Dirt Nap City is the podcast about interesting dead people. In each episode, Alex and Kelly dive into the life of a famous person that you have heard of, but probably don't know much about. Our stories are about actors, entrepreneurs, politicians, musicians, inventors, and more! The show is funny and light-hearted, but also informative and educational. You will definitely learn something new and probably have some laughs along the way. Everyone will eventually move to Dirt Nap City, so why n ...
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Dick Clark is often called "America's Oldest Teenager". He was an iconic figure of American television, who was more than just a handsome face. He was the architect of countless hit shows that shaped popular culture for decades. Join us as we delve into the life and legacy of this broadcasting legend. We'll explore Clark's early career, from his hu…
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What Was Columbia House Record Club? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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If you remember a time before downloadable or streaming music, you might remember the (seemingly) amazing offer that Columbia House offered - 12 CDs, Records, Cassettes, 8-Tracks, etc for one penny (later 1 dollar). This was an early subscription model of business that raked in the big bucks for CBS records and was successful for many years. But ho…
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John DeLorean: The Rise and Fall of an Automotive Icon Join us on a thrilling journey through the life and legacy of John DeLorean, the visionary automotive engineer who dared to dream big. From his meteoric rise at General Motors, where he revolutionized the automotive industry with iconic models like the Pontiac GTO, to his audacious gamble on th…
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What Were Dodo Birds? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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In this episode, we delve into the fascinating yet tragic tale of the dodo bird. Once a common sight on the island of Mauritius, this flightless avian species has become a symbol of extinction. We'll explore the dodo's unique characteristics, its peaceful existence, and the factors that contributed to its demise. From its discovery by European sail…
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This episode delves into the fascinating and controversial story of Mary Mallon, a seemingly healthy Irish immigrant who became the infamous "Typhoid Mary." In the early 20th century, New York City was grappling with a typhoid fever outbreak, a disease transmitted through contaminated food and water. Despite extensive efforts to contain the epidemi…
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What Were Hippies? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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In this episode, we dive deep into the vibrant and revolutionary hippie movement of the 1960s. Join us as we explore the cultural, social, and political landscape that gave rise to this counterculture phenomenon. We'll examine the key events, figures, and ideas that shaped the hippie movement, from Woodstock and the Summer of Love to the rise of ps…
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John Lennon was one of the most influential rock and roll icons of all time. He was a founding member of The Beatles whose musical influence is still felt today. But who was this poet, musician and peace loving hippy from Liverpool, England? In this episode Kelly and Alex explore the early days of John Lennon's life in Liverpool and what may have i…
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What Was Shag Carpet? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Welcome to Dirt Nap City, the podcast where we roll out the welcome mat, or in this case, the shag carpet. Join your hosts, Alex and Kelly as we delve into the world of one of the most divisive home decor choices of all time: shag carpeting. Is it a cozy, retro haven or a dust-collecting monster? We’re here to explore both sides of the shag carpet …
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Welcome to Dirt Nap City where we dive deep into the shallow end of history. Join your hosts, Kelly and Alex, as we embark on a journey through the life and times of Marco Polo, the world's most famous overachiever. We're talking about the guy who not only traveled the Silk Road but probably brought back the world's first ever souvenir keychain. Fr…
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What Was Goldfish Swallowing? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Welcome to "Goldfish Gone Wild," the Dirt Nap City Dead End that dives headfirst into the absurd world of goldfish swallowing. We're talking about the most shocking stunts, and the downright fishy characters involved in this peculiar trend. Your hosts, Kelly and Alex, are your quirky guides through this aquatic abyss. With a healthy dose of humor, …
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This week we dive into the extraordinary life and legacy of one of America's greatest sports heroes, Jim Thorpe. Beyond his athletic prowess, we explore the complex man behind the legend. From his humble beginnings as a Native American boy to his meteoric rise as a football, baseball, and track and field star, we examine the challenges and triumphs…
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What Was Believing What You Hear? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Artificial Intelligence or "A.I." is all over the news these days, but what does that mean to most of us? That we can use it to write emails or help with podcast episode descriptions? Yes. But it also means that we can create deep fakes of images and voices. And with this ability, it's going to be harder to trust that something we see or hear with …
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Forget the Disney tales! This podcast dives deep into the life and times of the real Davy Crockett. We peel back the layers of myth to reveal a fascinating frontiersman, soldier, politician, and storyteller. Join us as we explore Crockett's adventures from his early days on the Tennessee frontier to his rise as a folk hero and eventual stand at the…
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What Was A Pet Rock? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Looking back on 1975 and 1976, it's hard to believe that one man made almost $20 million dollars selling Pet Rocks. And this was before the internet! In this episode, Alex and Kelly dive into the fad that was the "pet rock" to see where it came from and why it became so wildly popular for a brief moment. If you had a pet rock named "Rocky", this ep…
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Tired of being the office wallflower? Does your boss confuse "charisma" with "causes nausea"? Join us on "Carnegie's Caper: How NOT to Win Friends and Influence People" where we dissect Dale Carnegie's self-help classic, one awkward tip at a time. We'll explore the hilarious pitfalls of becoming a "phony friend," the dangers of complimenting a bald…
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What Was Writing A Check? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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In a world dominated by digital payments, where even your grandma can Venmo, there exists a peculiar group of individuals who cling desperately to a bygone era: the check writers. This hilarious podcast dives headfirst into the absurd world of paper checks, exploring the inexplicable joy of licking glue, the art of balancing checkbooks, and the she…
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Who was the real Neil Armstrong? Beyond the astronaut suit and the moon landing, there's a fascinating story of a complex man. Join us as we delve into the life and legacy of this American hero. We'll explore his triumphs, his challenges, and the incredible journey that led him to become the first person to walk on the moon. But don't worry, space …
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What Was CB Radio? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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From the 1970's to the mid 1980's, citizen's band or "CB" radios were all the rage with professional truck drivers and the public in general. They inspired movies and songs - and truck drivers became the new outlaws of the open roads in the United States. In this episode, Alex and Kelly talk about what made CB's a special part of the the American c…
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Who Was Andy Kaufman? (Featuring Jarret Berenstein)
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In this episode of Dirt Nap City, we dive into the enigma that is Andy Kaufman. This episode unravels the life and career of the comedic genius who blurred the lines between performance and reality. From his outrageous characters like Latka Gravas to his legendary wrestling battles with Jerry Lawler, we explore the tactics that made him a legend...…
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What Was Writing In Cursive? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Cursive writing, once a cornerstone of education, has seen a dramatic decline in recent decades. The elegant loops and flowing connections that adorned historical documents are increasingly a relic of the past. But what factors led to this shift? The rise of technology is a major culprit. Typewriters, introduced in the early 20th century, offered a…
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After George Washington, Benjamin Franklin is considered one of the most important figures during the early days of the United States of America. He was a scholar, a writer, an inventor and a statesman. But did you know that he also tried to invent a new alphabet that eliminated "useless letters" and added new ones? And he also famously wrote an es…
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What Was A Synthesizer? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Did you know that you don't pronounce the name of the famous synthesizer "Moog" with a "moo" (like a cow)? It's "Moog" with a long "o" like "mode". In this episode of Dirt Nap City Dead Ends, Alex and Kelly explore the heyday of synthesizers, the 1980's, and which music could rock the synth and which were just trying too hard. If you like 70's, 80'…
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He's the name synonymous with seduction, a legend whispered in bedrooms for centuries. But Giacomo Casanova was far more than just a notorious lover. Get ready to delve into the life of this 18th-century adventurer, writer, and self-proclaimed genius.Casanova was a man of many hats - a violinist, a clergyman, a mathematician, even a librarian! We'l…
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What Was Flagpole Sitting? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Flagpole sitting is exactly what it sounds like: a person climbing on top of a towering pole, usually in the middle of a city, and testing their endurance by sitting atop it for as long as their body holds up. It began in Hollywood in January 1924, when a former sailor, boxer, steelworker, and stuntman named Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly was hired by a l…
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William Mathias Scholl, also known as Dr. Scholl, was born in Indiana as one of 13 children. He studied medicine at Loyola University Chicago. During his studies, while working in a shoe store in the evenings, he became interested in podiatry. Dr. Scholl saw the lack of attention the medical and wellness community paid to people's feet and was able…
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What Was A Variety Show? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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If you remember the early days of television, then you surely remember the variety show! From Ed Sullivan in the 1950's to Donny and Marie Osmond in the 1970's all the way up to Pink Lady and Jeff in the 1980's, variety shows had something for everyone in the family. Some were silly, some were serious, and some were just stupid - but if you ever hu…
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John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed, was a Christian evangelist one of the first American conservationists. He lived in the late 18th and early 19th century and was known to have planted apple nurseries throughout the northern United States and parts of Canada. He was rumored to have had a pet wolf and walk through the snow with no shoes. …
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What Was A Sony Walkman? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Every time you throw in some bluetooth ear buds and go for a walk, did you know that you are following in the footsteps of the OG of personal soundtracks? The Sony Walkman was introduced in 1979 and was originally designed out of a desire that the head of Sony had at the time to listen to music on his walks! This innovation eventually lead to the W…
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Stede Bonnet was born into a wealthy English family on the island of Barbados in 1688. He had money, land and eventually a wife and children. But in 1717, at the age of 29, he turned to a life of crime on high seas to become a pirate of the Caribbean. And because of his status before turning to piracy, he became known as "the gentleman pirate". But…
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What Was Riding In The Back Of A Pickup Truck? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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If you grew up somewhere in the southern US, you probably remember riding in the back of a pickup truck when you were a kid. Riding to little league practice, riding to the Dairy Queen - these were some of the memories many of us have from childhood. But was riding in the back of a pickup truck really a good idea? While we don't want to say what pe…
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Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Because she was born in 1897, she grew up at the dawn of aviation and she was bit by the aviation bug at an early age. After convincing her parents to finance flying lessons, Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many other records, was on…
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What Were Drinking Fountains? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Do you remember going to recess at school, running around, getting hot and thirsty, and then lining up to get a drink at your school's water fountain? If not, then you missed out on something really special. Water fountains were common and used frequently not too long ago. But did you know that they originated as the primary source of clean water f…
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Reformer or dictator? Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the greatest military strategists of all time and served as not only the leader of France, but the Emperor of the French Empire. During the late 1700's and early 1800's, France was a formidable military power and ruled a very large part of the European continent and beyond - mostly because of Napo…
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What Was An X-Ray Shoe Fitter? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Everyone loves shoes that fit just right. But did you know that not too long ago, people loved them enough to risk their health for perfectly fitting shoes? In this episode, we take a look at the X-Ray Shoe Fitter, also known as the Foot-O-Scope was a popular device used at shoe stores in the 1930's, 1940's and even 1950's to show people a real tim…
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In today's world, Tesla is often associated with Elon Musk's electric car company. But the original Tesla was a brilliant man born in 1856 in Croatia. Nikola Tesla lived at the dawn of electricity and sometimes butted heads with other great minds of his time like Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. But did you know that this brilliant scientist …
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What Was All You Can Eat? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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If you are over 40 years old, you probably remember going to the "All You Can Eat Buffet" with your family or friends. It was an amazing display of food and it was all for one low price! But this style of low cost gluttony has fallen out of favor in recent years - both because the food was generally not healthy and the business model was unattainab…
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Beyond the shamrock lies a story of adventure, faith, and cultural transformation. Join us as we peel back the layers on St. Patrick, the man behind the legend. Was he a snake-banishing miracle worker or a shrewd political operator? How did he come to represent the country in which he was enslaved as a young man? Whether you are here for the histor…
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What Was A Waterbed? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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There's nothing more 1970's than the mustache, the Camaro, and the waterbed. If you grew up in the 1970's or 1980's, you probably knew someone with at least on those things. In this episode, we take a look at the origin of the waterbed, it's rise in popularity, and what eventually killed it. Yes, you can still get a waterbed today - but if you real…
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One of the greatest industrialists of the 20th century, Howard Hughes was a man who built his own fame and fortune on the shoulders of his father's company. Yet while his father had been in the oil drilling business, Howard Hughes Jr had ambitions in much sexier industries - Hollywood movies, aviation, real estate, mining, casinos, and even a Houst…
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What Was A Litter Bug? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Just to be clear - we are not saying that litter is completely a thing of the past, because unfortunately, it still exists today. However, we do believe that awareness about NOT littering has gone way up with the help of some clever campaigns that really began in the 1970's and 1980's. This episode of Dirt Nap City Dead Ends looks at the way people…
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When it comes to the kings of movie reviews, no one comes close to Siskel and Ebert. The duo brought movie reviews to the masses with their syndicated television shows and "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" rating system. But despite their success and popularity, they were not really great friends - in fact, they often berated one another during their re…
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What Were CD-ROMs? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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If you are over the age of 20, you probably remember when CD-ROMs were how you stored all the data you ever needed from your computer. They were somewhat durable, relatively small, and held a decent amount of data for the time. And they were everywhere - you even got them free in the mail from some companies! If you ever listened to music on a comp…
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Bob Marley is considered one of the greatest musical pioneers ever. He uniquely blended elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, and had a very distinct vocal and songwriting style. His father was an officer in the British Royal Navy and his mother was from a farm on Jamaica. He was raised in the Trench Town area of Jamaica and grew up around other…
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What Was Fotomat? A Dirt Nap City Dead End
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Did you ever drop your film off to be developed at a Fotomat? In this episode of Dirt Nap City Dead Ends, Alex and Kelly take a nostalgic look at those tiny kiosks that populated over 4,000 parking lots in their heyday. When film was king, Fotomat was the titan of developing it. And if you keep your eyes out today, you might still see a Fotomat kio…
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Despite the name, Hanna Barbera was not the name of a character on a 1990's Disney show, nor was it a female wrestler from the 1920's - in fact Hanna-Barbera is the name of the company founded by two cartoonists, Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, who made many of the cartoons that Americans grew up on in the 1960's, 70's and 80's. Scooby Doo? Yes. The Fl…
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We recently had the opportunity to collaborate with Katie and Deborah from the podcast "It's My Screen Time Too" about the movie WONKA. Find out if Alex & Kelly enjoyed the movie and if it's worth going to see with your family by listening to this promo and then then listening to the episode of "It's My Screen Time Too" on Spotify or Apple Podcasts…
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Season's Greetings from Dirt Nap City. If you are looking for the perfect gift to give your loved ones this year, we have you covered. For a limited time we are not only offering Dirt Nap City stickers, but we are also offering to come to your event (wedding, bar mitzvah, birthday party, funeral, etc.) and record our podcast live in front of your a…
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Who Was Saint Nicholas? (Christmas Special)
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Happy Saint Nicholas Day! We are excited to share the story of Saint Nicholas with you today. Of course, Saint Nicholas eventually went on to become the person we know as Santa Clause. But what's the real story of this saint who lived from 270 - 343 AD? Was he fat and jolly? Well, actually he was not. He was a very fiery and fierce defender of earl…
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Merv Griffin began singing on radio at age 19 and went on to become one of the biggest names in entertainment on American television. He appeared on Broadway, he was a big band singer, and he hosted his own talk show from 1965 to 1986. Today he is probably remember best for creating two of the biggest game shows on television - Jeopardy! and Wheel …
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At the peak of her fame, Julia Child was one of the most famous television celebrities in the United States. She was the first cooking show super star, but she didn't learn to appreciate cuisine until later in life when she volunteered for the war effort during World War II. She met her husband Paul when she was in Sri Lanka and he really taught he…
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