At first glance, the Vatican's security service makes no sense. The Swiss Guard is an elite force from, well, Switzerland. So what the heck are these guys from a notoriously neutral nation doing so far down south? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the origin and evolution of the world-famous Swiss Guard.

At first glance, the Vatican's security service makes no sense. The Swiss Guard is an elite force from, well, Switzerland. So what the heck are these guys from a notoriously neutral nation doing so far down south? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the origin and evolution of the world-famous Swiss Guard.

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

"Right on," Said the Pope: How the Swiss Guard became the Elite Protectors of the Vatican

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/94e5ed7c-edb2-4c9e-b68e-b1a80163fa4e/transcript

Hi Ridiculous History Fans! Take a listen to the trailer of season two of SNAFU: MEDBURG with Ed Helms. 

About the show: Hosted by Ed Helms, SNAFU is a podcast about history’s greatest screw-ups. In Season 1, Ed digs into a story he can't stop thinking about: Able Archer 83, a 1983 NATO military exercise meant to prepare us for nuclear war that almost mistakenly started one. This story has a colorful cast of characters: from Ronald Reagan, to two treasonous spies, to a dauntless sleuth determined to get to the bottom of what really happened and why nobody knows about it. Ultimately, SNAFU is about nuclear paranoia and political mind games – and how fear and misunderstanding can propel us into disastrous circumstances.

Listenhereand subscribe to SNAFU with Ed Helms on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

Hi Ridiculous History Fans! Take a listen to the trailer of season two of SNAFU: MEDBURG with Ed Helms. 
About the show: Hosted by Ed Helms, SNAFU is a podcast about history’s greatest screw-ups. In Season 1, Ed digs into a story he can't stop thinking about: Able Archer 83, a 1983 NATO military exercise meant to prepare us for nuclear war that almost mistakenly started one. This story has a colorful cast of characters: from Ronald Reagan, to two treasonous spies, to a dauntless sleuth determined to get to the bottom of what really happened and why nobody knows about it. Ultimately, SNAFU is about nuclear paranoia and political mind games – and how fear and misunderstanding can propel us into disastrous circumstances.
Listen<a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-born-to-love-with-ellie-k-116602810/"> </a><a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-snafu-with-ed-helms-102539700/">here</a><a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-snafu-with-ed-helms-102539700/"> </a><a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/139-better-offline-150284547/#:~:text=•%201%20min-,Better%20Offline%20is%20a%20weekly%20show%20exploring%20the%20tech%20industry%27s,for%20better%20or%20for%20worse."></a><a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-call-chelsea-peretti-27911408/"></a>and subscribe to SNAFU with Ed Helms on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

Introducing Season 2: MEDBURG

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d374b762-673a-45d4-b8cd-b1ab0121a96e/transcript

Nowadays U.S. grocery shoppers can be reasonably certain that the foods they purchase are safe (if not healthy). Yet this wasn't always the case. In today's episode, we explore the story of one extremely driven, imperfect man, on a mission to clean up America's food industry. Harvey Wiley didn't think it was enough to conduct conventional safety studies, either -- he jumped straight to human experimentation. Join the guys as they delve into the strange story of Harvey Wiley and the Poison Squad in this weekend's Classic episode.

Nowadays U.S. grocery shoppers can be reasonably certain that the foods they purchase are safe (if not healthy). Yet this wasn't always the case. In today's episode, we explore the story of one extremely driven, imperfect man, on a mission to clean up America's food industry. Harvey Wiley didn't think it was enough to conduct conventional safety studies, either -- he jumped straight to human experimentation. Join the guys as they delve into the strange story of Harvey Wiley and the Poison Squad in this weekend's Classic episode.

CLASSIC: The Rise of Harvey Wiley's Poison Squad

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4fa2f96b-3aac-4038-aadd-b1aa01612564/transcript

For most of human history, people were locked in a continual struggle to find food and avoid starvation. Eating for pleasure wasn't really a thing the common person could do. However, as time went on and technology improved, eating became as much a recreation as a hobby -- and this led civilization to the fascinating, ridiculous world of artificial flavors. In the first part of this week's special two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the science of flavor, and use the story of vanilla as a way to understand the problems that led to synthetic flavoring in the first place.

For most of human history, people were locked in a continual struggle to find food and avoid starvation. Eating for pleasure wasn't really a thing the common person could do. However, as time went on and technology improved, eating became as much a recreation as a hobby -- and this led civilization to the fascinating, ridiculous world of artificial flavors. In the first part of this week's special two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the science of flavor, and use the story of vanilla as a way to understand the problems that led to synthetic flavoring in the first place.

The Preposterous History of Artificial Flavors, Part One: The Vanilla Problem

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/75397139-3b7b-418f-94a2-b1aa00f8fa9e/transcript

"Right on," Said the Pope: How the Swiss Guard became the Elite Protectors of the Vatican

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