Today in 1979, Germany’s federal parliament, the Bundestag, welcomed a new member, one Jakob Mierscheid. The catch? Jakob Mierscheid is a fictional character, he's completely imaginary. Plus: the last circulating US pennies are being auctioned off starting today.

A dubious existence (Süddeutsche Zeitung via Archive.org) 

Last circulating cents to be sold in Dec. 11 auction (Coin World)

Our Patreon backers make a real difference for our show, join them today

Today in 1962, NBC broadcast a documentary showing a daring and dramatic effort to rescue people from Communist East Berlin. What was unusual was that NBC had essentially funded that rescue project. Plus: a raccoon breaks into a store in Virginia, gets drunk, passes out and gets in trouble with the law.

Escape From East Berlin (New York Times)

Drunk raccoon found passed out in Virginia store bathroom after ransacking it: officials (WJLA)

Join our Patreon backers and keep building this show

Today in 1970, the release of the Donny Hathaway song "This Christmas." It's become a holiday classic, even if it took a couple decades to get there. Plus: in the Czech Republic you can get an Advent calendar that’s made of salami.

Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" (Chicago Sun-Times via Archive.org) 

Salami Advent Calendar, Czech Republic (Present & Correct via Bluesky) 

Get to know our show better as a backer on Patreon

This year brought us some pretty awful wildfires. A project in Portugal called Trovador asks if robots could take on some of the post-wildfire work for us. Plus: a farm in Shelby, Ohio is offering yoga classes with its otters.

tree-planting robot saves burned land from deforestation by putting seedlings in the ground (designboom)

An 'otterly' good time: Ohio farm offers ‘world’s only’ yoga class where otters set the vibe (10TV

Our show is 100 percent human-powered, thanks to our backers on Patreon

This week we're replaying our favorite shows about winged mammals. In this episode from April 2023, we visit two centuries-old libraries in Portugal where bat colonies actually offer some pretty useful service in protecting their extremely rare old volumes. Plus: there's a library in Washington state that collects unpublished manuscripts.

These Portuguese Libraries Are Infested With Bats — and They Like It That Way (Travel + Leisure via Yahoo!)

The Brautigan Library (Futility Closet)

Help us build our library of new episodes as a backer on Patreon

This week we're replaying our favorite shows about winged mammals. In this episode from April 2022, research from Ohio State University finds bats can become close when they’re made to live together. Plus: in 1930, a BBC announcer came on the air to say “there is no news.”

Like college roommates, vampire bats bond when randomly paired (Ohio State University)

#OnThisDay 1930: the BBC’s news announcer said, “there is no news” (BBCArchive on Twitter)

Our Patreon backers keep this show flying and making friends!

This week we're replaying our favorite shows about winged mammals. In this episode from November 2020, researchers at Johns Hopkins University say bats can essentially “hear” into the future to find food. Plus: when The MTV European Music Awards let fans vote on the internet for Best Act Ever, the internet Rickrolled music history.

Hearing the Future (Johns Hopkins University)

MTV EMAs name Rick Astley ‘Best Act Ever’ (NME)

Cool Weird Awesome will never give its Patreon backers up, will never let them down… 

This week we're replaying our favorite shows about winged mammals. In this episode from September 2021, research finds if you spend time with baby bats, you might hear them doing essentially the same babbling sounds that baby humans make. Plus: the YouTube channel Steadycraftin turns those orange into 3D printed robot figures.

Baby Bats Babble Just Like Human Infants (Treehugger)

Turning Plastic Pill Bottles Into Orange Robot Figurines (Laughing Squid)

We hang on our Patreon backers’ every word

This week we're replaying our favorite shows about winged mammals. In this episode from June 2022, a study from Ohio State University finds bats can remember a ringtone for years if they associate the sound with food. Plus: a French company uses old face masks to make rulers and protractors for geometry class.

A rare discovery of long-term memory in wild frog-eating bats (Ohio State University)

Plaxtil Recycles Used Face Masks Into School Supplies (Cool Hunting)

Our Patreon backers always remember how to make this show possible – thanks for your support!

A lot of people are out shopping today, so we'll look at the history of the unsung hero of all that fast and furious commerce, the bar code. Plus: If you’re in the community of Ariel, Washington, you might be marking DB Cooper Day.

Scan here: Endowed professor delves into the history of the barcode (Clemson)

A hijacker holiday in Washington (BBC)

Scan yourself into our Patreon site as one of this show’s backers