Awesome History

Stand next to a spinning jet engine, and you’re likely to experience an ear-splitting volume of about 140 to 150 decibels. But that’s nowhere near the loudest sound in recorded history. This short video from Great Big Story explains the insane 310-decibel sound that could be heard more than 3,000 miles away from its source.

In many parts of the world, using salt and pepper to season foods is as ubiquitous as the duo of ketchup and mustard. But how did this pairing of two very different seasonings rise to such popularity? BBC Ideas series Edible Histories provides a brief backgrounder on the flavorful combo.

Any day is a good day to enjoy a bowl of Count Chocula or Franken Berry cereal. It’s part of a complete breakfast! Dan Larson of Toy Galaxy looks at the strange and sometimes controversial history of General Mills’ spooky and sugary Monster Cereals, including the elusive Yummy Mummy. Since this video was released, Carmella Creeper was added to the mix.

You might think that the Atari 2600 or Nintendo Entertainment System was the first game console to let you play different games using cartridges. But a much lesser-known console, the Fairchild Channel F, featured the first game cartridge. Gaming Historian looks at the origins of this system and the significant impact it had on gaming for years to come.

After building a scale model of the Solar System, filmmakers Alex Gorosh and Wylie Overstreet headed to the Mojave desert to create a physical model that illustrates time over 13.8 billion years. They dotted the dry lakebed with lights and combined those with video footage to show the passage of time. Download a printable version of their time scale here.

Popcorn is a tasty and addictive snack food most associated with carnivals and movies. But who first discovered that certain kinds of corn would pop when heated, and how did popcorn eventually make its way to the concession stand? Find out in this brief history lesson from TEDEd.

Whether you played with Slinkies, Silly Putty, or Sea Monkeys when you were a kid, you’ll find some wonderful nostalgia in Steven Heller and Jim Heimann’s catalog of American toy advertising. The 528-page book features hundreds of vintage ads that sold dreams to kids and often served as a reflection of their time.

Ilya from That Works has made some impressive historical weapons, but this is the first time he’s built a samurai helmet. He created the headgear with inspiration from the character Takeda in the game Naraka Bladepoint. The steel helmet is made from five pieces, with a two-piece Mempo mask and layered neck armor.

Time marches on… and as it does, everyday things become obsolete. Rhetty for History looks back at some of the items that once were ubiquitous and are either fading into oblivion or have already gone extinct. Those x-ray shoe fitting machines were something special. And remember when cash was king?

One of the best guilty pleasures to make its way onto dinner tables is macaroni and cheese. From homemade casseroles to the dorm room staple of Kraft mac and cheese, there’s a place in our bellies for all of them. Weird History Food explores the origins of the dish and how it became an all-American comfort food.

Now that he’s schooled us on the history of heavy metal music, guitarist Andrea Boma Boccarusso is back with a medley of iconic rock riffs from 1965 to 2022. Crank up the volume to 11 on your headphones and see how many you can guess without looking.

A typical breakfast in America includes items like coffee, orange juice, and high-carb treats like toast, hash browns, donuts, and cereal. Just how did we end up starting our days with these deliciously unhealthy foods? Weird History Food digs into what led to their popularity.

From his horns to his red suit to his pitchfork, we all have a pretty specific image in our minds of what The Devil looks like. In this TED-Ed video by educator and Episcopal priest Brian A. Pavlac, he delves into the origins of the ultimate evil dude and his various depictions over the years.

Getty Images makes money by licensing images and videos – including some in the public domain. Filmmaker Richard Misek created this impactful documentary using public domain footage in chronological order. He then explains the origins of some of the clips and how companies can charge what should be free footage.

We’ve used the modern alphabet in English writing since the 16th Century. Language lover RobWords explores how every letter from A to Z got its start, the hidden meanings in each one, how they’ve changed over the years, and even where we got the word “alphabet” from. The whole U, V, W story is fascinating.

Starting with the Maschinenmensch in Metropolis, robots have been a staple of science-fiction movies for a century. Using a series of AI-generated art, Stillskates explores the origins and evolution of on-screen robots and how they started as dangerous and powerful characters and gradually became comedic and helpful.

Designer, writer, and engineer Marcin Wichary created this extensive visual history of keyboards and the people who use them. The two-volume set is packed with 1300 photos and numerous stories about the amazing mechanical device that changed the world in so many ways.

With its mix of stir-fried noodles, protein, peanuts, veggies, and zesty condiments, pad thai is one delicious dish. Mental Floss series Food History delves into the relatively short history of the popular dish. While it was touted as Thailand’s national dish, its ingredients and origins came from other countries.

Few drinks have the storied history of absinthe. Once considered a beverage for sophisticates, it would soon become the drink of degenerates and eventually be banned for its apparent dangers. Weird History Food delves into the green spirit’s unique properties and sets us straight on its many controversies.

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when taking a flight on a commercial airliner was something to look forward to, with luxurious meals, comfortable seats, and a high level of service. This video from Phil Edwards looks back at the glamourous days of flying and why it went downhill for most passengers.

After teaching us all about the history of TV dinners, Weird History Food is back to explain how we got microwave ovens in our kitchens. It turns out that what started as an unrelated experiment by a defense radar engineer became one of the most ubiquitous and useful cooking inventions of all time.

It hasn’t been that long since people used landline telephones, tape players, and VCRs on an everyday basis. But like so many other devices, they’ve been replaced by smartphones or other technology. Rhetty for History looks at these and other inventions which were popular in the 20th century and are now obsolete.

Many of today’s popular toys are pretty different from those sold in the 1960s and 1970s. But in this video from Rhetty for History, you’ll see for as many things have changed, classics like NERF, Hot Wheels, and LEGO are still selling well today. And then there’s the Pet Rock.