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Serious Diseases with Seriously Funny Names, Part One: Dropsy
History is riddled with oddly-named diseases -- rickets, scurvy, brain fever and more. But where do these names come from? In the first part of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max dive in…
Published on 2 years ago
Oh Man, James Joyce was a Dirty Dude!
James Joyce is, without question, one of the most famous authors in the English language. Millions of readers have enjoyed (and sometimes struggled with) his groundbreaking novels and short stories. …
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
What's the Deal with Turkey on Thanksgiving?
It's Thanksgiving in the United States -- and Thanksgiving is weird! In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore some of the big questions about Thanksgiving: How did the parade become a thing? Why…
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
Tammany Hall: America's Early Puppet Masters
It's no secret that politics can often have a dark side -- smoky backrooms, corruption and graft have always had their place in American history. And, amid all the corruption, few institutions are as…
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
The Hoover Dam is Ridiculous, Part Two: The Audacity!
As the railroads tried and failed to control flooding in the Salton Sink, state and federal leaders realized America needed a bigger solution. With the Great Depression in full swing, workers from ac…
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
The Hoover Dam is Ridiculous, Part One: Man Versus Nature
The next time you're in Vegas, rent a car and spend a day at the Hoover Dam. This towering, larger-than-life marvel of human engineering has fundamentally shaped the United States. But building it wa…
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
CLASSIC: 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 …
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
CLASSIC: Ben Franklin Tried To Reinvent the Alphabet
"For such a popular, well-known language, English is full of strange, seemingly arbitrary rules. Most people just accept these various idiosyncrasies... but Benjamin Franklin was not most people. In …
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
CLASSIC: When the Puritans Canceled Christmas
Nowadays Christmas is a globally-recognized holiday celebrated by millions of people, but in the past this wasn't the case. In fact, some groups of Christians detested the holiday, going so far as to…
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
How Did Trick-Or-Treating Become a Thing?
Every year at the end of October, countless children (and adults) don costumes and head into the night, going door to door with the same ritual cry: Trick or Treat! But where did this odd practice co…
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago