Ridiculous History

iHeartPodcasts
  • 4.2 (4.4K)
  • 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.

  1. 10H AGO

    Doc Holliday Was, In Fact, A Deadly Dentist

    Longtime listeners are well-aware that the history of the 'Wild West' is more than a bit... embellished. Yet a grain of truth exists at the heart of almost every legend, and the story of Doc Holliday is no different. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn more about Tombstone's breakout star -- and how, if things were just a little different, he may have lived a happy, peaceful life as a dentist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    36 min

  2. 2D AGO

    Bir Tawil: The Ridiculous Tale of "Earth's Worst Real Estate"

    Land! Historically speaking, it's a pretty popular thing. In fact, a great deal of human conflict is based upon fighting over real estate -- yet, as Ben, Noel and Max discover in today's episode, in at least one case there's a piece of the world no nation wants. For well over a century, Egypt and Sudan have both been fighting over who controls Bir Tawil... and both of them want the other country to own it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    31 min

  3. 5D AGO

    CLASSIC: Uncle Sam Tried to End World War II With Bat Bombs

    Folks, we are phenomenally excited about this week's Classic episode. It sounds like something straight out of the cave beneath Bruce Wayne's Manor, but thanks to the passion of a part-time inventor named Lytle Adams, the United States military really did spend millions attempting to arm bats with incendiary devices and launch them -- real-life bat bombs -- across Japanese cities. Here's the weird thing: It could have actually worked. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    38 min

  4. NOV 6

    The Ridiculous History of the "Ice Cream Sundae"

    For fans of sweet, frozen sweets, there's nothing as perfect as ice cream. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max scoop into a bizarrely niche controversy: Who actually invented the 'Ice Cream Sundae,' and why on Earth is it spelled 'Sundae,' rather than 'Sunday'? Ben here: we do figure it out, and history is super weird. Thanks for tuning in! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min

  5. NOV 4

    Zombies, Part Two: The Movies!

    On the shambling heels of their recent episode exploring the bizarre legendary origins of zombies, Ben, Noel and Max dive headfirst into the cinematic side of the undead: zombie movies. As they discover in today's episode, the film version of zombies or the walking dead has become increasingly distinct from the original folklore version -- and this may have been more a result of social commentary than of any single director's vision. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    53 min

  6. NOV 1

    CLASSIC: The American Soldiers Who Defected to North Korea and Became Movie Stars

    In this weekend's Classic episode, Ben quizzes Max on his dreams of being a director, ultimately asking: What would the average person do to become famous? Often described as one of the most isolated countries in the world, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has been ruled by the Kim dynasty since 1948. And while most reports of defectors focus on harrowing stories of North Koreans escaping to freedom in China or South Korea, a handful of people actually traveled in the other direction, defecting to North Korea. Listen in to learn more about the strange journeys American soldiers took, away from the military and straight to the forefront of North Korea's film industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    37 min

  7. OCT 30

    Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Temple of Artemis

    It's no secret that the Wonders of the Ancient World were pretty... wonderful -- yet also pretty mischaracterized. In today's episode, Ben, Noel, and Super Producer Max explore the phenonemal Temple of Artemis, which was built not once, not twice, but three separate times before it ultimately disappeared. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    32 min

  8. OCT 28

    That Time Everyone Loved Radium: What Could Go Wrong?

    Fellow Ridiculous Historians, we all know the inspiring and tragic story of Marie Curie -- however, not everyone is familiar with the absolute boom in radium-associated merchandise, which took the world by storm before the public understood the dangers of radiation. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into a bizarre tale of capitalism, marketing, and consequence: let's call this parable 'The Radium Era.' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    51 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.2
out of 5
4,411 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Channel
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Creator
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2025
  • Episodes
    947
  • 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

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