Ridiculous History

Fabergé Eggs Are Ridiculous (And Fascinating)

Imagine you are beyond wealthy. You no longer dream of the average "rich people" flexes -- you've got all the diamonds, all the mansions, all the ordinary baubles of the elite. How can you distinguish yourself? What can you buy when you can buy literally anything? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the astonishing, ridiculous origin story of Czarist Russia's peak luxury item; an egg you can't eat, nor wear -- a toy and a flex to end all flexes: the Fabergé Egg.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World of Non-Gregorian Calendars: What Day Is It, Really?

Human civilization is far from perfect. Still, it's pretty cool humanity overall agreed on how to measure time (for now). In today's follow-up to an earlier exploration of the Gregorian calendar, Ben, Noel and Max admire the many alternative, non-Gregorian calendars with their own ancient provenance, all of which exist in the modern day. Or modern night? Spoiler, a ton of these are based on the passage of the moon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ridiculous Origin of the Modern Calendar

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CLASSIC: George Carlin Gets Quoted in the Supreme Court: Ridiculous Stand-up Stories with Wayne Federman

In the second part of this two-part series, special guest Wayne Federman explores the strange, curse-word-riddled stand-up bit that resulted in George Carlin setting a legal precedent with the Supreme Court. Listen in to learn how curse words changed the world and sparked a debate that continues today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ridiculous History of Fantasy Sports, Part Two

As local fantasy sports initiatives grew into larger, more organized pursuits, technology improved as well. Access to online statistics made it much easier for casual sports fans to enter the realm of fantasy playing -- and also, arguably, made it easier to gamble on sports as well. In the second part of this week's two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the modern age of fantasy sports (and whether or not Ben will finally make it to a sumo exhibition.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.