Ridiculous History

Let's be honest: national anthems are cool... but definitely propaganda, and often objectively weird. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore some of history's strangest national anthems. Some are inspiring, some are plain odd -- and, as the guys learn, a lot of national anthems change over time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today the Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous landmarks in the United States -- but it almost didn't make it to Ellis Island. Join the Ben and Noel as they explore the strange story of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and his quest to build this iconic monument in this week's classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know over 90% of US households own a vacuum cleaner? These handy-dandy descendents of the carpet sweeper revolutionized the cleaning game... but where did they come from? As Ben, Noel and Max discover in today's episode, your humble vacuum is the result of centuries' worth of wild ideas -- and more than a few crazily ambitious inventors, as well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When illustrator and novelist Rose O'Neill first debuted the Kewpie cartoons in 1909, these loveable little characters took the world by storm. Yet O'Neill didn't stop there. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn the surprisingly inspiring and feminist story of the Kewpie doll as a crucial aspect of women's rights in the United States.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Juan Pujol first volunteered to spy for the British during World War II, they didn’t take him seriously. That all changed when he got a gig spying for the German government. Listen to learn the story of one of World War II’s most successful double agents.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Often called "the thick, creamy bastard child of oil and eggs" (well, called that at least once by Ben), mayonnaise remains one of the world's most divisive condiment. But where did it come from? In today's continuing Ridiculous History of condiments, Ben, Noel and Max get to the bottom of the case. Or jar. You get it!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a small suburb of Atlanta back in the 1950s, two men hatched an amazing concept: a restaurant that never closes. In today's episode, the guys explore the origin story of Georgia's most mythical restaurant: Waffle House.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, it didn't take the newly-independent nations of Greece and Bulgaria long to begin bickering over their borders. Throughout the early 1920s, small bands of peasants from both countries routinely crossed the border to steal livestock, damage property and harass locals. This untenable situation reached a breaking point in 1925, when a Greek border guard was fatally shot while crossing into Bulgaria to retrieve his dog (who had strayed away on dog business). This single incident sparked a cavalcade of chaos that eventually caught the attention of the League of Nations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ptolemy II was known for a lot of things, none of which involved being humble. In the newest installment of this continuing series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the ridiculous story of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So many people grew up hearing the myth that Columbus proved the Earth was round. It's a great story— but it's also utter bunk! In today's episode, Ben and Max get to the bottom of this ridiculous tale, and learn how most of civilization knew the Earth was round way earlier than those old school textbooks would have you believe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The telegraph and the communication system known as Morse code revolutionized the way we transmit information, but how did it get here? Join the guys as they explore the tragic life and time of Samuel Morse in this week's Classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A beloved children's author. A spy. An ace fighter pilot, a notorious lady's man, and a strident antisemite: Roald Dahl was all these things and more. In the second part of this special two-part interview, the guys welcome back Aaron Tracy, the award-winning creator of The Secret World of Roald Dahl, to learn more about the man behind the author -- and get a few tips about writing along the way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nowadays, most everyone knows a classic Roald Dahl story — yet who knows the man himself? In the first part of this special two-part interview, the guys welcome Aaron Tracy, the award-winning creator of The Secret World of Roald Dahl, as he blasts beyond the bluster of headlines and hedgerows of civility— exposing, for better or worse, the true life of one of the world's most beloved authors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the weirdest wartime heist you've ever heard of? In today's Classic episode, Ben, Noel and Max return to one of their favorites: On February 27, 1942, nine saboteurs set out in the middle of the night to blow up a Nazi-controlled heavy water plant in Norway. This operation was as crucial as it was complicated -- if the plant continued to function, the Nazis very well may have been able to construct an atomic bomb. Tune in to learn exactly how the commandos glided in and, eventually, skied away.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite being a relatively small country, the South East Asian nation of Thailand is famous across the planet for its unique, delectable cuisine. Heck, nowadays in the United States almost everyone is just a stone's throw away from a Thai restaurant -- so, how did we get here? Why are Thai restaurants suddenly everywhere? As Ben, Noel and Max discover in today's episode: this massive success is the result of a genuine (and delicious) conspiracy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether you call it table tennis, whiff-whaff or ping pong, there's no denying this fun sport of "tennis for the home" has become a global phenomenon. But where did it come from? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max find out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Isaac Newton is best known for his scientific pursuits -- but he also served as Warden and, later, Master of the Royal Mint. And this wasn't some sort of honorary position, either: Newton took his job of hunting down forgers seriously, and may have even bent (or broken) the law in his quest to arrest and hang his archnemesis, the counterfeiting kingpin William Chaloner.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oof! Atari! As our producer Max likes to say, 'it was a thing.' In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the pioneering rise of Atari, corporate overtake, and the final words of its founder.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nowadays most people either play video games, or know someone who does -- yet this wasn't always the case. As civilization skyrockets toward gaming experiences that feel increasingly immersive (and, in some cases, inseperable from reality), Ben, Noel and Max pay homage to the crew that started it all: a scrappy, legendary outfit called "Atari".See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Naval legend Admiral Nelson died on October 21st, 1805 shortly after being shot by a French sniper while standing on the deck his ship, Victory. Following the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, the survivors of the conflict were left with a dilemma -- how could they preserve Nelson's body long enough for the corpse to receive an appropriate burial back home?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Words are everywhere -- and we're grateful, because we can't do this show without them. But all words were, at some point, just made up. So how does society decide what counts as a "real" word? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the history of language, and the oddly specific systems dictionaries put in place to decide whether a given word or phase is legitimate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if you could hop from France to New York in less than four hours? Traveling twice the speed of sound, with caviar, lobster, champagne and cigars? This was the pitch of the Concorde jet -- a revolutionary, utterly ridiculous and brilliant craft that promised to fundamentally change air travel. Spoiler: it's not around anymore. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max figure out why.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In late 17th-century England, it was almost impossible for anyone outside of the upper class to successfully get a divorce -- the process was expensive and required approval from both the church and the government. As a result, some couples agreed to end their unhappy marriages through a bizarre practice known as 'wife selling'. And, unfortunately, it's exactly what it sounds like.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Western world embarks on 2026, Ben, Max and Noel welcome everyone's New Year's resolutions. (Here's hoping that gym schedule continues through February!) In celebration of a "New Year, New Me" mentality, the boys return to the Ridiculous History of Fad Diets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nowadays beef, chicken and pork are the most common meats in the US -- but, not so long ago, that could have all changed. Join the guys as they travel back to the early 1900s, when Louisiana congressman Robert Broussard proposed an unorthodox solution to the nation's crippling meat shortage: the introduction of African Hippopotamuses to Gulf Coast swamplands. What convinced Broussard that the world's deadliest land mammal could become America's next culinary craze? Tune in to find out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, most people probably don't remember the career of once-famous charioteer Gaius Appuleius Diocles -- however, in his day we was a cultural icon, one of the most famous athletes in Rome. Join the guys as they explore the story Diocles and trace one professor's quest to figure out exactly how much cash Diocles made in modern terms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy New Year! It's no secret that MTV fundamentally changed the nature of media and entertainment. But how did it actually get started? What made the world so obsessed with the concept of "Music Television"? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max get to learn the true origin story of MTV from none other than the legendary co-founder, Tom Freston. As an author, a businessman, a philanthropist and a world traveller, Tom shares not only his origin story ... but, get this: he also gives the guys some insider tips on how to pursue a life worth living (and pitches a wild idea to get them promoted).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Ben, Noel, Casey and returning guest Christopher Hassiotis as they continue exploring the strange life and times of George Washington in the second part of this two-part series. Listen in to learn more about Washington's weird hair routine, his bizarre, lifelong medical issues, and his family's troubling history in early America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Returning special guest Christopher Hassiotis joins the guys today for a round-robin discussion of the very weird life of George Washington, first President of the United States. (As you may have guessed from the title, there's more weirdness than we could fit in a single episode.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey there, Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Ben, Noel and Max here: as we travel to hang with our friends and family, we like to do a little thing at the end of the year where we explore various tangents and trivia we didn't get to in our first run of a show. So, as you're hugging or dodging your own family -- and just maybe having some adventures with your cousins -- join us for a wild ride through the history of hair spray, inventors who accidentally died due to their own inventions, a load of holiday banter, and so much more. (Ben here: by "so much more," I mean, like, two other things.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the end of the year, fellow Ridiculous Historians! As Ben, Noel and Max look back on the events of 2025, they discovered historians do, in fact, have one year singled out as "the worst year in human history." But... why? Join the guys as they explore how DXXXVI absolutely wrecked Europe, the Middle East and Asia -- with consequences that reverberate in the modern day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For centuries most people in Europe thought of rhinos as another form of mythical creature, like unicorns or griffins. However, this all changed when an enterprising sea captain brought a young, orphaned rhino named Clara back to his home country after his travels abroad. It's often said that fame can have a powerful effect on the average human being, but how does it affect rhinos? Join the guys and special guest Katie Goldin, host of the podcast Creature Feature, as they unravel the mystery.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the strangest Christmas tradition you practice? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max ring in the end of the year with an exploration of Christmas celebrations across the world -- and speculate on inventing a few of their own.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the career of rhythm-and-blues vocalist Johnny Ace was short, he left a huge mark on the music world. Up until Christmas Day of 1954, Ace seemed set to reach genuine crossover success in pop music -- until, that is, he met his untimely end during an ill-fated game of Russian Roulette. At least, that's the legend. Yet as special guest Jake Brennan, the creator of the hit podcast Disgraceland, reveals: there's much more to the story. Tune in as Jake and the gang explore a strange, disturbing Christmas mystery. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disgraceland/id1275172907Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HeA7PGBai6TQrZLOLzcEi?si=6362c868e1da4ad6See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben, Noel and Max return with this week's Classic episode! Monopoly is a pretty divisive game, and people tend to either love it or hate it. However, for hundreds of Allied POWs captured during World War II, Monopoly became more than a mere diversion -- it became, instead, their ticket to freedom. Join the guys as they explore the strange sequence of events that led the UK to turn Monopoly into a real-life escape kit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's be honest. If you live in the United States, you probably think fruitcake is ridiculous. It's like the MRE of Christmas, passed around from one family to the next. But what makes it so resilient? How, out of all the cakes in the world,did fruitcake become a thing -- and why does it remain with us today?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Picture this: it's just after World War II -- the world knows nuclear weapons can end civilization. So, how can a government help the public feel safe? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the ridiculous history of that time Uncle Sam tried to make the public build cartoonishly bad fallout shelters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Language is beautiful and, in many cases, continually evolving. As a result, we end up with hundreds of strange idioms and figures of speech that we use on a daily basis, with little to no understanding of what they originally meant. Join the guys and special guest, Rowan Newbie, the creator of the Pitches podcast, as they explore the bizarre origins of your favorite turns of phrase. (Ben here, with a bonus question: I went through and noted multiple turns of phrase we all used unintentionally - how many can you catch?)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can people really just, for no discernable reason, catch on fire? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the centuries old folklore and investigations of a phenomenon known as "spontaneous human combustion" -- and discover the debate continues, even in the modern day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Ben, Noel and Max close out another year of Ridiculous History, they return to the patently baffling world of intellectual property. In part three of this series, the guys finally tackle one of the weirdest concepts out there -- a thoroughly confusing thing called a 'copyright'. What is it? Where did this idea come from, how does it work... and what exactly does it protect? Tune in to learn more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most people in the West are familiar with the old Rapunzel fairy tale -- a beautiful princess is confined to a tower until a prince, captivated by her beauty, uses her hair as a ladder and comes to her rescue. But where did this story come from, exactly? Tune in to learn more in today's Classic episode from 2019.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nowadays, pretty much anyone can easily find an accurate map of a city, a country, or the entire world. But this wasn't always the case. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore baffling cartography of old, when well-intentioned mapmakers, working with the best info they had at the time, often got things wrong. Our first episode in this continuing series: that time everyone thought California was an island.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For most people, Tylenol is nothing more than an ol' stand-by, over-the-counter pain reliever. Yet, as Ben, Noel and Max learn in today's episode -- this wasn't always the case. Today's episode takes the boys to 1980s Chicago, when a ghoulish series of still-unsolved murders rocked the pharmaceutical industry, and led to the creation of tamper-proof packaging.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was a man of many interests, but his endeavors were by no means limited to technical innovation, philosophy and politics. In fact, throughout his life he had a reputation as an irredeemable lech -- literally, in later years, a dirty old man -- and his exploits were common knowledge on both sides of the Atlantic. He himself did not shy away from these accusations, and records show he even advised his younger friends on affairs, marriage, sex and romance. But was his famous 1745 letter "Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress" meant as sincere advice, or satire?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you have a favorite tree? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max head over to the famous college town of Athens, Georgia where -- legend has it -- one guy was so enamored with his childhood oak that he ultimately deeded it to itself. How much of the story is true? Can a tree really "own itself"?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Longtime listeners are well-aware that the history of the 'Wild West' is more than a bit... embellished. Yet a grain of truth exists at the heart of almost every legend, and the story of Doc Holliday is no different. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn more about Tombstone's breakout star -- and how, if things were just a little different, he may have lived a happy, peaceful life as a dentist.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Idaho was the 43rd state admitted to the Union, and today it's well-known for potatoes, mining, and stunning forests -- but, even in the modern day, Idaho is home to a surprising mystery: What does its name actually mean? Join the guys as they explore the ridiculous origin story of Idaho's name in this week's Classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here on Ridiculous History, we are avowedly pro-dog. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into a strange evolution of slave, to companion, to family member, tracing the evolution of dog food as it blossoms into a multi-billion dollar marketing phenomenon (and one heck of a grift).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Land! Historically speaking, it's a pretty popular thing. In fact, a great deal of human conflict is based upon fighting over real estate -- yet, as Ben, Noel and Max discover in today's episode, in at least one case there's a piece of the world no nation wants. For well over a century, Egypt and Sudan have both been fighting over who controls Bir Tawil... and both of them want the other country to own it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Folks, we are phenomenally excited about this week's Classic episode. It sounds like something straight out of the cave beneath Bruce Wayne's Manor, but thanks to the passion of a part-time inventor named Lytle Adams, the United States military really did spend millions attempting to arm bats with incendiary devices and launch them -- real-life bat bombs -- across Japanese cities. Here's the weird thing: It could have actually worked.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.