New England versus Vampires, Part One: The Brutal, Terrifying Life of Early Colonists

UNLIMITED

Ridiculous History: Trailer: 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 History, a podcast by HowStuffWorks. by Ridiculous History

1 min listen

UNLIMITED

Butter: Protestantism's Secret Ingredient?: The Protestant Reformation remains one of the most significant cultural events in the Western world. Martin Luther's 95 Theses addressed numerous concerns with the Catholic church, including corruption and the practice of granting dispensations -- allowin by Ridiculous History

34 min listen

UNLIMITED

Why do British lawyers wear wigs?: For centuries some lawyers and judges in the U.K. have worn distinctive wigs during court proceedings. But why? Join Ben and Noel as they explore the strange history of the peruke. by Ridiculous History

30 min listen

UNLIMITED

The Rise of Harvey Wiley's Poison Squad: Nowadays U.S. grocery shoppers can be reasonably certain that the foods they purchase are safe (if not healthy). But this wasn't always the case. In fact, if it wasn't for one extremely driven, imperfect man on a mission to clean up America's food industr by Ridiculous History

33 min listen

UNLIMITED

Nazis, Churchill and Chocolate: When Lord Victor Rothschild first heard the news, he was incredulous -- surely Nazi Germany wasn't seriously planning to assassinate Winston Churchill with an exploding chocolate bar. However, Rothschild learned the intelligence reports were solid and was by Ridiculous History

26 min listen

UNLIMITED

X-Rays, Songs and Soviets: The Stilyagi Story: Caught between the conflicting ideologies of the Cold War, Soviet teens were banned from collecting Western music -- smuggled records could be both rare and expensive. The solution? Discarded X-rays, also known as 'bone recordings'. Join the guys as they by Ridiculous History

30 min listen

UNLIMITED

Who solves murders in Antarctica?: Antarctica is home to one of the most brutal climates on the planet, and the few humans living on this continent face profound isolation and cramped quarters. Often, tension rises as the months between supply runs pile up -- so what happens when something by Ridiculous History

26 min listen

UNLIMITED

The Rotten, Sausagey Secret Origin of Botox: Today botox is one of the world's most well-known wrinkle treatments, as well as a go-to joke in the realm of pop culture. But where did this treatment come from, and what on Earth does it have to do with sausage? Join Ben and Noel as they trace the origi by Ridiculous History

30 min listen

UNLIMITED

When People Thought They Were Made of Glass: In 1422, King Charles VI died after ruling France for more than 40 years. He was also remembered as Charles the Mad, in part because he was convinced that his body was made of glass and would shatter upon contact with other people. This condition, known a by Ridiculous History

27 min listen

UNLIMITED

How White America Tried to Destroy Chinese Restaurants: Today Chinese restaurants serve some of the most popular cuisine in the United States, with more than 41,000 restaurants scattered around the country. Yet in the 1900s these restaurants were so controversial that labor unions, hate groups and even politic by Ridiculous History

34 min listen

UNLIMITED

What's the deal with smashing cake at weddings?: Weddings are an ancient tradition, and over the millenia the various rituals associated with (theoretically) life-long partnership have evolved and changed. One ritual in particular became both prominent and controversial in the West: the act of newly-mar by Ridiculous History

27 min listen

UNLIMITED

The Wild Hippos of Pablo Escobar: When notorious drug kingpin Pable Escobar died, he left behind a legacy of brutal crime, opulent living and, oddly enough, four hippos. Fast forward to the modern day, and experts estimate as many as 50 hippopotamuses may roam free in the lands around Esc by Ridiculous History

30 min listen

UNLIMITED

Does the US Confederacy still exist in Americana, Brazil?: At the close the US Civil War, tens of thousands of former Confederate families fled the US for a small city in Brazil, where they sought to continue living as they had in the days before the war. Tune in to learn more about the strange history of America by Ridiculous History

32 min listen

UNLIMITED

Presidents Love Their Ridiculous Pets: It's no secret that, until very recently, US Presidents were known as huge fans of pets -- and they didn't limit themselves to cats and dogs! Join Ben and Noel as they explore some of the strangest pets in presidential history, from warhorses and cows to by Ridiculous History

32 min listen

UNLIMITED

Did a real-life rainmaker almost drown San Diego?: Charles Mallory Hatfield considered himself a real-life rainmaker (or, as he preferred to describe himself, a 'moisture accelerator') and, when San Diego faced one of its most damaging droughts, Hatfield cracked a deal: He'd bring the water back to San Di by Ridiculous History

27 min listen

UNLIMITED

How James Bond Created a Mexican Dia de los Muertos Tradition by Ridiculous History

26 min listen

UNLIMITED

When (and why) did the US start calling its citizens consumers?: Today, the terms "citizen" and "consumer" are often used interchangeably by authors, journalists and politicians. To some experts, this shift has disturbing implications. But how important is a word? How did this switch occur, and why? by Ridiculous History

39 min listen

UNLIMITED

Baguettes and Vacation: France versus Bakers: You've probably heard that France takes its bread seriously -- but did you know France had specific laws governing the lives of bakers? For centuries the country regulated how and when bakers could close or take vacation. Although this may sound amusing n by Ridiculous History

24 min listen

UNLIMITED

Ridiculous History: Episode Zero: 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 History, a podcast by HowStuffWorks. Here's a preview of our upcomi by Ridiculous History

9 min listen

UNLIMITED

Wharram Percy Versus The Undead: Humanity has always had a fascination with -- and fear of -- the dead. And when the small medieval village of Wharram Percy felt they might become victims of the undead, they took drastic, grisly action, committing an atrocity that would not be uncovered by Ridiculous History

27 min listen

UNLIMITED

Conquest via Bird Poop: One Island at a Time: If you land on a deserted island, you might be tempted to search for the basic stuff first -- food, water, shelter, and so on -- but don't forget to keep an eye out for guano! Why, you ask? Well, due to a relatively obscure law, the presence of guano on a by Ridiculous History

31 min listen

UNLIMITED

How Farmers Built A Barbed Wire Phone Network: Nowadays smartphones are an ubiquitous part of many civilizations, but not so long ago telephones of any sort were a rare commodity -- and the infrastructure was enormously expensive. When telephones hit the mass market, companies focused on densely-popul by Ridiculous History

32 min listen

UNLIMITED

Step Aside, James Bond: The Strange Stories of Espionage Animals: It's no secret that espionage and spycraft are common tools in the murky realm of geopolitics -- but not every spy is some sort of James Bond type character in a bespoke suit with a penchant for martinis. In fact, some spies aren't even human. Join Ben an by Ridiculous History

53 min listen

UNLIMITED

Roald Dahl: Children's Author and Secret Agent: Today author Roald Dahl is best-known for his prolific writing career -- but, as it turns out, he lived an entirely different life before he ever put pen to paper to create children's stories. Learn more about Roald Dahl's earlier life as a fighter ace, a by Ridiculous History

37 min listen

UNLIMITED

When Scientists Hid Under Beds To Spy On Kids: Let's say you're a scientist -- how far would you go to carry out a study? Back in the 1930s, two intrepid researchers went into full spy mode, stalking college students in an effort to determine how they behaved when they didn't know they were being obse by Ridiculous History

36 min listen

UNLIMITED

Waging War With Hallucinogenic Honey: Honey is popular around the world, and for good reason. This addictively sweet substance is a common ingredient in hundreds of recipes, and people historically believe it has medicinal properties in addition to, well, being delicious! But in certain areas by Ridiculous History

23 min listen

UNLIMITED

Digging Up James K Polk (For the Third Time): The average American may not hear much about James K Polk in school today, but during his time in office the 11th U.S. President was responsible for a number of tremendously significant policy movements. Today he and his wife are interred in the Tennessee by Ridiculous History

33 min listen

UNLIMITED

London Made a Train for the Dead: When London was in the grips of a cholera epidemic, the already-overfilled cemetaries couldn't handle the extra bodies. So when there's literally no room in the soil for another dead body, what's a city to do? To the creators of the London Necropolis Rail by Ridiculous History

31 min listen

UNLIMITED

The Atomic Whoops: When the US Air Force Bombed South Carolina: During the height of the Cold War, both the US and the USSR constantly ran drills in anticipation of a possible nuclear conflict. While the Gregg family of Mars Bluff, South Carolina knew the Cold War was in full swing, they had no idea that they would be by Ridiculous History

30 min listen

UNLIMITED

When People Waged War Over Eggs: How much would you pay for an egg? Would you kill for one? Join the guys as they explore the strange story of the Gold Rush, the Common Murre and Farallon Island -- the site of California's Egg War by Ridiculous History

38 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

New England versus Vampires, Part One: The Brutal, Terrifying Life of Early Colonists

New England versus Vampires, Part One: The Brutal, Terrifying Life of Early Colonists

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Ridiculous History

Related podcast episodes