Domino's Japan once tried to send its pizzas out by reindeer, but they had to backtrack after a week because, well, you can probably figure out why. Plus: Minnesota asks for suggestions on a new state flag and boy oh boy did they get suggestions.

Domino's Tried a Reindeer Delivery Program... You Can Guess How That Went (NBC News)

Whole lotta loons: 2,000-plus submissions unveiled for new Minnesota state flag, seal (CBS News)

Backing our show on Patreon is the gift that keeps on giving

Happy Thanksgiving! Back in the early days of this American holiday, kids would dress up in costumes and go door to door, asking for treats. It was known as the Ragamuffin Parade. Plus: back in 2010, the website Passive-Aggressive Notes posted a class assignment by 7 year old Lola, who declared "turkeys think of Thanksgiving as a war."

Thanksgiving Ragamuffin Parade (New York Public Library)

Poultry Slam (Passive-Aggressive Notes)

We’re very thankful for our Patreon backers

New research finds groups of chimpanzees spy on each other, carrying out recon missions to either avoid other groups or to try to encroach on their territory when it's safe to do so. Plus: a visit to the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon.

Chimpanzees use hilltops to conduct reconnaissance on rival groups (University of Cambridge) 

Take a trip around the world in the Sign Post Forest (Travel Yukon)  

Join our group of backers on Patreon - no spying experience necessary

Today is World Hello Day, so we explain how and when English speakers started using the word "hello" to say hello. Plus: scientists at the University of California-Davis have figured out how sunflowers turn their colorful heads toward the sun as it moves through the day. 

World Hello Day: History of a Greeting (Saturday Evening Post)

How Sunflowers See the Sun (UC-Davis)

Say hello to our community on Patreon and keep this show growing

It was this month in 1936 that a guy in Knoxville, Tennessee started promoting his newly-invented giant trash receptacle, named the dumpster. Plus: there's apparently a new effort in northern China to keep nighttime drivers awake and alert with a series of colorful laser patterns shining over the road.

Dempster Dumpster (Fire) (Visit Knoxville)

Congratulations, everybody: ‘Dumpster fire’ is now a dictionary entry, and here’s why (Washington Post)

These Laser Lightshows On Chinese Highway Are Meant To Keep Drivers Awake (Jalopnik)

Back our show on Patreon to make sure it never becomes a dumpster fire

The tech industry is always on the lookout for the next big thing in batteries. Scientists on the East Coast may have found it in crab shells. Plus: this is typically the weekend in the city of Taketa, Japan for the Chikuraku Festival.

Don't Toss Out The Crab Shells (WBOC)

20,000 Bamboo Lanterns Illuminate the Chikuraku Festival (Spoon + Tamago)

This show is powered by our Patreon backers, join us today

Today in 1907 Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union. Oklahoma's panhandle has a complicated history that includes a time when it was known as “No Man’s Land.” Plus: this Saturday in Luther, Oklahoma, it’s the Luther Pecan Festival.

The Secret History of the Oklahoma Panhandle (Conde Nast Traveler)

Luther Pecan Festival 

Join us on Patreon and we’ll bring more new episodes to all 50 states and beyond!

Ten years ago today, one of the sweetest moments in recent history: the day a five year old got to celebrate the end of his cancer treatments by becoming a superhero and saving the day in front of tens of thousands. Plus: a set of antique glass photo negatives from the late 19th century was on its way to the dumpster... but now it's going to college.

Watch Make-A-Wish Turn San Francisco Into BatKid's 'Gotham City' (The Atlantic Wire via Archive.org)

Visions from state’s past find a new home: Photographer gives antique glass negatives to UMass (The Recorder)

You can be a superhero for our show as a backer on Patreon

It's National Pickle Day. Maybe you put these briny cucumbers on sandwiches, or burgers, or just snack on them as they are. Or, if you’re a Texan, you might order a few up when you go to the movies. Plus: around this time in 2014, Italian artist Sven Sachsalber decided to test one of the most classic metaphors in the English language by looking for a needle in a haystack.

Why are pickles sold at the movies? Curious Texas investigates (Dallas Morning News)

Man Finds Needle In Haystack (Modern Farmer)

Backing our show on Patreon gets you loads of extras, and it costs less per month than renting a single movie

Today in 1988, a strange moment in Green Bay, Wisconsin: a Packers game got interrupted by a turkey named Henrietta. Plus: today in Las Vegas, the Indoor Environmental Healthcare and Hospitality Association presents its Housekeeping/Environmental Services Olympics. 

'Fowl' play: Woman reveals truth about Lambeau Field turkey prank (WBAY) 

IEHA Housekeeping/Environmental Services Olympics

Our show would’ve been a turkey if it weren’t for our Patreon backers