Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Today in 1947, the birthday of Burkey Belser, the designer of the nutrition facts label, and someone whose influence is close by pretty much any time we buy groceries. Plus: for National Ice Cream Sundae Day, a visit to Las Cruces, New Mexico, home to a green chile sundae. Burkey Belser, designer of ubiquitous nutrition facts label, dies at 76 (Washington Post)New Mexico’s green chile sundae lands on ‘Most Unique Local Dishes’ list by Yelp (KRQE)It’s a fact that our Patreon backers make this podcast possible

We're getting ahead of Shark Week this year with a story of an ocean mystery: why do great white sharks have a kind of secret gathering place in the Pacific Ocean? Plus: an installation at this year's Venice Biennale might take you back to the stories you read as a kid. White Shark Café: The mysterious meeting spot for great whites in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (Live Science)Mind-Bending Slanted Chapel Recreates the Fairy-Tale Moment Before It’s Huffed and Puffed Down (My Modern Met)Want more shark-themed episodes of this show? Back us on Patreon, chum

For International Kissing Day, here's the story of Richard Ramsey, who spent a work day getting kissed by colleagues to test whether there were any ill effects from certain cosmetic additives. Plus: today in 2023, a news report about a roadworthy car in Pennsylvania designed to look like a 1950s bumper car.My Coal Tar Valentine (LIFE) Knoebels replica bumper car hits Lackawanna County roads (Scranton Times-Tribune via YouTube) A kiss is just a kiss, and backing our show on Patreon is just $1 a month

We’re also a couple days away from the anniversary of the day in 1915 that one of the most famous symbols of the newly independent country went on a cross-country train tour. Plus: tomorrow in Epping, New Hampshire, it’s a stop on the Døds Diving tour. ⁠The Liberty Bell Tour of 1915: A Journey of Patriotism and Unity⁠ (Texas State Historical Association)⁠DØDS Diving World Tour⁠⁠Backing our show on Patreon is :chef’s kiss:⁠

Today in 1979, the US Mint released a new dollar coin featuring suffragist leader Susan B. Anthony. The Mint struck hundreds of millions of them, expecting high demand… but that’s not really how it played out. Plus: for National Disco Day, the story of a gas station chain whose locations have a “disco bathroom.”The Susan B. Anthony Dollar 40 Years After Its Debut (Govmint.com)This Kentucky Gas Station Features a Viral 'Disco Bathroom' (Thrillist)For a single dollar coin a month you can support this show on Patreon

Today in 1874, the debut of the Sholes and Glidden desk typewriter. This was not the first typewriter, but it was the first one to become a hit with customers. It’s also the reason that so many English language keyboards don’t read ABCDEFG but QWERTY. Plus: today in Illinois, it’s the Elizabeth Freedom Festival. A brief history of the QWERTY keyboard (CNET)Elizabeth Freedom Festival Type the address of our Patreon page into your browser, and then back our show

It's National Soda Pop Day, so we're going to tell the origin story of the name 7UP... or we would if there was one. The guy who created the soda never explained what the name meant, even though there have been lots of theories. Plus: we wrap up Pride Month with a visit to Toronto, which is home to the World's Longest Rainbow Road. Untangling the Lie of the 7Up Origin Story (The Soda Fountain)World’s Largest Rainbow Road (Atlas Obscura)Back our clear, cool and refreshing podcast today on Patreon

There's a cathedral in southwestern England with a remarkable medieval astronomical clock, and on a door that leads into the workings of this clock there's a small medieval hole that carpenters cut so that the cathedral's cat could go in and out while on mouse patrol. Of course people in modern times love it. Plus: for National Day in Seychelles, the story of the world's smallest national park. The World’s Oldest Cat Door Has Been Letting Working Cats Enter the Cathedral Since the 14th Century (My Modern Met)Moyenne Island: The world's smallest national park (BBC)Back this show on our Patreon page before the next chime of that astronomical clock

Today in 1931, a scientist in Florida brought home a baby chimpanzee. Already at home: a human baby. And the scientist decided he would raise the two little ones in the exact same way to see how chimp and human measured up. Plus: starting today in Minnesota, it’s Akeley Paul Bunyan Days. This Guy Simultaneously Raised a Chimp and a Baby in Exactly the Same Way To See What Would Happen (Smithsonian)Akeley Paul Bunyan Days Humans, chimps and so on, let’s all join together to back this show on Patreon

We’re in a time of huge technological changes… but today we’re talking about an upgrade that's relatively small. Or, at least, the users of this particular new tech are small. And ratty. Plus: starting Saturday in Duluth, Minnesota, it’s the Chum Rhubarb Festival. BYU engineering students design new wearable tech for search and rescue rats... yes, rats! (Brigham Young University)Chum Rhubarb Fest 2026 Our Patreon backers are the ones carrying this show on their backs

Around this time in 2004, the end of a decade-long court challenge. It was about a guy who turned up at casinos and beat the house at roulette, thanks to a lot of observation and a lot of calculation. Plus: this weekend in Wisconsin, it’s the Ellsworth Cheese Curd Festival. Court backs gambler (The Age)Ellsworth Cheese Curd FestivalBacking our show on Patreon is always a safe bet

Today in 1959, groundbreaking for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis. The Gateway Arch has a unique design that mostly supports its own weight. Or at least that's what the math tells us. Plus: some one-star reviews of the Arch find it too archy. How the St. Louis Arch Stands Against All Odds (HowStuffWorks)Wild one-star Google reviews of the Gateway Arch (FOX 2 Now)Our Patreon site is ready for your very precise and mathematical support

For National Kissing Day, we look at the history of kissing, which goes back so far that it probably predates humans. Plus: starting this Saturday, it’s the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races. Who Kissed First? Archaeology Has an Answer. (New York Times)Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races (Discover Hong Kong)Backing our show on Patreon is as sweet as a kiss, or something

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from September 2020, the story of a man in Illinois, a president of the United States, and the sandwich that’s a link between them. Plus: Calm Office offered a soundscape of clicking computer keys, fax machines, and people talking for those who missed background noise in the early days of the pandemic. Watch now: Richard Nixon ate a sandwich in Sullivan 60 years ago. Here’s the story of the man who kept it. (Decatur Herald&Review)Because People Miss The Office Sounds (Neatorama)Keep us going for (maybe) 60 years as a backer on Patreon!

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from March 2021, researchers find something surprising: choosing a hot sandwich instead of a cold one might help keep you from ordering extra food. Plus: an unusual performance of Guiseppi Verdi’s opera Aida at the base of the Great Pyramid in Egypt! Consumers Buy More Food When They Order Cold Meals and Drinks, Reports Rutgers‒Camden Researcher (Rutgers-Camden)Today in 1912 ‘Aida’ opens in open-air production beneath the Great Pyramid (Victorian Masculinity)It would be fun to go out for a hot sandwich, chips and a drink with our Patreon backers

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from November 2022, a sandwich in New York was maybe the worst of all time, though it wasn't ever really intended to be eaten. Plus: Billy Ocean hit it big with the song "Caribbean Queen," but in other parts of the world, that queen is from places other than the Caribbean. To Evade Pre-Prohibition Drinking Laws, New Yorkers Created the World’s Worst Sandwich (Atlas Obscura)Billy Ocean – European Queen (Discogs)Our Patreon backers make this show the best

This week we're replaying some of our most delicious episodes. In this one from April 2024, a look at the sandwich rivalry between Tampa and Miami, Florida. Each city claims to be home to the authentic Cuban sandwich. Plus: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania hosts the 2024 Artisan Guitar Show. Tampa vs. Miami: The Fight for the Cuban Sandwich (Delish)  Artisan Guitar Show A tasty way to start the weekend is to back our show on Patreon

Back in 1976, a sandwich run that topped them all, when Elvis Presley flew from Graceland to Denver for a sandwich. Of course, giant sandwiches are only one part of the world of Elvis food.Elvis Presley’s “Fool’s Gold” sandwich was born in Denver (Denver Post)A Dish Fit for a King (NPR)Well you can do anything but don’t step on our Patreon backers’ shoes

There were travelers before GPS and navigation apps, even in the early days of the US. And some of them turned to a set of paper maps that became the first US road atlas. Plus: tomorrow in Battle Creek, Michigan, it’s the National Cereal Fest. An 18th Century Survey of the Roads of the United States of America (Library of Congress)National Cereal Fest in Battle Creek, MIWe’ve mapped it out, and our backers on Patreon are the ones who make this show possible

Today in 1971, pilot Sheila Scott began her third flight around the world. Those three flights are only a few of the accomplishments of this award-winning, record breaking pilot. Plus: starting tomorrow in Wisconsin, it’s the New Glarus Polkafest. Sheila Scott: The first British pilot to fly around the world (National Museums Scotland) NEW GLARUS POLKAFEST Fly on over to our Patreon page and support our show for just $1 a month