The Ridiculously Inspiring Story of Free Public Restrooms, Part Two: The Rise of CEPTIA
In this week's Classic episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore how a misunderstanding of the geography of the Great Lakes started a feud, known a...
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Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous Hi...
Ridiculous History Podcast Guide
Listen to Ridiculous History, a Society & Culture podcast by iHeartPodcasts. Stream 1,034 episodes in English, follow new audio stories, and play episodes online on Radio and Podcast.
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20 of 1,034 episodesThe Ridiculously Inspiring Story of Free Public Restrooms, Part One: Everyone Has To Poop
Today a great many people in the United States take free toilets for granted. Yet, as Ben, Noel and Max discover in the first part of this t...
CLASSIC: The Rise and Fall of Local Scrip: Alternative Currencies of the Great Depression
Have you ever been so broke that you ended up creating your own currency? It may sound like a crazy idea today, but during the Great Depress...
The Kingdom of Callaway: That Time One Missouri County (Sort Of, Maybe) Became An Independent Nation
Despite the misleading name, the U.S. "Civil War" was anything but. As North fought South, this short-lived, bloody conflict fundamentally s...
The Ridiculous History of Saturday Morning Cartoons, Part Two: The Fall of a Grift
For several decades, Saturday morning cartoons were a massive industry in the United States. Every weekend, millions of American children tu...
CLASSIC: The Attack of the Japanese Balloon Bombs
Picture this: It's late 1944, and you, like thousands of other people on the west coast of North America, have noticed bizarre, jellyfish-li...
The Ridiculous History of Saturday Morning Cartoons, Part One: A Golden Age
In the economic boom of a post-World War II United States the sudden affordability of television fundamentally rocked the nation. From the 1...
People Used to Do Very Weird Drugs, Part One: Broomsticks, Sailors and Vikings
Today, everyone knows the potential dangers of both illegal and legal drugs. Some are more popular and more widely-accepted than others (sho...
Berserkers: Violent Viking Villains, Unverified
Vikings! Even centuries after their heyday, these seafaring Scandinavian raiders are the subject of countless works of fiction and film -- a...
Did Knights Really Wear Suits of Armor?
We all know the image of European knights: clad all over in plate armor, they conquer enemy forces and mythological creatures alike. But......
CLASSIC: Nosy Boraha: The Pirate's Paradise (And Cemetery)
Nowadays most people know the pirates depicted in fiction bear little resemblance to real-life, historical pirates. Few actually buried any...
The Outlaw Origins of NASCAR: From Moonshine to Racing
NASCAR! This thoroughly American racing organization is huge in the United States -- and has a lot of international gearhead fans, as well....
The Real Johnny Appleseed was SUPER WEIRD (and Pretty Cool)
For a lot grade-school kids in the States, the story of Johnny Appleseed is a modern American myth. The story centers on a quixotic, wanderi...
CLASSIC: How the Black Death Came To Norway On A Ghost Ship
In the 1300s, the Black Death sprang up in central Asia and swept across continents, killing millions. Quarantines became common as various...
Germans, Sausages and Dachshunds: Oh, My!
From baseball games to picnics, from street vendors to haute cuisine, the humble hot dog is an American icon. But where did it come from, an...
The Ridiculous History of Atlanta's Street Names
OK, folks: yes, Ben, Noel and Max are well aware of Atlanta's bizarre habit of naming every other street 'Peachtree' something-or-other. But...
CLASSIC: Susanna Caroline Matilda: The Colonial Grifter Princess
In this week's Classic episode: Have you ever dreamed about shedding your old identity, casting aside your obligations and becoming an entir...
A Samurai Walks Into The White House
History is often taught as a series of discrete, unrelated events -- and that could not be further from the truth. In today's episode, Ben,...
What is SantaCon -- and Why Do So Many People Hate it?
One thing about the United States -- we'll throw a party for anything. As a result, it's no surprise that back in 1994, a group of well-mean...
CLASSIC: History's Weirdest Flexes, Part Two
While the phrase 'weird flex' may be relatively recent, it turns out that this phenomenon is as old as human civilization. Join the guys wit...