Ridiculous History

In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max discover stunning commonalities between Father's Day celebrations across culture, community, and time. We wrote that first sentence knowing our Dads will not read the rest, and we genuinely believe we have some good jokes with this one.

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For most of us -- hopefully! -- dental care is a fundamental piece of the morning routine. There are few things quite as refreshing as starting the day with a fresh, minty smile. Then, of course, deodorant (please)! In the second part of the History of Morning Routines, Ben, Noel and Max give massive thanks to the many inventors of yesteryear who worked tirelessly to create toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant. Along the way, the guys discover some immensely devious marketing, and invent a new insult: "you sweat-ridden child."

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In 1805, two French Marshals found themselves in quite a pickle -- Jean Lannes and Joachim Murat needed to cross the Danube at the Tabor bridge (a series of three bridges, actually) to reach Vienna. However, Austrian forces held the bridges and were prepared to destroy them before allowing the French to cross. With a brilliant talent for improvisation and more than a healthy dose of confidence, the Marshalls proceeded to con their way across the bridge without firing a shot. Listen in to learn more in today's Classic episode.

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It's no secret that politics can be a minefield of quirky events, and strange things happen in the lead up to elections. But just how strange can it get? Join the guys and returning guest Christopher Hassiotis as they explore bizarre tales of non-human politicians in this special Classic episode.

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Regardless of culture or country, most people have some sort of morning routine. This could be a simple as a shower, a shave and brushing one's teeth -- on the other hand, some morning routines are elaborate affairs requiring an hour or more of careful grooming, mousiturizing, meditation, and more. So where do these rituals come from? In the first part of this two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max journey to the past to learn that, for a large part of human history, people smelled terrible.

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Horror fans can tell you there's more than one type of vampire -- in fact, there are hundreds of vampire-like fiends in cultures around the world. In most cases these are dismissed as spooky stories for children or ancient myths, but when the CIA needed to oust a group of Communist rebels in the Philippines, they decided to make the myth of the Aswang a reality. Join Ben and Noel for a bizarre adventure in this week's Classic episode.

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Whether we're talking jet black, stunning platinum or fire engine red, there's just something fascinating about hair as a fashion statement. And, of course, forms of hair dye have been used since antiquity to help people maintain a youthful appearance... even when the ingredients caused tremendous physical harm. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the fascinating (and surprisingly dangerous) history of hair dye.

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Statues are sort of a big deal. Even today, most folks you meet don't have a statue of themselves. So it comes as no surprise that back in the day, one statue in particular became a wonder of the ancient world. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the story of Zeus. (Ben here: I need everyone to know we are not talking about the origins of Zeus as a G-d; just this crazy, huge IKEA-level statue.)

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Years ago, if you wanted to start a fight in Hartlepool in north eastern England, all you'd have to do is start calling people 'monkey hangers'. But why? Join the guys as they explore how the Napoleonic War, a terrified village and one incredibly unlucky monkey collided -- allegedly -- in one of the most ridiculous events of its time.

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Newly inspired by his recent associations in amateur magazine circles, HP Lovecraft returns to fiction. In the second part of this series, Ben, Max and special guest Jonathan Strickland witness Lovecraft's work building a mythos with his friends and collaborators, his love life, his tragedies and triumphs. Also his strange hatred of so many things (including, oddly, seafood).

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