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CLASSIC: The Capture of Guam Was Bloodless and Quick, All Due to a Misunderstanding
Located about 1500 miles to the east of the Phillipines in Micronesia, Guam is a small US territory with a tiny population, beautiful beaches and an incredibly complicated history. For almost four ce…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
Ridiculous Royal Deaths, Part 5: A Blind and Bloody Finale (For Now)
Whether we're talking mysterious nosebleeds, drowning in full armor, or charging literally blind into battle, history is chock-full of ridiculous royal deaths. In the fifth -- and for now, final -- i…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart was Darn Near Unkillable
Born to an aristocratic Belgian family, Adrian Carton de Wiart could have lived the easy life, with a plum job in government or law. Instead, however, he embarked on a bloody, hyperviolent career acr…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
CLASSIC: Are All US Presidents Actually Related?
In 2012 a student in Salinas, California, startled genealogists when she claimed that all Presidents save one were actually related. Could it be true? Join Ben and Noel in today's classic episode as …
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
Post-Presidential Careers, Part Two: Adams, Taft, And More
George W. Bush is super into painting. Barak Obama loves making playlists. Taft decided to join the Supreme Court. In the part two of this week's two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the asto…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
Post-Presidential Careers, Part One: Happy Birthday, Jimmy!
Over here in the US, there's one dream job so exclusive that only 45 people have held it so far: President of the United States of America, not to be confused with the band bearing a similar name. In…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
CLASSIC: What's the deal with two-dollar bills?
Despite being pretty rare in comparison to other denominations, the U.S. two-dollar bill is one of the most storied notes in American folklore. So why do some people think it's lucky? Why do others t…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
Mark Twain Was a Terrible Investor, Part Two: Typesetters, Steam Pulleys and Tesla
Well, Ridiculous Historians, as our pal Mark Twain settled into a life of literary fame, he still couldn't help himself from making huge investments in terrible ideas -- sometimes, at an enormous emo…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
Mark Twain Was a Terrible Investor, Part One: The Legend of "Josh"
Today, Mark Twain is widely thought of as one of America's greatest authors -- but he was also, get this, a terrible investor. Inspired by his father's unfailing (and unsuccessful) efforts to become …
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
CLASSIC: How James Bond Created a Mexican Dia de los Muertos Tradition
The Day of the Dead is a longstanding traditional celebration in Mexico, and currently hundreds of thousands of people associate it with a gigantic parade -- you know, like the one they saw in the Ja…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago