Ridiculous History
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Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.
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CLASSIC: Were Tulips Really The Bitcoin of the 1600s?
In the 1600s, residents of the Dutch Republic were -- according to the story -- absolutely bonkers for tulips. A market sprang up around the tulip tra...
CLASSIC: (Some of) History's Dumbest Military Prototypes
As Ben and Noel hit the high seas, they're celebrating with a special week of their favorite Classics. It's true that the world's militaries often pio...
The Dumbest Mobster Ever Tried To Steal Ruby Slippers
There are few pieces of film history more iconic than Dorothy's magic ruby slippers from 1939's The Wizard of Oz. Yet, at first, the studio had no ide...
The Ridiculously Disturbing History of North Korea
As one of the most isolated countries on the planet, it's no surprise the Democratic People's Republic of Korea remains mysterious in the modern day....
CLASSIC: The Forty Elephants: London’s All-Female Jewel Thieves
For at least 200 years, part of London’s criminal underground was ruled by a gang of brilliant, all-female jewel thieves. In this week's classic episo...
Disco Balls are Ridiculous, and We Love Them
Human history is absolutely riddled with ridiculous inventions. Some are cartoonishly specific. Others, like the disco ball, serve no purpose other th...
The Truth About "Zombies"
As summer turns and fall begins, Ridiculous History officially enters the most wonderful time of the year. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive...
CLASSIC: The Malleus Maleficarum: A Real-life Witch Hunter's Bible
During Europe's period of witchcraft hysteria, one enterprising (and failed) witch hunter sought to bolster his reputation by creating an authoritativ...
How the Kentucky Derby Became a Thing
We’ve all been there, right? You wake up one day, and you say: “You know what? Forget work! It’s so nice outside. I want to put on a fancy hat, watch...
The Ridiculous History of the 90s and Low Culture, with Ross Benes
The 1990s were a time of chaos, aspiration, and, above all, ridiculous things. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max welcome returning guest Ross Bene...
CLASSIC: The Great London Beer Flood of 1814
In 1814, a poor neighborhood in London fell victim to a strange, tragic and boozy disaster -- this calamity would eventually leave eight people dead....
The True Story of Pac Man -- and a Ton of Weird Theories
As one of the most iconic games in all of arcade history, Pac Man is recognized across the planet. But how did it get here -- and why are there so man...
The Ridiculous Origin of the the Word "Ridiculous"
With nearly one thousand episodes out in the world over the years, Ben, Noel and Max realized they've never asked about the origin of the word "ridicu...
CLASSIC: Dr. Seuss Wrote His Most Famous Book On A Bet
What are your favorite children's books? In this Classic episode, Ben and the gang acknowledge Dr. Seuss is one of the most well-known writers on the...
The Terrifying Science of Tiny Subs and D-Day, Part Two: The Rise of the Chamber Divers
As Axis powers swarm across Europe in the lead-up to D-Day, a small group of scientists refuse to leave their lab, throwing a fair amount of modern et...
The Terrifying Science of Tiny Subs and D-Day, Part One: The Return of Dr. Rachel "Big Spinach" Lance
Years after their initial conversation with the world's foremost expert on underwater explosions, Ben still sings the praises of Dr. Rachel "Big Spina...
CLASSIC: Feral Children and the True Story Behind The Jungle Book
Now, let's be honest. Rudyard Kipling was a cartoonishly problematic guy. Yet his work made a permanent impression on global literature -- and, to a s...
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Colossus of Rhodes
Imagine you're an ancient traveler, visiting Rhodes for the first time in 280 BCE. As you approach the famed city, a singular object dominates the hor...
Unlucky Numbers Across The Globe -- And Why They Are Ridiculous
Do you have a number you love, or a number you hate? As Ben, Noel and Max discover in today's episode, people have always assigned symbolic meaning to...
CLASSIC: The Ridiculously Laxative-laden Journey of Lewis and Clark
In today's Classic episode, Ben and Noel reluctantly sing the praises of poop research. You see, folks, before Lewis and Clark set out to explore the...
Moon Rock Heists, Part Two: The Romantic Misadventures of Thad Roberts
Let's say you're a love-struck NASA intern -- your professional career holds a lot of promise, but your family life back home is in shambles... and yo...
Moon Rock Heists, Part One: Lunatic Heists and Space Law
Is it legal to own a moon rock? Well... that depends. If it's a piece of the moon that made it to Earth naturally, then all good. If, however, it's a...
CLASSIC: The Strange and Spectacularly Disgusting Story of the Great Kentucky Meat Shower
On March 3rd, 1876, residents of Bath County, Kentucky were startled to see what appeared to be chunks and flakes of meat falling from the clear, clou...
The Ridiculously Energetic History of Energy Drinks!
This episode is brought to you by our favorite cohost: coffee. These days, if you stroll into any convenience store across the planet, you're going to...
Japan is Overrun By Raccoons Entirely Due to a Single Cartoon
While the legendary Japanese raccoon dog -- or tanuki -- may look like a raccoon, it's a very different beast. However, these days Japan is home to ac...
CLASSIC: The Bizarre Origin of the Oxford English Dictionary
With 600,000 words and 3 million quotations, the Oxford English Dictionary is a massive tome. Work began on the dictionary in 1857, but the first edit...
Hoax! With Dana Schwartz and Lizzie Logan
Did you know England's first newspaper was fake? Or that King Arthur is more or less completely made up? The deeper we look into human history, the mo...
Fabergé Eggs Are Ridiculous (And Fascinating)
Imagine you are beyond wealthy. You no longer dream of the average "rich people" flexes -- you've got all the diamonds, all the mansions, all the ordi...
The World of Non-Gregorian Calendars: What Day Is It, Really?
Human civilization is far from perfect. Still, it's pretty cool humanity overall agreed on how to measure time (for now). In today's follow-up to an e...
The Ridiculous Origin of the Modern Calendar
The calendar is... ridiculous. Since the earliest days of civilization, humanity has tried to measure the passage of time on Earth through any number...
CLASSIC: George Carlin Gets Quoted in the Supreme Court: Ridiculous Stand-up Stories with Wayne Federman
In the second part of this two-part series, special guest Wayne Federman explores the strange, curse-word-riddled stand-up bit that resulted in George...
The Ridiculous History of Fantasy Sports, Part Two
As local fantasy sports initiatives grew into larger, more organized pursuits, technology improved as well. Access to online statistics made it much e...
The Ridiculous History of Fantasy Sports, Part One
To outsiders, fantasy sports and fantasy leagues may sound like a bizarre proposition: you get together with a bunch of friends and leverage statistic...
CLASSIC: The People vs. Lenny Bruce: Ridiculous Stand-up Stories with Wayne Federman
Lenny Bruce is a legend in the history of stand-up comedy, and while his use of explicit language thrilled audience members, it didn't win him any fri...
First Ladies Who Weren't Wives, Part Two, Part Two: Some Folks Didn't Want The Job
Imagine one of your family members attains the highest political position in American history -- your uncle or sibling becomes the President of the Un...
First Ladies Who Weren't Wives, Part Two, Part One: James "The Bachelor" Buchanan
Ben here. I know, I know: it's confusing that we split our First Ladies sequel episode into two separate episodes. The title is literally ridiculous....
CLASSIC: The Life and Times of Ol' Knife Hand
A necropolis in what is now Northern Italy holds a strange and, at first glance, terrifying corpse. A Lombard man, aged somewhere between 40 and 50 ye...
Batman, or Bat-Man? A Ridiculously Comical Feud For The Ages
The Dark Knight. The Caped Crusader. The terror of all criminals and ne'er-do-wells in Gotham... that's right, folks: today's episode is all about Bat...
Three Ridiculous Histories of "Bloody Mary"
A frightening children's game. An intensely divisive, boozy drink. A real-life Royal. As Ben and Noel discover in today's episode, "Bloody Mary" allud...
CLASSIC: The Ridiculous Story of the World’s First (Documented) Serial Killer
Locusta of Gaul, also known as Locusta The Poisoner, was one of the most infamous criminals of ancient times. Alternately sponsored and betrayed by th...