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CLASSIC: London Made a Train for the Dead
In the mid-19th century, London was literally filling with corpses. When the city was in the grips of a cholera epidemic, the already-overfilled ceme…
1 year, 11 months ago
The Page-turning Evolution of the Encyclopædia Britannica
In a burst of meta-humor, the Encyclopædia Britannica defines encyclopædia as "reference work that contains information on all branches of knowledge …
1 year, 11 months ago
A Ridiculous History of Worcestershire Sauce
It's tangy. It's salty. It's sweet. It's unctuous... but what exactly is Worcestershire sauce? Join Ben, Noel and Max on their continuing condiment j…
1 year, 11 months ago
CLASSIC: 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…
1 year, 11 months ago
Micronations: How Liechtenstein Became A Country
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a small, landlocked country out in the alpines -- and while it's a tiny nation, it has an enormous depth of hist…
1 year, 11 months ago
Why Are There So Many Captain Marvels?
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. It's... "definitely not Superman." At least, that's what Fawcett Comics told the courts, beginning a …
1 year, 11 months ago
CLASSIC: When did ALL-CAPS type become YELLING?
You've seen them before, whether in forwarded spam email, a strangely passionate TikTok comment: THE DREADED ALL-CAPS TYPER.Where does this practice …
2 years ago
Look at Us, Late to the Ridiculous History of Easter
Easter! It's a big deal, all across the world. And just like earlier celebrations of spirituality, it's been commodified in the United States. In tod…
2 years ago
Royal Deaths, Part Four: The Unfortunate Lives of Scottish Kings
Have you ever shown off your favorite cannon, or deparately rode a horse through the night for a little birthday romance? If so, thank your lucky sta…
2 years ago
The Delaware Wedge, Part Two: The Wedge and The Horn
As early miscalculations and subsequent confusion continued to build, Delaware found itself in a three-state beef over a tiny section of land -- and …
2 years ago