If you live near any large city outside of mainland China, you may have seen advertisements for the world-famous Shen Yun Performing Arts Company, a US-based non-profit known for its elaborate shows in over 130 locations across the planet. But you might not know the full story of this company's origin. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the strange origin of Shen Yun -- along with that of the religious movement, Falun Gong.

If you live near any large city outside of mainland China, you may have seen advertisements for the world-famous Shen Yun Performing Arts Company, a US-based non-profit known for its elaborate shows in over 130 locations across the planet. But you might not know the full story of this company's origin. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the strange origin of Shen Yun -- along with that of the religious movement, Falun Gong.

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.

Ridiculous History

A Circus, or a Cult? The Strange Story of Shen Yun

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d7ff7bf6-eacd-435f-9c22-af5401622954/transcript

We all know pi, right? It's one of the most famous 'irrational numbers' in history, and mathematicians are still trying to figure it out in the modern day. While this may seem arcane to some of us non-mathheads, in today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn these numbers were3 once such a big deal that legends say folks got murdered for discovering them. Tune in to learn the harrowing tale of Hippasus, a Pythagorean cultist who discovered irrational numbers -- and, in doing so, pissed off the Gods so much that they drowned him.

We all know pi, right? It's one of the most famous 'irrational numbers' in history, and mathematicians are still trying to figure it out in the modern day. While this may seem arcane to some of us non-mathheads, in today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn these numbers were3 once such a big deal that legends say folks got murdered for discovering them. Tune in to learn the harrowing tale of Hippasus, a Pythagorean cultist who discovered irrational numbers -- and, in doing so, pissed off the Gods so much that they drowned him.

Inventors Who Died Due To Their Own Inventions: The Irrational Death of Hippasus

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c7e89b4a-96e4-4e76-b554-b40a010f80f9/transcript

As the Fox sisters became global superstars for their purported ability to speak with the dead, the Spiritualism movement became both a social phenomena and a booming business. Yet along with the rise of true believers and performing psychics, an army of skeptics and investigators rose as well... and the questions they asked eventually brought the entirety of the movement down. Join Ben, Noel, Max and returning special guest Jonathan Strickland (aka The Quizster) for the second part of this special two-part episode.

As the Fox sisters became global superstars for their purported ability to speak with the dead, the Spiritualism movement became both a social phenomena and a booming business. Yet along with the rise of true believers and performing psychics, an army of skeptics and investigators rose as well... and the questions they asked eventually brought the entirety of the movement down. Join Ben, Noel, Max and returning special guest Jonathan Strickland (aka The Quizster) for the second part of this special two-part episode.

The Spiritualism Movement Was Utterly Ridiculous, Part Two: Con Artists, Skeptics, and Ghosts

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c0ffea97-d143-4cb9-ad74-b40801420751/transcript

Language is beautiful and, in many cases, continually evolving. As a result, we end up with hundreds of strange idioms and figures of speech that we use on a daily basis, with little to no understanding of what they originally meant. Join the guys with special guests Frank Mulherin and Rowan Newbie, the creator of the Pitches podcast, as they explore the bizarre origins of your favorite turns of phrase in this week's Classic episode.

Language is beautiful and, in many cases, continually evolving. As a result, we end up with hundreds of strange idioms and figures of speech that we use on a daily basis, with little to no understanding of what they originally meant. Join the guys with special guests Frank Mulherin and Rowan Newbie, the creator of the Pitches podcast, as they explore the bizarre origins of your favorite turns of phrase in this week's Classic episode.

CLASSIC: Idiomatic for the People II, Part I: What's in a word?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/66594e36-05da-4329-9020-b40500f4d197/transcript

A Circus, or a Cult? The Strange Story of Shen Yun

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