Today a great many people in the United States take free toilets for granted. Yet, as Ben, Noel and Max discover in the first part of this two-part episode, there was a long -- and ridiculous -- road from the origin of public toilets to the free facilities we enjoy today. Tune in to learn how the United States decided to 'solve' a public health crisis by charging people to poop... and stay tuned to learn what happened next.

Today a great many people in the United States take free toilets for granted. Yet, as Ben, Noel and Max discover in the first part of this two-part episode, there was a long -- and ridiculous -- road from the origin of public toilets to the free facilities we enjoy today. Tune in to learn how the United States decided to 'solve' a public health crisis by charging people to poop... and stay tuned to learn what happened next.

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

The Ridiculously Inspiring Story of Free Public Restrooms, Part One: Everyone Has To Poop

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a226abb4-16af-4a1b-ac58-b48701448e58/transcript

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.

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

The Ridiculously Inspiring Story of Free Public Restrooms, Part One: Everyone Has To Poop

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