The UK Reality Show “Shattered” Was Essentially A Sleep Deprivation Contest On TV (Cool Weird Awesome 1163)

Twenty years ago today, Channel Four in the UK first aired "Shattered," a show where contestants tried to stay awake the longest to win a grand prize.

By |2024-01-04T09:09:56-05:00January 4, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

During The Burryman’s Parade, A Scottish Dude In A Suit Made Of Burrs Walks Around Drinking Whiskey (Cool Weird Awesome 1068)

The second Friday in August is an exciting time in the Scottish community of South Queensferrry. That’s when the town holds an event that takes some explaining: the Burryman’s Parade.

By |2023-08-11T07:38:31-04:00August 11, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

The Legend Of Blanche Heriot, Who Saved Her Love’s Life By Keeping A Bell From Ringing (Cool Weird Awesome 1009)

Today in 1455, it's said that the Wars of the Roses began in England. The civil wars over who should be king led to mostly battles but also the legendary story of Blanche Heriot, who found a creative way to keep her love from being executed.

By |2023-05-22T07:23:22-04:00May 22, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

How Insects, World War I, Golf Balls And Halloween Candy Helped Lead Us To Daylight Saving Time (Cool Weird Awesome 967)

Daylight Saving Time begins early this Sunday. People have been complaining about the time change, or the lack thereof, since it first came up. So how did it first come up?

By |2024-03-10T10:14:40-04:00March 10, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

The American Warship That Accidentally Launched A Torpedo At FDR (Cool Weird Awesome 887)

Today in 1943, a US Navy ship almost caused a gigantic tragedy, by inadvertently launching a torpedo at the president of the United States. Plus: this month in 1932, the UK’s Home Office got a complaint about ancient drawing known as the Cerne Abbas Giant and his “impassioned obscenity.”

By |2023-11-14T09:15:14-05:00November 14, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The “Parcel Post Bank” Was Mailed To Its Construction Site, A Few Bricks At A Time (Cool Weird Awesome 882)

This day in 1916 was an important day in US Postal Service history - a rule change that came after the community of Vernal, Utah basically had a bank mailed to them, in installments of bricks.

By |2022-11-07T06:14:12-05:00November 7, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Each Year, London Pays Rent To The Crown For Land That’s… Somewhere (Cool Weird Awesome 863)

The UK has lots of traditions. Here's another one: once a year, sometime between about now and mid November, the city of London pays rent to the Crown for several pieces of land in what’s called the Ceremony of Quit Rents.

By |2022-10-11T09:13:53-04:00October 11, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Carlton Fisk’s Home Run Wave Changed TV Sports, But It Almost Didn’t Get Filmed At All (Cool Weird Awesome 639)

Today in 1975, game 6 of the World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox. The iconic clip of Carlton Fisk waving his game-winning home run fair was caught by the camera kind of by accident. Plus: a couple in the UK gets a ticket because a traffic camera caught their car driving in the bus-only lane, except that they weren't in the bus-only lane. Or in a car. Or in that city. 

There’s A Farm In The Middle Of A British Highway (Cool Weird Awesome 601)

Stott Hall Farm is an unusual place; on either side of the place, there's the UK's M62 highway. We'll explain how it happened. Plus: a couple in Texas bought a plot of land, spent years building a house there, and then got a knock on the door from the actual landowners, explaining that there'd been a mix-up. 

By |2021-08-30T08:54:42-04:00August 30, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

The Guy Who Traded A Paper Clip And Ended Up With A House (Cool Weird Awesome 573)

This week in 2005, Kyle MacDonald of Montreal had a red paperclip. This week in 2006, MacDonald had traded away the paperclip, and, after a few more trades, ended up with a house. Plus: over in the UK, some small towns have traded out the phones in some of their big red phone boxes for a new use. 

By |2021-07-14T08:47:43-04:00July 14, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |
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