Ridiculous History

How far would you fly for a sandwich? Decades after his death at just 42, Elvis Presley remains a global pop phenomenon. His short life was full of strange, ridiculous adventures... but how many of these stories are true, and how many are just modern folklore? In today's episode, the guys welcome the journalist Jordan Runtagh, co-creator of Too Much Information, for a special two-part series on the man, the myth, the legend: Elvis.
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In this week's Classic episode: when the schoolteacher who would come to be called Hong Xiuquan first heard of the Christian religion, he wasn't particularly bowled over. However, when he had a nervous breakdown after failing his scholarly exams, he experienced a series of visions that he later believed revealed his true destiny: He was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, and he was meant to lead his followers to earthly and spiritual freedom. Tune in to learn how Hong Xiuquan's visions sparked one of the bloodiest rebellions in Chinese history.
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If you're from the United States, you'll instantly recognize the iconic red Solo cup. It's ubquitous at picnics, parties, sports events -- and often seen in TV shows and movies, so much so that the rest of the world covets these cups as "American souvenirs". So how on Earth did this humble cup rise from a public health product to an international symbol of all things American? In today's episode, Ben, Noel, and Max find out.
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For decades, the infamous Rikers Island prison was home to a surprising artifact -- a drawing by none other than the world-renowned surrealist artist Salvado Dalí. At least, that is, until 2003... when a band of guards conspired to heist the drawing. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the bizarre story of crime, corruption, and fine art gone astray.
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In this week's Classic episode: Bill Speakman, better known as the “Beer Bottle VC”, single-handedly took on a brigade of Chinese People’s Army Infantry in four hours of close-quarters combat. As he ran out of actual weapons, he began throwing beer bottles -- and, somehow, survived. Tune in to learn more about Big Bill Speakman, the Beer Bottle VC (and learn why he came to hate this nickname).
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