Ridiculous History

Ada Lovelace, Part One: How Lord Byron’s Daughter Became a Tech Visionary

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today Ada Lovelace is hailed as one of the most important figures in the early history of computing -- but, during her childhood, her mother was worri...

The King of Scotland Got Real Weird with Language Experiments

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Scottish King James IV was, by all accounts, a learned man. As a polyglot, he was especially interested in the origin of language -- so much so, in fa...

The Rum Riot of Portland, Maine

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On June 2nd, 1855, the good people of Portland Maine had reached a breaking point. The Mayor, an infamous hardline teetotaler, had just been caught ap...

The Love of Candy Almost Drove a Cactus Extinct

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You might not associate cacti with candy -- on the surface, they seem to have very little in common, mainly because candy is sold in stores around the...

The Australian Prison Break of 1876, Part 2

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the second part of this two-part series, the guys return to the astonishing story of the Catalpa, exploring how the men prepared for and committed ...

The Australian Prison Break of 1876 Part 1

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It sounds like something straight out of a heist film: a motley crew bands together in an international conspiracy to rescue six Irishmen from a jail ...

37 Days of Peril, with Alex Williams

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine you live in 1870, traipsing the wild frontier of North America with little more than an opera glass, a few friends and an arguably ill-informe...

Robert Smalls Stole A Confederate Ship and Sailed to Freedom, Part Two: From Slavery to Congress

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the second part of this series, the guys continue the story of Robert Smalls, from his daring Confederate steamer heist to his later, life-long act...

Robert Smalls Stole A Confederate Ship and Sailed to Freedom, Part One: Planning the Heist

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Born into slavery, Robert Smalls dreamed of freedom for not just himself and his family, but all oppressed people. As the US became consumed in the Ci...

Sky Pilot: The Man Who Brought Religion to Lumberjacks

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Life was tough for lumberjacks in the 1800s. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, often in brutal living conditions, the men of Minnesota's logging camps o...

CLASSIC: Butter: Protestantism's Secret Ingredient?

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Protestant Reformation remains one of the most significant cultural events in the Western world. Martin Luther's 95 Theses addressed numerous conc...

Ridiculous Live: The Humor and the Heavy

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, Ben and Noel traveled to Podcast Movement to explore a fascinating, at-times difficult subject: How do you explore a heavy story in an appro...

Flu Julia: The Con Artist Nurse That Made Bank Off Of Misery

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During the flu pandemic of 1918, Julia Lyons saw opportunity amid chaos. Posing a visiting nurse in Chicago, she successfully swindled numerous desper...

History's Dumbest Criminals, Part 2

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the second part of this series, the guys are joined once again by Pod Yourself A Gun's Vince Mancini and Matt Lieb to explore the startling story b...

History's Dumbest Criminals, Part 1

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mobsters are often romanticized in film and fiction -- but that doesn't mean they're always geniuses. In the first part of this series, Ben and Noel a...

That Time People Were Terrified of Libraries

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, libraries across the US and the rest of the world are seen as centers of free learning, presenting enormous opportunities for children and adul...

Ostracism: How Ancient Greeks Handled Uncool Politicians

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could put troublesome citizens into time out for a decade? That's what ancient Athenians did through the practice of ostracism. This vote,...

Military Cats, Part 2: Simon Saves the British

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When 17-year old British seaman George Hickenbottom saw an undernourished, ailing stray wandering the dockyards of Hong Kong, his heart melted. He smu...

Military Cats, Part 1: Spies and Mascots

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When you think of military animals, you might imagine horses, dogs and elephants — but what about cats? As it turns out, humanity’s feline friends...

That Time People Rioted Over a Hot Air Balloon

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

These days hot air balloons are often thought of as anachronistic novelties -- but in the early days of aeronautics, they were considered fascinating,...

An Alabama Town Built a Statue Honoring the Insect that Almost Destroyed It

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Enterprise, Alabama is home to a fascinating statue honoring the boll weevil, a tiny creature that once wreaked havoc across cotton country. So what i...

A Prince and His Poodle: The Supernatural Adventures of Rupert and Boy

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When the Earl of Rundel learned his acquaintance Prince Rupert was languishing in an Austrian prison during the Thirty Years' War, he gifted the princ...

How One Guy Made Europe Fall In Love With Potatoes

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, the humble potato can be found in restaurants and dinner tables across the world -- but this wasn't always the case. In today's episode, Ben an...

Weird Courtship Rituals, Part Two

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What exactly is Bhutanese "Night Hunting," and how does it work? How do some rural Cambodian communities navigate the tricky world of dating while liv...

Weird Courtship Rituals, Part One

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Would you whisper sweet nothings to your sweeheart through a six-foot tube with your Puritan grandmother in the room? Would you force feed your childr...

A Brief History of Underwear

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Underwear! Whether we're talking boxers, briefs, loincloths, brassieres or even lingerie, undergarments have a storied history in cultures across the ...

One Guy Was Certain Telepathic Snails Would Replace Telegraphs

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Since before the dawn of recorded history, human beings have been obsessed with talking to each other. This primal impulse inspired French occultist J...

The Duke of Portland Hated People and Loved Tunnels

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've all had those days where we just need a little solitude, a quiet place away from the clamor and chatter of other people. However, William John C...

Where do Lemonade Stands Come From?

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, most Americans think of lemonade stands with nostalgia. In decades past, this could be an enterprising kid's first brush with the world of busi...

Painless Parker and the Dental Circus

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Edgar Parker, later better known as "Painless Parker," wasn't your ordinary dentist. When his first practice was struggling in 1892, he began to think...

The Rise and Fall of Curative Plane Flights

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 1920s, the still-new technology of powered aircraft amazed folks across the planet. People weren't quite sure what this technology could ...

That Time People Paid Rent With Eels

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nowadays, most people pay rent with the currency of their given nation — but for a time in England, your rent might have been paid with eels (yes, l...

The Miracle of the Gulls: A Cricket War

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1848, times were dire for the Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake Valley. Massive swarms of crickets laid waste to everything in their path, destroying ...

A History of Pregnancy Cravings, Part 2: Stereotypes, Superstitions and Science

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In earlier centuries, when science and spirituality were considered one and the same, the world was full of advice and warnings surrounding pregnancy ...

A History of Pregnancy Cravings, Part 1: Pickles and Ice Cream

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pregnancy is amazing — and scary, and beautiful, and a thousand other things. The modern world has stereotypes and tropes aplenty about pregnancy, e...

The Carrington Event, Part II: Attack of the Sun!

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Less than 18 hours after Richard Carrington noticed something screwy on the sun’s surface, chaos erupted. Telegraph operators found their machines l...

The Carrington Event, Part I: The Sun is Acting Strange

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When amateur astronomer Richard Carrington gazed through his telescope on the morning of September 1st, 1859, he noticed something weird about the sur...

Loveday: Henry VI's Well-intentioned, Terrible Attempt at Making Peace

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In an effort to prevent further conflicts in what would become known as the Wars of the Roses, King Henry VI called the warring parties to London, wit...

Classic: Why do British lawyers wear wigs?

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s Classic episode, the guys travel back to their early days.For centuries some lawyers and judges in the U.K. have worn distinctive wigs du...

That Time Al Capone Ran A Soup Kitchen

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Al Capone is rightly remembered as of the most notorious gangsters in US history -- but for a time residents of Chicago also thought of him as a benef...

The Phantom Barber of Pascagoula

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For a brief period in 1942, the town of Pascagoula, Mississippi was terrorized by a strange criminal -- he would sneak into people's houses as they sl...

Joseph Bonaparte, Cryptid Hunter

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Napoleon’s lesser-known, older brother Joseph was, at times, the polar opposite of his conqueror sibling. Yet by merely being related to Napoleon, J...

The Mystery of the Devonshire Colic

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries, people around the world were baffled by a bizarre serious of symptoms that seemed to wax and wane in certain regions over time. Various...

The Troubling, Hidden History of Turpentine

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today turpentine is a substance with any number of industrial uses -- but most people don't know much about it, and even fewer people know its history...

A Race Across the World: From New York to Paris in 1908

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In February of 1908, racing teams from multiple nations assembled for an unusual and ambitious race -- they planned to drive from Times Square across ...

The Age of the Crakow, Part 2: A Fashion Arms Race, But For Your Feet

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the second part of this episode, Ben and special guest Matt Frederick continue exploring the bizarre heyday of the poulaine. Tune in to learn more ...

The Age of the Crakow, Part 1: Medieval Europe Went Nuts For Pointy Shoes

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It appears many eras in history have their own version of sneakerheads. In 15th-century Europe, nobles and commoners alike went absolutely nuts for a ...

How Pie in the Face Became a Comedy Classic, Part 2: The Fall (of the Pie)

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Pie in the Face Became a Comedy Classic, Part 1: Rise of the Pie

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today the old pie-in-the-face gag is a well-worn comedy trope — but how did it become so famous? In part one of this two-part series, Ben and Noel e...

The Great Panjandrum: A Hilariously Terrible Idea

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the British military brainstormed ways to break the German-built Atlantic Wall during World War II, desperation drove them to unorthodox ideas -- o...

Dr. T. W. Stallings: One Man's Corvid-Hating Quest to Make Oklahoma Literally Eat Crow

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Times were tough during the Great Depression. Economic unrest, massive migration and falling crops left many people struggling to survive -- even the ...

Pineapples In Europe, Part 2: People Literally Rented Pineapples to Impress their Friends

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the pineapple craze swept through Europe's upper class, aristocrats worked tirelessly to grow their own pineapples. This was no small feat, since p...

Pineapples In Europe, Part 1: A Weird, Cartoonishly Expensive Flex

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, pineapples are a common (and delicious) produce item found in grocery stores and markets across the world -- but not too many centuries ago, a ...

The Mysterious Dark Day That Terrified New England

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As New Englanders woke on the morning of May 19th, 1780, they realized something was... off. The sunrise looked oddly colored and dim. As the day wore...

The Windham Frog Fight of 1754

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the French and Indian War escalated, the residents of Windham, Connecticut lived in constant fear of possible attacks, crop-ruining weather, diseas...

Ancient Mesopotamian Societies Sacrificed Substitute Kings to Eclipses

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of years before the current day, ancient civilizations accurately predicted both lunar and solar eclipses. They often believed these events ...

The Mad Gasser of Mattoon, Part 2

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the small town of Mattoon captured national attention during the reign of the Mad Gasser, the investigation took a turn. Authorities were baffled b...

The Mad Gasser of Mattoon, Part 1

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As wartime fears peaked across the US during World War II, people throughout the nation were overwhelmed with fears of invading Nazis, secret biologic...

A Currency for Colonies: The Strange Story of "Leprosy Money"

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For thousands of years people across the planet lived in fear of leprosy (now known as ‘Hansen's Disease). In many cases, people infected with the d...

Wyoming Tales, Part 2: Absaroka, the State That Almost Was

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Back in the 1930s, the residents of Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota felt the federal government— and the state legislatures— ignored them. They ...

Wyoming Tales, Part 1: Walking in the Shoes of Big Nose George

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

George Parrott was a career outlaw -- a known thief, murderer and would-be train robber. When justice finally caught up with him and his game, he was ...

The Rise and Fall of the Flea Circus, Part 2

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the second part of this two-part episode, Ben, Noel and special guest Gabe Luzier drill down into the nuts and bolts of flea circuses -- how did th...

The Rise and Fall of the Flea Circus, Part 1

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fleas -- they're one of the only animals Ben actually doesn't like! Yet, once upon a time, these bloodsucking nuisances were star performers in novelt...

History's Most Ridiculous (and Deadly) Beauty Trends

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's a Ridiculous History takeover! In honor of International Women's Day, join the hosts of the podcast Stuff Mom Never Told You for this very specia...

Billy Cottrell, the Tyrant Mayor of Cedar Key, Florida

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The politically-connected, cartoonishly belligerent Billy Cottrell was a terrible Mayor, hated and feared by the locals of Cedar Key, Florida -- and n...

The US and the UK Almost Went to War over a Pig

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1859, a dispute between neighbors in the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest led to the untimely death of a local (and very unlucky) pig. Wha...

The 1973 Michigan Pizza Funeral

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Illario 'Mario' Fabbrini was true American success story: An immigrant who built his own pizza empire just as this iconic food was becoming a normaliz...

Elagabalus The Raunchy, Racy High Priest Who Became a Roman Emperor

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Born Varius Avitus Bassianus, the emperor now known as Elagabalus scandalized ancient Rome with his constant displays of extravagance, his numerous se...

John Wilkins Started a 17th-century Astronaut Program, Part 2: Wilkins (Tries to) Start a Space Program

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As John Wilkins began to put more serious thought into the idea of sending people to the moon, he reached out to fellow intellectuals in hopes of expl...

John Wilkins Started a 17th-century Astronaut Program, Part 1: Why not aim for the Moon?

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turtle Soup, Part 2: Rise of the Mock Turtle

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the second part of this series, the guys dive deeper into the story of turtle soup -- and how it soon gave rise to the more affordable, equally del...

Turtle Soup, Part 1: A Delicacy of Yesteryear

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today it's uncommon to see turtle soup on most restaurant menus-- but, not too long ago, this was considered a top-notch delicacy, praised for its fla...

Stab Yourself to Health and Happiness: The Bizarre Rise of the Lebensweker

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When a bug bit German inventor Carl Baunscheidt, he was struck with an epiphany of sorts -- could 'venting' the human body through the creation of art...

The Hatpin Peril

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nowadays, hatpins are a somewhat archaic fashion accessory--but at the turn of the century, they were often used as weapons to deter ne'er-do-wells an...

It's a Cat's World, Part 2: The Rise of the Cat Show

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the second part of this series, the guys explore the story of Harrison Weir, "The Father of the Cat Fancy." Learn how Weir led the charge to save t...

It's a Cat's World, Part 1: The Sacred and the Suspicious

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you love them or hate them, there's no denying that cats hold a unique position in human society. They're (in)famous for making their own way ...

Dan Sickles, American Scoundrel, Part 2: The Civil War

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After literally getting away with murder, Dan Sickles joined the military, later leveraging the dubious events of his military career to reinvent hims...

Dan Sickles, American Scoundrel, Part 1: How to Get Away with Murder

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Sickles was a real pill. For a time, the wealthy New Yorker was famous for his philandering -- and then he became famous for not only murdering...

That Time New York Banned Spitting

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As tuberculosis spread throughout the US, New York City banned spitting. Learn how the Ladies’ Health Protective Association saved the Big Apple fro...

Admiral Byrd and the Polar Dairy

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1933, on his second expedition to Antarctica, Richard E. Byrd took the unusual, highly-publicized step of bringing some non-human crew along: Klond...

Weird 21st Century Predictions from Ages Past, Part 2: Your Personal Plane, A World Without Disaster and Retiring on the Moon

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weird 21st Century Predictions from Ages Past, Part 1: Tesla, Square Tomatoes and Pseudosteak

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's the first Ridiculous History episode of the New Year! Ben, Noel and Casey are ringing it in with some predictions--not their own predictions, min...

The Old Rituals of New Years, Part 2: Neuroscience, Resolutions and the Rick Steves Fan Club

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What a year, right? If you're listening to today's episode, you have (almost) officially survived. I'm ringing in 2021 with Noel, Casey and the rest o...

Holiday Classic: When the Puritans Canceled Christmas

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 Ch...

Holiday Classic: The Strange History of Antarctic Fruitcake

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nowadays fruitcake is considered a stereotypical, often comical holiday punchline, but even in the modern day people across the planet can agree on at...

Goodyear and the Mystery of the Ghost Blimp

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 1942, a U.S. Navy airship flew out over the Pacific to search for Japanese submarines. It lost radio contact and, hours later, slowly crashed in th...

Benito Mussolini was Super into Wearable Milk

15 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today Benito Mussolini is probably best known as the founder of Italy's National Fascist Party, but he was also very, very into milk. So much so, in f...

Snowmen as Protest: The Miracle of 1511

11 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During the brutal winter of 1511, residents of Brussels built more than one hundred snowmen... and these sculptures weren't the type of snow sculpture...

Why are Chimney Sweeps good luck at weddings?

09 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It seems odd, at first - the idea that a random chimney cleaner might pass by a wedding, then be brought into the party, shake sooty hands with the co...

People Have Been Convinced Robots Will Take Their Jobs For Centuries

04 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nowadays automation is affecting almost every industry on the planet, and numerous experts are raising alarms: AI, robotics and automation, they say, ...

That Time the US was Terrified of Tomatoes

02 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nowadays the tomato is an ubiquitous foodstuff in households across the planet - but in the US, this humble staple was once considered downright poiso...

How the Pandemic Helped (and Hurt) the Struggle for Women's Rights

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The 1918 epidemic played a massive, sometimes unacknowledged role in the struggle for women's rights. Tune in and learn more in today's episode. Lear...

How a German Prince Built his own Artificial Volcano

24 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Like many nobles of his day, Leopold III Friedrich Franz traveled widely in his youth, taking in the ancient wonders of Europe. A stunning experience ...

The Weird Origin of Pink Lemonade, Part 2: The Rise of Clown Pants

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As historians dove into the evolution of pink lemonade, one theory about its origin seemed particularly compelling (if gross): Pink lemonade, they arg...

The Weird Origin of Pink Lemonade, Part 1: A Humble Citrus

18 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nowadays, lemonade is a pretty popular drink -- and its counterpart, pink lemonade, occupies a space all its own. But where did this drink come from? ...

An Elephant in the Vatican, Part 2: An Elephant in the Reformation

13 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As Pope Leo X's favorite pal, Hanno enjoyed a unique position in the Vatican -- he was the star of multiple gatherings and celebrations (which didn't ...

An Elephant in the Vatican, Part 1: The Discovery of Hanno

11 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In February of 1962, HVAC workers discovered the remains of an elephant beneath the Cortile del Belvedere -- and a mystery was ahoof. The story begins...

S T O V E G O B L I N

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today's setting: Zaragoza, Spain. The time: September of 1934. The problem? A stove goblin. At least, that's what the hapless Palazón thought as they...

The US Didn't Always Have Secret Ballots

03 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nowadays, voters in the US consider secret ballots a fundamental part of any election. Yet -- perhaps surprisingly -- this wasn't always the case. The...

The Case of the Greenbrier Ghost, Part 2: The Court

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When the defense called Mary Jane Heaster to the stand, they likely meant to discredit her. However, she maintained that her daughter, Elva, had visit...