Ridiculous History

3,987
History #32

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.

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Recent Reviews
  • G high forgiving uhhhhhjyhhhg
    Who is GABE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Can you answer my question and also can you put this comment on your next podcast?
  • CeeEhhEss
    History: This Ain’t It
    I’ve been fed this podcast as a suggestion for years and finally gave a few episodes a try, and it’s just lame. The hosts spend half the show talking about themselves & patting each other on the back, then they basically slowly read a Wikipedia article but “make it their own” by throwing in words like “dude” or “booo” when they don’t like something, then they add some out of context & pointless modern political comments which literally caused eyerolls. Hey “Dudes,” woke headlines aren’t history, nor is this podcast, and your “edginess” is circa 1986. They scored with a cool podcast name a long time ago, but they just don’t deliver—big waste of time.
  • Pod-chic12
    Victorians get WEIRD
    I do remember in the 70/80’s people leaving classified ads for “LOVE” The funniest was a gay publication in Dallas and my LGBTQ friends would check if we knew anyone 😆 As a under 18 girl, thought that is how they met up 🤦🏼‍♀️ I would have been a terrible Victorian
  • Emmalyn H.
    I love this podcast!
    I’m a sophomore in high school and I think this podcast is really fun and interesting whether you like history or not. You don’t have to listen to them in order and they’re pretty short so you should definitely check them out if you like interesting history stories
  • Book nerd🤓📖
    Spot the difference!(btw I love this show!)
    Super easy: 📗📘📗 Easy: 📈📈📉📈📈 Super medium: 💵💵💵💶💵💵 Medium: 🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎇🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆 Hard: 🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾🥎🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾 Super hard: 🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍗🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖🍖 Impossible: 📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📑📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄 SUPER IMPOSSIBLE: 📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📂📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁📁 Practice! 🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️✒️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴☑️🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
  • solid investor
    Love history
    These guys are amazingly full of themselves and their spin, I’m out.
  • History#Fan
    Big Parma episode
    Good content, however, the overly cutesy of the two podcasts definitely detracts from it. Unless the intended audience is the middle school crowd.
  • Bill 1986
    More commercials than show
    More commercials than show
  • Just another mol Eliza
    the ads
    the ads are so out of control these days
  • AtotheJ1310
    Nonsense
    So much nonsense talk, too many ads…. Ridiculous.
  • Geoff Bee
    I heart radio ruins everything
    I like the content but the over advertising and repetitive ads completely ruins it. I get it, you need to make money but at least vary the ads. Just a word to i heart radio, Ill never listen to your pods or stations snd the stupid ads makes me NOT want to consume any of the products
  • SeaSiren11
    Nice try.
    Between the ads and the hosts, the show doesn’t hit. It’s a lovely concept but seems to have little actual content of the topic.
  • CK27.5
    More content please
    Bowing out because of all the ads. I know revenue is needed, but content is needed too.
  • imsoannoyednow
    Interesting Topics
    Great and interesting topics… but my biggest negative is having the hosts read some of the advertisements. Doesn’t fit well, so maybe having the super producer read them might be better.
  • panda1082
    Lots of ad
    Content is good, but so many ads.
  • Iamnotarobot0101001
    All hat no cattle
    Half of the run time is adverts, potentially interesting content puttered about with never ending banter. Squishy hosts who won’t commit to being defined by any conventional beliefs who want to tell you about the illuminati. Weak.
  • Immersed in why
    Molten Gold torture.
    I think an episode on race through history on mindset of people that led to diabolical inventions. Why make it so gruesome for so many centuries? How did they (the church) justify those tortures on a helpless person in light of Christ teaching you have heard of old Eye for eye but I say to you turn the other cheek (referring to long tradition of slapping a man on one cheek as challenge to defend your reputation with sword, duel) but turn the other cheek and pray for those who persecute you. What was it like for executioners to have to skin a person or pull out their intestines in public setting. Why pull out entrails as they called it? Who cleaned up mess? How did they not go mad over time? How much of this barbarism came from enslaving people? What was brainwashing that would have to be done to survive as a torturer or executioner. How did they live in society—reviled or paid well and anonymous? Take your pick. Lots of rabbit holes here that examine the human psyche. We haven’t lost the barbarism still or have we? The use of rape as weapon of war is so common and horrific. All of it crazy. I won’t get started on injustice in our law enforcement and legal system to women who have been raped but only have injuries that could be said is rough sex. Unless they are barely coherent, sign of beating, strangling or torture a woman might as well not bother to report the violence. No blood test to find use of date rape drug or blood alcohol level. Only difference now is be nice to the victim and stall until she gives up or charge her with false report.
  • Fellow youth
    Love it
    Discovered the show about 2 or so years ago. I’ve loved every episode so far, my wife is even able to tolerate this podcast (that is a compliment I promise) have you guys ever heard of The Oyster Wars of the Chesapeake Bay?
  • The_Tardigrade
    Ads and Not Enough Real Content
    Too many ads, and these guys don’t seem to know a lot about history either. Good idea, but this podcast is useless to me. I want actual information.
  • Brandon 123
    Too many ads
    It is a good podcast but way too many ads. This show has more ads than any other show I listen to on the network. I had an ad only 3 minutes into the show.
  • Mason Stryker
    Great pod
    This pod is amazing a just can’t stop listening. I’ve listened to other pods that Ben and nol host like stuff they don’t want you to know. Which is also an amazing pod. 🕒🕗🕜🕡🕦🕓🕘🕝🕢🕧🕔🕙🕞🕣🕐🕕🕚🕟🕤🕑🕖🕛🕠🕥🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
  • Kimbobinator
    Great show. Great new direction
    I’m not sure what happened, but their new direction is phenomenal. Stuff I really want to learn about.
  • VegetableBlood
    Too little content
    I don’t really mind the tangents, but between those and the constant ads it feels like you hardly talk about the subject matter of the episode. And even when you do, the interruptions and derailings make it impossible to form a cohesive story or conversation around the subject. You do you, but it’s not my thing.
  • meh_psh
    Wow!
    It seems these guys are getting way too political. Especially Ben. He thinks he knows about the right but he’s just a msnbc guy to the core. It’s very sad that you keep speaking down on the right in your subtle way. You keep speaking on project 2025 but you fail to actually take Trumps word at face value when he clearly states he is not following that guideline. Please look at the actual RNC and what they have been saying for months!! The last rhetoric Ben is trying to push is that furries are the far right??? Are you really saying that the furries are the far right because they were doing what the left always does which is tear everything up and destroy property. Get a grip Ben!! I used to really like you but turns out you are just a tunnel vision sheep for the left. Do you darn research please. FURRIES ARE FAR RIGHT!!????! You are ignorant!!!
  • True Ronin
    Ads Galore with Minimal Entertainment
    Rather poorly scripted and dumb "witicisms". Became tedious after a few episodes Ads every few minutes.
  • Qaarismatic
    Commercials? Yes. Too many!
    Love the hosts and the content! Hate the frequency and length of commercial breaks. Who made the decision sell ad time that would nearly equal episode length? Five ads at the beginning of the episode. Five ads five minutes in. Five minutes later? Five more ads! Am I exaggerating? Just a tad. You decide.
  • PrancyDan
    Do you
    They’re all getting checked regularly. The most attractive elbows are on tables
  • TXgal-inGA
    Lots of commercials!
    Not exaggerating, about 10 min of show then 5 min of commercials. Cannot even get into the show with the frequency and length of commercials. Too bad because it was pretty interesting.
  • Astrid Vue
    Ottoman Harems just pushed me to unsubscribe
    There are too many commercials to start and then their absolute dude-bro treatment of the material made me sick to my stomach. Britannica was your source? Are they a sponsor, too? Maybe their attitude was due to their discomfort with the material? I stopped looking forward to this show long ago, so it was time to prune it.
  • Mattzthatsme
    Big Stink
    Love the show as always, but I was literally yelling at my phone for you to make the connection that Kit Harrington, a.k.a. John Snow is actually related to the Harrington gentleman that invented the modern toilet lol
  • hellaweed
    informative & nice interesting break from intensity
    surprisingly interesting despite the presumed mundane topics presented in the titles of each episode. i like to listen to intense real stories of injustice and crime-related topics. this is an amazing pallet cleanser and provided me with many interesting additional to add to conversations that actually grab people’s attention. started from the oldest and am working my way up to the most current. it will take awhile since it started on the precipice of the podcasting game. a proven and utterly fascinating podcast. from the role butter played in the disruption of medieval catholicism and it’s power, to the neat things our history books omitted e.g., our strategic plan to get china addicted to opiates and then systematically ensuring a war on chinese restaurants by using the tactics we implemented to create an addict riddled economical threat and turning it around by propagandizing the idea that it was the chinese emigrants who were trying to trick us into a world of sin by opening chinese cuisine restaurants. an interesting, unbiased, and lacking in editorializations. rare these days. and yes it’s true, it’s not left or right podcast. just interesting history told with transparency sans agenda.
  • Dust_Spleef
    Awesome!
    It’s awesome because most podcasts just tell the history but these guys put their own stories and opinions in it
  • Bette with an e
    Ridiculously Fulfilling
    Yes, I enjoy history and no I don't have much time for entertainment at this stage of my life, but i do have time for these gents to fill my cup with ridiculous history! I listen while I'm doing dishes or laundry or on the way home from work , even as I'm winding down to go to sleep. To the people complaining about ads, come on …its that or consumer funded. I’m personally not looking for pay as you listen content.
  • GoldilocksSF
    I love your podcast but Chex mix
    Chex mix was a cereal first. Delicious with milk as they fill up with milk like a pillow. Then people started making a savory mix with Worcestershire and then Chex mix started packaging the mix.
  • LadyWood007
    One of the greats
    Great podcast filled with interesting, and a lot of little known stories of history. The hosts are charismatic and provide great tangents. After listening to a couple of episodes you catch on to their vibe and settle in to listen like a “silent” friend on the couch. I came over from Stuff You Should Know and happily added this podcast to my weekly listening schedule.
  • Mr.J.Beauregard
    Too many tangents…..
    …. and going down rabbit holes.
  • cs102
    If you are in NYC check out The City Reliquary
    Loved the show. You were saying you were going to be in NYC soon. Check out The City Reliquary 370 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn. Lots of ridiculous NYC stuff.
  • Doe2010
    I love the banter!!!
    One of the best things about this show is the random things that come up in conversation!!! It feels like just straight up being with friends and chatting. It’s the best!!!!
  • KittyFourteen
    God Awful
    Guys, too much kibbutzing, not enough substance.
  • tygroom
    Way to much random banter and giggles
    Tried listening but it’s more like buddies just rambling what they know. I like the idea a lot but after 1 episode I just can’t do it.
  • cbacchetti
    Fun and informative
    New listener here. I’ve only listened to a handful of episodes so far (jumping around out of sequence) but I find the topics fascinating and well researched. I knew when I heard a Dennis Reynolds’s reference in the Saltan Sea episode, it was a winner.
  • Rolth
    Too many ads and off-topic rants
    Just as it says. 11 minutes of ads for less than 30 minutes of content is the worst. I’m still in the 2019 episodes so this might get better, but for not I spend way too much time skipping ads. Also, Ben needs to learn to breath quieter and less often. He one word between his very loud intakes just makes me cringe.
  • Pb#1
    Podcast on hot sauce.
    Decided to listen to this podcast after ad on radio. Picked the podcast on hot sauce. I struggled through listening as the hosts worked too hard to be funny, and they weren’t. l reached my limit when they had to interject their ‘wokeness’ when they asked if the owners of Tobasco have apologized for the original creators of Tobasco having slaves!! Are you kidding!! You are not perfect so stop being high and mighty. Just tell the history of hot sauce. Ridiculous is a good name as this podcast is ridiculously non-entertaining.
  • not happy psss off
    Meh
    While the topics can be interesting, the podcasters are boing and dry.
  • sicntired101
    Fun podcast
    I love this podcast it’s fun and informative. I like that they keep it light with humor.
  • No names left35353
    Meh 🫤
    I REALLY wanted to love this podcast but I didn't. The hosts are likable, knowledgeable, and both have beautiful voices with deep rich tones. But... way too much idle chatter without much substance, yes there are a few great nuggets but not enough for me. Perhaps I will revisit this podcast in the future and see if I feel differently
  • jcooibtry
    Rambling
    I wanted so much to like this podcast, Sometimes the subject matter is something I would find interesting… But I can’t take much of these guys. They ramble like mice on crack. Just everywhere , all over the map. Eventually, they find their way back to the subject matter, but I do t have the patience. 80% rambling garbage. 20% actual history
  • Kjsalmon
    Making history fun!
    I enjoy how Ben and Noel tell the story with enthusiasm and gusto. Never a dull moment here.
  • pleasekillmrxD
    Make Premium
    I love this podcast! especially because it helps me fall asleep at night. Please make a premium option to listen without ads. I will be dosing off then be woken up by an ad
  • MSB...
    Fun folklore
    Enjoyed episode on Krampus and all the nuance of his creation and celebrations. Thanks’
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