Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

National Library Week is here, so it’s a good time to tell the story of librarians who traveled through eastern Kentucky during the Great Depression on horses and mules carrying books and magazines in saddlebags. Plus: there is a world record for most overdue library book (!)  The Pack Horse Librarians (Appalachian History) Most overdue library book (Guinness World Records) If you like what you hear on our show, please support us on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

The Chrysler Bell Victory Siren could put out 138 dB at 100 feet away. That was so loud it could actually turn fog into rain, and turn eardrums into mush. Plus: today in 2014, a movie theater tried to show a movie about a flood, but an actual flood got in the way.  The Chrysler Air Raid Siren Was So Powerful it Could Induce Rain (Amusing Planet) Noah screening cancelled due to flooding (The Independent)  Our Patreon backers make all our noises possible --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today is April Fool’s Day, but it's also it’s the first day of Financial Awareness Month. So be aware that at the Arkansas State Capitol, you can hold the state’s money in your hands. Plus: in Albuquerque, New Mexico this weekend, it's the Southwest Chocolate & Coffee Fest, where you can spend some of your own money on deliciousness.  Arkansas Treasurer's Office: About Us  Southwest Chocolate & Coffee Fest   Our Patreon backers put money into the show and make every episode possible --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1950, Hot Spring, New Mexico gave itself a new name, by responding to a challenge from the game show Truth or Consequences. And now they have an annual event called the Truth or Consequences Fiesta!  How Did The City Of Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico Get Its Name? (WorldAtlas.com) Truth or Consequences Fiesta (Sierra County New Mexico) By any name our Patreon backers are the best --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1867, Secretary of State William Seward agreed to a deal to acquire the land now known as Alaska. It's an unusual state in many ways, and here's the story of an unusual town that was supposed to be named for one bird but got named after a different one instead. Plus: an unusual website called “Just the Punctuation" lets you type in any text you want and then takes all the words out.  Chicken (Travel Alaska) Got commas? (Bookofjoe) Wherever we go, our Patreon backers help us get there  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today is the birthday President John Tyler. He was born in 1790, and he served as US president in the 1840s. And he has a grandson who is alive in 2022. Plus: this week in Columbia, Tennessee, it's Mule Day. (Yes, they know that Mule Day takes place over more than a single day.)  Grandpa President (Now I Know) Columbia, Tennessee Mule Day  Our Patreon backers keep us telling stories through the years --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1944, Astrid Lindgren of Stockholm, Sweden fell on ice and sprained her ankle. While stuck in bed, she decided to write down some stories she'd been telling her daughter, stories that would lead to one of the most popular children's book series of all time. Plus: today in 2005, an ultramarathon runner from Tucson, Arizona, Pam Reed, set a world record by running 301 miles. She ran for 79 hours and 55 minutes without stopping!?!  Astrid Lindgren, Swedish Writer of Pippi Longstocking Tales, Dies at 94 (New York Times) Tucsonan Reed sets world record with 300-mile run (Tucson.com) Help us tell more stories by supporting us on Patreon  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1948, two meteorologists helped make things safer for those living in the path of severe storms, when they issued the first successful tornado warning. Plus: the Circle Guitar by Anthony Dickens has a rotating sequencer disc that lets the instrument play its own strings.  The Types of Airmasses in Which North American Tornadoes Form (JSTOR)  The First Operational Tornado Forecast Twenty Million to One (American Meteorological Society)  Flash-Tornado Warning! (The Saturday Evening Post via Archive.org)  self-playing electric 'circle guitar' can pick at up to 250 bpm (designboom) Our Patreon backers rock, and you can too when you support our show --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

According to a new study, remembering old times can actually be good for your health - in particular, it may help regulate our response to pain. Plus: Lushfoil Photography Sim aims to send players through extremely detailed and extremely scenic environments to take the perfect simulated photo. Scientists find a surprising connection between nostalgia and pain relief (Inverse) Super-Realistic Grass (The Awesomer) We have years of great memories with our Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

The HMS Challenger spent years studying the world's oceans and the creatures that call them home. Today in 1875, the mission made one of its most astonishing discoveries. Plus: a company in Tokyo that makes elevator buttons and lights lets factory visitors push a copy of every button it's ever produced - over a thousand in all. HMS Challenger: The voyage that birthed oceanography (BBC) H.M.S. Challenger: Humanity's First Real Glimpse of the Deep Oceans (Discover Magazine) Pressing 1,000 Buttons Is the Perfect Way to Complete an Elevator Button Factory Tour (Oddity Central) Our Patreon backers have kept this multi-year mission going, join them today! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

There really is a robot now called the Pipe-Worm. It's built to unclog pipes, and it does it by mimicking earthworms. Plus: for World Water Day, we look back at a project by artist Dylan Martinez that looks like bags of clear, clean water... or is it?  Worms and cockroaches inspired this robot that can unclog any pipe (Fast Company) Glass Sculptures by Dylan Martinez Perfectly Imitate Water-Filled Plastic Bags (Colossal) Our Patreon backers keep this show moving forward - join them with your support today! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This was a bonus episode for our Patreon backers, who make the show possible! It was exclusively available to them on Patreon for one year. If you want to hear future bonus episodes before that, join us for just $1 a month. The new book "Bitten by Witch Fever" by Lucinda Hawksley highlights hundreds of wallpaper patterns from the UK in the 19th century, a time when some of the pigments in those papers were made from arsenic. Yes, the poison. Plus: it’s Global Money Week, we shout out to Crescent Shay, a designer on YouTube who just made a dress out of money. Death by Wallpaper: The Alluring Arsenic Colors that Poisoned the Victorian Age (Hyperallergic) Check out this chain mail dress made from over 2500 pennies (Boing Boing) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Jaundice is treatable with phototherapy, but not all places have access to light therapy machines. A startup in Nigeria is building solar-powered phototherapy machines to fill that gap. Plus: today in 2021, a guy in England tried to rob a bank, only his handwriting was so messy the tellers couldn't read his demand.  This Nigerian tech startup is fighting baby jaundice with solar-powered cribs (CNN) Man’s handwriting was so bad Eastbourne bank staff didn’t know he was trying to rob them (Eastbourne Herald) It's our third birthday today! Thanks to our Patreon backers for being the bright lights of our show --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

The Brandt’s vole has an interesting way to protect itself from predators overhead: a research project found that the little rodent cuts the grass so it can keep a lookout. Plus: a new company is selling work from home pods/writing cabins made from sections of old airplanes.  Voles cut grass to watch flying predators (University of Exeter) Turning old airplanes into home offices (CNN) Join our Patreon backers for just a $1 a month! No grass cutting required.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1948 that a guy in Portland, Oregon, dedicated Mill Ends Park, two square feet of green space in the middle of a parkway. It's still the world’s smallest park today. Plus: it’s Peeps season again, and the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin wants your submissions for the 14th Annual International Peeps Art Exhibition. Mill Ends Park (Portland.gov) Call for Artists: RAM 13th Annual International Peeps Art Exhibition  Even a small contribution makes a big difference on our show. Join us on Patreon for just $1 a month! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1750, the birthday of an astronomer who definitely made her mark on the sky: Caroline Herschel, the first woman to discover a comet. Plus: residents of Pooler, Georgia, are down one giant mailbox painted to look like a cow, but don't worry, it'll be back.  Caroline Herschel (NASA) Eight Women Astronomers You Should Know (JSTOR) Who moo-ved the giant mailbox? Chatham County landmark disappears, but don't have a cow (WJCL) Our Patreon backers are pretty stellar too --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Maine became a state today in 1820. One of its best-known inventors was Chester Greenwood, who came up with a way to keep his, and many other people's, ears warm. Plus: there's a new world record for longest car, though you'll be forgiven if you don't see a whole lot difference between this car and the previous record holder.  Greenwood, Chester (Maine, An Encyclopedia)  The story of the modern-day earmuff and its inventor, Chester Greenwood (Washington Post) World’s longest car, over 100 ft, restored to its former glory (Guinness World Records) Our Patreon backers give us a warm feeling all year long --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

It's National Potato Chip Day, so of course we’re going to take you through the history of potato chips and the story of chef George Crum, the man sometimes called “the Edison of grease.” Plus: potatoes have been turned into chips, fries, soup and more; now they're being used for perfume.  How the Potato Chip Took Over America (Smithsonian) ‘Frites by Idaho’: Idaho Potato Commission giving away potato perfume (KXLY) Our Patreon backers are all-righta --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Researchers in Europe have built an algorithm that can decode the sounds of pigs to figure out what they’re feeling, whether it's happy, concerned, curious, anxious or just sort of hanging out. Plus: this weekend in Owensboro, Kentucky, it's the Kentucky State Fiddle Championship.  Pig grunts reveal their emotions (University of Copenhagen)   Kentucky State Fiddle Championship Our Patreon backers always make us feel great --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

There's a new exhibit at the Indiana State Museum about Marshall "Major" Taylor, a Black cycling star who became famous before Jack Johnson, Joe Louis or Jackie Robinson. Here's some of his story. Plus: today in 1888, actor Barry Fitzgerald was born; he later proved with an Academy Award that if you win something big, be careful with it.  Major Taylor Fastest Cyclist In The World (Indiana State Museum) Uncovering The Story Of Cyclist Major Taylor, America's 1st Black Sports Star (Fresh Air) Double Trouble for Foxx's Oscar Quest? (ABC News) Our Patreon backers are champions, all of them --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support