Ridiculous History

In recent years the public has become increasingly aware of the long-term dangers posed by sports injuries -- but at the turn of the 20th century this wasn't the case. Football players didn't wear protective gear, and in 1905 alone more than 15 players died from game-related injuries. Universities were on the verge of banning football entirely. President Roosevelt, himself a life-long fan of the sport, knew something must be done. Listen in to learn how the 26th President of the US may just have saved modern football. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, we know this is going to sound weird, but... it turns out one of the world's most popular pop music contests is also one of the world's best examples of 'soft diplomacy'. So what happens when countries that hate each other get together to determine the year's best song? Spoiler: it gets ridiculous. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max continue their obsession with the Eurovision Song Contest. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most popular talent shows on the planet, with multiple countries showcasing their culture through pop music spectacles in an effort to win the day. Some of the songs are utter bangers, some become one-hit wonders, and others are downright... bizarre. Looking at you, Irish puppet turkey. In the first part of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the surprising origin story of Eurovision, along with some of its more controversial aspects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From 1920 to 1933, the United States was, technically speaking, a dry country. The National Prohibition Act made the manufacture, transport and sale of alcohol illegal for the vast majority of the population. However, there were several loopholes available for the enterprising alcohol enthusiast -- and doctors quickly realized they could make loads of cash prescribing booze for medicinal purposes. Join the guys as they explore the rise and fall of the medicinal alcohol industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the gang gets ever closer to finally completing their mission to do an episode on every state in the United States, they arrive at North Dakota. While North Dakota remains one of the nation's least populated states, it's still chock-full of Ridiculous History. And, as Ben, Noel and Max discover in today's episode, the bizarre tale of Fort Sauerkraut may be one of the strangest ones out there. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's one for the cat lovers: Does your feline friend absolutely love catnip? If you have a cat with the right sensitivities, this stuff completely rocks their world. They'll go nuts for it, rolling around in the stuff, chewing it, drooling in a stupor and so on. In today's episode -- inspired by a listener suggestion -- Ben, Noel and Max dive into the ridiculous story of a get-rich-quick catnip scheme, when a New York peddler down on his luck tried to sell catnip door to door... and caused a full-on cat riot in the process. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's Classic episode, the guys return to a strange, oft-overlooked aspect of the Civil War. From 1861 to 1865, the United States of America was a country divided. More than a century later, it remains America's bloodiest war. After the cessation of conflicts and the surrender of the Confederate army, General Robert E. Lee found himself constantly approached to endorse numerous different memorials, statues and other structures. There was just one problem -- he apparently hated them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever taken an IQ test? Originally envisioned as a way to determine which French children should be locked in asylums, Alfred Binet's attempt to quantify human intelligence took the modern world by storm. Yet, as Ben, Noel and Max ask in this follow-up to lead exposure: How accurate are the IQ tests? Are they genuinely accurate, or, ironically enough... their own sort of dumb? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't do lead, kids! Nowadays everyone knows the dangers this substance poses to humans -- especially children in their formative years -- but back in the day, lead was everywhere. Ancient Rome was riddled with the stuff, using lead in everything from pipes, to smelting, to cutlery, pottery and wine. It's tough to know just how much lead the average person encountered, but breathing the lead-filled air alone may have dropped children's IQs by up to three points. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max discover a fascinating, controversial theory: that Rome didn't fall due to war and economic troubles... but instead, the empire toppled because everyone slowly became dumber and dumber. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's Classic episode: In 1918, as the planet was consumed by World War I, the government of California found itself combating an unexpected and catastrophic enemy: Ground squirrels. The rodents were wreaking havoc across the countryside, consuming crops left and right. State horticulture commissioner George H. Hecke proposed an unorthodox solution -- enlist schoolchildren in a statewide massacre of all ground squirrels. Oddly enough, it worked. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most people think of yo-yos as a fun, old-school toy for kids: a pretty simple, clever device leveraging physics with a string and a weight. Yet as Ben, Noel and Max discover in today's episode, the story of the humble dates back into antiquity -- and the story of its evolution is riddled with ridiculous ups and downs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The results are in: pretty much everyone loves pizza... but what doth a pizza make varies from place to place. Obsessed with a game-changing message from a former pizzaiolo on the inside, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the delicious (and arguably disturbing) conspiracy of what makes a pizza "supreme". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's Classic episode: Were it not for the coal mine, the town of Vulcan, West Virginia may well have never existed. As a rural and geographically isolated community, Vulcan relied on a single, small bridge for its connection to the larger world. When the bridge failed, the town repeatedly tried to get financial assistance from the local and state government -- with no success. In a state of increasing desperation, the Mayor of Vulcan wrote the Soviet Union for help... during the Cold War. Tune in and learn what happened next. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Espionage takes many forms. As Ben, Noel and Max learned in the first part of this two-part series, one of those forms was knitting. In today's episode, the guys explore the stories of phenomenal spies who used knitting as a form of top-secret communication. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a lot of folks in the modern day, knitting is more a relaxing hobby than a household necessity. However, not too long ago, this needlecraft was a genuine -- and effective! -- tool for spies. In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the fascinating history of knitting as espionage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Language is beautiful and, in many cases, continually evolving. As a result, we end up with hundreds of strange idioms and figures of speech that we use on a daily basis, with little to no understanding of what they originally meant. Join Ben and Noel with special guests Frank Mulherin and Rowan Newbie, the creator of the Pitches podcast, as they explore the bizarre origins of your favorite turns of phrase in this Classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know pi, right? It's one of the most famous 'irrational numbers' in history, and mathematicians are still trying to figure it out in the modern day. While this may seem arcane to some of us non-mathheads, in today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn these numbers were3 once such a big deal that legends say folks got murdered for discovering them. Tune in to learn the harrowing tale of Hippasus, a Pythagorean cultist who discovered irrational numbers -- and, in doing so, pissed off the Gods so much that they drowned him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Fox sisters became global superstars for their purported ability to speak with the dead, the Spiritualism movement became both a social phenomena and a booming business. Yet along with the rise of true believers and performing psychics, an army of skeptics and investigators rose as well... and the questions they asked eventually brought the entirety of the movement down. Join Ben, Noel, Max and returning special guest Jonathan Strickland (aka The Quizster) for the second part of this special two-part episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Language is beautiful and, in many cases, continually evolving. As a result, we end up with hundreds of strange idioms and figures of speech that we use on a daily basis, with little to no understanding of what they originally meant. Join the guys with special guests Frank Mulherin and Rowan Newbie, the creator of the Pitches podcast, as they explore the bizarre origins of your favorite turns of phrase in this week's Classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a pickle for the ages: What happens when you die? The Spiritualism movement may seem obscure today -- but back in the mid-19th century, this religious and social phenomenon absolutely rocked the modern world. In the first part of this special two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max welcome back Jonathan Strickland (aka the Quizster) to explore the rise of this movement... and Jonathan promises to behave. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.