Valentine's Day is a pretty normal holiday in the US and several other countries, and other parts of the world have similar holidays, focused on appreciating our loved ones. But as Ben, Noel and Max learn in today's special episode, a lot of the history behind Valentine's Day is just... incredibly weird. The boys join forces with returning special guests Eli and Diana Banks, the creators of the hit podcast Ridiculous Romance, to dive into some of the most bizarre -- dare we say ridiculous -- aspects of Valentine's Day throughout history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Ridiculous History

Valentine's Day Is So Much Weirder Than We Thought

What can Mr. David Lee Roth's run-ins with the law teach us about wholesomeness? Why did John Wayne have public, drunken beef with Harvard? In part two of this week's special two-part series, guests Zaron Burnett and Elizabeth Dutton, the creators and hosts of Ridiculous Crime, join the guys to explore some of history's strangest celebrity busts. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Weirdest Celebrity Busts, Part II: Mr. David Lee Roth and a Drunken John Wayne

Did Richard Nixon smuggle weed? What can the Fatty Arbuckle scandal tell us about American society? In this week's special two-part series, guests Zaron Burnett and Elizabeth Dutton, the creators and hosts of Ridiculous Crime, join the guys to explore some of history's strangest celebrity busts. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Weirdest Celebrity Busts, Part I: Nixon Smuggled Weed, Arbuckle Was Innocent

Caught between the conflicting ideologies of the Cold War, Soviet teens were banned from collecting Western music -- smuggled records could be both rare and expensive. The solution? Discarded X-rays, also known as 'bone recordings'. Join the guys as they explore the strange story of the Stilyagi in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

CLASSIC: X-Rays, Songs and Soviets: The Stilyagi Story

Don’t let the charming slapstick fool you — Charlie Chaplin was a monster to his lovers, coworkers and family. His former collaborator, Marlon Brando was even weirder and could be just as cruel. In the second part of this two-part episode, the hosts of Tossed Popcorn return to explore more bizarre stories behind the scenes of cinema. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Tossed Popcorn, Part 2: Chaplin was a Jerk, Brando was Insane

It's no secret that Hollywood has been home to numerous lurid, disturbing -- and, sometimes, ridiculous -- tales over the decades. In the first part of this two-part series, the guys are joined with Lianna and Sienna, the creators of Tossed Popcorn, for an exploration of bizarre behind-the-scenes stories from some of film's most iconic movies, celebrities and eras. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Tossed Popcorn, Part 1: The Wizard of Oz and the Titanic

You may not have heard of Peter Freuchen, but in his day he was one of the world's most well-known polar explorers. He also wrote prolifically about his adventures, including his numerous brushes with death. And that's just the beginning of his story -- he later went to Hollywood, fought against the Nazis in Europe, had some brushes with celebrity scandal and more. Tune in to learn more about the amazing (and occasionally gruesome) adventures of Peter Freuchen. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Peter Freuchen: Explorer, Raconteur, Movie Star and War Hero

If you read the international headlines in 1969, you'd think the Central American countries of Honduras and El Salvador loved football (soccer, for the US folks in the crowd) so much that they actually went to war over it. But does this story actually hold up? That's the question for today's episode, as the guys dive into the true events leading to the infamous, short-lived 'Football War.' Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Did Honduras and El Salvador Really Go to War over Soccer?

For many adults, the idea of 'summer camp' conjures up fond, nostalgic memories of childhood. And most folks see these outfits as great opportunities for children to learn, play and connect with their peers. Yet as the Nazi party rose to power in Germany, multiple communities in the US created their own kinds of summer camp -- camps dedicated entirely to indoctrinating children with Nazi propaganda, all under the guise of popularizing 'German virtues.' Tune in to learn more.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

The US Literally Had Nazi Summer Camps

When San Franciscan businessman Joshua Norton lost his fortune in a Peruvian rice deal gone sour, he temporarily disappeared from the public eye. Not long after, he reemerged as Norton I, the self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States (and, later, Protector of Mexico). In today's episode, Ben and Noel explore the life and times of Norton, and the surprising legacy he left behind. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

The Emperor of the United States

Most people haven't met an ostrich in person, but everyone knows what they are: the large, flightless birds have been around since before the rise of humanity, and throughout history people have admired their long, luxurious feathers. Back in the day, any self-respecting socialite absolutely had to have ostrich feathers festooning their hats, creating an international trade market that led a small army of South Africans to launch a harrowing, dangerous heist to steal the legendary Barbary ostrich. Tune in to learn more about one of the strangest heists in history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

The Trans-Saharan Ostrich Expedition of 1911

War is ugly, horrific and, according to some, a necessary part of human civilization. Yet in the 1920s, world powers recovering from World War I sought to make the planet a safer (or, at least, less unsafe) place. Their solution? The Paris Peace Pact, which aimed to, through an international agreement, outlaw war. Spoiler: it didn't work. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

That Time Everyone Tried To Outlaw War

Antarctica is home to one of the most brutal climates on the planet, and the few humans living on this continent face profound isolation and cramped quarters. Often, tension rises as the months between supply runs pile up -- so what happens when something goes wrong? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

CLASSIC: Who Solves Murders in Antarctica?

You've probably heard of the Ice Ages -- long periods of reduction in Earth's temperature, triggering massive expansion of glaciers and so on -- but you may not have heard of the "Little Ice Age," a time of regional cooling that, from the 14th to the 19th centuries, dramatically affected weather and society across Europe and abroad. Tune in to learn more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

The Lil Ice Age Was Way Less Cute Than It Sounds

As towns go, Vernon, Florida is pretty tiny -- it has a small population, has struggled with economic depression, and doesn't get a ton of tourists. But that all changed several decades ago, when Vernon became a subject of national interest as insurance investigators discovered a grisly scam. You may not have heard of Vernon, but you may know it by its other, unofficial name: Nub City. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Nub City: Florida's Infamous Amputation Scam

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.

hubhopper

Ridiculous History

hubhopper