Ridiculous History

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Latest Episodes:

Mark Twain Was a Terrible Investor, Part One: The Legend of "Josh" Oct 01, 2024

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Today, Mark Twain is widely thought of as one of America's greatest authors -- but he was also, get this, a terrible investor. Inspired by his father's unfailing (and unsuccessful) efforts to become a business tycoon, Twain spent loads of time and money backing inventions that either didn't work... or were outright scams. In part one of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore how Twain's early life experiences set him on this path -- and how he originally had a different pen name. Also, this is our Connecticut series.

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CLASSIC: How James Bond Created a Mexican Dia de los Muertos Tradition Sep 28, 2024

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The Day of the Dead is a longstanding traditional celebration in Mexico, and currently hundreds of thousands of people associate it with a gigantic parade -- you know, like the one they saw in the James Bond film "Spectre". There's just one strange twist about that parade: before the movie, the procession didn't exist. Join Ben and Noel as they trace the weird evolution of this event from fiction to the real world in this week's Classic episode.

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What is Karaoke? Part Two: Going Global; Careful What You Sing Sep 26, 2024

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As the karaoke phenomenon became a global pastime, it likewise transformed to adapt to cultures outside of Japan. In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the expansion of karaoke as both technology and culture as well as the troubling ethical nature of AI, arriving their own interpretations along the way.

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What is Karaoke? Part One: An Origin Story Sep 24, 2024

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Nowadays most people are at least generally familiar with the concept of karaoke -- technology allows you to sing along with your favorite songs, often to the delight of your friends and fellow amateur vocalists. It's a global phenomenon, and has created countless karaoke-based communities wherein, if only for a moment, anyone can be a star. In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max delve into the origin story of karaoke, which may have began all because one Japanese guy was mad at his coworkers.

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CLASSIC: Did Richard Nixon Unwittingly Smuggle Drugs for Louis Armstrong? Sep 21, 2024

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It's become one of the strangest anecdotes in modern American history -- numerous sources will swear to you that, in a last-minute panic before reaching customs, legendary musician Louis Armstrong had Richard Nixon's unwitting assistance smuggling a hefty amount of marijuana through US customs. It's bizarre (and pretty hilarious) if true... but how true is it? Tune in as the guys get to the bottom of this bizarre American fable in this week's Classic episode.

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The Nebraska Episode Sep 19, 2024

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Let's be honest: when many Americans think of Nebraska, we immediately think of corn. Yet there's much more to the Cornhusker State than a single crop. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into several ridiculous bits of Nebraska history, from an epic barn move to the surprising, silly origin story of how Lincoln, Nebraska ended up with its name.

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Occupy Alcatraz! Sep 17, 2024

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Alcatraz! For a lot of us, this former island prison occupies an iconic space in the American zeitgeist. It's been home to some of the country's most notorious criminals, and has been the inspiration for tons of top-notch works of fiction and cinema. Yet in today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn this supposedly-impenetrable place was not once, but multiple times invaded and occupied by Native American activists in the modern day.

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CLASSIC: 3 Times Society Refused to Accept New Books on Science Sep 14, 2024

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Progress versus preservation: It's one of the eternal dilemmas found throughout every instance of human civilization. Should we embrace disruptive thoughts and science that challenges our beliefs, or should we cling to the comfort of the status quo? Join Ben and Noel in this week's Classic episode as they explore the tragic and inspiring stories of books that were banned not for racy, fictional scenes -- but for furthering our understanding of the universe and our place within it.

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The Ridiculous, Murky Origins of Pasta, Part Two: From Myth to the Modern Day Sep 12, 2024

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Today pasta is a worldwide phenomena, and the story of pasta's spread is, in a very real way, also a study of global trade and civilization. Tune in to part two of this week's two-part series as Ben, Noel and Max explore the continuing evolution of pasta. (Spoiler: people are still inventing new shapes!)

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The Ridiculous, Murky Origins of Pasta, Part One: Basic Ingredients, Delicious Results Sep 10, 2024

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Pasta is amazing. But where does the concept come from? In part one of this week's two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max delve into the origin of a simple series of ingredients -- and discover there's a lot more to the story.

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