55: JC Penney Becomes Rich *and* Cool (Part 3)
James Cash Penney had an ambitious dream. He wanted to own 50 Golden Rule stores. Over the course of just a few years, he achieved that dream and then some. But tough lessons in his personal life taug...
21 Maj 20251h 44min
54: JC Penney Was a Hustler! (Part 2)
Say what you will about James Cash Penney Jr. Just don’t say he didn’t work his booty off. After he left his hometown, James tried desperately to succeed as a businessman. He found work as a sales per...
14 Maj 20251h 37min
53: Is JCPenney the Best Department Store? (Part 1)
Normie C starts this series with a bold claim: That JCPenney is the best department store ever. This raises a lot of questions. Questions like… Really? Has Norm been to other department stores? Also, ...
7 Maj 20251h 22min
52: The Creator of Mother's Day Tried to Destroy it
Mother’s Day. When Anna Jarvis founded the holiday, she envisioned it as a day for everyone to honor and thank their mothers. She worked tirelessly to promote the holiday. She hoped it would be celebr...
30 Apr 20251h 34min
51: America Can’t Figure Out Daylight Saving Time (Part 2)
In his final episode on Daylight Saving Time, Norm tells us that America has flip flopped on Daylight Saving Time for decades. We love it! We hate it! We implement it; we rescind it. Will the battle e...
23 Apr 20251h 35min
50: Hello, Sunshine: Why We Have Daylight Saving Time (Part 1)
“OMG, the sun is up! Shouldn’t you be awake, doing productive things?” … that’s essentially what Benjamin Franklin shouted when he advocated to change the hours of human activity to take advantage of ...
16 Apr 20251h 23min
49: Cleveland’s Chaotic 10-Cent Beer Night
In the summer of 1974, the Cleveland Indians had a big problem. Hardly anyone showed up for their games. It was embarrassing! So, the team’s management brainstormed ways to get butts in seats. Ultimat...
9 Apr 20251h 24min
48: The Great Cobra Scare of 1953
In the year of our Lord 1953, the city of Springfield, Missouri, had a terrible problem. Deadly cobras kept popping up in people’s yards! What were cobras doing in Missouri? They weren’t native to the...
2 Apr 20251h 16min
