Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Today in 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a patent for what the paperwork called "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings.” Their blue jeans were originally meant for people when they were out working in really hard, tough jobs. And ironically, that’s what ended up making jeans popular for everyday use. Plus: the Netherlands has a job for people on the internet! How Blue Jeans Began—And Then Conquered US Closets (History.com)Did you spot a fish? Press the Fish Doorbell! Sing the praises of pants and then back our show on Patreon

Today in 1946, the birthday of professional wrestling’s Eighth Wonder of the World, Andre the Giant. What a movie they could make about this guy’s life, and arguably the weirdest scene would be the time he came to Baghdad to wrestle in front of a future Iraqi dictator. Plus: it's Lettuce Month, which means it's time for the annual lettuce eating contest for the University of Minnesota's Lettuce Club. The Sheikh of Baghdad (from Weird Minnesota by Eric Dregni (via Google Books) Lettuce Club at University of Minnesota has lettuce eating contest (The Minnesota Daily)Anybody want a peanut? Or anybody want to back our show on Patreon?

For International Museum Day, we look back at the first museum, which came into the world around 2500 years ago thanks to one very prominent and very busy princess. Plus: a traffic camera system in New York City tries to issue a speeding ticket for a replica car in a museum in northern Illinois.The Woman Who Opened the World’s First Museum in 500 BCE (Messy Nessy Chic)Illinois’ Volo Auto Museum baffled as KITT replica receives NYC speeding ticket (MyStateline)Keep our museum-quality podcast episodes coming as a backer on Patreon

This week we're replaying some short episodes about long races. In this one from March 2024, Japanese athlete Shizo Kanakuri begins a marathon in 1912... and finishes in 1967. Plus: a college student emails the professor with a question and gets a reply quite a long time after the course was over. Better late than never for Japan’s first, “slowest” Olympian (Japan Times)Hannah Jung For all the people that think they are bad at responding to emails (Hannah Jung on Twitter via Bored Panda)Don’t wait to back our show on Patreon – tomorrow you’ll get an exclusive supporters-only bonus episode

This week we're replaying some short episodes about long races. In this one from April 2021, Jessica Anderson sets a world record in the London Marathon, though one that wasn’t recognized as such right away. Plus: NoseID is a pet identification system that can help out a lost dog in record time. Woman Denied ‘Fastest Nurse’ Record Because She Didn’t Wear a Dress, Later Awarded Title (Sports Illustrated)NoseID can scan your dog’s unique nose print to help find them if they get lost (It’s Nice That)Our Patreon backers set a world record every day for being amazing

This week we're replaying some short episodes about long races. In this one from July 2021, a look at the men’s marathon from the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. You couldn’t write a weirder race than this one. Plus: American athletes took home a record 239 medals at the 1904 Games, for one very unusual reason. 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!

This week we're replaying some short episodes about long races. In this one from July 2019, Cynthia Arnold of Missoula, Montana ran the Missoula Marathon while pushing a six year old, a four year old and a one year old in a triple stroller. Plus: Tony Fisher bought some salami and did the only logical thing with it: construct a 2x2x2 Rubik’s Cube out of it.Mom Runs 3:11 Marathon With a Triple Stroller While Pushing 185 Pounds (Runners World)Real Salami Sausage 2x2x2 Rubik’s Cube (Tony Fisher on YouTube)Go the extra mile with Cool Weird Awesome as a backer on Patreon!

This week we're replaying some short episodes about long races. In this one from April 2023, the Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon in 1983 ends up being won by a guy you wouldn’t have expected. Plus: Delaware hosts the Wilmington Coffee Fest. When age and modesty won the race (Sydney Morning Herald)The 61-Year-Old Shepherd Who Shuffled His Way to an Unlikely Ultra Win (Adventure Journal via Archive.org)Wilmington Coffee FestOur Patreon backers get us to the finish line every time, join them with your support today!

Colleges and universities all seem to have their own particular customs and traditions, but few have made students take a vow against one guy, as the University of Oxford did for centuries. Plus: today in 2018, some 18,000 people in Mexico City set a record for a particular type of photo. The persistence of tradition: the curious case of Henry Symeonis (Oxford Bodleian Library) 18,000 Mexicans get naked (NBC News)Take a vow today to back our show on Patreon

National Train Day is this Saturday, and that may be an opportune time to drop by Budapest, Hungary, which is home to an entire train service run by children. Plus: starting today in Louisiana, it’s the Rayne Frog Festival. The Budapest Children’s Railway (Kottke)  Rayne Frog Festival (Rayne Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture) Keep this show on the tracks as a backer on Patreon

Today in 1927, the birthday of Edsel Ford Fong, who became an institution in San Francisco’s Chinatown. People said he was the rudest waiter in the world… and they loved him for it (!) Plus: a new installation at a modern art museum in Berlin lets visitors build with hundreds of thousands of wooden blocks. Memories, anecdotes and snippets through time of Sam Wo (SFGate.com via Archive.org) Lina Lapelytė Fills Hamburger Bahnhof with 400,000 Wood Blocks for Communal Building (Colossal)It would be very nice of you to back our show on Patreon

Today in 1924, the Olympic Games were underway in Paris. And it was at these Games that a former Olympian swimming champion won a medal far outside the water. Plus: Clinton, Iowa has unveiled a series of wooden sculptures around town that nod to the community’s history with timber. 5 Odd Events from the 1924 Games We Will Sorely Miss at the Paris Olympics (Outside Online)Experience the Thomas Dambo Trolls in Clinton (Grow Clinton)Be a champion when you back this show on Patreon

For Orange Juice Day, the story of how the Florida Department of Citrus teamed up with Marvel Comics to create a superhero that promotes orange growers. Plus: NASA teams up with the alphabet for a new public tool called Your Name In Landsat.The Story of Marvel's New Branded Superhero, Captain Citrus (AdWeek)This tool from NASA uses fractions of the earths surface, taken by satellite, to spell out your name. (Present & Correct via Bluesky)You could be a superhero for our show as a backer on Patreon

Today in 1897, the start of an event which gave the city of Nashville a pretty memorable structure: a full-scale exact replica of the Parthenon. Plus: if you like to go to fairs mostly for the food, you may want to head today to Springfield, Missouri for the Corndog Kickoff. About the Parthenon (Nashville Parthenon)Corndog Kickoff (Ozark Empire Fairgrounds)It’s all Greek to me how crowdfunding works but maybe back our show on Patreon anyway

Today in 1934, the birthday of Mario Segale, a real estate developer in the Seattle area who ended up playing a pretty big role in video game history. Plus: today, Springfield, Missouri begins the Route 66 Centennial Kickoff. Mario Segale, Seattle-area real estate developer who inspired Nintendo’s Super Mario, dies at 84 (Seattle Times)Everything You Need to Know About the Route 66 Centennial Kickoff in Springfield, Missouri in 2026 (Visit Springfield, Missouri)Let’s-a go over to this show’s Patreon page so you can drop a few of those gravity-defying Mario coins in there

Today in 1999, the birthday of Tama the cat, who is likely the only cat who ever saved a train line in rural Japan from shutting down. Plus: this weekend in Pennsylvania, it’s the Lititz Pretzel Fest. The cat who saved a Japanese rail line (BBC)Lititz Pretzel Fest We don’t have a cat, but our show does have great backers on Patreon. Join them today

Today in 2018, the official Twitter account for the country of Sweden made a shocking admission: the country’s culinary signature, Swedish meatballs, originally came from outside Sweden! Plus: this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. And for the first time in a long time, kids in Sacramento, California will be able to legally take part. Swedish meatballs originally Turkish dish: Swedish government (Hurriyet Daily News) Sacramento City Council repeals kids’ comic book ban (FOX 40)Feed our podcast as a backer on Patreon

It's King’s Day in the Netherlands; maybe a few people will makr the holiday by taking part in a sport in which people essentially pole vault over water. Plus: there's a new installation at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco that includes a lot of imagination and a bit of upcycling. What is Fierljeppen? A look at the Netherlands' extreme canal vaulting sport (EuroNews)Obsolete Compact Discs Are Transformed Into Towering, Shimmering Sculptures (My Modern Met)Leap on over to our Patreon page and support this show today

This week we're replaying some of our favorite shows about the stuff that makes the world go round. In this episode from April 2022, a visit to a room at the Arkansas State Capitol where you can hold the state’s money in your hands. Plus: Albuquerque, New Mexico hosts the Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest. Arkansas Treasurer’s Office: About UsSouthwest Chocolate & Coffee FestOur Patreon backers put money into the show and make every episode possible

This week we're replaying some of our favorite shows about the stuff that makes the world go round. In this episode from January 2020, the story of how printing enthusiast Benjamin Franklin used his cleverness and creativity to try to head off the big problem of counterfeiters. Plus: New Orleans hosts the Samantha Fish Cigar Box Guitar Festival.Library of Congress exhibit explores early American notes (Coin World)Samantha Fish stops by to talk cigar box festival (WGNO)You can support Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon for just $1 a month! No counterfeit bills, please.