The Easy-Bake Oven Has Put Kids At The Forefront Of Lightbulb-Based Cooking For Decades (Cool Weird Awesome 1340)

It was today in 1963 that kids could start baking by lightbulb thanks to these colorful little toy appliances. We'll explain how the Easy Bake Oven came together.

By |2024-11-04T07:54:47-05:00November 4, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Charlie Brown’s TV Neighbors Gave Him Rocks For Halloween, But Real People Sent Him Candy (Cool Weird Awesome 1338)

Halloween didn't turn out so great for the title character of “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” But that led viewers to do something nice for him afterward.

By |2024-10-31T07:58:02-04:00October 31, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The “Logan Bar” Was Not-So-Sweet Chocolate And That’s Just How The US Military Wanted It (Cool Weird Awesome 1335)

For National Chocolate Day, the story of a World War II-era chocolate bar that wasn't too sweet, and that’s exactly how it was supposed to be. 

By |2024-10-28T07:07:36-04:00October 28, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , , , |

William A. Mitchell, The King Of Space Age Snacks (Cool Weird Awesome 1330)

Today in 1911, the birthday of William A. Mitchell, a food inventor whose name might not ring a bell but whose creations - including Pop Rocks, Cool Whip and Tang - are unforgettable.

By |2024-10-21T07:45:36-04:00October 21, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Gail Halvorsen, The “Candy Bomber” Of The Berlin Airlift (Cool Weird Awesome 1049)

Today in 1948, an unusually sweet moment in the history of the Cold War: American servicemember Gail Halvorsen came up with a plan that would eventually earn him the nickname "the Berlin Candy Bomber."

By |2024-07-17T07:27:04-04:00July 17, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Kids In Canada Went On Strike Over The Price Of Candy Bars (Cool Weird Awesome 995)

Today in 1947, the start of a big moment in the history of sweets: kids in Canada protested a hike in chocolate bar prices with what would eventually become known as the Candy Strike.

By |2024-04-25T07:56:44-04:00April 25, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Why Do Some People Love Licorice And Other People Loathe It? (Cool Weird Awesome 986)

It's National Licorice Day. People who love it, love it - and the people who don’t aren’t shy about saying so. Maybe it would help if we explained how we got to this impasse?

By |2024-04-12T07:13:04-04:00April 12, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

California Miners Once Tried To Start “The Great Republic Of Rough And Ready” (Cool Weird Awesome 983)

Today in 1850, a man in California decided to start his own country. While it didn’t last, and may not have happened at all, the name is unforgettable: the Great Republic of Rough and Ready.

By |2024-04-07T08:01:47-04:00April 7, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

PEZ Was Sold In Metal Tins Before Its Famous Dispensers Were Invented (Cool Weird Awesome 669)

Today in 1952, PEZ received a US patent for its famous dispensers, which, like the candies they contain, were first intended to help people quit smoking.

By |2024-05-16T07:01:12-04:00December 2, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

How A Giant Pack Of Life Savers Ended Up In A Northern New York Town (Cool Weird Awesome 653)

Today in 1987, the community of Gouverneur, in northern New York, placed on its town green a giant roll of Pep-O-Mint Life Savers. It was a tribute to a local man, Edward John Noble, who ended up making Life Savers one of the best known candies in the world.

By |2024-11-10T10:28:21-05:00November 10, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |
Go to Top