Ridiculous History

Why is the United States so culturally opposed to the metric system? According to a popular legend, this conundrum dates back to the late 1700s, when a French polymath named Joseph Dombey sailed to Th...

Have you been blessed -- or, perhaps, cursed -- with a nickname that just won't go away? Some of most terrifying, inspiring and ridiculous figures in human history are in the same boat. Join Ben, Noel...

The Catholic Church is no stranger to scandal and controversy, but in January of 897 the institution was home to a new and unique scandal that put the garden variety tales of adultery and financial co...

What's the weirdest pair of shoes you've ever seen? If you were King, would you force everyone else to be shorter than you? In the second part of this week's special two-part episode, returning guest ...

It's no secret that history is filled with relatively arbitrary fashion rules, fads and faux pas -- and what may be hot stuff in one era often ends up being seen as cringeworthy in later years. But ho...

During the battle of the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War, the First Marine Division seemed doomed. Surrounded, outnumbered, outgunned and running dangerously low on ammunition, the Marines call...

Burrrrp! The sound is familiar to any fan of Tupperware -- it's that little whoosh of air when you push down the lid and remove excess air. But what exactly is Tupperware? How did it become such an ub...

Like most rulers of old, Mausolus wasn't exactly known for his modesty. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max continue their exploration of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World with the story of a t...

On April 14th, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in Ford's theatre, escaping shortly thereafter and going on the run. The Federal troops in pursuit of the assassin had ord...

After a US-based college student pens a satirical article exploring hippy folklore and the Beatles, mainstream media takes off -- "Is Paul McCartney actually dead?" they ask, in a growing fever pitch....