The calendar is... ridiculous. Since the earliest days of civilization, humanity has tried to measure the passage of time on Earth through any number of systems. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max discover how millennia of trial and error led to the modern Gregorian calendar, which we all still just pretend is a normal thing in the modern day.

The calendar is... ridiculous. Since the earliest days of civilization, humanity has tried to measure the passage of time on Earth through any number of systems. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max discover how millennia of trial and error led to the modern Gregorian calendar, which we all still just pretend is a normal thing in the modern day.

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 Origin of the Modern Calendar

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fd071515-cda8-4627-8579-b33000ee1d08/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

In the economic boom of a post-World War II United States the sudden affordability of television fundamentally rocked the nation. From the 1950s on, millions of kids in America grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons... yet, as it turns out, these shows were often light on the writing -- and heavy on selling toys. In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max discover how Saturday morning cartoons became full-on, half-hour commercials for toys. And, of course, how the adults in the room started to fight back.

In the economic boom of a post-World War II United States the sudden affordability of television fundamentally rocked the nation. From the 1950s on, millions of kids in America grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons... yet, as it turns out, these shows were often light on the writing -- and heavy on selling toys. In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max discover how Saturday morning cartoons became full-on, half-hour commercials for toys. And, of course, how the adults in the room started to fight back.

The Ridiculous History of Saturday Morning Cartoons, Part One: A Golden Age

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ad605fac-5481-448e-8e22-b47b01224541/transcript

Today, everyone knows the potential dangers of both illegal and legal drugs. Some are more popular and more widely-accepted than others (shoutout to coffee!), but across time and cultures, it's an open secret that pretty much every civilization was doing one drug or another. Sometimes for ritualistic purposes, sometimes for purported medicinal properties -- and, sometimes, just to party. In the first part of this continuing series, Ben, Noel and Max explore some of the strangest things people of ages past used to get high, including nutmeg, belladonna, henbane and more.

Today, everyone knows the potential dangers of both illegal and legal drugs. Some are more popular and more widely-accepted than others (shoutout to coffee!), but across time and cultures, it's an open secret that pretty much every civilization was doing one drug or another. Sometimes for ritualistic purposes, sometimes for purported medicinal properties -- and, sometimes, just to party. In the first part of this continuing series, Ben, Noel and Max explore some of the strangest things people of ages past used to get high, including nutmeg, belladonna, henbane and more.

People Used to Do Very Weird Drugs, Part One: Broomsticks, Sailors and Vikings

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bae82e60-3ad7-4dac-baf1-b4790115ac02/transcript

The Ridiculous Origin of the Modern Calendar

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