Ridiculous History

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Latest Episodes:

CLASSIC: London Made a Train for the Dead Apr 20, 2024

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In the mid-19th century, London was literally filling with corpses. When the city was in the grips of a cholera epidemic, the already-overfilled cemetaries couldn't handle the extra bodies. So when there's literally no room in the soil for another dead body, what's a city to do? To the creators of the London Necropolis Railway, the answer was simple -- build a train for the dead. Tune in to learn some grisly, ridiculous history with Ben and Noel.

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The Page-turning Evolution of the Encyclopædia Britannica Apr 18, 2024

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In a burst of meta-humor, the Encyclopædia Britannica defines encyclopædia as "reference work that contains information on all branches of knowledge or that treats a particular branch of knowledge in a comprehensive manner." It's high praise -- but if there's any single book that's earned the right to describe itself this way, it's this one. Tune in as Ben, Noel and Max delve into the history of one of the world's most famous reference works (and check out our earlier episode on the Oxford English Dictionary, as well).

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A Ridiculous History of Worcestershire Sauce Apr 16, 2024

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It's tangy. It's salty. It's sweet. It's unctuous... but what exactly is Worcestershire sauce? Join Ben, Noel and Max on their continuing condiment journey as they explore the bizarre origin story of one of the world's most famous (and, arguably, strangest) sauces in today's episode.

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CLASSIC: Roald Dahl: Children's Author and Secret Agent Apr 13, 2024

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Today author Roald Dahl is best-known for his prolific writing career -- but, as it turns out, he lived an entirely different life before he ever put pen to paper to create children's stories. Learn more about Roald Dahl's earlier life as a fighter ace, a legendary ladies man, and a World War II-era spy (seriously, like a real-life James Bond!) in this classic episode.

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Micronations: How Liechtenstein Became A Country Apr 11, 2024

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The Principality of Liechtenstein is a small, landlocked country out in the alpines -- and while it's a tiny nation, it has an enormous depth of history. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max continue their exploration of micronations with the last remnant of the Holy Roman Empire.

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Why Are There So Many Captain Marvels? Apr 09, 2024

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Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. It's... "definitely not Superman." At least, that's what Fawcett Comics told the courts, beginning a multigenerational, multiversal saga of strangeness that continues in the modern day. In today's episode, the guys ask: Why are there so many Captain Marvels?

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CLASSIC: When did ALL-CAPS type become YELLING? Apr 06, 2024

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You've seen them before, whether in forwarded spam email, a strangely passionate TikTok comment: THE DREADED ALL-CAPS TYPER.Where does this practice come from? How did everyone agree that typing in ALL CAPS means you're yelling at someone via text? Join the gang in this classic episode as they... FIND OUT.

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Look at Us, Late to the Ridiculous History of Easter Apr 04, 2024

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Easter! It's a big deal, all across the world. And just like earlier celebrations of spirituality, it's been commodified in the United States. In today's episode, Ben, Max, and Noel sneak into the Sunday service just a bit late to explore how the ancient commemorations of rebirth gave rise to one of Christianity's most important holy days -- while also figuring where the heck this huge rabbit costume and egg hunt came from. Apologies to every substitute teacher playing this in class: we only tell the truth, and we tell it ridiculous.

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Royal Deaths, Part Four: The Unfortunate Lives of Scottish Kings Apr 02, 2024

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Have you ever shown off your favorite cannon, or deparately rode a horse through the night for a little birthday romance? If so, thank your lucky stars you didn't go out like two particularly unlucky Scottish kings. Join Ben, Noel and Max as they continue to explore the ridiculous deaths of royals in today's "Whoops, All Scotland" episode.

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The Delaware Wedge, Part Two: The Wedge and The Horn Mar 28, 2024

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As early miscalculations and subsequent confusion continued to build, Delaware found itself in a three-state beef over a tiny section of land -- and though the land itself might not be a large chunk of real estate, the beef it produced led to dangerous conflict more than once. Would the newly-minted US be able to resolve this internal discord without an inter-state war? Learn more in the second part of this two-part series.

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