Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

We're revisiting some of our favorite stops on the roads and highways this week. In this episode from August 2019, we visit a giant potato in Idaho that you can rent. Or, technically, a 28 foot long, 12 foot wide structure built in the shape of a potato. Plus: a man from the UK traveling through Amsterdam learns that an Airbnb listing for a "clean room with a private bathroom" can technically refer to a shipping container next to a port-a-potty. Unusual places to stay in the USA (Lonely Planet) Giant potato in Idaho available to rent on Airbnb for $200 a night (Insider) Amsterdam tourist unwittingly pays for shipping container in Airbnb booking  (Sky News) Stay with Cool Weird Awesome as a backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

We're revisiting some of our favorite stops on the roads and highways this week. In this episode from December 2019, we head to Enterprise, Alabama, a community where you'll find in the middle of town a statue of a Greek woman holding a boll weevil. Plus: meet the most destructive holiday force ever, Treezilla! Boll Weevil Honored (Library of Congress) Treezilla! The Godzilla Christmas Tree (Steven Newland on YouTube) You can back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon for just $1 a month! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

We're revisiting some of our favorite stops on the roads and highways this week. In this episode from August 2020, we have the story of a water tower in northern Kentucky that was supposed to be an advertisement, but ended up becoming a local landmark. Plus: we'll explain one version of how Chicken Dinner Road in  Idaho got its name. Why does the Florence water tower say 'Florence Y'all,' anyway? (WCPO) The Story Of How Chicken Dinner Road In Idaho Got Its Name Is Strangely Fascinating (Only in Idaho) Y'all should join us as backers on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

We're revisiting some of our favorite stops on the roads and highways this week. In this episode from May 2020, we visit a rock in Newbury, New Hampshire, with the words "CHICKEN FARMER I  STILL LOVE YOU" painted on it, and try to figure out why. Plus: why is there a giant statue of a  chicken eating burgers on top of a restaurant in Wisconsin? Lots of chicken mysteries out there, I guess. You Asked, We Answered: What's Up With That 'Chicken Farmer I Still Love You' Rock? (NHPR)  Merrill, Wisconsin: Chicken Holding Burger, Beer (Roadside America) We owe all of our episodes to our backers on Patreon! Join us now and help us make even more!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

We're revisiting some of our favorite stops on the roads and highways this week. In this episode from April 2021, we look at Route 66, the interstate highway with the most memorable roadside attractions - including the giant fiberglass sculptures known as Muffler Men and Uniroyal Gals. Plus: a sculpture contest at Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum: the Honey, I Shrunk The Kinetic Sculpture Race! Cruise through the Land of Lincoln on IL's Route 66 (Roadtrippers) Giant Women: The Uniroyal Gal (Roadside America) Honey, I Shrunk the Kinetic Sculpture Race (American Visionary Art Museum) Our Patreon backers are giants in the world of podcasting --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Today in 2016, Celeron, New York unveiled and dedicated a statue of its most famous resident, TV legend Lucille Ball. It took the place of a different statue from 2009 that had been nicknamed "Scary Lucy." Plus: this day in 1928 was the birthday of artist Andy Warhol, who, among many other accomplishments, helped make Pop Tarts popular. New Lucille Ball statue replaces ‘Scary Lucy’ (CNN) 13 Things You Never Knew About Pop-Tarts (Huffington Post) Unlike Ricky with Lucy, we always put our Patreon backers in the show  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

The Olympic Games are supposed to bring the countries of the world together, but that isn't always what happens. Several times the Games have been canceled, and at other times, boycotts have led some countries to hold their own alternative competitions. Plus: we mark the birthday of the great Black scientist and inventor Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. ...And Meanwhile In Philadelphia (Sports Illustrated) Spartakiade: A Bolshevik alternative to the Olympics (The Charnel House) Counter Olympics (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) GANEFO I Sports and Politics in Djakarta (RAND Corporation) Boycott nations will stage own games (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via Google News)  Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson (Black-Inventor.com) Help our show do more shows like this one as a backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Today in 1911, a very strange thing happened in a baseball game: a guy on second base ran backwards and stole first base, the base he'd just been on. Here's his very unusual story. Plus: today in 1901 music legend Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, but if you want to take part in events to commemorate his birthday, you’re a month late. Germany Schaefer (Society for American Baseball Research) FAQ (Louis Armstrong House via Archive.org) Our Patreon backers have stolen our hearts --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Sometimes the Olympic athletes who don’t win are the ones who make big impressions. That includes swimmer Eric Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea, who was a hit at the 2000 Summer Games despite finishing well behind the rest of the competitors in his event. Plus: Canadian high jumper Derek Drouin won a gold medal in 2016 when his doctors might have preferred that he rest at home!  African novice makes big splash (BBC) Olympic high jump champion Derek Drouin competed in Rio with a double stress fracture in his back (National Post) Our backers on Patreon make every episode of our show a winner  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Competitive juggling is a sport that requires skill, concentration, technical mastery and creativity. And there's a push to bring it to the Summer Games someday. Plus: the Sun and Earth are now in an alignment with Saturn, which means our most famous ringed planet is at its brightest in the night sky.  A circus act turned extraordinary sport is making its case for the Olympics (Inverse) You need to see the solar system's most dazzling planet shine its brightest (Inverse) Cool Weird Awesome's Patreon backers are our best and brightest --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

The Summer and Winter Games are typically held once every four years, but for decades the rest of us have been getting into the Olympic spirit through video games. Here are a few of the most unusual ones. Plus: the story of a fencing match that definitely could've only happened in the real world.  15 of the most notable Olympic video games ever made (Yardbarker) France win fencing gold (BBC) Insert coin and you'll be like our awesome Patreon backers! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

In ancient Greece, the Olympics were for men only. But from what we can tell, women representing 16 city-states would come together every four years to weave a robe for Hera, the queen of the gods, and hold a footrace for single women. Plus: the 1960 Summer Games were the first to be telecast in the US. In the days before satellites, it took a lot of work to get tapes from the Rome Games to the US broadcast networks.  The Women: Were The Ancient Olympics Just For Men? (Penn Museum) Rome, Italy, 1960 (Britannica) Everyone is welcome in our Patreon community, join us!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

The original Olympic flag flew over the Games for the first time in 1920, in Antwerp, Belgium, but before it could be passed to the next host city, the “Antwerp flag” disappeared - for over seven decades. Plus: scientists have taught a robotic hand to play Super Mario Bros., because why wouldn't you?  OLYMPICS: NOTEBOOK; Missing Flag Returns to Glory, Courtesy of a Prankster (New York Times) Scientists 3D Print Robotic Hand That Can Play Nintendo (Interesting Engineering) We pass all the credit for our show to our Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Whenever the Olympic Games take place we see athletes giving their all to win gold and glory - but we also see great examples of competitors who show character and kindness toward each other. Here’s the story of two of those athletes, who ended up winning the only half-silver, half-bronze medals in Olympic history. Plus, a musical group finds out that the International Olympic Committee does enforce its trademark rights.  The Silvonze Medalists (Now I Know) International Olympic Committee threaten to sue Brit folk legends for ‘Beer Olympics’ song (The Sun) We'd share our Olympic medals with our Patreon backers, if we had some --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

The men's marathon at the 1904 Olympics could have won a gold medal for biggest trainwreck in Summer Games history. Here's how dirt, dehydration, dogs and more helped make this as bizarre a run as they get. But then the 1904 Games were strange for several other reasons as well. We'll explain why.  Running a marathon was never crazier or harder than during the 1904 St Louis Olympics (ABC Australia) 8 Unusual Facts About the 1904 St. Louis Olympics (History.com) Supporting our show isn't a marathon process, just back us on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

For better or for worse, the Summer Olympics are finally here. We thought it would be a good time to look back at some of the lesser-known events in the history of the Games, like painting and cannon shooting. Plus: Tomas Gomez headed to the driving range just ahead of a storm, and his ball ended up getting hit by lightning.  Painting for Gold Medals: When Art Was an Olympic Discipline (Artnet) Switzerland land military patrol gold (Olympics.com) Olympic Games Medallists - Other Sports (GBRAthletics.com) When the Olympics Gave Out Medals for Making Medals (Mental Floss) One in a million? Teen's golf ball struck by lightning at Topgolf venue in Texas (Golf Week) We'd give gold medals to all our Patreon backers if we were the Olympics --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

We've had stoplights to direct us and our vehicles through intersections for around a century now. A design studio in Moscow has a concept for a high-tech refresh of stoplight technology. Plus: LEGO builder Douglas Hughes pays tribute to the late, legendary game show host Alex Trebek with a LEGO kinetic sculpture of Jeopardy! The traffic light gets a dazzling, 21st century makeover (Fast Company) A Tribute To Trebek (BrickNerd) Our Patreon backers keep this show fresh and high-tech --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Like his famous brother Ernest, who was born today in 1899, Leicester Hemingway was a novelist and a storyteller. But Leicester did something even Ernest never did: he created his own micronation. Here's the story of the Republic of New Atlantis. Plus: back in 1958, a farmer in Florida made his first payment on a new Chevrolet in an unusual way.  Contents of a country: Leicester Hemingway’s Republic of New Atlantis (University of Texas) Miscellany, Jul. 21, 1958 (TIME) Join our Patreon backers, who help us bring this show to people in dozens of countries --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Today in 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. But as the Apollo 11 mission went on, they had a problem: a broken switch threatened to keep them from returning to Earth. Fortunately, they had a solution: office supplies. Plus: the Lunar Lander Dwelling in Washington state is a 250 square foot getaway in the shape of the lunar module. When Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong Were Nearly Stranded on the Moon (History.com) The Lunar Lander Replica House Just Might Be The Most Unique Home In Washington (Only in Washington) Our Patreon backers always help this show blast off, join them!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

It's National Ice Cream Day, so it's a good day to tell the story of Agnes B. Marshall. The "Queen of Ices" helped make this frozen treat the icon that it is today. Plus: on this day in 1975, ground control played the song “Hello Darlin” by country star Conway Twitty to astronauts in Earth orbit. Only this version of the song was a little different. The 19th-century entrepreneur who pioneered modern ice cream (The Hustle) Do You Remember When Conway Twitty Sang 'Hello Darlin' in Russian? (Wide Open Country) Nobody's cooler than our backers on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message