Today is the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, and it's the day the Slinky, which has been given as a gift countless times over the years, first became a phenomenon, even though it was invented by accident. Plus: it's been about 50 years since wild turkeys returned to New Hampshire, and it was all part of a wildlife trade with West Virginia! 

Slinky (Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia)

West Virginia gave us wild turkeys 50 years ago because we gave them fishers (Granite Geek)

We are still thankful for our backers on Patreon!

It really happened! On Thanksgiving 2008, a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade came to a halt, there was a record scratch, and none other than Rick Astley came out to perform "Never Gonna Give You Up." Plus: a pianist in Thailand is never going to give up his very unusual audience. 

An Oral History of Rickrolling (Mel Magazine)

History of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (I LOVE NY)

Playing Piano for Macaques (Nag on the Lake)

We're extra thankful this year for our Patreon backers!

This week marks two years since the end of a lawsuit over who had the world record in car sales! Not that we're short on stories these days about people disputing numbers. Plus: if you want a calmer story, how about this one about an artist who makes ornate sculptures from apples? 

5 Guinness World Records Controversies (Mental Floss)

Lawsuits dropped over car sales record; Guinness opts to no longer track that particular record (Dearborn Press and Guide)

Watch this expert apple sculptor create juicy delights (Boing Boing)

Our Patreon backers are undisputably number one

Today in 1969 Apollo 12 touched down on earth after landing on the moon, and if the stories are true, it brought with it a tiny tile containing line drawings by six Earth artists. Plus: since most of us aren't likely to visit the art installation on the lunar surface, maybe we can visit this museum in the Florida Keys that goes below the surface of the water. 

The Most Exclusive Museum in the World is on the Moon (Interesting Engineering)

Florida Keys’ History of Diving Museum Offers Virtual and In-Person Learning (Florida Keys and Key West)

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Today in 1889, inventor Louis Glass moved his "nickel-in-a-slot" into a saloon in San Francisco, beginning the age of the jukebox and giving the generations without smartphones and streaming services the chance to push a button and listen to a song. Plus: Chris Nikic has just become the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman triathlon.

How the Jukebox Got Its Groove (Popular Mechanics)

Chris Nikic is the First Person with Down Syndrome to Ever Complete a Full Ironman (The Sifter)

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On this day in 1973, the Who's drummer, Keith Moon, collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital. Amazingly, the band chose a 19 year old from the crowd, Scot Halpin, to fill in for the rest of the show. Plus: this year's Pasadena Doo Dah Parade isn't just irreverent, it's irreverent and virtual! 

The Hoosier That Rescued the World’s Biggest Band (Orange Bean Indiana)

Pasadena Doo Dah Parade 

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Robot roadside assistance? Toyota has applied for a patent for a system where self-driving drones could pull up to vehicles and give them some gas - or, if it runs on electricity, give it a charge. Plus: when you need to get a donor organ from one part of Italy to another, what do you do? Turn to a Lamborghini, of course. 

Toyota Patent Shows Self-Driving Drone Tankers for Car-to-Car Recharging and Refueling (TheDrive)

Italian Police Use Lamborghini To Transport Donor Kidney 300 Miles In Two Hours (Jalopnik)

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Scientists have determined that the Greenland shark lives longer than any known invertebrate, up to 400 years. How? We don't know, but it sure does seem chill about it. Plus: UK-based artist Sue Austin developed an underwater wheelchair, making the wide, wide sea a lot more accessible. 

A Greenland Shark Living Today Could Have Been Alive in 1620 (HowStuffWorks)

A Specially Adapted Underwater Wheelchair Brings Artist Sue Austin Beneath the Earth’s Surface (Colossal)

Our Patreon backers keep this show from being all washed up

On National Take A Hike Day, we salute Emma "Grandma" Gatewood, who, in her 60s, became the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. Plus: on National Homemade Bread Day, we salute Pham Thi Bac's enormous bread loaves in Vietnam. 

Ohio’s Most Famous Hiker––Emma “Grandma” Gatewood (Ohio History)

The Great-Grandma Who Changed the AT Forever (Outside Online)

Vietnamese Province Attracts Worldwide Attention for Its Giant Loaves of Bread (Oddity Central)

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The man known as the Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy, was born on this day in 1873, and it's not exaggerating to say rock and popular music wouldn't have played out the same way without him. Plus: if you have the blues because your cat keeps waking you up in the night, you may want to check out this new cat-friendly bedframe. 

W.C. Handy (AllMusic)

W.C. Handy, Father of the Blues (Library of Congress)

Ingenious Bed Frame Has a Place for Cats to Play While Their Humans Rest (My Modern Met)

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