19 09, 2023

A Soviet Cosmonaut Once Pretended To Land On The Moon To Troll NASA (Cool Weird Awesome 1090)

By |2023-09-19T09:04:40-04:00September 19, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Today in 1968, the Soviet Union was launching the Zond 5 mission, orbiting the moon. But on cosmanaut, knowing the US would be listening, decided to pretend he’d landed on the moon's surface.

18 07, 2023

Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan Flew To Ireland When He Was Supposed To Fly To California (Cool Weird Awesome 1050)

By |2023-07-18T09:42:56-04:00July 18, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , |

Today in 1938, a pilot named Douglas Corrigan was supposed to fly from New York to California, but ended up in Dublin. “Wrong Way” Corrigan became an international celebrity - even if the story he told was not necessarily what actually happened. 

26 05, 2023

If It Had Been Up To Billie Jean King, Astronaut Sally Ride Might Have Been A Pro Tennis Player (Cool Weird Awesome 1013)

By |2023-05-26T09:10:48-04:00May 26, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Today in 1951, Sally Ride was born. She was a worldwide sensation in the 1980s as the first American woman in space, but before that, she was a talented youth tennis player who once caught the attention of the legendary Billie Jean King.

21 04, 2023

When An Apollo Astronaut Had A Gas Problem On The Moon (Cool Weird Awesome 993)

By |2023-04-21T08:40:11-04:00April 21, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Today in 1972, astronauts John Young and Charles Duke stepped on the Moon during the Apollo 16 mission. Along the way, one of the moonwalkers revealed to the world, without meaning to, that orange juice had made him gassy.

7 02, 2023

The First Time Astronauts Walked In Space Without A Tether (Cool Weird Awesome 944)

By |2023-02-07T09:33:16-05:00February 7, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Today in 1984, two US astronauts walked in space. And, for the first time, they weren’t connected to anything.

18 11, 2022

When Alan Shepard Hit Golf Balls On The Moon (Cool Weird Awesome 891)

By |2022-11-18T13:14:49-05:00November 18, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Today in 1923, the birthday of Alan Shepard. He was the first American in space, and the first person to ever play golf on the Moon.

19 08, 2022

A College Student In The 1890s Became The Candid Camera Of Norway (Cool Weird Awesome 831)

By |2022-08-19T16:13:38-04:00August 19, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

For National Photography Day, here’s a remarkable photographic story from the 1890s: a guy in Norway made his own candid camera.

1 02, 2022

Wally Funk, At Long Last An Astronaut (Cool Weird Awesome 707)

By |2022-02-01T06:31:12-05:00February 1, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Today in 1939, the birthday of Wally Funk. She first passed astronaut training in her 20s and could have been one of the first US astronauts, but after some 60 years of trying, she finally got into space.

18 10, 2021

Félicette, The First Cat In Space (Cool Weird Awesome 636)

By |2023-10-04T10:49:11-04:00October 18, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Today in 1963, a black and white cat from the streets of France became the first cat to go into space. She didn't choose to go, of course, but she's a pioneer just the same - and until a few years ago, a greatly underappreciated one. Plus: today in 1922, a girl in Illinois made it to school after being run over by a train?!? 

13 10, 2021

Ellen Ochoa Blazed Trails In Space (And Played The Flute Up There) (Cool Weird Awesome 633)

By |2021-10-13T08:48:16-04:00October 13, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , , , |

For National Hispanic Heritage Month, here's the story of the first Hispanic woman in space, Ellen Ochoa, talented and versatile even by astronaut standards. Plus: an art student in China breaks stuff for art's sake, through a very peculiar vending machine.

Go to Top