Ridiculous History

Today Vermont is known for its progressive politics, beautiful forestry, Bernie Sanders and Ben and Jerry's. It's not a state you'll hear much about outside of the US and, for many Vermont natives, that's just fine. But once upon a time, Vermont was a very different place -- in fact, for a number of years, it was an independent Republic. How did this come about? How did it become part of the modern United States? Tune in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Who could have guessed a series of broth experiments revolutionized humanity's understanding of life? Spoiler, not us. In part two of this week's two part episode, Ben, Noel and Max continue their exploration of the once widely-accepted concept of spontaneous generation: the idea that certain nonliving objects could, for one reason or another, suddenly produce living things. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Today the idea sounds silly. Why would anyone think nonliving substances can suddenly generate living things? Yet for much of human history, the concept of spontaneous generation was widely accepted. In the first part of this week's two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the ridiculous theory of spontaneous generation. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Located about 1500 miles to the east of the Phillipines in Micronesia, Guam is a small US territory with a tiny population, beautiful beaches and an incredibly complicated history. For almost four centuries it was a colonial possession of Spain -- but that all changed in 1898, when Guam, in a strange series of misunderstandings, became a possession of the American government. So what exactly happened? Join Ben and Noel as they explore the bloodless, somewhat ridiculous, capture of Guam. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Whether we're talking mysterious nosebleeds, drowning in full armor, or charging literally blind into battle, history is chock-full of ridiculous royal deaths. In the fifth -- and for now, final -- installment of this series, Ben, Max and Noel dive deep into more morbid tales of rulers who met with untimely ends. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.