Margaret Abbott Won Olympic Gold Even Though She Didn’t Know She Was In The Olympics (Cool Weird Awesome 858)

Today in 1900, Margaret Abbott became the first American woman to win an Olympic title, even though she didn’t know she was in the Olympics.

Billy Mills Pulled Off One Of The Greatest Upsets In Olympic History (Cool Weird Awesome 800)

Today in 1938, the birthday of Billy Mills, a Marine veteran, activist and runner who won an Olympic gold medal in what’s been called the biggest upset in the history of the Games.

Basketball Great Lisa Leslie Scored 101 Points In A High School Game (Cool Weird Awesome 711)

Today in 1990, a high school basketball player scored 101 points in just 16 minutes. That was Lisa Leslie, who would become one of the biggest names in the WNBA.

By |2022-02-07T07:05:29-05:00February 7, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Bruce Kennedy Qualified For The Olympics Three Times, And Missed Out Three Times (Cool Weird Awesome 710)

For the next two weeks, Winter Olympians will be going for the gold. That's what javelin thrower Bruce Kennedy tried to do in 1972, 1976 and 1980, but that's not quite how things played out.

By |2022-02-04T06:51:18-05:00February 4, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

The Undertaker Who Developed Automatic Phone Dialing (Cool Weird Awesome 648)

Today in 1892 a phone system that made automated calls - no switchboard operator - began operating in Laporte, Indiana. The first automatic dial network happened, as the story goes, because of a business dispute between two undertakers. Plus: today in 1882, the birthday of John Baxter Taylor, Jr, the first Black American to win an Olympic gold medal.

High Jumper Dick Fosbury’s Biggest Win Was Also A Flop (Cool Weird Awesome 638)

Today in 1968, a high jumper from Oregon, Dick Fosbury, changed his sport forever by winning gold with an unusual jumping motion now known as the Fosbury Flop. Plus: today in 2018, passengers on a bus in Paris refused to make room for a rider using a wheelchair. So the bus driver made room. 

When Countries Stayed Out Of The Olympics, They Held Their Own Olympic-Style Games (Cool Weird Awesome 589)

The Olympic Games are supposed to bring the countries of the world together, but that isn't always what happens. Several times the Games have been canceled, and at other times, boycotts have led some countries to hold their own alternative competitions. Plus: we mark the birthday of the great Black scientist and inventor Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson.

“Eric The Eel” Won An Olympic Heat With The Slowest Time In The Field (Cool Weird Awesome 587)

Sometimes the Olympic athletes who don’t win are the ones who make big impressions. That includes swimmer Eric Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea, who was a hit at the 2000 Summer Games despite finishing well behind the rest of the competitors in his event. Plus: Canadian high jumper Derek Drouin won a gold medal in 2016 when his doctors might have preferred that he rest at home! 

By |2021-08-03T06:53:11-04:00August 3, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Anybody Can Be An Olympic Star, At Least In A Video Game (Cool Weird Awesome 585)

The Summer and Winter Games are typically held once every four years, but for decades the rest of us have been getting into the Olympic spirit through video games. Here are a few of the most unusual ones. Plus: the story of a fencing match that definitely could've only happened in the real world. 

By |2021-07-30T08:15:40-04:00July 30, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Women Couldn’t Compete In The Ancient Olympics, So They Held The Heraean Games Instead (Cool Weird Awesome 584)

In ancient Greece, the Olympics were for men only. But from what we can tell, women representing 16 city-states would come together every four years to weave a robe for Hera, the queen of the gods, and hold a footrace for single women. Plus: the 1960 Summer Games were the first to be telecast in the US. In the days before satellites, it took a lot of work to get tapes from the Rome Games to the US broadcast networks. 

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