Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Today in 1962, the community of Artesia, New Mexico formally opened an unusual elementary school: it was built entirely underground just in case the Cold War turned hot. Plus: this week in Vidalia, Georgia, the Vidalia Onion Festival.  Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter (National Park Service) Vidalia Onion Festival  Our Patreon backers keep this little underground podcast running - thanks!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1900 a newspaper in Ohio ran a story about how three towns in Indiana had used fence wire as makeshift telephone lines, at a time when phones were more often found in cities. Some of these ingenious systems ran for decades. Plus: in Kansas City, the City of Fountains, it's Fountain Day.   Barb-Wire telephone line (Insulators.info)  Barbed Wire Telephone Lines Connected The Old Frontier (Successful Farming podcast)  Everything You Need To Know About Fountains In Kansas City (VisitKC)  Reach out and touch someone (figuratively speaking) as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

If you have any friends that you first met as a roommate or dorm neighbor at college, this show is for you. Research from Ohio State University finds bats can become close when they’re made to live together too. Plus: today in 1930, a newscast like no other. A BBC news announcer declares "there is no news."  Like college roommates, vampire bats bond when randomly paired (Ohio State University) #OnThisDay 1930: the BBC's news announcer said, "there is no news" (BBCArchive on Twitter) Our Patreon backers keep this show flying and making friends! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

National Record Store Day is this weekend. Music has always been a big deal; in fact, in the 1940s and 50s, some people in the Soviet Union broke the law and produced makeshift records on old X-ray plates just to hear Western music that the government censored. Plus: this weekend it’s the Great Delaware Kite Festival. Soviet-era bootleg music recorded on discarded X-ray plates (New Scientist) 2022 Great Delaware Kite Festival (Visit Delaware) You can hear our show thanks to our Patreon backers; join them today! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1865, Abraham Lincoln went to Ford's Theater, and we all know how badly that ended. But five years later, William Mumler "photographed" the spirit of Honest Abe comforting his widow Mary Todd Lincoln. Here's the story of Mumler and his very controversial "spirit photography." Plus: how one of the survivors of the Titanic disaster (today in 1912) ended up having a very surprising and successful career in sports.  When a 19th-Century ‘Spirit Photographer’ Claimed to Capture Ghosts Through His Lens (History.com) The Titanic survivor who won Olympic gold at Paris 1924 (Olympics.com) Our Patreon backers add all the spirit into this show --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Even the freshest baseballs aren't completely fresh. They've been treated with a grip-improving mud that's been provided by one family's company for decades. Plus: if you like to fall asleep to the sounds of a baseball game, the podcast Northwoods Baseball Sleep Radio can help even in the offseason.  Mud Maker: The Man Behind MLB’s Essential Secret Sauce (Sports Illustrated) Harvesting baseball's 'magic mud' (CNN) Northwoods Baseball Sleep Radio is a full-length fake baseball game designed to help you fall asleep (Super Punch) Support us on Patreon for just $1 a month (but feel free to throw in some peanuts and crackerjack if you like) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

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. Plus: engineers at Kawasaki have created maybe the best way to get from here to there, a walking robotic ibex. The Great Paris Moustache Strike of 1907 (The History Guy) Kawasaki's Rideable Robotic Goat Is the Electric Car for Wandering Cowpokes (Gizmodo) We mustache you to support our show as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

For National Board Game Day, we look at the history of Candy Land. That game was designed by a schoolteacher who was trying to help kids in a polio ward pass the time. Plus: a research program finds today in 1954 the most boring day of all.  Candy Land Was Invented for Polio Wards (The Atlantic) The Most Boring Day In History Was April 11, 1954 (Gizmodo) Our Patreon backers make every day sweet --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1975, Aerosmith released the landmark album “Toys In The Attic.” One of the biggest hits from that album got its name from an unusual source - the Mel Brooks movie "Young Frankenstein." Plus: this weekend in New Mexico it's the Las Cruces Space Festival.  How Aerosmith Created 'Walk This Way' (Wall Street Journal via Archive.org)   Las Cruces Space Festival  Our Patreon backers rock --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

It's National Beer Day, so it's a good time to talk about a plan from the 1960s, when beer magnate Alfred Heineken tried to rework his company's green bottles so they could be upcycled into bricks for low-income houses. Plus: it’s beer day every day at the Beer Can Museum and Beer Can Hall of Fame in Taunton, Massachusetts. 100,000 Bottles of Beer in the Wall (Cabinet Magazine) Did Alfred Heineken Invent Bottle To Function as a Brick To Build Houses? (Snopes) Beer Can Museum & Beer Can Hall of Fame We raise a glass to our Patreon backers, who support this show every day --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1837, the birthday of Mary Patten. She became a celebrity when she came along on a shipping trip led by her husband and ended up in charge of the ship. Plus: photographer Andrew McCarthy has put together a timelapse of the moon’s phases that shows its lunar libration, or sway, in all its glory. Mary Patten, 19 and Pregnant, Takes Command of a Clipper Ship in 1856 (New England Historical Society) The Moon Sways Through Its Phases in an Incredible Timelapse Made from Over 2 Million Images (Colossal) Thanks to our Patreon backers, who always rise to the occasion --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

National Library Week is here, so it’s a good time to tell the story of librarians who traveled through eastern Kentucky during the Great Depression on horses and mules carrying books and magazines in saddlebags. Plus: there is a world record for most overdue library book (!)  The Pack Horse Librarians (Appalachian History) Most overdue library book (Guinness World Records) If you like what you hear on our show, please support us on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

The Chrysler Bell Victory Siren could put out 138 dB at 100 feet away. That was so loud it could actually turn fog into rain, and turn eardrums into mush. Plus: today in 2014, a movie theater tried to show a movie about a flood, but an actual flood got in the way.  The Chrysler Air Raid Siren Was So Powerful it Could Induce Rain (Amusing Planet) Noah screening cancelled due to flooding (The Independent)  Our Patreon backers make all our noises possible --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today is April Fool’s Day, but it's also it’s the first day of Financial Awareness Month. So be aware that at the Arkansas State Capitol, you can hold the state’s money in your hands. Plus: in Albuquerque, New Mexico this weekend, it's the Southwest Chocolate & Coffee Fest, where you can spend some of your own money on deliciousness.  Arkansas Treasurer's Office: About Us  Southwest Chocolate & Coffee Fest   Our Patreon backers put money into the show and make every episode possible --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1950, Hot Spring, New Mexico gave itself a new name, by responding to a challenge from the game show Truth or Consequences. And now they have an annual event called the Truth or Consequences Fiesta!  How Did The City Of Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico Get Its Name? (WorldAtlas.com) Truth or Consequences Fiesta (Sierra County New Mexico) By any name our Patreon backers are the best --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1867, Secretary of State William Seward agreed to a deal to acquire the land now known as Alaska. It's an unusual state in many ways, and here's the story of an unusual town that was supposed to be named for one bird but got named after a different one instead. Plus: an unusual website called “Just the Punctuation" lets you type in any text you want and then takes all the words out.  Chicken (Travel Alaska) Got commas? (Bookofjoe) Wherever we go, our Patreon backers help us get there  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today is the birthday President John Tyler. He was born in 1790, and he served as US president in the 1840s. And he has a grandson who is alive in 2022. Plus: this week in Columbia, Tennessee, it's Mule Day. (Yes, they know that Mule Day takes place over more than a single day.)  Grandpa President (Now I Know) Columbia, Tennessee Mule Day  Our Patreon backers keep us telling stories through the years --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1944, Astrid Lindgren of Stockholm, Sweden fell on ice and sprained her ankle. While stuck in bed, she decided to write down some stories she'd been telling her daughter, stories that would lead to one of the most popular children's book series of all time. Plus: today in 2005, an ultramarathon runner from Tucson, Arizona, Pam Reed, set a world record by running 301 miles. She ran for 79 hours and 55 minutes without stopping!?!  Astrid Lindgren, Swedish Writer of Pippi Longstocking Tales, Dies at 94 (New York Times) Tucsonan Reed sets world record with 300-mile run (Tucson.com) Help us tell more stories by supporting us on Patreon  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1948, two meteorologists helped make things safer for those living in the path of severe storms, when they issued the first successful tornado warning. Plus: the Circle Guitar by Anthony Dickens has a rotating sequencer disc that lets the instrument play its own strings.  The Types of Airmasses in Which North American Tornadoes Form (JSTOR)  The First Operational Tornado Forecast Twenty Million to One (American Meteorological Society)  Flash-Tornado Warning! (The Saturday Evening Post via Archive.org)  self-playing electric 'circle guitar' can pick at up to 250 bpm (designboom) Our Patreon backers rock, and you can too when you support our show --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

According to a new study, remembering old times can actually be good for your health - in particular, it may help regulate our response to pain. Plus: Lushfoil Photography Sim aims to send players through extremely detailed and extremely scenic environments to take the perfect simulated photo. Scientists find a surprising connection between nostalgia and pain relief (Inverse) Super-Realistic Grass (The Awesomer) We have years of great memories with our Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support