The World Has Ankle Monitors Partly Because Of Spider-Man Comics (Cool Weird Awesome 1019)

Today in 1962, Spider-Man first appeared in comic books. He's had a huge influence on comics, movies, cartoons and really entertainment as a whole, but did you also know a Spider-Man comic helped lead to the creation of the first ankle monitor?

By |2023-06-05T06:48:44-04:00June 5, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Ben’s Chili Bowl Was One Of Martin Luther King’s Regular Stops In DC (Cool Weird Awesome 928)

Dr. King gave his most famous speech in Washington D.C. When he was in the capital city and when he was hungry, he often stopped at a landmark restaurant known as Ben’s Chili Bowl. Here's some of its story. 

By |2024-01-16T08:57:35-05:00January 16, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Waiters In Paris Once Went On Strike Over Mustaches (Cool Weird Awesome 753)

This month in 1907 waiters in Paris went on strike. Yes, they wanted better pay and improved working conditions, but their most high profile demand: they wanted the right to grow mustaches.

By |2022-04-12T06:52:20-04:00April 12, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

How Chuck E. Cheese Became The World’s Top Animatronic Mouse Video Gamer And Pizza Restaurateur (Cool Weird Awesome 537)

Today in 1977, Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre opened in California, co-founded by Atari's Nolan Bushnell as a kid-friendly way to promote video gaming and bring the world closer to animatronic mice. Plus: this week in 1905, a film camera documents the funeral procession of the last known surviving veteran of the War of 1812. 

By |2021-05-17T09:20:23-04:00May 17, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

39 Years After Making The First Phone Call, Alexander Graham Bell Joined A Transcontinental Conference Call (Cool Weird Awesome 466)

Today's an interesting anniversary for those of us doing virtual meetings, parties and play dates: the anniversary of the first transcontinental conference call, starting at the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition in San Francisco and calling a very special guest in New York. Plus: a restaurant in Montreal is winning fans for a menu which weighs the pros and cons of the restaurant's own dishes.

By |2024-01-25T12:11:00-05:00January 25, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

These Biodegradable Shoes Have An Expiration Date (Cool Weird Awesome 398)

Shoes only last for so long, but they're made from materials that last seemingly forever. Designer Shahar Asor has an alternate idea: shoes for kids with an expiration date. Plus: a pizza place in Brooklyn is letting customers order "comforting words" along with their food.

By |2020-10-08T08:09:58-04:00October 8, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

How French Soup-Makers Helped Give Us Restaurants (Cool Weird Awesome 303)

It's National Waitstaff Day, and whether or not you're back to dining out, it's a good time to figure out a little of where restaurants come from. (It's complicated.) Plus: the website ThisWordDoesNotExist creates words that sound real but aren't.

By |2021-06-03T08:13:46-04:00May 21, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

If You Miss Eating At Restaurants, Maybe These Ambient Sound Playlists Will Help (Cool Weird Awesome 291)

Missing the sounds of a full restaurant on a Saturday night? Several well-known ambient sound apps and platforms feature a wide range of soundscapes, including restaurants, that might bring those familiar sounds back to you. Plus: the story of a dude in Wisconsin who woke up the neighborhood with his guitar shredding.

By |2021-02-26T10:27:42-05:00May 5, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

If You’re On Vacation, Eat Something Large And Weird (Cool Weird Awesome 117)

The roadside diner is a staple of American travel. And some restaurants make the food a kind of roadside attraction, often by creating meals that are too big to be believed, and often too big to be consumed in one sitting.

By |2021-03-23T10:18:43-04:00August 30, 2019|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , |

The Pizza And Pipe Organ Connection (Cool Weird Awesome 8)

I spent part of the weekend chasing down a little bit of musical and culinary history in Greenfield, Wisconsin, just outside Milwaukee.

By |2023-12-04T06:56:33-05:00April 1, 2019|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |
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