French President Paul Deschanel Once Fell Out Of A Moving Train (Cool Weird Awesome 1010)
Sometime on this night in 1920 the president of France fell out of a moving train. And the story got weirder from there.
The Wilhelm Scream Is The Classic Hollywood Sound Effect You Can’t Stop Hearing (Cool Weird Awesome 984)
Today in 1921, the birthday of Sheb Wooley, who had a hit song in the 50s called the “Purple People Eater" and is believed to be the guy who gave a scream that's been featured in hundreds of movies: the Wilhelm Scream.
Frank Sinatra Was Once Offered The Lead Role In “Die Hard” (Cool Weird Awesome 902)
Today in 1915, Frank Sinatra was born. He’s known today as The Chairman of the Board, Ol’ Blue Eyes… and he could have been known as New York Detective John McClane, the main character in the movie “Die Hard.”
Helen Hulick, Who Went To Jail For The Right To Wear Slacks In Court (Cool Weird Awesome 888)
Today in 1938, a California woman took a stand in court for the right to wear slacks instead of a dress in court. Here's the story of Helen Hulick and her campaign against "anti-slackism."
Drive In Theaters Were Invented Partly So People Wouldn’t Have To Dress Up At The Movies (Cool Weird Awesome 787)
Today in 1933, Camden, New Jersey became the site of the very first drive-in movie theater. Here's the story of Richard Hollingshead, who brought movies outside so people could drive right up to the picture.
“The Fastest Cyclist In The World,” Major Taylor, Was A Black Sports Pioneer (Cool Weird Awesome 729)
There's a new exhibit at the Indiana State Museum about Marshall "Major" Taylor, a Black cycling star who became famous before Jack Johnson, Joe Louis or Jackie Robinson. Here's some of his story.
“Casablanca” Almost Had A Sequel – Twice (Cool Weird Awesome 665)
After the landmark movie "Casablanca" became an unexpected hit, Hollywood tried a couple times to make a sequel.
Being Nice Really Can Make The World Around You Nicer, Science Has Shown It (Cool Weird Awesome 655)
A University of Oregon study on what's called the “perceiver-elicited similarity effect" finds that when you’re nice, that can lead to more niceness around you! Plus: today in 1910, what’s believed to be the first movie stunt took place. And it was quite a stunt.
Incubus, The Esperanto-Language Movie Starring William Shatner (Cool Weird Awesome 642)
Today in 1966, the official release of "Incubus," the only Esperanto-language movie starring a pre-Star Trek William Shatner. The movie had such bad fortune some people actually thought it was cursed. Plus: a guy buys an airplane, and though he's never flown before, he taxis it down the runway, takes off and has to figure out how to land.
The Parrots That Almost Did Publicity For A Mae West Movie (Cool Weird Awesome 617)
Today in 1934, Paramount Pictures released the movie “Belle of the Nineties,” starring Mae West. And, for some reason, the studio trained several dozen parrots to learn to say the title of the movie so they could appear at theaters and wow the moviegoing public. There was just one problem with the plan, though. Plus: on this World Peace Day, the guy who tried to make the world a more peaceful place by walking backwards.