In Post-War Yugoslavia, Mariachi Music Was A Huge Hit (Cool Weird Awesome 1310)
For Mexican Independence Day, the story of how Mexican music and movies found fans in a place you might not expect: post-war Yugoslavia.
Lynne Cox Made A Cold Swim From The US To The USSR During The Cold War (Cool Weird Awesome 1287)
Today in 1987, American swimmer Lynne Cox took to the freezing waters of the Bering Strait in a call for peace between the world’s superpowers.
The “Blood In The Water Match” Brought Some Cold War Violence To The 1956 Summer Games (Cruel Weird Awful 20)
The 1956 Summer Games are sometimes called the “Friendly Games,” although there was also a water polo match between technically allied Hungary and the USSR that was anything but friendly.
Communist Countries Thought The TV Show “Dallas” Would Scare Citizens Away From Capitalism, But It Backfired (Cool Weird Awesome 1212)
The iconic TV show was just supposed to be a miniseries, but it kept winning over audience after audience - even some behind the Iron Curtain.
25 Days of Holiday Songs 2023: “Santa Miss Those Missiles” by Reece Shipley
There are lots of holiday songs about mishaps that almost cause Santa or his helpers to miss Christmas, but only this Cold War carol helpfully points out that World War III would keep Kris Kringle from dropping off presents.
Why The USSR Once Thought A Hot Dog Stand Was A Top US Military Installation (Cool Weird Awesome 1091)
Today in 2006, the Pentagon announced it would tear down a fascinating piece of Cold War history: a hot dog stand that the Soviets had once thought was actually a top military target.
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."
Samantha Smith, A Kid From Maine Who Tried To Make The Cold War A Little More Peaceful (Cool Weird Awesome 1043)
Today in 1983, the beginning of an unlikely peace mission: a visit to the Soviet Union by a 10 year old from Maine named Samantha Smith.
In Soviet Russia, Vacation Took You (Cool Weird Awesome 1042)
The Soviet Union's government sent many would-be tourists on group excursions with comrades from the local trade union - not friends or even family.
The Emergency Broadcast Alert of 1971 That Wasn’t, At Least Outside Fort Wayne (Cruel Weird Awful 3)
If you were in Fort Wayne, Indiana on February 20, 1971, you might have felt like the end of the world was coming, all thanks to a mix-up from the Emergency Broadcast System.