Have you ever been so broke that you ended up creating your own currency? It may sound like a crazy idea today, but during the Great Depression multiple communities actually created and circulated their own forms of local currency. And this wasn't a lark -- it was a matter of survival. Listen in to learn more about some of the precedents for the (world-famous) BenBucks.

Have you ever been so broke that you ended up creating your own currency? It may sound like a crazy idea today, but during the Great Depression multiple communities actually created and circulated their own forms of local currency. And this wasn't a lark -- it was a matter of survival. Listen in to learn more about some of the precedents for the (world-famous) BenBucks.

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

Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts. 

Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts.&nbsp;

Podcasts from iHeartRadio

CLASSIC: The Rise and Fall of Local Scrip: Alternative Currencies of the Great Depression

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8950bf7c-d934-4eff-9c8b-b48100f08ee7/transcript

Despite the misleading name, the U.S. "Civil War" was anything but. As North fought South, this short-lived, bloody conflict fundamentally shifted the course of the country. Yet if you go just a bit further west to Missouri, you'll encounter a story history largely forgot: amid the chaos, a tiny county in Missouri succesfully negotiated something very much like a peace treaty with a sovereign nation. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max discover why some historians believe this one patch of Missouri became, for a time, "The Kingdom of Callaway."

Despite the misleading name, the U.S. "Civil War" was anything but. As North fought South, this short-lived, bloody conflict fundamentally shifted the course of the country. Yet if you go just a bit further west to Missouri, you'll encounter a story history largely forgot: amid the chaos, a tiny county in Missouri succesfully negotiated something very much like a peace treaty with a sovereign nation. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max discover why some historians believe this one patch of Missouri became, for a time, "The Kingdom of Callaway."

The Kingdom of Callaway: That Time One Missouri County (Sort Of, Maybe) Became An Independent Nation

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/adbb8d85-c698-4515-ba85-b48100f08a6e/transcript

For several decades, Saturday morning cartoons were a massive industry in the United States. Every weekend, millions of American children tuned in to watch their favorite shows... and, later, bug their parents for related toys. The studios made bank off this, yet it was only a matter of time before concerned citizens and government agencies started asking: Are these really shows, or just sneaky, 30-minute exercises in brainwashing? In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the fall of Saturday morning cartoons.

For several decades, Saturday morning cartoons were a massive industry in the United States. Every weekend, millions of American children tuned in to watch their favorite shows... and, later, bug their parents for related toys. The studios made bank off this, yet it was only a matter of time before concerned citizens and government agencies started asking: Are these really shows, or just sneaky, 30-minute exercises in brainwashing? In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the fall of Saturday morning cartoons.

The Ridiculous History of Saturday Morning Cartoons, Part Two: The Fall of a Grift

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f452495c-f7d9-45bf-b1e0-b48000f590c1/transcript

Picture this: It's late 1944, and you, like thousands of other people on the west coast of North America, have noticed bizarre, jellyfish-like objects floating through the sky. You call the local authorities, maybe even the Air Force, only to be ignored. You don't see anything about this in the papers or on the radio. You are in the midst of a real-world conspiracy of silence -- until, that is, the bombs begin to explode. Listen in to learn more about the attack of the Japanese balloon bombs in this week's Classic episode. (Also: Happy Birthday, America!)

Picture this: It's late 1944, and you, like thousands of other people on the west coast of North America, have noticed bizarre, jellyfish-like objects floating through the sky. You call the local authorities, maybe even the Air Force, only to be ignored. You don't see anything about this in the papers or on the radio. You are in the midst of a real-world conspiracy of silence -- until, that is, the bombs begin to explode. Listen in to learn more about the attack of the Japanese balloon bombs in this week's Classic episode. (Also: Happy Birthday, America!)

CLASSIC: The Attack of the Japanese Balloon Bombs

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f3842e66-88bd-4014-9697-b47b015b18af/transcript

CLASSIC: The Rise and Fall of Local Scrip: Alternative Currencies of the Great Depression

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