Ora Washington, The “Queen Of Two Courts,” Ruled Tennis And Basketball Alike (Cool Weird Awesome 956)

For National Play Tennis Day, the story of Ora Washington, one of the great early stars of women's tennis who also happened to be one of the great early stars of women's basketball.

Henry E. Baker Made Sure Black Inventors Got Recognized (Cool Weird Awesome 952)

There’s a new effort during this Black History Month to highlight the work of a man who helped get people talking about Black inventors: a patent officer named Henry Edwin Baker.

By |2023-02-17T07:48:00-05:00February 17, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

How Lusia Harris Became The “Queen Of Basketball” (Cool Weird Awesome 947)

Today in 1955, the birthday of a basketball champion named Lusia “Lucy” Harris. Though "basketball champion" may not be quite the right term for her: she’s also been called the Queen of Basketball.

Why Did Actual People Start Building Snow People? (Cool Weird Awesome 945)

There's evidence humans have been building figures out of snow for centuries. But they haven't always been called "snowmen" and they haven't always looked the way they look now. We'll explain how we got the shape and the name.

By |2023-02-08T07:50:22-05:00February 8, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Sound Waves Could Help Keep High-Tech Batteries Going And Going And Going (Cool Weird Awesome 941)

Rechargeable batteries like the ones in our smartphones typically last a few years, but a new project out of Australia could lead to batteries that last nearly a decade. And that's thanks in part to sound waves.

By |2023-02-02T08:57:10-05:00February 2, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Ben’s Chili Bowl Was One Of Martin Luther King’s Regular Stops In DC (Cool Weird Awesome 928)

Dr. King gave his most famous speech in Washington D.C. When he was in the capital city and when he was hungry, he often stopped at a landmark restaurant known as Ben’s Chili Bowl. Here's some of its story. 

By |2023-01-16T08:16:00-05:00January 16, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Bessie Stringfield Became Miami’s “Motorcycle Queen” (Cool Weird Awesome 806)

It's National Motorcycle Day, so it's a perfect day to tell the story of one of the most legendary riders of all time: Bessie Stringfield, whose cross country trips and daring won her the name "Motorcycle Queen of Miami."

By |2022-07-08T07:22:15-04:00July 8, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

How Did U.S. Dollars Get Their Name? (Cool Weird Awesome 804)

Today in 1785, the US Congress decided that the name of our country’s currency would be the dollar. Getting to that point was kind of a trek.

When Jacqueline Cochran Broke The Sound Barrier (Cool Weird Awesome 774)

Today in 1953, Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier. Then again, Cochran moved at high speed her whole career. Plus: today in 1838, the birthday of Alexander Miles, a Black inventor who made elevators what they are today. 

By |2022-05-18T06:19:11-04:00May 18, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Molly Williams Was A New York Firefighter Before There Was a New York Fire Department (Cool Weird Awesome 764)

For International Firefighters Day, it's the story of Molly Williams, an enslaved Black woman who became the first known woman firefighter, and the first Black firefighter, in the United States. Plus: on the anniversary of Rhode Island declaring independence, a visit to one of the state's most unusual attractions. 

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