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The Strange Tale of Charles Entertainment Cheese, Part One: Atari and Pizza
For many Americans, Chuck E. Cheese is an immediate hit of pure nostalgia -- the pizza! The birthdays! The games! And, of course, the characters. In …
3 years, 3 months ago
CLASSIC: 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 c…
3 years, 3 months ago
THE LAST SOVIET - EP 5: Three Hot Days in August
Season 1 Episode 5
Sergei makes the decision to stay in the space station. But a few weeks later something happens that changes everything. Mikhail Gorbachev disappears…
3 years, 3 months ago
CLASSIC: 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 …
3 years, 3 months ago
The Architecture of Spite, Part One: Lovers, Loiterers and Murderers
At its best, architecture is a kind of poetry made tangible, frozen in time for generations to come. But, as it turns out, architecture can also be a…
3 years, 3 months ago
Turn, Turn, Turn: A History of Turn Signals
If you've ever been stuck in traffic, you know turn signals are a vital part of safe driving (though not everyone seems to think so). But where did t…
3 years, 3 months ago
A Legally Haunted House
These days, many people associate the idea of a 'haunted house' with horror novels, campfire tales and scary movies. But what happens when someone go…
3 years, 3 months ago
The Oddly Dark History of Crash Test Dummies (Not The Band)
As automobiles took the world by storm, manufacturers quickly realized they needed to make a ton of safety improvements -- and fast. But how could yo…
3 years, 3 months ago
The Deeply Weird Stories of Patron Saints
Did you know there’s a Patron Saint of (repentant) murderers? And another one for ugly people? In today’s episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore how some…
3 years, 3 months ago
Svetlana! Svetlana! The Strange Life of Josef Stalin's Daughter, with Dan Kitrosser
As the daughter of Josef Stalin, it's safe to say Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva was never destined for a normal life. Still, no one could have predic…
3 years, 4 months ago