away to talk about other stuff, thanks to our Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

It's Geography Awareness Week, so we wanted to find the furthest points in each direction that are part of the United States, along with the geographical center. Plus: the story of a boundary with Morocco that just sort of popped up one day.  The Surprising Easternmost Point in the US (Wendover Productions) Geographic Center of the United States (NOAA) The last remains of the Spanish empire (El Pais) Wherever our Patreon backers go, whatever they do, we will be right here waiting for them --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

There are countless efforts underway to bring more green energy into the world, and some of them are in some unusual places. Like a project in Massachusetts that’s going to try mounting solar panels on those sound-absorbing barriers on the sides of the highway. Plus: today in 1859, New York City is host to what's believed to be the first ever baseball game between two Black teams.  Massachusetts to test highway barriers that absorb sound and solar energy (Energy News Network) 10 Black Baseball Sites in NYC (Untapped New York) Our Patreon backers power our show every day, 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

A University of Oregon study on what's called the “perceiver-elicited similarity effect" finds that when you’re nice, that can lead to more niceness around you! Plus: today in 1910, what’s believed to be the first movie stunt took place. And it was quite a stunt.  It's true: Be nice and others are more likely to be nice to you (University of Oregon) How Hollywood killed the movie stunt (Salon) Our Patreon backers are as nice as they come --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

For Veterans Day, we have the story of the "Left-Armed Corps," Civil War veterans who'd lost right arms in battle and were re-learning to write left-handed. Poet and newspaper publisher William Oland Bourne organized penmanship contests to encourage their writing, which he believed would help them find jobs and support themselves and their families as they returned to civilian life. Plus: you can learn about the veterans of World War II through a miniature golf course in Texas.  William Oland Bourne, "The Soldier’s Friend", and the Left-Handed Penmanship Contests, 1865-1867 (Library of Congress) One-of-a-kind mini-golf course, WWII museum now open in Buda (KXAN) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1987, the community of Gouverneur in northern New York placed on its town green, a giant roll of Pep-O-Mint Life Savers. It was a tribute to a local man, Edward John Noble, who ended up making Life Savers one of the best known candies in the world. Plus: a cat in Tokyo drops by a Buddhist temple garden, walks into the gravel patterns and takes a big old nap. 10 Things You Might Not Know about Life Savers (Mental Floss) Unique Items— The Life Savers® (Gouverneur Museum) Super Zen Cat Takes a Nap in the Middle of a Japanese Zen Garden (My Modern Met) Our Patreon backers are sweeter than candy --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Vox recently asked scientists what they thought Earth life might be like in a million years. And the answers are pretty wild. Plus: today's the first day of a City Climb at Edge, a program in New York City where thrillseekers can climb until they’re close to the top of a skyscraper, over 1,200 feet up. The animals that may exist in a million years, imagined by biologists (Vox) Now You Can Climb Outside a Skyscraper to the Top of New York City (Architectural Digest) Take this show to the top every day as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1978, the New Jersey Nets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. But part of the game would be replayed the following March, and when it was, several of the players on each team had been traded to the other, and ended up playing in the game! Plus: two artists have built a "stairway to heaven" in Taiwan. Someone let Robert Plant know please.  In 1978-79 season, deal like no other happened at NBA trade deadline (NBA.com) Artists Build a ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Optical Illusion (Laughing Squid) We would never trade our Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1781, the first U.S. president, John Hanson, was elected. Of course, being a U.S. president in 1781 was very different from the job George Washington, the first president under the U.S. Constitution, would hold eight years later. Plus: the University of British Columbia has a robot named Robby to paint all the lines on its sports fields.  Forget Washington; it's Hanson or Huntington (Baltimore Sun) Robby, a line-painting robot, blazes trail on UBC sports fields (GlobalNews) Our Patreon backers are first in our hearts --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1879, a bar owner in Ohio received a patent for an invention that changed the way we buy and sell things: the cash register. He did it to thwart his bartenders, who he suspected of putting money meant for him in their own pockets. Plus: a professor in South Korea reveals one place from which you probably shouldn't give an online lecture.  Nov. 4, 1879: Ka-Ching! The World's First Cash Register (WIRED) Professor holds online class while in bathtub (Korea Times) You don't have to put a lot of cash into the register to support our show on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1892 a phone system that made automated calls - no switchboard operator - began operating in Laporte, Indiana. The first automatic dial network happened, as the story goes, because of a business dispute between two undertakers. Plus: today in 1882, the birthday of John Baxter Taylor, Jr, the first Black American to win an Olympic gold medal. Almon B. Strowger: The undertaker who revolutionized telephone technology (Spark Museum of Electrical Invention) First African American Olympic gold medalist was a Penn grad (University of Pennsylvania)  Help us invent hundreds more episodes of our show as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 2000 that a post appeared on an online forum for the Time Travel Institute from someone who claimed he was a time traveler from the year 2036. Here's the story of John Titor, whoever he actually was. Plus: Build the Earth is an effort to recreate every single spot on our planet, but in the Minecraft universe.  The Oral History of John Titor, the Man Who Traveled Back in Time to Save the Internet (Thrillist) Project to recreate entirety of planet Earth in Minecraft (Boing Boing) Our Patreon backers are so cool they could probably travel through time --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1816, the US military awarded to built a contract for a fort next to Lake Champlain, near the border with Canada. For years crews worked to make the fort strong, until one day when they realized there was a big problem. Plus: people on Tumblr say today is the 1000th birthday of a medieval monk's brother named Werner.  Fort Blunder, America’s Most Embarrassing Gun Battery (New England Historical Society) The chronicle of the monk Herbert of Reichenau (Elucubrare on Tumblr) No blunders among our Patreon backers, they're great every day --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week in 2008, local officials in Swanzey tried to get English-to-Welsh translation for a road sign they wanted to put up. They got a Welsh sentence in response, but it wasn't what they thought. Plus: today in 1969, the first network message on ARPANET goes through, though without a few key letters.  The man responsible for the most infamously bad Welsh road sign translation (Wales Online) E-mail error ends up on road sign (BBC) 5 milestones that created the internet 50 years after the first network message (The World) All signs point to our Patreon backers being amazing --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1886, the U.S. dedicated the Statue of Liberty in New York. It was hard times when Lady Liberty first arrived in the country, but eventually a 19th century-style crowdfunding efforts raised enough money to raise the statue onto a pedestal. Plus: the statue came from France, and if you head to Paris you'll see that city has a Lady Liberty too!  How crowdfunding brought the Statue of Liberty to America (Christian Science Monitor) Statue of Liberty, Pont de Grenelle (Atlas Obscura) We raise our golden lamp high in honor of our Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

The new book "The First Ghosts" looks at how humans have been describing and depicting ghosts for thousands of years, including a Babylonian tablet showing a lonely, bearded ghost dude from 1500 B.C.E. Plus: today in 2013, a merchant naval officer said a great way to deter pirates off the Somali coast was to blast Britney Spears tunes.  Boo Who? The World’s Oldest Ghost Drawing May Have Been Found on an Ancient Babylonian Tablet at the British Museum (Artnet) Britney Spears songs used to scare off pirates in Somalia (Metro UK) People will be talking about our Patreon backers for thousands of years too --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1966, the official release of "Incubus," the only Esperanto-language movie starring a pre-Star Trek William Shatner. The movie had such bad fortune some people actually thought it was cursed. Plus: a guy buys an airplane, and though he's never flown before, he taxis it down the runway, takes off and has to figure out how to land.  Eerie Cult Classic ‘Incubus’ Returns After Lengthy Exile (Los Angeles Times) Man with zero hours flying experience accidentally takes off, and barely lands (Boing Boing) Our Patreon backers are amazing in every language --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Humans make a lot of jokes about the seventh planet from the sun. But do scientists who study Uranus think the jokes are funny? The website Futurism found out. Plus: today is the first day of Magic Week, and there's a magic shop in Burnsville, Minnesota that's the oldest in the US.  Here’s What Uranus Scientists Think About Your Disgusting Jokes (Futurism) The Oldest Magic Shop In The U.S. Is Right Here In Minnesota, And It’s Full Of Enchanting Fun (Only in Minnesota) No joke, our Patreon backers are out of this world --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

A lot of us kind of amble through museums, taking a few steps, looking at art, and then moving again. And one posture specialist says that "museum walk" is actually hurting our backs. Plus: a guy in Ontario proves that the best time to play the flute with both hands is not when you're behind the wheel.  Suffering From Lower Back Pain While Visiting a Museum? You’re Not Alone (Hyperallergic) Driver in Burlington caught playing flute with both hands, police say (CP24) Our Patreon backers are living works of art --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1975, game 6 of the World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox. The iconic clip of Carlton Fisk waving his game-winning home run fair was caught by the camera kind of by accident. Plus: a couple in the UK gets a ticket because a traffic camera caught their car driving in the bus-only lane, except that they weren't in the bus-only lane. Or in a car. Or in that city.  How Carlton Fisk's 1975 home run changed TV sports forever (Boston Globe) Bus lane camera mistakes woman's sweater for number plate (BBC) Our Patreon backers make every episode of our show a winner  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support