Cool Weird Awesome

There’s A Fake House In Brooklyn That Covers Up Real Subway Equipment

Some of the equipment that makes New York City's subway system run is hiding in plain sight.

During The Great Depression, A Community In California Used Clamshells As Temporary Money

In the Great Depression, during the emergency bank holiday, people in Pismo Beach, California found a good stand-in for regular currency.

When It’s Sheep Shearing Time In Wales, It’s Time To Break Out The Special Shearing Cake

Ahead of National Hug a Sheep Day on Saturday, the story of a special treat that farmers in Wales used to make: Sheep-Shearing Cake.

Jet Black Is Named For A Gemstone, Not Jet Planes

The “jet” in “jet black” refers to a gem. One that’s really, really black.

There’s A Forest In Indiana That Grows Wood For The USS Constitution

Today in 1797, the launch of the USS Constitution, the oldest active duty ship in the US Navy’s fleet. And for the last half century or so, a part of keeping “Old Ironsides” in operation is a special US Navy forest.

How Ford Put A Mustang High Up On The Empire State Building

Today in 1965, there was an unusual visitor high atop New York’s famous Empire State Building: a Ford Mustang. And it took some doing to get it up there.

It’s Hockey Week on Cool Weird Awesome

We’re replaying some of our favorite episodes on the ice this week.

The Hearing Car Is Testing Whether Self-Driving Vehicles Need More Senses On The Road

Autonomous vehicles have high-tech systems to see “see” what’s around them on the roads. A project in Germany asks if these cars also need to be listening to what’s around them too.

A Radio Show In Tennessee Told Listeners They Had To Recycle Their Old-Style $20 Bills

As a Halloween week prank in 1998, DJs in Tennessee said people had to exchange their old $20 bills for the new ones, or they would become worthless.

Otto The Octopus Was Really Good At Getting Into Mischief

For World Octopus Day, the story of Otto, who proved that not only is an octopus clever, it can be a little too clever.
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John Thompson Lost His Arms In A Farm Accident, Got Himself Help And Got The Arms Back

On this day in 1992, John Thompson of North Dakota lost his arms in a farm accident. He then got himself emergency care in time so that he got his arms back.

The Really (Expletive) Complicated History Of Swearing On TV

Today in 1965, a landmark moment in the history of televised profanity: an f-bomb live on the BBC! We'll look back at some choice moments where people used choice words on the air.

Emma Schols Saved Her Six Kids From A Burning House

Today in 2019, a woman in Sweden rose to an unthinkable occasion: she rescued all six of her children, including three under 5 years old, while their house burned down.

The Legend Of James Bartley, Who Was Supposedly Swallowed By A Whale

Supposedly this month in 1891 a sailor named James Bartley was swallowed by a whale and lived! But The Straight Dope took a closer look and found this story was almost certainly too good to be true.

Why Did The Fonz Jump The Shark In The First Place?

The phrase “jump the shark” is now a shorthand we use for the moment a show or a story turns absolutely ridiculous and keeps heading downhill. But why the heck did it happen at all?