Cool Weird Awesome – Brady Carlson

The World’s Fair Is Where America Learned To Love The Banana (Cool Weird Awesome 314)

5 06, 2020

The World’s Fair Is Where America Learned To Love The Banana (Cool Weird Awesome 314)

By Brady Carlson|2020-06-05T08:19:53-04:00June 5th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: bananas, doughnuts, food history, history, world records, World's Fair|

It was on this day in 1876 that the U.S. first fell in love with the banana, when it was introduced at the World's Fair in Philadelphia. Though, back then, eating a banana was quite a bit different than it is today. Plus: on National Doughnut Day, we mark the moment in 2012 when festival-goers in Ukraine proved doughnuts were as good for art as they were for snack time.

It’s The Birthday Of The Shopping Cart (Cool Weird Awesome 313)

4 06, 2020

It’s The Birthday Of The Shopping Cart (Cool Weird Awesome 313)

By Brady Carlson|2020-06-04T08:07:25-04:00June 4th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: cheese, grocery shopping, inventions, shopping|

Many of us are getting ready for our weekly shopping trips over the weekend, figuring out what we want to put in our carts. Those carts, by the way, are all due to a guy in Oklahoma who, on this day in 1937, decided to take the shopping basket and give it wheels. Plus: on National Cheese Day we pay tribute to the hardest, chewiest cheese in the world: churrpi!

The Canadian Town That Built A Landing Pad For UFOs (Cool Weird Awesome 312)

3 06, 2020

The Canadian Town That Built A Landing Pad For UFOs (Cool Weird Awesome 312)

By Brady Carlson|2020-06-03T07:55:57-04:00June 3rd, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: Alberta, Canada, inventions, St. Paul AB, UFOs|

Today in 1967, the town of St. Paul, Alberta officially opened the world’s first UFO landing pad. So why is there a UFO landing pad in east central Alberta? Plus: on this date in 1941, a man called Richard Burgess received a patent for exercise wings - but don't worry, they weren't intended to get their users to fly.

Hurricanes Can Be Named After Anybody Now, Thanks To Roxcy Bolton (Cool Weird Awesome 311)

2 06, 2020

Hurricanes Can Be Named After Anybody Now, Thanks To Roxcy Bolton (Cool Weird Awesome 311)

By Brady Carlson|2020-06-02T08:10:14-04:00June 2nd, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: history, hurricanes, meteorology, rollercoasters, Roxcy Bolton, teddy bears, women's history|

For a time the powers that be only named hurricanes after women. Roxcy Bolton spoke out for years to change that policy, arguing that women “deeply resent being arbitrarily associated with disaster.” Plus: roller coasters are fun to ride, but they're even more fun when the passengers are all teddy bears.

What We Thought Dinosaur Bones Were Before We Knew About Dinosaurs (Cool Weird Awesome 310)

1 06, 2020

What We Thought Dinosaur Bones Were Before We Knew About Dinosaurs (Cool Weird Awesome 310)

By Brady Carlson|2020-06-01T07:40:30-04:00June 1st, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: dinosaurs, history, ice cream|

The word "dinosaur" was coined in the 1840s, but people have been finding dinosaur fossils for thousands of years. So what did people think dinosaur bones were before we had an idea that dinosaurs existed? Plus: if your dream is to find a dinosaur-shaped waffle cone with a scoop of ice cream in its mouth, there's a place in southern California that can help you.

Record Your Own Song Into A Paper Cup (Cool Weird Awesome 309)

29 05, 2020

Record Your Own Song Into A Paper Cup (Cool Weird Awesome 309)

By Brady Carlson|2020-05-29T08:17:11-04:00May 29th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: inventions, masks, sound|

Most audio these days (including this show) is recorded digitally, but there are lots of ways to document sounds, including one that's built around a paper cup-turned-microphone. Plus: a programmer has designed a face mask with a lit up, virtual mouth!

James Bond’s Favorite Food Was Going To Be Scrambled Eggs (Cool Weird Awesome 308)

28 05, 2020

James Bond’s Favorite Food Was Going To Be Scrambled Eggs (Cool Weird Awesome 308)

By Brady Carlson|2020-05-28T07:53:41-04:00May 28th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: eggs, Ian Fleming, James Bond, pies|

Agent 007 is known for living as large as you can - fast cars, fancy clothes, expensive hotels, and fancy food and drink. But writer Ian Fleming once admitted that Bond was originally going to eat

Bees Doing It For Themselves (Cool Weird Awesome 307)

27 05, 2020

Bees Doing It For Themselves (Cool Weird Awesome 307)

By Brady Carlson|2020-05-27T08:15:06-04:00May 27th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: bees, biology, mail, science|

There are lots of human efforts to help bees out, but there’s also some new research out that says bees help themselves by taking steps to get plants to flower earlier than usual. Plus: a man in Canada ordered hair cream in 2012, and it just arrived this month. Patience is a virtue!

The Letters of the English Alphabet Weren’t Added in Alphabetical Order (Cool Weird Awesome 306)

26 05, 2020

The Letters of the English Alphabet Weren’t Added in Alphabetical Order (Cool Weird Awesome 306)

By Brady Carlson|2020-05-26T07:53:42-04:00May 26th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: English, language, sand, sculpture|

Amazingly, the English alphabet added its last letter in 1524, and no, that letter wasn't Z. We'll explain how an Italian grammarian convinced the world to add one more letter to the list. Plus: Andoni Bastarrika is a Basque artist who works with sand, but we’re not talking about basic beach sand castles here.

James Garfield Had A Lot To Say On Memorial Day (Cool Weird Awesome 305)

25 05, 2020

James Garfield Had A Lot To Say On Memorial Day (Cool Weird Awesome 305)

By Brady Carlson|2020-05-25T07:41:23-04:00May 25th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: James Garfield, Memorial Day|

If you miss the speeches that often come at a Memorial Day ceremony, we have a story for you: the story of the speech future president James A. Garfield gave at the first Memorial Day event at Arlington National Cemetery in 1868. It was, shall we say, not a short speech.