The Attack of the Japanese Balloon Bombs

Born as Jennie Hodgers with a female sex assignment on December 25th, 1843, Albert Cashier emigrated to the United States lived as a man from his early teens on through the rest of his life. Despite the massive prejudices of the time, he managed to find support in his local commu ...  Show more

How much do you know about the inner chaos of Carvel or Ben Cohen's quest to free Ben and Jerry's? Why are apple trees so different from one seed to the next? In the second part this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore more of the Ridiculous History they didn't get ...  Show more

This week we’re going back to a favorite episode from 2015.

During World War II, something happened that nobody ever talks about. This is a tale of mysterious balloons, cowboy sheriffs, and young children caught up in the winds of war. And silence, the terror of silence ...

Spy balloons are really blowing up right now. The US has shot down one confirmed Chinese balloon and has engaged several other unidentified flying objects. But like so many things we cover on this podcast, it's an old method in a new outfit. Spy balloons for reconnaissance go ...

We’ve gotten requests to talk about the balloon bombs that Japan used to target North America during World War II. But these were not the only balloons in use during the war, or the first balloons used for military purposes.

Research:

Flummoxed calls in to report a baffling temporal tizzy. A fellow Conspiracy Realist asks what happens when banks fail. Balloon Boy writes in with an astonishing revelation about high-altitude science and spy balloons: it turns out they have a season, and that season is coming thi ...  Show more