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April Fools' pranks come and go, but one joke item that’s stood the test of time is the whoopee cushion. Today, we trace its history from ancient Rome to now. Where did it come from? Why is it funny? Will it stay popular? And if everyone knows its name, why does no one company get the credit for it?
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They are either 12, 14 or 16 inches wide, they live just outside our doors, and they come in a variety of striking designs. So why has no one heard of coal holes? Local historian Amir Dotan explores the streets of London to find the small metal discs you may not have noticed before, but may well have stepped over thousands of times.
James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.
John Green reviews humanity's temporal range.
The 1980’s TV commercials for California raisins have been called some of the best ads ever made. The claymation raisins singing and dancing to Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” became a kids TV show, recorded an album that went platinum, launched a range of toys and costumes, and starred in an Emmy-winning Christmas special. But were they a success for the raisin industry? Or did the dancing California raisins cause more trouble than they were worth?
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What do we all use, but never visit?
The sound artist Matt Parker takes us inside the bizarre world of remote Data Centres, where our wireless world is powered by rows and rows of computers running all day, everyday.
But what is the true cost of these centres to our planet?
What do they sound like?
And why does one have an empty white room with an executive leather armchair and a faceless portrait hanging on the wall?
James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.
Since Jazzercise started over 50 years ago, hundreds of thousands of (mostly) women have come together to exercise and get fit. But if you think Jazzercise is just jazz hands and shoulder rolls, you’re missing out on the bigger story, one about women becoming entrepreneurs and running their own businesses.
It began as an image of Victorian femininity, became a 1920s style icon, and perhaps ended as a 1970s toilet roll cover. Dr Kathryn Ferry looks at the curious history of the Crinoline Lady, exploring the growth of suburbia, Gone With The Wind and 'crinolinemania'.
James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.
In Hawaii, Spam is served at grandma’s house and in high-end restaurants. It’s beloved. But in the continental U.S., the canned pork product is often the punchline of jokes. Why does Spam have such different meanings in different places? The answer involves World War II, Monty Python, and a troupe of singing saleswomen.
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James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.
From Bamboozle, to being switched off, and now being salvaged for the digital age. James O'Malley looks at the life, death and resurrection of Teletext.