Ridiculous History

4.2 (4.3K)
HISTORY
UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

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.

1D AGO

CLASSIC: Gregor MacGregor Invented a Country and Convinced People to Invest in It

When His Serene Highness Gregor the First, Sovereign Prince of the State of Poyais and its Dependencies, and Cacique of the Poyer nation visited London, he made a huge impression. Hundreds of people jumped at the chance to buy land in his remote, Central American paradise. There was only one problem -- the Cacique, whose real name was Gregor Macgregor, made the entire nation up out of thin air in one of history's largest, most audacious (and most ridiculous) scams. This is the Classic episode so ridiculous we made a t-shirt out of it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

57 min
5D AGO

CLASSIC: Angry Feds and Deadly Booze: The Story of the Chemists' War

From 1920 to 1933, the U.S. government attempted to ban (recreational) alcohol throughout the nation. In a stunning -- we're being sarcastic here -- turn of events, people circumvented the law and found ways to keep drinking and organized crime blossomed in cities across the country. Listen in to learn just how far Uncle Sam was willing to go to stem the flood of illegal booze in this week's Classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 min
6D AGO

We're Late for the April Fools' Episode

Have you ever fallen for an April Fools' Day gag? Across the world, millions of people pull (hopefully wholesome) pranks on each other every April 1st in a celebration of practical jokes and trickery. But where did this holiday actually come from? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into this surprisingly murky history of April Fools' Day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

43 min
APR 1

The Ridiculous History of Vending Machines

Pretty much everyone in the developed world is familiar with vending machines these days -- you see them in all sorts of places, selling all sorts of things. But where did they come from? What's the weirdest stuff sold via vending machine? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the surprisingly ancient concept of automated product dispensers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1h 2m
MAR 29

CLASSIC: Fanny and Stella: The Cross-Dressing Scandal of Victorian England

In April of 1870, a shocking court case captivated Victorian England: Fanny and Stella, also known as Frederick Park and Ernest Boulton, were arrested after attending a play at The Strand (in what was then considered inappropriate dress) and held on suspicion of violating the moral codes of the time. Listen in to learn more about the absurd legal war England waged against these two twenty-somethings, and the consequences of this ill-informed crusade. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

36 min
MAR 27

Badass of the Week, with Ben Thompson - Part 2: the Battle of Karánsebes

As Europe increasingly freaks out about the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, a ragtag crew of guys who ordinarily hate each other band together for common cause and GUESS WHAT -- it goes cartoonishly wrong. In the second part of this two-part series, the guys hang with Ben Thompson, the creator of Badass of the Week, as he breaks down the most ridiculous friendly-fire incident in all of human history. (Also, side note: Ben recorded this on his birthday, and he's still younger than Joseph II.) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 min
MAR 25

Badass of the Week, with Ben Thompson - Part 1: History's Most Ridiculous Friendly-fire Incident

War has always been a chaotic, messy endeavor -- and, sometimes, it's downright ridiculous. In this week's special two-part series, the guys welcome returning special guest Ben Thompson, creator of Badass of the Week, to learn more about the bizarre turn of events that led to the Battle of Karánsebes. In part one, Ben introduces the gang to the legendary 'enlightened despot,' Joseph II, a guy who, diplomatically put, took self-confidence to a whole new (and possibly undeserved) level. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

37 min
MAR 22

CLASSIC: That Time Kansas Imprisoned Women For Having STDs

At the close of World War I, American soldiers returned home from abroad with scars, wounds, stories and, in some cases, infections of which their romantic partners were unaware. When cities in Kansas noted the spike in sexually-transmitted diseases, they embarked upon a misguided quest to quell the infections by imprisoning the women these soldiers had infected (the soldiers didn't get arrested). So why did Kansas decide to imprison women for having STDs, how long did the program last, and why have so few people heard about it in the modern day? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 min

See All (855)

4.2

out of 5

4,324 Ratings

Good show

Mar 23

Datophatcat

One hundred percent the best podcast ever made!
Just commercials

1d ago

Alex1050

This feels like a series of commercials interspersed with occasional podcast content
SOOO many ads

3d ago

Dudly825

The content is fine but 45% of the podcast is advertisements. Way more than other shows. Unfollowed.
One star is too many.

3d ago

Knope24

Pretentious hosts, annoying producer, way too many ads. Three strikes.

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.

Channel

iHeartPodcasts
Creator

iHeartPodcasts
Years Active

2017 - 2025
Episodes

855
Rating

Clean
Copyright

2025 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
Show Website

Ridiculous History
Provider

iHeartMedia + Entertainment, Inc