Podcast
Ridiculous History
Hosted by iHeartPodcasts · EN
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 iHeartRadio.
282episodes
Episodes
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Badass of the Week Returns, Part Two: Chesapeake Capes
Yesterday00:46:24Summary readyIts a Badass Badass of the Week Week here on Ridiculous History! In the second part of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max welcome Ben Thompson and Dr. Pat Larash, the co-hosts of the legendary Badass of the Week podcast, to learn more about Admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville and the Battle of the Capes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryBadass of the Week Returns, Part One: George Rogers Clark
3d ago01:02:14Summary readyIts a Badass Badass of the Week Week here on Ridiculous History! In the first part of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max welcome Ben Thompson and Dr. Pat Larash, the co-hosts of the legendary Badass of the Week podcast, to explore the life of a larger-than-life Revolutionary War hero you've never heard of: George Rogers Clark.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryCLASSIC: That Time Ohio and Michigan Almost Went To War
6d ago00:34:37Summary readyIn this week's Classic episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore how a misunderstanding of the geography of the Great Lakes started a feud, known as the Toledo War, between the state of Ohio and a territory called Michigan. Tune in to Ridiculous History to hear how the conflict between these lands was solved.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryThe Ridiculously Inspiring Story of Free Public Restrooms, Part Two: The Rise of CEPTIA
1w ago00:33:15Summary readyIn this week's Classic episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore how a misunderstanding of the geography of the Great Lakes started a feud, known as the Toledo War, between the state of Ohio and a territory called Michigan. Tune in to Ridiculous History to hear how the conflict between these lands was solved.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryThe Ridiculously Inspiring Story of Free Public Restrooms, Part One: Everyone Has To Poop
1w ago00:36:30Summary readyToday a great many people in the United States take free toilets for granted. Yet, as Ben, Noel and Max discover in the first part of this two-part episode, there was a long -- and ridiculous -- road from the origin of public toilets to the free facilities we enjoy today. Tune in to learn how the United States decided to 'solve' a public health crisis by charging people to poop... and stay tuned to learn what happened next.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryCLASSIC: The Rise and Fall of Local Scrip: Alternative Currencies of the Great Depression
2w ago00:39:08Summary readyHave you ever been so broke that you ended up creating your own currency? It may sound like a crazy idea today, but during the Great Depression multiple communities actually created and circulated their own forms of local currency. And this wasn't a lark -- it was a matter of survival. Listen in to learn more about some of the precedents for the (world-famous) BenBucks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryThe Kingdom of Callaway: That Time One Missouri County (Sort Of, Maybe) Became An Independent Nation
2w ago00:37:22Summary readyDespite the misleading name, the U.S. "Civil War" was anything but. As North fought South, this short-lived, bloody conflict fundamentally shifted the course of the country. Yet if you go just a bit further west to Missouri, you'll encounter a story history largely forgot: amid the chaos, a tiny county in Missouri succesfully negotiated something very much like a peace treaty with a sovereign nation. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max discover why some historians believe this one patch of Missouri became, for a time, "The Kingdom of Callaway."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryThe Ridiculous History of Saturday Morning Cartoons, Part Two: The Fall of a Grift
2w ago00:45:27Summary readyFor several decades, Saturday morning cartoons were a massive industry in the United States. Every weekend, millions of American children tuned in to watch their favorite shows... and, later, bug their parents for related toys. The studios made bank off this, yet it was only a matter of time before concerned citizens and government agencies started asking: Are these really shows, or just sneaky, 30-minute exercises in brainwashing? In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the fall of Saturday morning cartoons.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryCLASSIC: The Attack of the Japanese Balloon Bombs
3w ago00:34:59Summary readyPicture this: It's late 1944, and you, like thousands of other people on the west coast of North America, have noticed bizarre, jellyfish-like objects floating through the sky. You call the local authorities, maybe even the Air Force, only to be ignored. You don't see anything about this in the papers or on the radio. You are in the midst of a real-world conspiracy of silence -- until, that is, the bombs begin to explode. Listen in to learn more about the attack of the Japanese balloon bombs in this week's Classic episode. (Also: Happy Birthday, America!)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryThe Ridiculous History of Saturday Morning Cartoons, Part One: A Golden Age
3w ago00:42:45Summary readyIn the economic boom of a post-World War II United States the sudden affordability of television fundamentally rocked the nation. From the 1950s on, millions of kids in America grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons... yet, as it turns out, these shows were often light on the writing -- and heavy on selling toys. In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max discover how Saturday morning cartoons became full-on, half-hour commercials for toys. And, of course, how the adults in the room started to fight back.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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