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Ridiculous History

iHeartPodcasts
World War II
Fad Diets
Father's Day
Napoleonic Wars
Fantasy Sports
Kentucky Meat Shower
Ice Cream Sundae
Tree That Owns Itself
Morse Code
Samuel Morse
Diets
Gambling
Zombies
Elvis Presley
Atari
H.P. Lovecraft
Victorian Era
Pac Man
Dr. Seuss
Radium

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.

PublishesDailyEpisodes1077Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistorySociety & Culture

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Latest Episodes

Nowadays, pretty much everyone knows that nuclear weapons are incredibly dangerous -- but, not too long ago, military leaders saw these things as shiny new toys. Sure, they spent a lot of time trying to make bombs bigger. But they also spent a lot of... more

Let's be honest: Bugs aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they're fascinating, crucial parts of the ecosystem. They're also, according to a few eggheads, the perfect weapons of war. Join the guys as they explore the bizarre experiments governments cond... more

Japanese Daimyo Oda Nobunaga was fascinated by the mysterious, towering slave of a visiting Jesuit missionary, and soon this man, Yasuke, joined Nobunaga's court, eventually becoming a full-on samurai. Join the guys as they explore the strange life o... more

Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm was fascinated by all things military, but the crown jewel of his army was a group known as the Potsdam Giants -- men recruited on the basis of their height alone. If these tall boys, teens and men didn't want to sign ... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Wayne Federman
Legendary comedian and historian known for the History of Stand-Up podcast
The History of Stand-Up
Episode: CLASSIC: Playboy, Progressive Politics and Stand-up: The Dick Gregory Story, with Wayne Federman
Dr. Rachel Big Spinach-Lance
Academic/Commentator
Episode: The Ridiculous Racist Origin of Tipping, Part Two: The Great Debate and Anti-tipping Crusades
Ames Doyle
Research associate providing the episode brief and context
Episode: Who Took William Lilly’s Fish?
Paul Mission Control Decken t
Guest super producer, previously on Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
iHeartRadio
Episode: CLASSIC: The Duke of Edinburgh is Literally a God in Vanuatu
Paul Mission Control Decker
Guest producer
Ridiculous History
Episode: CLASSIC: The Honorary Citizens of the United States
AJ Bahamas Jacobs
The puzzler
Episode: Who was the real John Henry?
Jonathan Strickland
The Quister
Episode: Who was the real John Henry?
Alex Williams
Creator of Ephemeral, podcaster
Ephemeral
Episode: CLASSIC: The Nature of Ephemera, with Alex Williams
Pat Larash
Returning guest, co-host of The Actual Facts Badass of the Week podcast
Badass of the Week / The Actual Facts
Episode: Badass of the Week Returns, Part Two: Chesapeake Capes

Hosts

Ben Bowlin
Host of Ridiculous History
Noel Brown
Co-host of Ridiculous History

Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars from 7.2k ratings
  • I want to like this but. . .

    The concept for this podcast is creative and I like many of the topics they choose. But it is really hard to listen to a full episode. The off topic back and forth discussion, untimely puns and jokes, and random comments thrown in are a big turnoff. I actually want to hear the topic but it takes forever for them to actually start talking about the meat of the content. You could cut out at least a third of the unnecessary commentary and have an enjoyable and interesting show.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    IWBIthe19thC
    United States18 days ago
  • ........m

    Podcast Addict
    3
    checo135
    22 days ago
  • I want to like it but…

    Such good subject matter. Such TERRIBLE hosts. I mean TERRIBLE.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Suzluv
    United Statesa month ago
  • NEEDS BETTER EDITING

    I love the hosts and they pick some great topics. But most of their tangents should not be left in the final version. The engineer always leaves in parts where he chats with the hosts about video games and his health issues. Episode quality varies a lot week to week and that has so much to do with the editing . It hurts the podcast that the hosts’ good friend produces this. There needs to be more distance. Think about what listeners want to hear from a history podcast.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    starlessbibleblack
    United Statesa month ago
  • Ottoman slavery

    Not factually correct. The Jannisaries were Christian boys taken into slavery from all over the world (hence Slav becoming the word slave) and used as elite forces for the Ottoman Empire. Further, in the 18th century the USA had to start their special forces up when Barbary pirates took Americans into slavery despite there being no dispute between the nations. The reason given is what we have been instructed to do as a part of our religion. Neither parts are mentioned but need to be added as a ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    sharkyward1965
    United Kingdoma month ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Critics note occasional drift into opinion and desire for tighter historical grounding.
Listeners praise entertaining history storytelling and banter, though some critique ad loads and perceived bias.
Fans appreciate guest variety and accessible explanations of complex topics.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#68
United States/History
Apple Podcasts
#67
Canada/History
Apple Podcasts
#167
United Kingdom/History
Apple Podcasts
#92
Australia/History
Apple Podcasts
#26
Philippines/History
Apple Podcasts
#35
Russia/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Mastodons and 'Murica, with Lauren Vogelbaum, Part One: American Degeneracy
Q: What role did Ben Franklin play in early mastodon studies?
Franklin received mastodon fossils and used them to compare dental structures with those of elephants, illustrating how new evidence could challenge prevailing beliefs about animal form and origin.
Mastodons and 'Murica, with Lauren Vogelbaum, Part One: American Degeneracy
Q: Why did early naturalists think American animals were degenerate?
They blamed climate and biome differences, extrapolating from limited observations to claim that the Americas produced smaller, lesser life forms, a narrative Buffon popularized that later faced pushback from American scientists.
Mastodons and 'Murica, with Lauren Vogelbaum, Part Two: A Grudge Match with the French
Q: What ultimately happened to the famous moose that Jefferson sent to Buffon?
The moose was a dead, ex-antlered carcass sent to Paris, not a living animal, and Jefferson apologized for its condition while Buffon reportedly intended to publish a correction before his death.
Mastodons and 'Murica, with Lauren Vogelbaum, Part Two: A Grudge Match with the French
Q: Did they have a trunk on the Mastodon model Jefferson discussed?
The model was a fossil reconstruction, not a flesh-and-blood specimen, and there was no trunk represented in the earlier mounted display.
The Secret World Of Roald Dahl, with Aaron Tracy, Part Two: the Man Behind the Author
Q: What do we hope our listeners take away from The Secret World of Roald Dahl?
I hope people gain insight into Dahl's interesting life and understand the tragedies and contradictions of his character, inspiring sympathy despite his flaws.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Ridiculous History

What is Ridiculous History about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A storytelling-focused history show that explores strange, surprising, and often humorous episodes from across civilizations. Listeners can expect playful banter, deep-dive context, and a mix of archival detail with pop culture nods as hosts connect curious historical events to modern ideas. Notable strengths include accessible storytelling, strong guest involvement, and a knack for turning obscure anecdotes into engaging narratives. The format and tone likely appeal to history buffs who enjoy lighthearted humor and broad cultural references, as well as listeners seeking quick, entertaining history bites paired with thoughtful analysis.

Where can I find podcast stats for Ridiculous History?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Ridiculous History. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Ridiculous History and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Ridiculous History get?

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What are the audience demographics for Ridiculous History?

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How many subscribers and views does Ridiculous History have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Ridiculous History has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Ridiculous History?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Ridiculous History:

1. Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
2. Stuff You Should Know
3. Stuff To Blow Your Mind
4. Stuff You Missed in History Class
5. Useless Information Podcast

How many episodes of Ridiculous History are there?

Ridiculous History launched 9 years ago and published 1077 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Ridiculous History?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Ridiculous History?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Ridiculous History from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on Ridiculous History?

Recent guests on Ridiculous History include:

1. Wayne Federman
2. Dr. Rachel Big Spinach-Lance
3. Ames Doyle
4. Paul Mission Control Decken t
5. Paul Mission Control Decker
6. AJ Bahamas Jacobs
7. Jonathan Strickland
8. Alex Williams

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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