Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Today in 1963, the opening of a bridge in Longview, Washington. that wasn't for cars, or bikes, or even pedestrians. It was a bridge for squirrels. Plus: Milan's Palazzo Morando is hosting an exhibit of photos featuring the colorful street fashions of people in the Congo and other African countries.  Nutty Narrows Bridge opens in Longview on March 19, 1963. (HistoryLink) African Street Style and Global Subcultures Celebrated in Retrospective Photography Exhibition (My Modern Met) Keep building this show up as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1941, the birthday of Wilson Pickett, a legend of soul and R&B music, and one who had an engineer save one of his future hit songs from a very hungry tape machine. Plus: today in 1970, the birthday of musician and actor Queen Latifah, who is known for a very specific requirement in her movie contracts. "Mustang Sally" at 45 (Interview) – Sir Mack Rice and Spooner Oldham Tell The Story (Rock Cellar)  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson & 9 Other Actors With Bizarre Contract Clauses (ScreenRant) Ride on over to our Patreon page and back our show --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

It’s Sleep Awareness Week, and today we’re talking about the part of sleep people usually like the least: the part where the alarm clock wakes us up. Or, in the time before alarm clocks, the part where the local "knocker-up" pounded on the doors to get people out of bed. Plus: the story of how rock singer Bret Michaels asked to adopt a huskie named Bret Michaels. A 2,000-Year History of Alarm Clocks (Atlas Obscura) Musician Bret Michaels to adopt dog who saved kitten's life (3 News Now) Now is the time to support our show on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

For Alfred Einstein's birthday, the story of how he and fellow prominent physicist Leo Szilard co-designed a unique kind of refrigerator in the 1920s. Plus: the letter Einstein wrote in 1936 for a time capsule that would be opened in a thousand years. Einstein’s Little-Known Passion Project? A Refrigerator (WIRED) Missive (Futility Closet) It would be an Einstein-level genius move to back our show on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Danionella cerebrum is a completely transparent fish that's only 10-12 millimeters long. And researchers have just figured out how it can produce sounds that reach 140 dB or higher. Plus: a resident of Salem, Ohio has one of the largest ever collections of PEZ dispensers, around 4,000 in all.  A 12 mm fish produces 140-decibel sound to communicate in turbid waters (Phys.org) Salem PEZ collector shows off massive collection (WKBN)Help us make some noise as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1832, the birthday of Charles Boycott, whose name has been used for over a century anytime people decide to deliberately take their business away from a group or a company. Plus: this month in Worcester, Massachusetts, you can cover the fees for lost or missing books and DVDs by sending the library a cat picture. Charles Boycott: The Man Who Became a Verb (Amusing Planet) Act meow: Cat pics will pay your fines at Worcester's libraries (WBUR) There are lots of reasons you could back our show on Patreon, and no good reasons to boycott it --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This month in 2003, New York City launched its 311 service, a service that has helped residents with a wide range of non-emergency issues… and a few absolute head-scratchers. Plus: a video on Reddit appears to show someone operating a supermarket checkout in Osaka, Japan while in a full-size, realistic looking cat costume. State of NYC311 20th Anniversary Report (NYC.gov) Part-time cat at Namba-Marui, Osaka - Japan (Interesting as F___ on Reddit) After you’re done asking 311 about stuff, why not reach out to us as a backer on Patreon? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

There's a phenomenon in hospitals called "alarm fatigue" - there's so much loud beeping from machines that it can actually cause problems for patient care. An anesthesiologist and a music cognition researcher have teamed up to find alternatives to the jarring beeps. Plus: starting Sunday in south central Alaska, it’s the 2024 Arctic Winter Games.  Making Alarms More Musical Can Save Lives (Scientific American) 2024 ARCTIC WINTER GAMES  No need for alarm, but we do count on our backers on Patreon to make this show possible --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

For National Cereal Day, the stories of people who have taken cereal makers to court over some pretty eye-opening claims. Plus: did you known Cap'n Crunch once had a nemesis? THE PEOPLE V. CAP’N CRUNCH: INSIDE THE CRUNCH BERRY LAWSUITS (MEL) Cap'n Crunch vs. The Sogmaster (1987) (YouTube) It would be delicious if you backed our show on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Could the secret weapon against electronic waste may be cheese? Research finds a process involving the byproduct of cheesemaking known as whey protein could help recover gold and other precious metals from old computer motherboards. Plus: starting tomorrow in Nashville, Indiana, it's the Indiana Button Society Show & Competition.  Turning waste into gold (ETH Zurich) Indiana State Button Society Annual Button Show  Our Patreon backers are as good as gold, join them today --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1854, the birthday of a very important person in the history of how we keep track of time: Ruth Belville, who has been called the “Greenwich Time Lady.” Plus: this weekend in Las Vegas, the National Grocers Association is holding the Best Bagger National Championship. History: The lady who sold time (New Scientist) 2024 Best Bagger National Championship Right now is a good time to support our show on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1982, the premiere of the short-lived but critically acclaimed cop spoof Police Squad, a show TV executives said was essentially too funny to stay on the air. Plus: a video from 1939 features four brothers from Chicago showing off some very unusual bicycles they'd created.  ‘The Naked Gun’ Spun Off From an Even Wackier TV Show (Collider) 4 Chicago Brothers Showed Off Their Strangest Bike Creations In 1939 (Chicagoist) Keep our show going for a few more episodes as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

It's National Pig Day, so it's a perfect time to tell one of the most famous stories of pig-based resistance in history: the story of Denmark’s Protestschwein, or protest pigs. Plus: starting today in Houston, Minnesota, it's the International Festival of Owls. The Ultimate Mudslinger: The Story Behind Denmark’s Protest Pigs (Mental Floss) International Festival of Owls Want more animal shows like this one? Join us on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

There's a newspaper in France that’s only published every four years: the leap day paper known as La Bougie du sapeur. Plus: apparently February 29 is a popular day to get married, so clerks are preparing for some extra weddings. The Newspaper That is Published Only on 29th February (Amusing Planet) San Diego County accepting walk-ins for couples wanting to get married on Leap Day (FOX 5 San Diego) Support our show all 366 days of the year a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Scientists and technicians are trying to figure out the logistics of off-Earth human bases. If that happens, there's some research that suggests the communities could end up developing their own accents. Plus: a Ukrainian artist develops the Graffiti Color Mixer. Will future colonists on the moon and Mars develop new accents? (Live Science) A Clever Color Mixer That Puts Different Hues Into a Single Spray Paint Can (Laughing Squid) Back our show on Patreon and help spread this show from one end of the galaxy to the other --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today was the birthday in 1878 of a guy who changed breakfast forever: Charles Strite, the inventor of the pop-up toaster. Here's how the idea popped up. Plus: how a Scottish woman was accidentally named one of the top tourist attractions in Glasgow (!?!) The Demise of Burnt Toast: The Invention of the Pop-up Toaster (Hennepin History) Glasgow woman ‘is 87th best attraction in city’ (The Scotsman) Pop over to our Patreon page and you can help support the show --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1940, the birthday of the world’s number one flag expert: Whitney Smith, who not only studied flags his entire life, he invented the word for studying flags. Plus: a company in Japan is making fabric out of apples!  When the World Runs Something New Up the Flagpole, Scholar Whitney Smith Is First to Salute (People) Whitney Smith, Whose Passion for Flags Became a Career, Dies at 76 (New York Times) adam sheet is a translucent and washable fabric made of recycled apple waste (designboom) Help fly the flag for our show by backing us on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from July 2021, the US Postal Service launches ZIP codes to quickly sort huge amounts of mail and get it to where it needed to go, with help from a mascot named Mr. Zip and a jingle sung by Broadway legend Ethel Merman. Plus: a runner in Ontario runs a moose-shaped route through downtown Toronto.  ⁠The ZIP Code Turns 50⁠ (TIME) ⁠Ethel Merman⁠ (National Postal Museum) ⁠Toronto cyclist rides 101km to make the most Canadian Strava art⁠ (Cycling Magazine) ⁠Our Patreon backers got rhythm, they've got music, they've got podcasts, who could ask for anything more?  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from March 2021, Henry Brown escapes slavery from a Virginia plantation in a very unusual way: he arranged it so he could hide in a small wooden box that was sent to Pennsylvania. Plus: a paramedic rescues a doctor from a fiery car crash, 30 years after that same doctor had helped the paramedic survive as a newborn.  ⁠Slavery cost him his family. That’s when Henry ‘Box’ Brown mailed himself to freedom.⁠ (Washington Post) ⁠Little Known Black History Fact: Henry ‘Box’ Brown⁠ (Black America Web) ⁠OC Paramedic Helps Rescue Doctor Who Saved His Life as Baby; Pair Reunited⁠ (KTLA) ⁠Help us make more episodes like this one as a backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from July 2019, the story of Owney, the dog who loved the mail so much that he helped deliver it all over the world. Plus: Freeman, South Dakota holds its annual Chislic Festival, a two day celebration of cubed meat on a stick. (Sorry, dogs aren't allowed.)  ⁠The National Postal Museum tells the history of America through moon mail, rare stamps, and one taxidermy dog⁠ (Roadtrippers)  ⁠The History of Owney the Postal Dog, Mascot of the Railway Mail Service⁠ (USPS Blog)  ⁠South Dakota Chislic Festival⁠  ⁠Patreon backers are Cool Weird Awesome's best friends! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support