Have you ever had a good idea -- like, a brilliant idea? If so, you may have immediately started trying to figure out the cartoonishly complicated, labyrinthine world of patents. In today's episode, the guys dive into the strange history of the concept and process of patents.

Have you ever had a good idea -- like, a brilliant idea? If so, you may have immediately started trying to figure out the cartoonishly complicated, labyrinthine world of patents. In today's episode, the guys dive into the strange history of the concept and process of patents.

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

Patents Are Absolutely Bonkers: An Origin Story

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7047613c-3589-42f8-8ebb-b1e200dea97d/transcript

Nowadays most people either play video games, or know someone who does -- yet this wasn't always the case. As civilization skyrockets toward gaming experiences that feel increasingly immersive (and, in some cases, inseperable from reality), Ben, Noel and Max pay homage to the crew that started it all: a scrappy, legendary outfit called "Atari".

Nowadays most people either play video games, or know someone who does -- yet this wasn't always the case. As civilization skyrockets toward gaming experiences that feel increasingly immersive (and, in some cases, inseperable from reality), Ben, Noel and Max pay homage to the crew that started it all: a scrappy, legendary outfit called "Atari".

A Ridiculous Love Letter to Atari, Part One: From Pings to Pongs

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7ea10c9a-6c99-4e42-a35e-b3d8014730be/transcript

Naval legend Admiral Nelson died on October 21st, 1805 shortly after being shot by a French sniper while standing on the deck his ship, Victory. Following the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, the survivors of the conflict were left with a dilemma -- how could they preserve Nelson's body long enough for the corpse to receive an appropriate burial back home?

Naval legend Admiral Nelson died on October 21st, 1805 shortly after being shot by a French sniper while standing on the deck his ship, Victory. Following the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, the survivors of the conflict were left with a dilemma -- how could they preserve Nelson's body long enough for the corpse to receive an appropriate burial back home?

CLASSIC: How Admiral Horatio Nelson Ended Up Dead in a Barrel of Brandy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/717a36da-48ad-48b6-8445-b3d300f66cdb/transcript

Words are everywhere -- and we're grateful, because we can't do this show without them. But all words were, at some point, just made up. So how does society decide what counts as a "real" word? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the history of language, and the oddly specific systems dictionaries put in place to decide whether a given word or phase is legitimate.

Words are everywhere -- and we're grateful, because we can't do this show without them. But all words were, at some point, just made up. So how does society decide what counts as a "real" word? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the history of language, and the oddly specific systems dictionaries put in place to decide whether a given word or phase is legitimate.

What makes a word a 'word'?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/117010c0-87fc-45b2-940c-b3d300f53b21/transcript

Patents Are Absolutely Bonkers: An Origin Story

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