Jim Gernhart Rehearsed His Own Funeral For 25 Years (Cool Weird Awesome 796)
This week in 1951, Life Magazine had a feature story about a guy with an unusual hobby: he rehearsed his own funeral.
A Typewriter Inventor Was Trying To Help A Blind Friend Send Letters (Cool Weird Awesome 795)
For National Typewriter Day, some of the stories that helped bring this device to life, including a guy in Italy who was trying to help a blind countess write letters.
A Rare Blood Condition Led To The “Blue People Of Kentucky” (Cool Weird Awesome 794)
A family in rural Kentucky with a rare blood disorder had blue complexions for decades - until a doctor found a way to treat it.
The Yakhchāl Was A Refrigerator Thousands Of Years Before Refrigerators Were Invented (Cool Weird Awesome 793)
Summer is here in the Northern Hemisphere, and a lot of people are looking to keep themselves and some of their foods and drinks cool. That's what the storage building known as the yakhchāl did thousands of years ago.
Instead Of West Virginia, The US Could Have Had The State Of Westsylvania (Cool Weird Awesome 792)
Today in 1863, West Virginia became a state - though back in the 18th Century, there were several efforts to meld this land with parts of Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Maryland and create an entirely different entity called Vandalia or Westsylvania.
Portugal Once Moved Its Capital City To South America (Cool Weird Awesome 791)
It’s Portugal Day, and no doubt there will be celebrations across the country, including the capital city, Lisbon. Though there was a time in the 19th century when the capital of Portugal was not only outside Lisbon, it was outside Portugal.
If It’s Thursday, It’s Time For Pea Soup And Pancakes In Sweden (Cool Weird Awesome 790)
This past Monday was National Day in Sweden, but it's Thursday that the real fun gets underway, because that’s when people eat pea soup and pancakes. Together.
Frank Lloyd Wright Designed A Gas Station In Minnesota (Cool Weird Awesome 789)
Today in 1867, Frank Lloyd Wright was born. He would go on to design some of the most striking buildings ever built, from houses, to museums, to office buildings to... gas stations.
A Wristband Can Help Keep Firefighters Healthy (Cool Weird Awesome 788)
Firefighting is dangerous work, in part because of the exposure to dangerous chemicals. Researchers are learning more about those exposures thanks to a simple silicone wristband.
Drive In Theaters Were Invented Partly So People Wouldn’t Have To Dress Up At The Movies (Cool Weird Awesome 787)
Today in 1933, Camden, New Jersey became the site of the very first drive-in movie theater. Here's the story of Richard Hollingshead, who brought movies outside so people could drive right up to the picture.