Podcast Episodes
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Was 536 Really the Worst Year in History?
Welcome to the end of the year, fellow Ridiculous Historians! As Ben, Noel and Max look back on the events of 2025, they discovered historians do, in…
6 months ago
CLASSIC: Clara, The World's Most Famous Rhinoceros
For centuries most people in Europe thought of rhinos as another form of mythical creature, like unicorns or griffins. However, this all changed when…
6 months ago
Christmas Traditions Are So Incredibly Weird!
What's the strangest Christmas tradition you practice? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max ring in the end of the year with an exploration of Chris…
6 months, 1 week ago
The Grim Christmas Folklore of Johnny Ace, with Jake Brennan
While the career of rhythm-and-blues vocalist Johnny Ace was short, he left a huge mark on the music world. Up until Christmas Day of 1954, Ace seeme…
6 months, 1 week ago
CLASSIC: How the Monopoly Board Game Became a World War II Escape Kit
Ben, Noel and Max return with this week's Classic episode! Monopoly is a pretty divisive game, and people tend to either love it or hate it. However,…
6 months, 2 weeks ago
The Deliciously Ridiculous History of Fruitcakes
Let's be honest. If you live in the United States, you probably think fruitcake is ridiculous. It's like the MRE of Christmas, passed around from one…
6 months, 2 weeks ago
That Time the US Government Brainwashed America into DIY Bomb Shelters
Picture this: it's just after World War II -- the world knows nuclear weapons can end civilization. So, how can a government help the public feel saf…
6 months, 2 weeks ago
CLASSIC: Idiomatic For The People, Part I
Language is beautiful and, in many cases, continually evolving. As a result, we end up with hundreds of strange idioms and figures of speech that we …
6 months, 3 weeks ago
Spontaneous Human Combustion: A Bizarre Controversy
Can people really just, for no discernable reason, catch on fire? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the centuries old folklore and invest…
6 months, 3 weeks ago
IP, Part Three: A Copyright for Everyone!
As Ben, Noel and Max close out another year of Ridiculous History, they return to the patently baffling world of intellectual property. In part three…
6 months, 3 weeks ago