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Ridiculous History

Now, let's be honest. Rudyard Kipling was a cartoonishly problematic guy. Yet his work made a permanent impression on global literature -- and, to a surprising degree, he based a lot of his writing on real-world events. In today's Classic episode, Ben and Noel ask: What inspired Rudyard Kipling to write The Jungle Book? Join the guys as they explore the real-life, tragic stories of feral children abandoned by their human parents, adopted by animals and raised in the wild.

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CLASSIC: Feral Children and the True Story Behind The Jungle Book

Imagine you're an ancient traveler, visiting Rhodes for the first time in 280 BCE. As you approach the famed city, a singular object dominates the horizon: a huge statue of the Greek sun god Helios, popularly known as the "Colossus of Rhodes." In the fourth part of this series on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Ben, Noel and Max explore how this titanic sculpture came to be -- and how its phenomenal legacy still remains with us in the modern day.

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Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Colossus of Rhodes

Do you have a number you love, or a number you hate? As Ben, Noel and Max discover in today's episode, people have always assigned symbolic meaning to the everpresent existence of math -- and created some frankly ridiculous associations along the way.

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Unlucky Numbers Across The Globe -- And Why They Are Ridiculous

In today's Classic episode, Ben and Noel reluctantly sing the praises of poop research. You see, folks, before Lewis and Clark set out to explore the western side of the continent, they tried to prepare for every possible contingency — including medical conditions like constipation. Join the guys as they explore how a dangerous laxative didn’t just save members of the expedition, but also may have preserved their campsites for posterity.

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CLASSIC: The Ridiculously Laxative-laden Journey of Lewis and Clark

Let's say you're a love-struck NASA intern -- your professional career holds a lot of promise, but your family life back home is in shambles... and you fall in love with a fellow intern. How can you impress your new paramour? Forget flowers, chocolates and all those other silly earth-bound romantic gestures: this is the story of Thad Roberts. From his account, he was carried away by mad love, which led him and a few collaborators -- including his fellow interns, one of whom was his lover -- to pull a heist on NASA's moon rock collection. In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the real-life story of Moon Crime. (Please be aware this episode also contains a description of two people in a hotel room getting intimate atop a pile of stolen lunar rocks.)

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Moon Rock Heists, Part Two: The Romantic Misadventures of Thad Roberts

Is it legal to own a moon rock? Well... that depends. If it's a piece of the moon that made it to Earth naturally, then all good. If, however, it's a sample retrieved on purpose by NASA's Apollo program, you can get in some serious trouble for trying to snag it. In part one of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore what happens when powerful private collectors try to get their hands on forbidden moon rocks.

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Moon Rock Heists, Part One: Lunatic Heists and Space Law

On March 3rd, 1876, residents of Bath County, Kentucky were startled to see what appeared to be chunks and flakes of meat falling from the clear, cloudless sky. The rain, which only lasted a few minutes, captured national attention. People across the country proposed various theories explaining the deluge. In today's Classic episode, the guys believe they've finally solved the mystery.

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CLASSIC: The Strange and Spectacularly Disgusting Story of the Great Kentucky Meat Shower

This episode is brought to you by our favorite cohost: coffee. These days, if you stroll into any convenience store across the planet, you're going to run into a selection of energy drinks -- whether we're talking Red Bull, NOS, Monster, or our favorite pal, the humble cup of joe, one thing's for certain: people love this stuff... even if it's not particularly healthy. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max discover the strange origin of a multibillion dollar industry dedicated to keeping people just a little more peppy.

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The Ridiculously Energetic History of Energy Drinks!

While the legendary Japanese raccoon dog -- or tanuki -- may look like a raccoon, it's a very different beast. However, these days Japan is home to actual raccoons: they're considered an invasive species, wreaking havoc across the country as they destroy temples, consume crops, and threaten indigenous wildlife. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max discover how these dastardly raccoons made it all the way over the Pacific to become an absolute menace to Japan. Spoiler: it all started with a cartoon about a boy and his furry sidekick, Rascal. Tune in to learn how a single show inspired thousands of Japanese families to acquire a raccoon of their own... only to meet with some serioulsy ridiculous consequences.

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Japan is Overrun By Raccoons Entirely Due to a Single Cartoon

With 600,000 words and 3 million quotations, the Oxford English Dictionary is a massive tome. Work began on the dictionary in 1857, but the first edition wasn't published until 1884. Compiling the dictionary was a Herculean task, and James Murray, the editor of the dictionary, put out a call for assistance. This early crowdsourcing strategy worked surprisingly well. Murray was particularly impressed by his most prolific and consistent contributor, an enigmatic fellow named Dr. W.C. Minor. So impressed, in fact, that Murray decided he had to meet the man in person. It's safe to say the meeting didn't go as expected.

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CLASSIC: The Bizarre Origin of the Oxford English Dictionary

It's true that the world's militaries often pioneer technological innovation -- but don't let all those great successes fool you! The world's militaries have at least as many failures as they do breakthroughs. Join Ben, Noel and special guest Christopher Hassiotis as they explore some of humanity's most hilarious military missteps, from round ships to rocket bullets and ball tanks.

 
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(Some of) History's Dumbest Military Prototypes

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