Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson
By Brady Carlson
Cool Weird Awesome with Brady CarlsonSep 11, 2020
Fine Art Week: Edmonia Lewis, A Sculptor Who Brought Her Subjects To Life
This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from October 2021, the story of sculptor Edmonia Lewis. She was born in the 1840s to a Black father and a Chippewa mother, and became the first Native American and Black woman to become an acclaimed sculptor. Plus: the exhibit known as Little Canada features miniature versions of some of this big country’s most famous cities, landmarks and attractions.
Edmonia Lewis (Smithsonian American Art Museum)
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Fine Art Week: Why Is It So Hard To Tell A Real Rembrandt Painting From A Copy?
This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from September 2020, why even researchers run into challenges in verifying whether a Rembrandt is really his work or just a simulation. Plus: an interactive online map of continental drift can show you where a town or city used to be hundreds of millions of years ago.
The Rembrandt Research Project: Past, Present, Future
A Supposedly Fake Rembrandt Might Just Be Real (Vanity Fair)
Map Lets You See How Your Hometown has Moved Across 750 Million Years of Continental Drift (Good News Network)
Fine Art Week: Sarah Biffin, A 19th Century Painter “Without Hands” Who’s Getting 21st Century Recognition
This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from December 2022, the story of 19th Century English miniaturist Sarah Biffin, a renowned artist who was born without full arms or legs and whose life and work are the subject of an exhibition now running in London. Plus: British Columbia-based artist Elspeth McLean turns round stones from the ocean into colorful and extremely ornate mini mandalas.
Who Was Sarah Biffin? (Philip Mould and Company)
Sarah Biffin: the celebrated nineteenth-century artist born without arms or legs (Art UK)
Found Ocean Stones Are Transformed Into Vibrant Mandalas You Can Hold in Your Hand (My Modern Met)
Fine Art Week: Pigeons Would Make Pretty Good Art Critics
This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from October 2021, a look at the research into how pigeons take in and process visual information, like art. Apparently it's pretty complex. Plus: in Detroit, a local news reporter does a story about a local skateboard park, and flawlessly rides a skateboard in the middle of his report!
The Pigeon as Art Critic (Scientific American)
Van Gogh, Chagall and pigeons: picture discrimination in pigeons and humans (NIH)
Pigeons' Discrimination of Paintings By Monet and Picasso (Researchgate)
News anchor ends local skatepark dispatch by shredding into the sunset (AV Club)
If This TV Show Hadn’t Been Canceled, We Might Not Have Had The Original Versions of “Star Trek” and TV’s “Batman”
Today in 1931, the birthday of William Shatner, Captain Kirk from the original “Star Trek” series. Of course, if a different show he was supposed to star in had gone ahead, Shatner might not have ended up as Captain Kirk at all. Plus: tomorrow in Chicago, it’s St. Ryan’s Day, where anyone and everyone named Ryan is invited to come by and celebrate being a Ryan.
The failure of one toga-clad TV pilot completely altered the landscape of Sixties pop culture (MeTV)
Without our Patreon backers, this show would’ve ended up just like that failed TV pilot
Taco Bell Once Sold A Burger Called The “Bell Beefer”
It's our show's fifth birthday! It's also the birthday in 1962 of the first Taco Bell restaurant, which had a "chili burger" on its original menu. Plus: for National Fragrance Week, a visit to San Francisco's Aftel Archive of Curious Scents.
Was the 'Bell Beefer' Burger Among Taco Bell's First Offerings? (Snopes)
This San Francisco Bay Area museum stinks (Boing Boing)
Our Patreon get an exclusive bonus episode today - it’s like a 2 for 1 deal at a fast food place!
Shizo Kanakuri Finished A Marathon He’d Started 54 Years Earlier
Today in 1967, a Japanese athlete Shizo Kanakuri, finished a Olympic marathon that he’d started in 1912. Better late than never! Plus: a college student asks a professor a question and gets a reply long after graduation.
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)
The Nutty Narrows Bridge Was Built For Squirrels In Washington State
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)
Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally” Became A Hit, After A Tape Machine Cut It To Pieces
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)
Before Alarm Clocks, Some People Awoke With Help From A “Knocker-Up”
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)
Legendary Physicists Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard Once Teamed Up To Design A Refrigerator
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)
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Here’s A Tiny Fish That Can Make Sounds As Loud As A Jet Engine
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)
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A Boycott Against Charles Boycott Gave Us The Word “Boycott”
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)
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New York City’s 311 System Has Gotten Some Wild Calls Over The Years
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)
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Musical Alarms Could Help Save Lives In Hospitals
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)
No need for alarm, but we do count on our backers on Patreon to make this show possible
Cap’n Crunch Once Got Sued Because There Weren’t Actual Berries In Crunch Berries Cereal
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)
Whey Protein Could Help Stop E-Waste
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
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Ruth Belville, The Last “Time Carrier” In London
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)
Police Squad, The TV Comedy That Got Canceled For Being Too Funny
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)
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When Danish Farmers Started Breeding “Protest Pigs”
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)
La Bougie du sapeur, The Newspaper That Only Comes Out On February 29
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)
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If Humans Start Living On Other Worlds, They Might End Up Creating New Accents
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)
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Charles Strite, The Inventor Who Made Toasters Pop
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)
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Whitney Smith Flew The Flag For Studying Flags
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)
Mail Week: How Ethel Merman Helped Get America To Use ZIP Codes
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)
Mail Week: Henry Brown Escaped From Slavery By Mailing Himself To Philadelphia
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)
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Mail Week: Meet Owney, The Legendary Postal Dog
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)
Mail Week: “Stagecoach” Mary Fields, Montana’s One-Of-A-Kind Mail Carrier
This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from March 2021, the story of Mary Fields, the first Black woman to receive a Post Office contract to deliver the mail, and in the Wild West, no less. Plus: the story of a sibling who found a practical use for her identical twin.
The Life and Legend of Mary Fields (Montana Women's History)
Stagecoach Mary Fields (National Postal Museum)
Fields, Mary – aka Stagecoach Mary (Amazing Black History)
Mail Week: When Americans Could Mail Their Children From Place To Place
This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from February 2020, a family in Grangeville, Idaho sends a four year old through the mail to her grandmother in Lewiston, 73 miles away. And she wasn’t the only kid to travel this way after the US Postal Service began the parcel post. Plus: the group Electronicos Fantasticos makes some fascinating music with bar code scanners.
A Brief History of Children Sent Through the Mail (Smithsonian)
We Used to be Able to Send Children in the Mail (KQED)
Barcoders Jamming (Electronicos Fantasticos on YouTube)
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When Missouri Banned Schools For Black Students, John Berry Meachum Started A School On A Riverboat
Today in 1847, the state of Missouri put a significant obstacle in front of a civil rights activist's efforts to educate Black students in St. Louis. But he found a way around it. Plus: starting tomorrow in Wisconsin, the Waupun IceFest gets underway.
How a floating school bypassed racist laws in pre-Civil War St. Louis (FOX 2)
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The Blackwell Family Tree Traces Black History Through Centuries
For Black History Month, the story of the Blackwell Family Tree, a genealogy project that traces on Black family's history back through thousands of people and hundreds of years. Plus: starting this Saturday in Fairbanks, Alaska, it’s the World Ice Art Championships.
A family reaches back to reclaim its history (QCity Metro)
Blackwell-Ashe Family Tree to Take Root in Richmond (Richmond Magazine)
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Haters Used To Give Out “Vinegar Valentines” To Push People’s Button
The whole idea of Valentine's Day is to show a little love, right? Not always. In the old days, some people sent out nasty-grams known as "vinegar valentines" to their least favorite people. Plus: today in 2014, a news report on a guy in China who tried something unusual to keep couples from enjoying a romantic movie together.
When Valentines Were Really, Really Mean (Slate)
Happy Valentine's Day, I Hate You (Collectors Weekly)
Single Chinese man spoils couples' Valentine's plans by preventing them from sitting together in the cinema (The Independent)
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How Ski Ballet Ended Up At The Olympics In The 80s And 90s
Today in 1988 the Winter Olympics began in Calgary, Alberta. There were plenty of eyes that year on the demonstration sport known as ski ballet. Plus: an archeologist has found evidence in Kenya of an ancient form of a classic board game dug into the ground.
Cool Down and Reminisce over the Wonders of Ski Ballet (Messy Nessy Chic)
Ancient 'Arcade' of Games Played for Thousands of Years Discovered (Newsweek)
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The “Hairy Eagle” Is A Decoration Made Partly With Abraham Lincoln’s Hair
It's Abe Lincoln's birthday, and if you want to see a small bit of the man himself, you could try heading to Syracuse, New York, where there’s a bit of Abe Lincoln’s hair in a very unusual decoration known as the Hairy Eagle. Plus: a website took all the clips of WKRP's Dr. Johnny Fever as a DJ, and turned them into a single three hour radio show.
Hair (Amusing Planet)
Guest DJ: Dr. Johnny Fever (Aw Phooey)
Snowflake Bentley Showed The World Just How Amazing Snow Can Be
Today in 1865, the birthday of Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, who gave the world a close-up view of the beauty and variety in snowflakes. Plus: a moment in 1959 that could have used a little more attention to detail.
How a Vermont farmer proved no snowflakes are alike (CNN)
Miscellany, Feb. 9, 1959 (TIME)
ELIZA Was An AI Chatbot Decades Before ChatGPT
For all the talk these days about the potential of generative AI, the systems still have a long way to go. For example, some recent research finds that some human users think ChatGPT comes off as less realistic than a famous chatbot from the 60s known as ELIZA. Plus: with the Super Bowl just days away, a look at how Gaulladet University helped give football the huddle.
Before ChatGPT, There Was ELIZA: Watch the 1960s Chatbot in Action (Open Culture)
When Gallaudet University Football Invented the Huddle (Gallaudet University)
The US Rationed Shoes During World War II, So People Made Footwear Out Of Old Firehoses
Today in 1943, the US announced it would start rationing shoes to save rubber and leather for the troops in World War II. People on the home front found ways to make shoes out of alternative materials. Plus: today in 1915, the New York Philharmonic included a special note in its program asking members of the audience to stop knitting during the performances.
Rationing of Non-Food Items on the World War II Home Front (National Park Service)
1915 Feb 07 / Subscription Season / Stransky (ID: 6287) (New York Philharmonic)
February Is The Shortest Month For Literally Odd Reasons
We're in the shortest month of the year, but how did that happen? The answer starts with the Romans, who had reasons. Plus: a choir in Canada wanted to sing "Never Gonna Give You Up" with Rick Astley, and of course he didn't give them up.
Why does February have 28 days? (BBC Sky At Night)
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Indiana Almost Set The Value Of Pi At 3.2, Even Though That Isn’t Pi’s Value
This week in 1897, lawmakers in the state of Indiana almost added a mathematical shortcut to state law, with a bill that would have set the wrong value for the number pi. Plus: Listen To The Clouds lets you choose radio traffic from dozens of airports around the world, and plays them alongside ambient music tracks.
Feb. 5, 1897: Indiana Pols Forced to Eat Humble Pi (Wired)
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Jessica Cox, The First Person Born Without Arms To Become A Licensed Pilot
Today in 1983, the birthday of Jessica Cox, the first person born without arms to become a licensed pilot. And that’s just one of her many accomplishments. Plus: this weekend, the Quebec Winter Carnival brings back ice canoe races on the St. Lawrence River.
New feat with her feet: Tucsonan, born minus arms, earns pilot’s license (Tucson Citizen)
Armless pilot gives students a look at first foot-controlled plane: ‘Disability does not mean inability’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
When Indiana Tried To Get “Louie, Louie” Off The Radio
Today in 1964, Billboard Magazine reported that the governor of Indiana had called on the state’s broadcasters to stop playing the song “Louie, Louie” by the Kingsmen because of its allegedly dirty lyrics. We'll explain what happened. Plus: tomorrow in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the ICE ART FEST gets underway.
That time Indiana teens ratted out dirty ‘Louie Louie’ lyrics, and the FBI got involved (Indianapolis Star)
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This Smart Glove Can Help People Recover From A Stroke
A partnership between university researchers and a startup in British Columbia is testing out a new wearable device that can track arm and hand movements from people recovering from strokes to help improve their rehab exercises. Plus: starting this Friday in Camden, Maine, it’s the U.S. National Toboggan Championships.
‘Smart glove’ can boost hand mobility of stroke patients (University of British Columbia)
Jean Carroll, TV's First Female Standup Comedy Star
Today in 1949, a first for American network TV: a female comedian did a standup routine on the air. Here's the story of comic Jean Carroll. Plus: Greensburg, Kansas is home to the world's largest hand-dug well.
The First Mrs. Maisel (Emmys.com)
‘A hole in the ground' and other quirky curiosities mean money and pride for small Kansas towns (KAKE)
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Holland, Michigan Has A Snow Melting System Built Into Its Downtown
To clear snow and ice, some of us use shovels, others use snowblowers. Holland, Michigan uses a long series of tubes under the streets and sidewalks in its downtown district to melt any winter accumulation. Plus: now underway in Arizona, it’s the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase.
Snowmelt: A Snow-Free Holland (Discover Holland Michigan)
TUCSON GEM, MINERAL & FOSSIL SHOWCASE (Visit Tucson)
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Cat Week: A 10 Month Old Kitten Once Climbed The Matterhorn… Somehow
This week we’re replaying some of our favorite feline-themed episodes. In this episode from September 2022, a news story with one heck of a headline: “Kitten Scales Matterhorn: Veteran Mountain Climbers Are Astonished”! Here's how the cat, later nicknamed Matt, got there. Plus: a small plaque in Denmark marks a big moment in rock music history.
The cat that climbed the Matterhorn (Weird Universe)
Cat Week: Room 8, The Cat Named For A Classroom In L.A.
This week we’re replaying some of our favorite feline-themed episodes. In this episode from September 2022, the story of Room 8, a stray cat turned classroom cat turned legend. Plus: the Michigan State Fair gets underway today, and hopefully goes better than the botched attempt at a fair back in 1839.
Room 8, The Cat That Adopted An Echo Park School, Died 50 Years Ago Today (LAist)
The Michigan State Fair (LostStory.net)
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Cat Week: A Bike Trip Around The World With A Cat
This week we’re replaying some of our favorite feline-themed episodes. In this episode from August 2019, Dean Nicholson leaves his job and started a bike trip across the world. While riding through Bosnia, he heard a “desperate meow." So, instead of riding solo, he decided the cat would come along. Plus: if a continental bike trip with a cat isn’t your cup of tea, how about a boat trip with a chicken?
Cat travels the world on a bicycle after backpacker adopts the stray kitten and customises bike to take her with him (The Daily Mail)
Boat trip with a chicken (The Guardian)
Cat Week: There’s Music For Cats And It’s Apparently Very Good For Them
This week we’re replaying some of our favorite feline-themed episodes. In this episode from March 2020, we learn about how music can help cats relax during their visits to the vet. But would music specifically made for cats be even more helpful than music made for humans? Plus: a museum in Justin Bieber's hometown that features all the stuff from his career that his proud grandparents saved!
This music calms cats the best, study finds (Treehugger)
How a small-town Canadian museum became a shrine to Justin Bieber (The Outline)
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Cat Week: Félicette, The First Cat In Space
This week we’re replaying some of our favorite feline-themed episodes. In this episode from October 2021, the story of a black and white cat from the streets of France became the first cat to go into space. She didn't choose to go, of course, but she's a pioneer just the same - and until a few years ago, a greatly underappreciated one. Plus: back in 1922, a girl in Illinois made it to school after being run over by a train?!?
Félicette, the First Feline in Space, Finally Got Her Due (How Stuff Works)
Et si Félicette, le premier chat dans l'espace, avait bientôt sa statue ? (Le Parisien)
Today in 1922: a six year old in Illinois made it to school after being run over by a train (!!!!!!!) (New York Tribune via Twitter)
To Win A Dance Marathon, Couples Might Have To Keep Going For Five Months
Today in 1907, the birthday of Callum deVillier, who once won a dance marathon with partner Vonnie Kuchinski after more than five months of steps. Plus: today in Indiana, the start of the Shipshewana Ice Festival and the Shipshewana Chili Cook-off.
The bleak story behind the birth of dance marathons (MPR News)
Shipshewana Ice Festival/Chili Cookoff
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