Muslims Pray Toward Mecca – Which Can Be A Challenge For Muslim Astronauts On A Space Station

Scholars and scientists have tried to figure out how to adapt religious traditions astronauts practice on Earth when they're spending time far above our home planet.

By |2025-09-18T09:39:09-04:00September 18, 2025|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Potatoes Have Made Their Contribution To World Peace

The potato’s influence stretches out well beyond French fries and tater tots. In fact, there was a study in 2017 that said the potato helped keep the peace in Europe for centuries. 

By |2025-08-19T08:47:36-04:00August 19, 2025|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

How Canada’s Flag Ended Up With A Maple Leaf Instead Of Union Jacks, Beavers Or Mounties

Happy Canada Day! The flag you’ll see at events across the country today has quite an origin story: one guy, one red pen and a lot of potential roadblocks.

By |2025-07-01T07:55:22-04:00July 1, 2025|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Defense Scheme No. 1: The Secret Canadian Plan To Invade The US

This year has not been a record one for US/Canadian ties, but at least it's not like 1921, when a Canadian military official worked up a secret plan to invade a bunch of northern US cities. (And, for that matter, the US had a northern invasion plan too.)

By |2025-06-14T07:59:31-04:00June 14, 2025|Categories: Cruel Weird Awful, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

The Plan To Build A New US Highway With Nuclear Bombs

This week in 1964, the US Atomic Energy Commission presented a report to Congress on an eye-opening idea: clearing land for a highway in southeast California with nuclear bombs.

By |2025-01-16T06:13:55-05:00January 16, 2025|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

A Lawmaker Tried To Get Americans To Eat Hippo Meat, AKA “Lake Bacon”

About this time in 1910, a member of Congress thought the next big food trend would be hippo meat. 

By |2025-01-02T07:04:46-05:00January 2, 2025|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Norwood, Ontario Had A Water Tower That Looked Like A Crushed Can

Today in 1957, the water tower in Norwood, Ontario, which looked like a big can of soda or beer, suddenly looked like a big crushed can of soda or beer.

By |2024-12-08T17:00:03-05:00October 24, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Embo, Scotland, Declared Itself Independent For A Day

Today in 1988, the community of Embo, in the Scottish Highlands raised money for a community center by declaring independence from the rest of the UK… but just for one day. 

By |2024-12-08T17:00:54-05:00July 16, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Some American Hockey Players Develop Canadian-Ish Accents

There’s some linguistic research that suggests that American hockey players sometimes start to sound more like Canadians as their hockey careers continue.

By |2024-12-02T10:45:02-05:00May 31, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Kids In Canada Went On Strike Over The Price Of Candy Bars

Today in 1947, the start of a big moment in the history of sweets: kids in Canada protested a hike in chocolate bar prices with what would eventually become known as the Candy Strike.

By |2024-12-02T10:23:54-05:00April 25, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |
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