Abel Gonzales Is The Fried Food King Of The Texas State Fair (Cool Weird Awesome 856)
The Texas State Fair is getting underway, and if it's fried food you're after, you have Abel Gonzales Jr., aka "Fried Jesus," to thank.
Mike Yurosek, The Founding Father Of Baby Carrots (Cool Weird Awesome 854)
One hundred years ago today was the birthday of Mike Yurosek, the father of the baby carrot. Here's the story of how he came up with the idea.
John Harrison Lived The Dream As A World-Class Ice Cream Taste Tester (Cool Weird Awesome 805)
It's National Ice Cream Month, and here's the story of a guy who tasted hundreds of millions of gallons of the sweet stuff: John Harrison, longtime ice cream tester.
If It’s Thursday, It’s Time For Pea Soup And Pancakes In Sweden (Cool Weird Awesome 790)
This past Monday was National Day in Sweden, but it's Thursday that the real fun gets underway, because that’s when people eat pea soup and pancakes. Together.
Hanson Gregory, The Sea Captain Who Gave The Doughnut Its Hole (Cool Weird Awesome 786)
Fried dough cakes have been around seemingly forever, but for National Doughnut Day, we have the story of an innovation that helped make this treat the icon that it is today: the invention of the doughnut hole.
The Sometimes Salty History of the Cheez-It (Cool Weird Awesome 777)
Today in 1921, Green and Green cracker company of Dayton, Ohio trademarked the name of a new product that is still doing quite well: it’s the birthday of the Cheez-It.
A Chef Got Irritated With A Wealthy Diner And That’s Why We Have Potato Chips (Cool Weird Awesome 731)
It's National Potato Chip Day, so of course we’re going to take you through the history of potato chips and the story of chef George Crum, the man sometimes called “the Edison of grease.”
A Delicious Cookie With A Bad Name Won’t Taste As Sweet (Cool Weird Awesome 712)
Research from the Ohio State University just found that the [...]
The Cheeseburger Has More Than One Origin Story (Cool Weird Awesome 615)
This weekend is National Cheeseburger Day, and there's only one such holiday. But if you ask where the cheeseburger came from, there are a couple answers. Plus: for National Pet Bird Day, a story from 2017 in which researchers found wild birds in Australia swearing.
The Popsicle Was Invented By An 11 Year Old Who Forgot To Clean Up After Himself (Cool Weird Awesome 599)
It's National Cherry Popsicle Day, so obviously, we have to tell the story of the popsicle, and Frank Epperson, the 11 year old you invented it. Plus: today in 1969, Elvis Presley sees a bald guy in the audience while onstage in Las Vegas and sings the best version of "Are You Lonesome Tonight" ever.