CLASSIC: Was there a real-life Rapunzel?

CLASSIC: Was there a real-life Rapunzel?

Author: iHeartPodcasts November 29, 2025 Duration: 28:59

Most people in the West are familiar with the old Rapunzel fairy tale -- a beautiful princess is confined to a tower until a prince, captivated by her beauty, uses her hair as a ladder and comes to her rescue. But where did this story come from, exactly? Tune in to learn more in today's Classic episode from 2019.

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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.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Ridiculous History
Podcast Episodes
A Ridiculous Love Letter to Atari, Part One: From Pings to Pongs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:27
Nowadays most people either play video games, or know someone who does -- yet this wasn't always the case. As civilization skyrockets toward gaming experiences that feel increasingly immersive (and, in some cases, insepe…
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Duration: 47:14
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The Rise (and Crash) of the Concorde Jet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:04
What if you could hop from France to New York in less than four hours? Traveling twice the speed of sound, with caviar, lobster, champagne and cigars? This was the pitch of the Concorde jet -- a revolutionary, utterly ri…
CLASSIC: English Men Used to Sell Their Wives [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:19
In late 17th-century England, it was almost impossible for anyone outside of the upper class to successfully get a divorce -- the process was expensive and required approval from both the church and the government. As a…
CLASSIC: How Louisiana Almost Became a Hippo Ranching Hub [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:22
Nowadays beef, chicken and pork are the most common meats in the US -- but, not so long ago, that could have all changed. Join the guys as they travel back to the early 1900s, when Louisiana congressman Robert Broussard…
CLASSIC: Who was the highest paid athlete in history? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:19
Today, most people probably don't remember the career of once-famous charioteer Gaius Appuleius Diocles -- however, in his day we was a cultural icon, one of the most famous athletes in Rome. Join the guys as they explor…
Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu, with Tom Freston [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:38
Happy New Year! It's no secret that MTV fundamentally changed the nature of media and entertainment. But how did it actually get started? What made the world so obsessed with the concept of "Music Television"? In today's…
CLASSIC: The Weird Life of George Washington, Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:11
Join Ben, Noel, Casey and returning guest Christopher Hassiotis as they continue exploring the strange life and times of George Washington in the second part of this two-part series. Listen in to learn more about Washing…