The Library of Congress is Full of Super Weird Stuff

Butter: Protestantism's Secret Ingredient?: The Protestant Reformation remains one of the most significant cultural events in the Western world. Martin Luther's 95 Theses addressed numerous concerns with the Catholic church, including corruption and the practice of granting dispensations -- allowin by Ridiculous History

34 min listen

Conquest via Bird Poop: One Island at a Time: If you land on a deserted island, you might be tempted to search for the basic stuff first -- food, water, shelter, and so on -- but don't forget to keep an eye out for guano! Why, you ask? Well, due to a relatively obscure law, the presence of guano on a by Ridiculous History

31 min listen

Why does the Guinness Beer Company Track World Records?: Odds are you've heard about the Guinness Book of World Records, the famous, often inaccurate compilation of various impressive, important, and ridiculous feats from people across the planet. But how did it come about? How on earth did a brewer become the by Ridiculous History

29 min listen

The Strange History of Antarctic Fruitcake: Nowadays fruitcake is considered a stereotypical, often comical holiday punchline, but even in the modern day people across the planet can agree on at least one fruitcake fact: Those things are pretty darn durable! So how long could a fruitcake really las by Ridiculous History

27 min listen

Ben Franklin Tried To Reinvent the Alphabet: For such a popular, well-known language, English is full of strange, seemingly arbitrary rules. Most people just accept these various idiosyncracies... but Benjamin Franklin was not most people. Tune in as Ben and Noel explore Franklin's strange quest to by Ridiculous History

28 min listen

When (and why) did the US start calling its citizens consumers?: Today, the terms "citizen" and "consumer" are often used interchangeably by authors, journalists and politicians. To some experts, this shift has disturbing implications. But how important is a word? How did this switch occur, and why? by Ridiculous History

39 min listen

Who solves murders in Antarctica?: Antarctica is home to one of the most brutal climates on the planet, and the few humans living on this continent face profound isolation and cramped quarters. Often, tension rises as the months between supply runs pile up -- so what happens when something by Ridiculous History

26 min listen

Ridiculous History: Trailer: History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by HowStuffWorks. by Ridiculous History

1 min listen

The Wild Hippos of Pablo Escobar: When notorious drug kingpin Pable Escobar died, he left behind a legacy of brutal crime, opulent living and, oddly enough, four hippos. Fast forward to the modern day, and experts estimate as many as 50 hippopotamuses may roam free in the lands around Esc by Ridiculous History

30 min listen

Nazis, Churchill and Chocolate: When Lord Victor Rothschild first heard the news, he was incredulous -- surely Nazi Germany wasn't seriously planning to assassinate Winston Churchill with an exploding chocolate bar. However, Rothschild learned the intelligence reports were solid and was by Ridiculous History

26 min listen

How White America Tried to Destroy Chinese Restaurants: Today Chinese restaurants serve some of the most popular cuisine in the United States, with more than 41,000 restaurants scattered around the country. Yet in the 1900s these restaurants were so controversial that labor unions, hate groups and even politic by Ridiculous History

34 min listen

Roald Dahl: Children's Author and Secret Agent: Today author Roald Dahl is best-known for his prolific writing career -- but, as it turns out, he lived an entirely different life before he ever put pen to paper to create children's stories. Learn more about Roald Dahl's earlier life as a fighter ace, a by Ridiculous History

37 min listen

Ridiculous History: Episode Zero: History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by HowStuffWorks. Here's a preview of our upcomi by Ridiculous History

9 min listen

X-Rays, Songs and Soviets: The Stilyagi Story: Caught between the conflicting ideologies of the Cold War, Soviet teens were banned from collecting Western music -- smuggled records could be both rare and expensive. The solution? Discarded X-rays, also known as 'bone recordings'. Join the guys as they by Ridiculous History

30 min listen

Did a real-life rainmaker almost drown San Diego?: Charles Mallory Hatfield considered himself a real-life rainmaker (or, as he preferred to describe himself, a 'moisture accelerator') and, when San Diego faced one of its most damaging droughts, Hatfield cracked a deal: He'd bring the water back to San Di by Ridiculous History

27 min listen

Wharram Percy Versus The Undead: Humanity has always had a fascination with -- and fear of -- the dead. And when the small medieval village of Wharram Percy felt they might become victims of the undead, they took drastic, grisly action, committing an atrocity that would not be uncovered by Ridiculous History

27 min listen

The Atomic Whoops: When the US Air Force Bombed South Carolina: During the height of the Cold War, both the US and the USSR constantly ran drills in anticipation of a possible nuclear conflict. While the Gregg family of Mars Bluff, South Carolina knew the Cold War was in full swing, they had no idea that they would be by Ridiculous History

30 min listen

The Weird World of Meat Jell-O (Gelatin Origin Story): Today Jell-O and other gelatin foodstuffs are generally relegated to world of desserts, but this wasn't always the case. In fact, gelatin took a long, strange path from ancient history to modern-day grocery shelves -- and got pretty gross along the way. T by Ridiculous History

35 min listen

The Killer Marketing Campaign Behind Guy Fawkes: Nowadays people across the planet are familiar with the story of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. People even celebrate the anniversary of the event, often interpreting it as a protest against overarching government authority. However, the real story is by Ridiculous History

44 min listen

When the Puritans Canceled Christmas: Nowadays Christmas is a globally-recognized holiday celebrated by millions of people, but in the past this wasn't the case. In fact, some groups of Christians detested the holiday, going so far as to ban it completely. So what led Puritans to ban one of t by Ridiculous History

27 min listen

Does the US Confederacy still exist in Americana, Brazil?: At the close the US Civil War, tens of thousands of former Confederate families fled the US for a small city in Brazil, where they sought to continue living as they had in the days before the war. Tune in to learn more about the strange history of America by Ridiculous History

32 min listen

What's the deal with smashing cake at weddings?: Weddings are an ancient tradition, and over the millenia the various rituals associated with (theoretically) life-long partnership have evolved and changed. One ritual in particular became both prominent and controversial in the West: the act of newly-mar by Ridiculous History

27 min listen

Why do British lawyers wear wigs?: For centuries some lawyers and judges in the U.K. have worn distinctive wigs during court proceedings. But why? Join Ben and Noel as they explore the strange history of the peruke. by Ridiculous History

30 min listen

London Made a Train for the Dead: When London was in the grips of a cholera epidemic, the already-overfilled cemetaries couldn't handle the extra bodies. So when there's literally no room in the soil for another dead body, what's a city to do? To the creators of the London Necropolis Rail by Ridiculous History

31 min listen

Japan, Baseball and the Curse of the Colonel by Ridiculous History

36 min listen

What was the 'Great Stink' of London?: Every city has its drawbacks -- parking, for example, or crime, or the price of a decent pizza slice -- but in the 1800s London faced a particularly unusual and disgusting problem: the city literally stank. And this wasn't an occasional whiff of urine or by Ridiculous History

39 min listen

Vitamin Donuts Were A Real Thing: Donuts: they're sweet, delectable and dangerous. Nowadays they're best known as a sugary snack or a nice accompaniment to a cup of coffee, but this wasn't always the case. In fact, for a few years manufacturers tried to sell them as -- believe it or not - by Ridiculous History

29 min listen

Baguettes and Vacation: France versus Bakers: You've probably heard that France takes its bread seriously -- but did you know France had specific laws governing the lives of bakers? For centuries the country regulated how and when bakers could close or take vacation. Although this may sound amusing n by Ridiculous History

24 min listen

Step Aside, James Bond: The Strange Stories of Espionage Animals: It's no secret that espionage and spycraft are common tools in the murky realm of geopolitics -- but not every spy is some sort of James Bond type character in a bespoke suit with a penchant for martinis. In fact, some spies aren't even human. Join Ben an by Ridiculous History

53 min listen

How MLK influenced Star Trek: Star Trek is one of the world's most well-known sci-fi franchises, spanning decades in film, TV, books, games and more. While it's had its fair share of lighthearted moments (hello, Tribbles!), its vision of a more equal, peaceful human civilization has m by Ridiculous History

29 min listen

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The Library of Congress is Full of Super Weird Stuff

The Library of Congress is Full of Super Weird Stuff

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