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 a bunch of horses run around in a circle, and gamble. Like they do in Europe.” In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn how the volatile, ambitious Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. created a little something called the Kentucky Derby.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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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 Benes, the author of 1999, for an in-depth exploration of talk shows, crime, transformative media and pop culture forensics. (Ben here: of course we get to films, video games and Juggalos.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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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. So what exactly happened? How could an entire neighborhood flood with a deadly deluge of beer? Join Ben, Noel and Max for a bizarre bit of boozy history in this week's Classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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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 many in-depth fan theories about what it means? Is Pac Man a Sisyphean immortal cursed with endless toil? Is he underwater, stealing errant Pong balls? Is he himself a ghost, or on drugs? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max unravel the bizarre, inspiring origin story of one of history's greatest video games.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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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 "ridiculous." In this rollicking, cartoonishly meta episode, the gang learns the history of this specific word -- and why, since before the dawn of recorded history, humans have always been all about a good joke. (And, of course, terrible jokes as well.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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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