To outsiders, fantasy sports and fantasy leagues may sound like a bizarre proposition: you get together with a bunch of friends and leverage statistics to predict outcomes in your favorite sports, but it's not... gambling? In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the origins of fantasy leagues, and how they grew into a billion-dollar industry.

To outsiders, fantasy sports and fantasy leagues may sound like a bizarre proposition: you get together with a bunch of friends and leverage statistics to predict outcomes in your favorite sports, but it's not... gambling? In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the origins of fantasy leagues, and how they grew into a billion-dollar industry.

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

The Ridiculous History of Fantasy Sports, Part One

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3a53bc2c-02dc-4278-8a9c-b32900fa4749/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

It's a pickle for the ages: What happens when you die? The Spiritualism movement may seem obscure today -- but back in the mid-19th century, this religious and social phenomenon absolutely rocked the modern world. In the first part of this special two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max welcome back Jonathan Strickland (aka the Quizster) to explore the rise of this movement... and Jonathan promises to behave.

It's a pickle for the ages: What happens when you die? The Spiritualism movement may seem obscure today -- but back in the mid-19th century, this religious and social phenomenon absolutely rocked the modern world. In the first part of this special two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max welcome back Jonathan Strickland (aka the Quizster) to explore the rise of this movement... and Jonathan promises to behave.

The Spiritualism Movement Was Utterly Ridiculous, Part One: A Prank Goes Viral

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3bd1f403-70a7-4b00-98fb-b40400fa3166/transcript

Let's be honest: national anthems are cool... but definitely propaganda, and often objectively weird. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore some of history's strangest national anthems. Some are inspiring, some are plain odd -- and, as the guys learn, a lot of national anthems change over time.

Let's be honest: national anthems are cool... but definitely propaganda, and often objectively weird. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore some of history's strangest national anthems. Some are inspiring, some are plain odd -- and, as the guys learn, a lot of national anthems change over time.

History's Weirdest National Anthems

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a4d4ce16-ff92-4a61-a4c0-b3fc01322785/transcript

The Ridiculous History of Fantasy Sports, Part One

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