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Key West, Florida Declared a One-Minute War on the United States
It's true -- once upon a time the isolated town of Key West, Florida not only seceded from the Union, but declared war on the United States (for abou…
6 years ago
That Time the US Literally Banned Sliced Bread
You've probably heard the old saying "the best thing since sliced bread" -- and back in the day, people in the US were genuinely over the moon about …
6 years ago
Two Green Children Mystified Woolpit, England
Imagine you're working in a field in the tiny community of 12th-century Woolpit, England, and encounter two green-skinned children with no knowledge …
6 years ago
Pepsi Briefly Became the Sixth Largest Navy in the World
At multiple, pivotal moments in the Cold War, Pepsi and Coke waged Cola wars all their own. The guys team up for the first episode of Ridiculous Hist…
6 years ago
The Ponzi Scheme with Chelsea Ursin
Nowadays most people are familiar with the term 'Ponzi scheme' -- but where does it come from? How did the scheme work, and why is it called a Ponzi …
6 years ago
The History of MREs with Jacqueline Raposo
It's often said that an army marches on its stomach, and for thousands of years the world's militaries tried to feed their forces on the march (often…
6 years ago
Donald Crowhurst Faked a Race Around the World
Sailing around the world is a dangerous proposition, even in the modern day — now imagine doing it by yourself in the 1960s! That's what underdog Don…
6 years ago
Calvin Coolidge Skipped Town and Went Fishing for Three Months (While He was President)
Widely known as a taciturn man who liked public gatherings even less than he liked people, Calvin Coolidge was often ridiculed by the press -- report…
6 years ago
The Presidential Dinner That Scandalized America
Breaking bread with your fellow humans has long been acknowledged as fantastic, wholesome way to bond with people outside of social conventions, econ…
6 years, 1 month ago
Was the Lone Ranger Inspired by a Black U.S. Marshall?
Bass Reeves was a larger than life figure -- a man who escaped slavery, taught himself multiple Native American languages, and eventually became one …
6 years, 1 month ago