Today is International Chess Day, so here are a few of the stories about how which pieces were on the board changed over the centuries. Plus: today in 1969, humans landed on the moon. The world was in awe - except for one famous artist. How did chess pieces get their names? (Big Think) “It Means Nothing To Me”: Picasso Unimpressed by Moon Landing (Hyperalllergic) Every move we make is thanks to our Patreon backers. Join them! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support
Today in 1911, a big day for the city of Pittsburgh: after an effort that lasted decades, the city won back the H at the end of its name! Plus: on this day in 1982, Hall of Fame shortstop Luke Appling hit an unusual home run. THE PITTSBURGH “H” (Visit Pittsburgh) Most Unlikely Homerun Ever! 75 Year Old Luke Appling's Home Run in Old Timers Game in D.C. 1982 (via YouTube) However you spell it out, our Patreon backers make each episode of this show possible! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support
Today in 1914, the birthday of Gino Bartali. The Italian cycling star won the Tour de France in 1938, and won a second time a decade later. But what was even more impressive was what he did in between those two wins. Plus: today in 1995, researchers in Slovenia found what was believed to be the oldest musical instrument ever discovered. Gino Bartali (Yad Vashem) Hear the world’s oldest instrument, the 50,000 year old neanderthal flute (Classic FM) Help us share more great stories as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support
Many people hope humans will eventually walk on Mars. But there's a lot to sort out before that can happen, including this question: how does the way we tell time change when we have humans on more than one planet? Plus: today in Boulder, Colorado, it’s Tube To Work Day. A meander through Martian minutes and the meaning of local time (Interconnected) Tube To Work Day Our Patreon backers help this show blast off every day --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support
Summer is usually shorts weather, but there’s some new research on pants that’s worth a look, especially when you know that the pants at the center of this work are from 3,000 years ago. Plus: the South Carolina Peach Festival is getting underway this week in the community of Gaffney. The world’s oldest pants are a 3,000-year-old engineering marvel (Ars Technica) South Carolina Peach Festival Our Patreon backers are fashionable people --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support
This month in 1918, two photographers took a picture of the Statue of Liberty. Except this wasn’t the giant statue that sits in the harbor in New York, it was a living Statue of Liberty formed with help from 18,000 members of the US military. Plus: today in 1939 Frank Sinatra made his first record, which reminds us of a great story from when Frank was making the original "Ocean's Eleven." Human Statue of Liberty (Snopes) History, Military, Mole & Thomas, Woodrow Wilson, Antique Photograph, 1918 (GeorgeGlazer.com) The Rat Pack Photographer (Los Angeles Times) We could make a giant version of this show with 18,000 Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support
Today is Cow Appreciation Day, so here's the story of some very unusual cows in Latvia and a playwright who helped save them from disappearing for good. Plus: a medical mystery caused by too much disco? It happened. Herd the moos? Latvia's symbolic blue cow back from the brink (Phys.org) Disco Felon (Weird Universe) Our Patreon backers are outta sight! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support
Today in 1918, the birthday of Venetia Burney, who at age eleven, did something few people have done: she named a planet! Plus: on this day in 1992 the people of Ripon, Wisconsin made what was then the world’s largest chocolate chip cookie. Venetia Burney Phair (1918-2009) (NASA) Ripon's signature Cookie Daze has been discontinued, chamber cites closure of cookie factory (Ripon Press) Our Patreon backers are so great, we should name planets after them --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support
It's National Motorcycle Day, so it's a perfect day to tell the story of one of the most legendary riders of all time: Bessie Stringfield, whose cross country trips and daring won her the name "Motorcycle Queen of Miami." Plus: today in Lisbon, Maine, the three day Moxie Festival is getting underway. Overlooked No More: Bessie B. Stringfield, the ‘Motorcycle Queen of Miami’ (New York Times) Moxie Festival Help us rev up for more episodes of the show as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support
It's National Ice Cream Month, and here's the story of a guy who tasted hundreds of millions of gallons of the sweet stuff: John Harrison, longtime ice cream tester. Plus: a kitten in Brooklyn got stuck in a car, until it heard a smartphone playing the sounds of other kittens. The ice cream man whose taste buds are insured for $1m (The Hustle) Woman Coaxes Kitten Out of a Car Engine by Playing Kitten Sounds on Her Phone (Laughing Squid) There's no one sweeter than our Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support