Joe Hickel Made Massive Gingerbread Villages At An Alaska Hotel For Decades

Today in 2023, a news report on the end of an era: a pastry chef in Anchorage, Alaska was, for the last time, building his massive and renowned holiday village out of gingerbread.

By |2024-12-04T05:37:39-05:00December 4, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

In The Early 20th Century, Some Americans Thought Tipping Was Horrible (Cool Weird Awesome 1292)

When tipping first came to the US, it had lots of opponents, sometimes for opposing reasons.

By |2024-08-14T08:55:39-04:00August 14, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Oregon Tried To Dynamite A Whale Carcass, And You Can Imagine How It Went (Cruel Weird Awful 14)

n 1970, Oregon's problem was a whale carcass on the beach, and the solution officials in Oregon came up with literally blew up.

By |2024-06-01T08:58:43-04:00June 1, 2024|Categories: Cruel Weird Awful, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

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 |2024-06-05T06:59:33-04:00June 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 |2024-04-12T07:13:26-04:00April 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 |2024-05-17T08:03:19-04:00May 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.

By |2024-11-18T07:43:44-05:00January 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.

By |2024-10-08T08:46:47-04:00October 8, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

How French Soup-Makers Helped Give Us Restaurants

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.)

By |2024-12-02T10:08:08-05:00May 21, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |
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