The “Hairy Eagle” Is A Decoration Made Partly With Abraham Lincoln’s Hair (Cool Weird Awesome 1185)

It's Abe Lincoln's birthday, and if you want to see a small bit of the man himself, you could try heading to Syracuse, New York, where there’s a bit of Abe Lincoln’s hair in a very unusual decoration known as the Hairy Eagle. 

The US Rationed Shoes During World War II, So People Made Footwear Out Of Old Firehoses (Cool Weird Awesome 1182)

Today in 1943, the US announced it would start rationing shoes to save rubber and leather for the troops in World War II. People on the home front found ways to make shoes out of alternative materials.

By |2024-02-07T09:31:06-05:00February 7, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , , |

During Prohibition, Grape Growers Sold “Wine Bricks” To Thirsty Customers (Cool Weird Awesome 1172)

This week in 1920, a federal law enforcing the Constitution's Prohibition Amendment took effect. But there were loopholes, and one of the most clever way to use those loopholes was through something known as the "grape brick" or "wine brick."

By |2024-01-17T08:44:22-05:00January 17, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , , |

When Martin Luther King Jr. Won The Nobel Peace Prize, Atlanta Held A Historic Dinner In His Honor (Cool Weird Awesome 1170)

Dr. King's home city gave him a warm welcome after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, though putting that warm welcome together got complicated. 

Teddy Roosevelt Tried To Change How We Spell Words (Cool Weird Awesome 1145)

Today in 1906 a vote in Congress put an end to one of President Theodore Roosevelt’s top priorities: simplifying the way we spell words. Or, as he would have preferred, spel wurds.

By |2023-12-12T11:05:18-05:00December 12, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , , |

Oklahoma’s Panhandle Was Once Known As “No Man’s Land” (Cool Weird Awesome 1127)

Today in 1907 Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union. Oklahoma's panhandle has a complicated history that includes a time when it was known as “No Man’s Land.”

By |2023-11-16T09:03:12-05:00November 16, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Two Young Brothers Rode Across The Country On Horseback To Hang Out With Teddy Roosevelt (Cool Weird Awesome 1044)

Today in 1909, the brothers Abernathy, ages five and eight, started a 1,300 mile trip - on horseback, unsupervised - from Oklahoma to New Mexico and back. The next year they got back on their horses to ride to New York to see their dad's pal, Teddy Roosevelt.

The Star-Spangled Banner That Inspired “The Star-Spangled Banner” (Cool Weird Awesome 1026)

It's Flag Day here in the US, and a good time to tell the story of the American flag that led to the writing of what is now our national anthem. Plus: in 2017, the community of Pocatello, Idaho raised a new flag to widespread relief, since its old flag had been called the ugliest in the country! 

By |2023-06-14T08:04:45-04:00June 14, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Hands Across America Brought Together Some Hands Across Some Of America (Cool Weird Awesome 1012)

Today in 1986, Hands Across America! People were supposed to build national unity and help those in need by linking hands in a chain that stretched from sea to shining sea. And at least some of them did.

By |2023-05-25T08:43:09-04:00May 25, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , |

Gregory Robertson Saved An Unconscious Skydiver After A High-Speed Dive (Cool Weird Awesome 990)

He called it just another day of skydiving, but today in 1987, Gregory Robertson saved a fellow skydiver’s life with a high-speed free fall of more than a mile.

By |2024-04-18T08:57:40-04:00April 18, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |
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