Today in 1981, the Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings started playing a minor league game, and it just kept going and going and going, eventually becoming the longest ever. Plus: starting Saturday in Greenville, North Carolina, it’s Piratefest. The Most Incredible Performance In Baseball’s Longest Game (Heard It From Hoard) Piratefest in Gre…

There's a story you see online about how Ford stashed some surplus cars in an underground cave to preserve them until they could sell. We can't verify that entire story, but there is an underground business park in Kansas City that Ford has used for decades. Plus: the Ford Maverick may have had the grooviest set of paint color names in automotive h…

Today was the launch date in 1972 of Apollo 16, a mission that tried to pay tribute to that year's Summer Games with a "lunar Olympics"... only the astronauts almost had a disaster on their lunar-suited hands. Plus: for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's birthday, the story of why he took a role in a famous comedy movie. An Apollo astronaut explains how he near…

Today in 1452, the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci, the painter of the Mona Lisa, namesake of a code (and a ninja turtle) and, according to Fast Company, the inventor of the resume. Plus: the Mona Lisa gets fan mail through its own mailbox. Learn to write a résumé like the person who invented it—DaVinci (Fast Company) Mona Lisa: Facts & Related Conte…

This month in 2023, a big moment in the life of an eagle named Murphy, who had become internet famous for raising a rock. Plus: starting tomorrow in Rockwall, Texas it’s the annual Texas Pie Fest. An Eagle Who Adopted a Rock Becomes a Real Dad (New York Times) Here’s How to Get in on the End of Day Pie Fight at the Texas Pie Fest (Eater) Help this …

There’s a new way to find out whether fresh water is actually fresh and clean: a set of glowing orbs in the Netherlands called POND. Plus: starting this Saturday, it's the Wamego, Kansas Tulip Festival. These glowing orbs can tell you if water is clean or polluted (Fast Company) Tulip Festival 2024 Make the future of this podcast even brighter as a…

Today was the birthday in 1794 of George Merryweather, the inventor of his era’s most fascinating leech-based weather predicting contraption: the tempest prognosticator. Plus: today in 1953, a phone company director pretty much predicts the smartphones of today. A Council Of Leeches Used To Predict Storms Inside The "Tempest Prognosticator" (IFL Sc…

Today in 1887 (or, by some accounts, 1888), the birthday of a composer who’s really only now getting the acclaim she deserves: Florence Price. Plus: did you know that it was a violation of iTunes terms of service to use it to build weapons? As Her Music Is Reconsidered, a Composer Turns 135. Again. (New York Times) 8 Ridiculous EULA Clauses You May…

A study from Japan's Tohoku University says that if current trends continue, everyone in the country will eventually end up with the same surname - though it might take a while to get there. Plus: some residents of Luna Pier, Michigan were apparently so concerned about eclipse tourists that the mayor says they asked him to stop the eclipse. Everyon…

This month in 1941, a dog in the UK became a hero in a very strange way, stopping a bomb by answering the call of nature. Plus: starting today in Darien, Georgia, it’s the Blessing of the Fleet. Urinating WWII Great Dane's medal sold (BBC) Dog cocked leg to extinguish Nazi bomb (Telegraph) The Blessing of the Fleet You can be a hero for our show as…

It's International Carrot Day. If you want to see a really unique carrot, try Melbourne, Australia, where a guy named Nathan walks around town with a very large papier mache carrot. Plus: this weekend in Sebring, Florida, it's the Sebring Soda Festival. ‘There he goes with the carrot’: how walking the streets with a giant papier-mache vegetable mad…

Today in 1919, one of the strangest moments in the history of professional baseball, when major leaguer Ping Bodie took on an ostrich in an eating contest and won. Plus: a ketchup giant is installing dispensers on the sidewalks outside some of Chicago’s best-loved (and often ketchup-free) hot dog places. A Yankee, an ostrich and 22 plates of pasta …

Today in 1978, the premiere of the iconic TV show “Dallas.” It was originally just supposed to be a miniseries, but it just kept winning over audience after audience - even some audiences that were behind the Iron Curtain. Plus: all month long in and around Mount Vernon, Washington, it's the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. How 'Dallas' Won the Cold W…

It was probably more elaborate than your standard April Fools Day joke: today in 1906, the Chicago Tribune put together a two page "report," complete with pictures, about swarms of dinosaurs wrecking the city. Plus: it’s Easter Monday, and in the village of Hallaton, Leicestershire, England, it's the day for a competition known as Bottle Kicking. A…

This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from November 2019, we take a trip through the website Weird Universe's Gallery of Art Hung Upside Down. Plus: a 9 year old who can't stop doodling, even in class, is now a professional artist. He's paid to doodle. ⁠The Gallery of Art …

This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from October 2021, the story of sculptor Edmonia Lewis. She was born in the 1840s to a Black father and a Chippewa mother, and became the first Native American and Black woman to become an acclaimed sculptor. Plus: the exhibit known as…

This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from September 2020, why even researchers run into challenges in verifying whether a Rembrandt is really his work or just a simulation. Plus: an interactive online map of continental drift can show you where a town or city used to be h…

This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from December 2022, the story of 19th Century English miniaturist Sarah Biffin, a renowned artist who was born without full arms or legs and whose life and work are the subject of an exhibition now running in London. Plus: British Colu…

This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from October 2021, a look at the research into how pigeons take in and process visual information, like art. Apparently it's pretty complex. Plus: in Detroit, a local news reporter does a story about a local skateboard park, and flawle…

Today in 1931, the birthday of William Shatner, Captain Kirk from the original “Star Trek” series. Of course, if a different show he was supposed to star in had gone ahead, Shatner might not have ended up as Captain Kirk at all. Plus: tomorrow in Chicago, it’s St. Ryan’s Day, where anyone and everyone named Ryan is invited to come by and celebrate …

It's our show's fifth birthday! It's also the birthday in 1962 of the first Taco Bell restaurant, which had a "chili burger" on its original menu. Plus: for National Fragrance Week, a visit to San Francisco's Aftel Archive of Curious Scents. Was the 'Bell Beefer' Burger Among Taco Bell's First Offerings? (Snopes) This San Francisco Bay Area museum …

Today in 1967, a Japanese athlete Shizo Kanakuri, finished a Olympic marathon that he’d started in 1912. Better late than never! Plus: a college student asks a professor a question and gets a reply long after graduation. Better late than never for Japan's first, "slowest" Olympian (Japan Times) Hannah Jung For all the people that think they are bad…

Today in 1963, the opening of a bridge in Longview, Washington. that wasn't for cars, or bikes, or even pedestrians. It was a bridge for squirrels. Plus: Milan's Palazzo Morando is hosting an exhibit of photos featuring the colorful street fashions of people in the Congo and other African countries. Nutty Narrows Bridge opens in Longview on March 1…

Today in 1941, the birthday of Wilson Pickett, a legend of soul and R&B music, and one who had an engineer save one of his future hit songs from a very hungry tape machine. Plus: today in 1970, the birthday of musician and actor Queen Latifah, who is known for a very specific requirement in her movie contracts. "Mustang Sally" at 45 (Interview) – S…

It’s Sleep Awareness Week, and today we’re talking about the part of sleep people usually like the least: the part where the alarm clock wakes us up. Or, in the time before alarm clocks, the part where the local "knocker-up" pounded on the doors to get people out of bed. Plus: the story of how rock singer Bret Michaels asked to adopt a huskie named…

For Alfred Einstein's birthday, the story of how he and fellow prominent physicist Leo Szilard co-designed a unique kind of refrigerator in the 1920s. Plus: the letter Einstein wrote in 1936 for a time capsule that would be opened in a thousand years. Einstein’s Little-Known Passion Project? A Refrigerator (WIRED) Missive (Futility Closet) It would…

Danionella cerebrum is a completely transparent fish that's only 10-12 millimeters long. And researchers have just figured out how it can produce sounds that reach 140 dB or higher. Plus: a resident of Salem, Ohio has one of the largest ever collections of PEZ dispensers, around 4,000 in all. A 12 mm fish produces 140-decibel sound to communicate i…

Today in 1832, the birthday of Charles Boycott, whose name has been used for over a century anytime people decide to deliberately take their business away from a group or a company. Plus: this month in Worcester, Massachusetts, you can cover the fees for lost or missing books and DVDs by sending the library a cat picture. Charles Boycott: The Man W…

This month in 2003, New York City launched its 311 service, a service that has helped residents with a wide range of non-emergency issues… and a few absolute head-scratchers. Plus: a video on Reddit appears to show someone operating a supermarket checkout in Osaka, Japan while in a full-size, realistic looking cat costume. State of NYC311 20th Anni…

There's a phenomenon in hospitals called "alarm fatigue" - there's so much loud beeping from machines that it can actually cause problems for patient care. An anesthesiologist and a music cognition researcher have teamed up to find alternatives to the jarring beeps. Plus: starting Sunday in south central Alaska, it’s the 2024 Arctic Winter Games. M…

For National Cereal Day, the stories of people who have taken cereal makers to court over some pretty eye-opening claims. Plus: did you known Cap'n Crunch once had a nemesis? THE PEOPLE V. CAP’N CRUNCH: INSIDE THE CRUNCH BERRY LAWSUITS (MEL) Cap'n Crunch vs. The Sogmaster (1987) (YouTube) It would be delicious if you backed our show on Patreon --- …

Could the secret weapon against electronic waste may be cheese? Research finds a process involving the byproduct of cheesemaking known as whey protein could help recover gold and other precious metals from old computer motherboards. Plus: starting tomorrow in Nashville, Indiana, it's the Indiana Button Society Show & Competition. Turning waste into…

Today in 1854, the birthday of a very important person in the history of how we keep track of time: Ruth Belville, who has been called the “Greenwich Time Lady.” Plus: this weekend in Las Vegas, the National Grocers Association is holding the Best Bagger National Championship. History: The lady who sold time (New Scientist) 2024 Best Bagger Nationa…

Today in 1982, the premiere of the short-lived but critically acclaimed cop spoof Police Squad, a show TV executives said was essentially too funny to stay on the air. Plus: a video from 1939 features four brothers from Chicago showing off some very unusual bicycles they'd created. ‘The Naked Gun’ Spun Off From an Even Wackier TV Show (Collider) 4 …

It's National Pig Day, so it's a perfect time to tell one of the most famous stories of pig-based resistance in history: the story of Denmark’s Protestschwein, or protest pigs. Plus: starting today in Houston, Minnesota, it's the International Festival of Owls. The Ultimate Mudslinger: The Story Behind Denmark’s Protest Pigs (Mental Floss) Internat…

There's a newspaper in France that’s only published every four years: the leap day paper known as La Bougie du sapeur. Plus: apparently February 29 is a popular day to get married, so clerks are preparing for some extra weddings. The Newspaper That is Published Only on 29th February (Amusing Planet) San Diego County accepting walk-ins for couples w…

Scientists and technicians are trying to figure out the logistics of off-Earth human bases. If that happens, there's some research that suggests the communities could end up developing their own accents. Plus: a Ukrainian artist develops the Graffiti Color Mixer. Will future colonists on the moon and Mars develop new accents? (Live Science) A Cleve…

Today was the birthday in 1878 of a guy who changed breakfast forever: Charles Strite, the inventor of the pop-up toaster. Here's how the idea popped up. Plus: how a Scottish woman was accidentally named one of the top tourist attractions in Glasgow (!?!) The Demise of Burnt Toast: The Invention of the Pop-up Toaster (Hennepin History) Glasgow woma…

Today in 1940, the birthday of the world’s number one flag expert: Whitney Smith, who not only studied flags his entire life, he invented the word for studying flags. Plus: a company in Japan is making fabric out of apples! When the World Runs Something New Up the Flagpole, Scholar Whitney Smith Is First to Salute (People) Whitney Smith, Whose Pass…

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from July 2021, the US Postal Service launches ZIP codes to quickly sort huge amounts of mail and get it to where it needed to go, with help from a mascot named Mr. Zip and a jingle sung by Broadway legend Ethel Merman. Plus: a runner…

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from March 2021, Henry Brown escapes slavery from a Virginia plantation in a very unusual way: he arranged it so he could hide in a small wooden box that was sent to Pennsylvania. Plus: a paramedic rescues a doctor from a fiery car cr…

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from July 2019, the story of Owney, the dog who loved the mail so much that he helped deliver it all over the world. Plus: Freeman, South Dakota holds its annual Chislic Festival, a two day celebration of cubed meat on a stick. (Sorry…

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from March 2021, the story of Mary Fields, the first Black woman to receive a Post Office contract to deliver the mail, and in the Wild West, no less. Plus: the story of a sibling who found a practical use for her identical twin. ⁠The…

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from February 2020, a family in Grangeville, Idaho sends a four year old through the mail to her grandmother in Lewiston, 73 miles away. And she wasn’t the only kid to travel this way after the US Postal Service began the parcel post.…

Today in 1847, the state of Missouri put a significant obstacle in front of a civil rights activist's efforts to educate Black students in St. Louis. But he found a way around it. Plus: starting tomorrow in Wisconsin, the Waupun IceFest gets underway. How a floating school bypassed racist laws in pre-Civil War St. Louis (FOX 2) Waupun IceFest Help …

For Black History Month, the story of the Blackwell Family Tree, a genealogy project that traces on Black family's history back through thousands of people and hundreds of years. Plus: starting this Saturday in Fairbanks, Alaska, it’s the World Ice Art Championships. A family reaches back to reclaim its history (QCity Metro) Blackwell-Ashe Family T…

The whole idea of Valentine's Day is to show a little love, right? Not always. In the old days, some people sent out nasty-grams known as "vinegar valentines" to their least favorite people. Plus: today in 2014, a news report on a guy in China who tried something unusual to keep couples from enjoying a romantic movie together. When Valentines Were …

Today in 1988 the Winter Olympics began in Calgary, Alberta. There were plenty of eyes that year on the demonstration sport known as ski ballet. Plus: an archeologist has found evidence in Kenya of an ancient form of a classic board game dug into the ground. Cool Down and Reminisce over the Wonders of Ski Ballet (Messy Nessy Chic) Ancient 'Arcade' …

It's Abe Lincoln's birthday, and if you want to see a small bit of the man himself, you could try heading to Syracuse, New York, where there’s a bit of Abe Lincoln’s hair in a very unusual decoration known as the Hairy Eagle. Plus: a website took all the clips of WKRP's Dr. Johnny Fever as a DJ, and turned them into a single three hour radio show. …

Today in 1865, the birthday of Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, who gave the world a close-up view of the beauty and variety in snowflakes. Plus: a moment in 1959 that could have used a little more attention to detail. How a Vermont farmer proved no snowflakes are alike (CNN) Miscellany, Feb. 9, 1959 (TIME) Shine a light on our show as a backer on Patre…