logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2024
48m 57s

The Ridiculous History of Baseball Caps:...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

Nowadays it feels like everyone has a baseball cap at home... even though most of the folks wearing them do not, in fact, play baseball. So how did this one type of hat become so ubiquitous -- not just in the US, but the rest of the world? To answer the question, Ben, Noel and Max travel back to the early (hatless) days of baseball, following its evolution to the modern day.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
CLASSIC: (Some of) History's Dumbest Military Prototypes
As Ben and Noel hit the high seas, they're celebrating with a special week of their favorite Classics. It's true that the world's militaries often pioneer technological innovation -- but don't let all those great successes fool you! The world's militaries have at least as many fa ... Show More
55m 49s
Oct 9
The Dumbest Mobster Ever Tried To Steal Ruby Slippers
There are few pieces of film history more iconic than Dorothy's magic ruby slippers from 1939's The Wizard of Oz. Yet, at first, the studio had no idea how valuable these would become. The multiple pairs of slippers languished in obscurity until costume department worker named Ke ... Show More
40m 23s
Oct 7
The Ridiculously Disturbing History of North Korea
As one of the most isolated countries on the planet, it's no surprise the Democratic People's Republic of Korea remains mysterious in the modern day. So, how did it become a thing? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore the bizarre origin story of the "Hermit Kingdom," a t ... Show More
48m 25s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2023
‘It’s Just Magical’: The Surprising Power Of Baseball Memories
Baseball has always had a special place in the hearts and minds of fans -- of all ages. But what if the power of baseball memories could help aging baseball fans heal and live healthier lives? Today we explore a little known practice known as 'Baseball Reminiscence Therapy.'Repor ... Show More
22m 46s
Jun 2023
Can Baseball Keep Up With Us?
Are we just too impatient for America’s famously leisurely national pastime? Hanna Rosin asks staff writer Mark Leibovich whether the changes MLB is making to baseball this summer could help him, and the rest of us, fall in love with baseball all over again. Interested in the cha ... Show More
26m 28s
Aug 2020
I Love the 90s: The 1995 MLB Season
No one knew how MLB would return from the strike year of 1994. Well, it actually involved the most recently forfeited game in baseball history, the passing of the game's biggest legend, one player stepping up to bring the sport all the way back from the brink, something we hadn't ... Show More
38m 50s
Sep 2023
James Outman On Why Baseball Is Stoicism
Ryan speaks with James Outman on why he believes that baseball and Stoicism both promote the same practices, why baseball players are uniquely prepared to deal with failure, how practicing the Stoic mindset helps him survive “the yips”, why Lou Gehrig’s story is the perfect examp ... Show More
1h 4m
May 2022
The 1994 Baseball Strike | 68
The World Series has been a reliable tradition since 1904. It’s been played during both World Wars, the Depression, after 9-11 and more recently during the COVID pandemic. But there was one time that the Fall Classic was cancelled in what is considered to be Major League Baseball ... Show More
40m 7s
Oct 2012
Apple, Baseball, and Halloween
A look inside the Apple Store Employee Manual, how to enjoy the World Series if you’re like Ian and you don’t know a thing about baseball, and how to make a good Halloween costume. 
22m 52s
Dec 2018
The Rise of the Straw Hat and the Riot of 1922
The Straw Hat Riot of 1922 is a strange piece of history, and it all centered around the boater hat. How did how the boater become so important to men’s fashion in the early 20th century? And how did that lead to a very bizarre conflict in the 1920s? Learn more about your ad-choi ... Show More
29m 33s
May 2022
California Baseball
It's here. The fifth and final chapter in Billy's accolade to his favourite sport. Why did New York's two biggest baseball teams up sticks and leave their hometown, their communities, their diehard fans, and head west? The momentous move in 1958 was a reflection of a wider cultur ... Show More
35m 37s
Aug 2022
The Great Kansas City Royals Uniforms Heist of 1977
The Milwaukee Brewers were scheduled to face the Kansas City Royals, but the night before thieves broke in and stole the Royals’ uniforms. The game that went down the next day became baseball history; yet another legend from the ‘70s era of baseball and its disco riot, short shor ... Show More
54m 43s
Apr 2012
Robert K. Fitts, “Banzai Babe Ruth: Baseball, Espionage, and Assassination during the 1934 Tour of Japan” (University of Nebraska Press, 2012)
There are three Americans in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. One is Horace Wilson, the professor of English who brought his students outside for a game in 1872, thus introducing baseball to Japan. Another is Wally Yonamine, the Hawaii-born Nisei who played professional baseba ... Show More
1 h