Ridiculous History
Episodes
Ridiculous History Presents: Criminalia
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you like Ridiculous History, check out this iHeartRadio & Shondaland Audio podcast – Criminalia. On Criminalia, hosts Holly Frey and Maria T...
The Case of the Greenbrier Ghost, Part 1: An 'Everlasting Faint'
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Elva Zona Heaster passed away, the town doctor attributed the death to a heart attack. Elva's mother disagreed. Convinced that her daughter visit...
The Hand of Glory, Part 2: Recipes, Necropants and Toes
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Like any recipe, instructions for creating a Hand of Glory often varied - which one was considered legitimate? Also, the guys explore the odd, morbid ...
The Hand of Glory, Part 1: A Thief's Theme
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you were an enterprising thief in the days of yore, there were few legendary tools as valuable as the grisly Hand of Glory -- the severed hand of a...
Brooms and Witchcraft, Part 2: Inquisitions and Iniquity
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Could the stereotype of witches on broomsticks actually be a drug reference? Join Ben, Noel and Casey as they continue digging through the history and...
Brooms and Witchcraft, Part 1: A Killer in the Rye?
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most people are familiar with the stereotypical image of a witch: a haggard, often older individual with a peaked hat, black robes, a demonic familiar...
The Beast of Gévaudan, Part 2: The Birth of a Grisly Legend
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the investigation into the Beast became a national obsession, the French monarchy stepped in, offering rewards (and threats) in their attempt to ca...
The Beast of Gévaudan, Part 1: Murders In France
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For three years, a monster terrified the backwater region of Gévaudan. From 1764 - 1767, people found the mutilated corpses, one by one, across the c...
The BBC Convinced People Spaghetti Grows on Trees
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On the first of April in 1957, cameraman Charles de Jaeger's childhood dream came true: Panorama, Britain's most popular news program, aired a segment...
The US Waged War on Pinball for Decades
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, pinball is seen as a sort of retro novelty -- it's enjoyable, kitschy and wholesome. Yet for decades, political officials in cities across the ...
The Misadventures of Wade Boggs, Part 2
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Wade Boggs is a legendary, larger-than-life figure in the world of sports -- but one of his strangest achievements has nothing to do with baseball. Jo...
The Misadventures of Wade Boggs, Part 1
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Wade Boggs has always been regarded as a legend, both on and off the ballfield. However, some of his strangest experiences have very little to do with...
The Tragic Tale of the 'Turnspit Dog'
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Before the rise of household automation, British elites struggled to find the perfect method for cooking meat. They preferred it roasted, slowly, turn...
Knocker-Uppers: The Human Alarm Clocks of the Industrial Age
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When adapting to life as factory employees, members of the British and Irish public confronted a new, unexpected obstacle -- how do you make sure you ...
That Time New York City Rioted Over Shakespeare
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Don't let reality television and wrestling fool you -- celebrity rivalries are a tale as old as entertainment itself. In 1849, the rivalry between two...
Babies in Incubators were Once a Sideshow Attraction
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nowadays, incubators are a common sight in hospitals across the US -- but, once upon a time, this life-saving technology was treated like a sideshow a...
The Rise of the US Camel Corps
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the years leading to the US Civil War, Uncle Sam searched for some way to safely traverse the desert. Horses, mules and humans alike often died of ...
The United Kingdom Has A Weird Thing With Swans
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the days before London found itself riddled with Rolodexes and Lamborghinis, the Crown controlled a now-obscure status symbol: the swan. Every sing...
The Nazi Super Horse Program, Part 2: A Horse-filled Heist
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the tide of war turns toward the inevitable defeat of the Nazis, the staff of the secret horse farm fear the oncoming, starving Russian forces will...
The Nazi Super Horse Program, Part 1: Equine Eugenics
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Adolf Hitler was inarguably a terrible person. He was also weirdly focused on resurrecting Germany's horse industry. Tune in as Ben and Noel explore t...
Railroad Tycoons Decided What Time It Is Now
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nowadays the world is divided into a series of 'time zones.' Yet before the 1880s, towns across the United States ran on a sort of local time -- when ...
Why do people 'christen' ships with champagne?
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We've all heard about the practice of smashing a champagne bottle against the hull of a ship before launching it -- but where does this practice come ...
The Hidden History of Jewish Pirates, Part 2: Famous Privateers
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
During the age of European expansion, members of the Jewish diaspora traveled to Caribbean and the continents of North and South America, often escapi...
The Hidden History of Jewish Pirates, Part 1: Escaping Europe
11 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
During the age of European expansion, members of the Jewish diaspora traveled to Caribbean and the continents of North and South America, often escapi...
Ridiculous "Remedies" of the Spanish Flu: The Rise of the Lemon
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever used a home remedy when under the weather? Some, like honey and lemon (and whiskey) for a sore throat, remain common today. In 2020, oth...
That Time Rebellious Freemasons Starting Kissing Porcelain Pug Butts
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We've all heard about Freemasons -- but what about the Order of the Pug? Join the guys as they explore the strange series of events that led German Ma...
Clever Hans, Part 2: The Rise and Fall of Hans
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Unconvinced by claims of this horse's mathematical acumen, psychologist Oskar Pfungst conducted a series of experiments to determine whether Clever Ha...
Clever Hans, Part 1: The Equine Mathematician
28 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Back in the early 20th century, retired teacher Wilhelm von Osten had a dream -- to exhibit the gifts of his brilliant horse, Clever Hans, to the worl...
Henry VIII and That English Sweat, Part 2: A Disease and a King
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While history often only remembers Henry VIII as a real pill, he was also a profound hypochondriac -- and, rightly terrified of contracting the Englis...
Henry VIII and That English Sweat, Part 1: A Pandemic
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Beginning in 1485, a mysterious disease swept in waves across England. No one was sure how it spread, no treatment existed, and the disease took the n...
The Hobo King: Leon Ray Livingston, Chapter Two
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the Great Depression devastates the nation, roughly 2 million people find themselves out of home and hope, migrating toward distant promises of job...
The Hobo King: Leon Ray Livingston, Chapter One
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Born in San Francisco, an 11-year-old ran away from home, living and writing about his travels. Hailed as a self-coronated 'Hobo King,' Livingston mad...
The Vikings Made a Fortune in the 'Unicorn' Trade
09 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nowadays, experts and equestrians alike largely agree: unicorns are creatures of myth. But, not too long ago, the wealthiest people in Europe would pa...
Did People Really Throw Tar And Feathers On Each Other?
07 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's true -- people used to throw tar on other people, then shake feathers on them as a specific form of legally-sanctioned punishment. Where did the ...
Kate Warne, the Pinkerton Detective Who Saved Abe Lincoln, Part 2: To Rescue A President
02 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While Kate Warne had numerous adventures (and brilliantly solved multiple high-profile cases), her most well-known work with pinkerton involved none o...
Kate Warne, the Pinkerton Detective Who Saved Abe Lincoln, Part 1: The Origin Story
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Warne wasn't just the first female private investigator in the US -- she was also one of the best Pinkerton detectives in the history of the agen...
What is Fudge, Part 2: The Rebellion
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The students of Vassar thrived despite a system of Victorian -- near Orwellian -- control. In a time when these college students were not allowed to h...
What is Fudge, Part 1: The Science, The Curious Name
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nowadays, most people in the global West associate fudge with the idea of a homemade, homely confection. Yet once upon a time, this dangerously deligh...
The North Pole, Part 2: The Chase To The North
19 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Mercator Projection continues to inform explorers, many of whom send their own appropriative versions of the Mythical North. Join Ben, Casey and N...
The North Pole, Part 1: Maps and Legends
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1569, Gerardus Mercator creates the first world map. It's the predecessor of the cartoonishly inaccurate Mercator projection, and this math guides ...
The Mysterious Origin of (and Disturbing Problems with) the "Wolf Whistle"
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's one of those iconic 'you know it when you hear it' sounds - the two-note whistle made famous in old Tex Avery cartoons and multiple films of yest...
World War I and the Rise of the Peat Moss Bandage
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
War often drives innovation — often out of desperation. In World War I, doctors were overwhelmed and dangerously short on supplies, especially banda...
Flashback: Unforeseen Consequences Throughout History: Part 2
05 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How did air conditioning fundamentally change the course of U.S. politics? What does the Y.M.C.A. have to do with cigarettes? Join Ben and Casey as th...
Flashback: Unforeseen Consequences Throughout History: Part 1
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How did air conditioning fundamentally change the course of U.S. politics? What does the Y.M.C.A. have to do with cigarettes? Join Ben and Casey as th...
Louis Wain, the Godfather of Cat Memes: Part 2
29 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Before the days of WiFi, Reddit, nyan cat and grumpy cat alike, one man set the art world on fire with his increasingly bizarre paintings and sketches...
Louis Wain, the Godfather of Cat Memes: Part 1
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you're listening to this podcast, you definitely know about cat memes. At this point, they're almost like an internet currency all their own. But f...
Feedsack Fashion: How Thrifty Inventiveness Transformed America
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 20th century, rural US residents were all-too-accustomed to scraping by, often by any means necessary. Families without the means to buy ...
Emperor Tiberius Was Debauched, Deranged and Probably Not Fun At Parties
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Emperor Tiberius first ascended to the throne in AD 14, he seemed to be a principled reformer set on cleaning up the empire -- checking excesses ...
The Return of Historical Flexes, Part 2: Flexcessiveness
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
History is riddled with bizarre stories of flexes — things people of the past thought were somehow impressive at time. The Ridiculous Historians are...
The Return of Historical Flexes, Part 1: 2 Flex 2 Furious
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
History is riddled with bizarre stories of flexes — things people of the past thought were somehow impressive at time. The Ridiculous Historians are...
The Authors Of Curious George Were On The Run From Nazis
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Curious George is a world-famous star of children's books -- but back in the day, his name was Fifi, and his creators, the Rey couple, were des...
People Used To Straight Up Drink Gold
05 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For millennia various luminaries have claimed precious metals have special curative powers -- and, back in the day, people used to actually drink it. ...
New Zealand's Tragic (And Pretty Hilarious) Exploding Pants Epidemic
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For a brief span of time, farmers in New Zealand were baffled by a bizarre phenomenon -- their pants were smoldering, catching fire, and sometimes exp...
That Time Trainwrecks Became a Spectator Sport
28 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nowadays, most people use the term 'trainwreck' to describe a situation gone catastrophically wrong, but back in the glory days of the railroad, train...
Miguel de Cervantes and the Case of the Fake Don Quixote
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nowadays, "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha" has no shortage of accolades. You'll hear it called the first modern novel, one of the gr...
The CIA Paid War Spies with Stuff From the Sears Catalog
21 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When CIA agent Jon Wiant began growing a spy operation in Vietnam, he ran into a pickle: the locals he wanted to hire lived in rural areas along the b...
The Bottle Jumping Hoax (And Riot)
17 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1749 London, a mob of people gathered outside The Theatre Royal -- the city was abuzz with excitement over a recent advertisement promising an amaz...
The Bizarrely Disturbing History of People Jumping Out of Cake
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's an old trope, and a familiar one: Four and twenty blackbirds flying from a pie, a scantily-clad woman emerging from a giant cake. Nowadays it's o...
HL Hunley: The Mysterious Demise of a Civil War Submarine, with Rachel Lance
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On the evening of February 17th, 1864, the HL Hunley became the first submarine in history to successfully sink an enemy ship. Immediately after this ...
Dromomania: The Wanderlust Disease
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1890s, France found itself in the groups of a bizarre, troubling epidemic -- scores of men were, apparently, wandering off in a trance-like sta...
Key West, Florida Declared a One-Minute War on the United States
03 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 about...
That Time the US Literally Banned Sliced Bread
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 p...
Two Green Children Mystified Woolpit, England
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
Pepsi Briefly Became the Sixth Largest Navy in the World
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 Histo...
The Ponzi Scheme with Chelsea Ursin
20 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
The History of MREs with Jacqueline Raposo
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Donald Crowhurst Faked a Race Around the World
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 Do...
Calvin Coolidge Skipped Town and Went Fishing for Three Months (While He was President)
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Widely known as a taciturn man who liked public gatherings even less than he liked people, Calvin Coolidge was often ridiculed by the press -- reporte...
The Presidential Dinner That Scandalized America
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Breaking bread with your fellow humans has long been acknowledged as fantastic, wholesome way to bond with people outside of social conventions, econo...
Was the Lone Ranger Inspired by a Black U.S. Marshall?
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bass Reeves was a larger than life figure -- a man who escaped slavery, taught himself multiple Native American languages, and eventually became one o...
Night Soil Men Were the Unsung Heroes of Urban Sanitation
27 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While city life has its charms, it's not without its problems -- and some of those problems are real stinkers. In the days before widespread sewage sy...
The Tiny Spanish Town That Went To War With France For 100 Years
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Located two hours' drive inland along a winding potholed road from Almeria on Spain's southeastern Mediterranean coast, the small town of Lijar, Spain...
The Great Diamond Hoax - Part 2
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The California Gold Rush of the mid-1800s did more than just move hundreds of thousands of people across the continent -- it also convinced these peop...
The Great Diamond Hoax - Part 1
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The California Gold Rush of the mid-1800s did more than just move hundreds of thousands of people across the continent -- it also convinced these peop...
'Mad' Jack Churchill: The Bagpipe Playing Soldier Who Hunted Nazis with a Longbow - Part 2
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It sounds like something straight out of a Tarantino film -- a bloodthirsty, eccentric soldier welding a longbow and claymore against Nazis, then cele...
'Mad' Jack Churchill: The Bagpipe Playing Soldier Who Hunted Nazis with a Longbow - Part 1
11 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It sounds like something straight out of a Tarantino film -- a bloodthirsty, eccentric soldier welding a longbow and claymore against Nazis, then cele...
Erasto Mpemba: The High School Student Who Disproved Thermodynamics
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Let's say you put two containers of water in a freezer. Water in one container is at room temperature, while water in the other container is hot. Whic...
The Straw Hat Riots of 1922
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The world of fashion has historically been a landmine of strange, seemingly arbitrary rules, from when to wear white around labor day to what constitu...
The Legend of Tarrare, the Insatiable Glutton Who Ate a Quarter of a Cow Daily
31 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What's the craziest thing you've ever eaten? Odds are you have nothing on the legendary Tarrare, the infamous Frenchman famous for eating everything f...
Why Genghis Khan's Great-Great Granddaughter Was Just as Badass
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Khutulun was the warrior daughter of Kaidu, and the great-great granddaughter of Genghis Khan. While she was fearless in battle and an accomplished ha...
That Time Ernest Hemingway's Younger Brother Started His Own Country
24 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most people have heard of Ernest Hemingway, but what about his younger brother, Leicester? 16 years Ernest's junior, Leicester seemed set to live in h...
The Ersatz Wild West Shootouts of Palisade, Nevada
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
During the glory days of the railroad era, the public was gripped by mythic, larger-than-life tales of the Wild West -- people reveled in visions of t...
The Great Goldfish Gulping Craze That (For Some Reason) Swept America
16 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's no secret that kids do all sorts of dumb things -- but have you ever swallowed a live goldfish? If so, you're not alone. In fact, it wasn't so lo...
Pneumatic Tubes: The 'Futuristic' Transport System That's Over 150-Years-Old
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Did you ever use on of those neat little pneumatic tubes at the drive-through of your local bank? If so, you may be surprised to learn just how far th...
Violet Jessop, the Unsinkable Stewardess Who Survived Three Famous Shipwrecks
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever been on a cruise ship? Have your ship ever sank? This happened not once, not twice, but three times to cabin attendant Violet Jessop. Tu...
Abandoned Ship: What Really Happened Aboard the "Mary Celeste"?
07 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Once upon a time the Mary Celeste was just a ship like any other, ferrying goods to and fro across the oceans -- at least, that is, until December 187...
That Time America Fell In Love With Competitive Walking
02 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While people often call baseball the "national pastime" of the United States, there was once another contender for this crown -- the sport known as pe...
The Weird Stories Behind Your Favorite Christmas Carols
31 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Christmas carols have a storied, strange history. Join the guys on the last day of 2019 as they crack open the eggnog and dive into the ridiculous his...
The Time Salvador Dali Partnered with Walt Disney - Part 2
26 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Salvador Dali and Walt Disney weren't just two of the greatest artistic innovators of their time — they were also close friends with a bromance for ...
The Time Salvador Dali Partnered with Walt Disney - Part 1
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Salvador Dali and Walt Disney weren't just two of the greatest artistic innovators of their time — they were also close friends with a bromance for ...
Colonel Blood and the Theft of the Crown Jewels
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The grifter, adventurer, thief and (probable) spy known as Thomas Blood spent much of his life as a widely-known rogue and all-around scoundrel -- but...
The Starving Time: When Jamestown Colonists Turned Cannibal, Part 2
17 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
While children are often taught a sanitized version of early American history, the reality of life in a European colony was brutal -- and, at times, f...
The Starving Time: When Jamestown Colonists Turned Cannibal, Part 1
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
While children are often taught a sanitized version of early American history, the reality of life in a European colony was brutal -- and, at times, f...
The Strange Tradition that Forced Everyone in New York to Move House on the Same Day
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's no secret that moving can be a hassle -- the packing, preparation, time and money spent relocating from one home to another can be a huge pain. N...
French Waiters Once Had to Strike for Their Right to Wear Mustaches
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you're going for controversial facial hair, there's not much that can top the hirsute hot take known as the mustache. While most people can general...
The Honey Trap: Sex in Espionage Throughout History
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sure, love at first sight may be a real thing -- but, occasionally, there's an ulterior motive involved. Join the guys as they explore the bizarre pra...
The Weird, Weird History of Shipping: Part 2
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How far did the components of your phone travel to land in the palm of your hand? Nowadays, even the most mundane items can come from half a world awa...
The Weird, Weird History of Shipping: Part 1
26 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How far did the components of your phone travel to land in the palm of your hand? Nowadays, even the most mundane items can come from half a world awa...
Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Who Called Out the Hypocrisy of Slavery, Part 2
21 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As Benjamin Lay continued his one-man protest against the hypocrisy of slavery in the Quaker community, he inspired some folks and frustrated others (...
Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Who Called Out the Hypocrisy of Slavery, Part 1
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Nowadays, people often look back on U.S. Quakers as staunch abolitionists, but this wasn't always the case. In fact, when the Quakers first arrived on...