14 06, 2023

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

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

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! 

1 01, 2023

Betsy Ross May Not Have Made The First Flag, But She Really Did Make Flags (Cool Weird Awesome 917)

By |2023-01-02T08:48:32-05:00January 1, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Today in 1752, the birthday of the woman known today as Betsy Ross. The legend goes that after meeting with General George Washington, Mrs. Ross put together the very first version of what would become the flag of the United States. Historians are pretty sure that’s just a legend, but there are reasons why the story came to be.

16 12, 2022

The Ferris Wheel Was Designed To Show Up The Eiffel Tower (Cool Weird Awesome 906)

By |2022-12-16T11:37:58-05:00December 16, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Today in 1892, an engineering team working on Chicago’s Columbian Exposition approved a design for a giant metal wheel that could give rides to passengers. Here's the story of the Ferris wheel and how it was partly intended to one-up a certain iconic structure from the previous World's Fair.

3 03, 2022

Growing Bone Tissue With Sound Waves (Cool Weird Awesome 724)

By |2022-03-03T08:52:50-05:00March 3, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology took stem cells and treated them with high-frequency sound waves, which was enough to convert them into bone cells.

19 01, 2022

Bob Heft Designed The 50-Star U.S. Flag In High School (Cool Weird Awesome 698)

By |2022-01-19T06:44:24-05:00January 19, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Today in 1942 was the birthday of Bob Heft, who designed a 50-star US flag for a high school class project as Alaska and Hawaii were on their way to statehood.

28 07, 2021

The Original Olympic Flag Went Missing For Over 70 Years (Cool Weird Awesome 583)

By |2021-07-28T08:18:30-04:00July 28, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The original Olympic flag flew over the Games for the first time in 1920, in Antwerp, Belgium, but before it could be passed to the next host city, the “Antwerp flag” disappeared - for over seven decades. Plus: scientists have taught a robotic hand to play Super Mario Bros., because why wouldn't you? 

9 07, 2021

Benny Benson, The 13 Year Old Who Designed Alaska’s Flag (Cool Weird Awesome 570)

By |2021-07-09T09:22:20-04:00July 9, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Today in 1929, the then-territory of Alaska flew its flag for the first time. That flag, which is still used today, was designed by a 13 year old of Aleutian descent, Benny Benson. Plus: it was this day in 1872 that John F. Blondel of Maine made pastry history. 

28 06, 2021

It’s The Birthday of “Steady” Ed Headrick, the “Father of Disc Golf” (Cool Weird Awesome 561)

By |2021-06-28T08:51:26-04:00June 28, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , , |

It's the birthday of the guy who took two sports and fused them into one: Ed Headrick, known today as the Father of Disc Golf. Here's some of his story. Plus: it's Pride Day, part of Pride Month, and there's still time to see the original rainbow Pride Flag at San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society Museum.

14 06, 2021

It’s Not Just A Giant American Flag, It’s Superflag (Cool Weird Awesome 556)

By |2021-06-14T09:38:53-04:00June 14, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

For Flag Day, we present the story of Superflag, a 505 foot long, 255 foot tall American flag that was once flown over Hoover Dam (because they don't make flagpoles that large). Plus: a Durham University study finds people can use click-based echolocation effectively in the real world after just 10 weeks of practice! 

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