A Once-Popular Writer Is Now Known Only For A Sentence About A Dark And Stormy Night
At this time of year the sentence "it was a dark and stormy night" often comes to mind. Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote that notorious line and it's what he's remembered for today, though he once had a lot more going for him than that. Plus: starting today in Nevada, it’s Beatty Days.
The Strange History of the Worst Sentence in English Literature (https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/651542/dark-and-stormy-night-worst-sentence-history-literature) (Mental Floss)
Beatty Days (https://www.beattynevada.org/BeattyDays2026.html)
Our Patreon page is a bright and shiny spot, back our show there today (https://www.patreon.com/Bradycarlson)
29 Oct 2026
Some People In Turkey Start The Day With A Swim Between Europe And Asia
Turkey is one of the only countries in the world with territory in two continents, so of course there have long been people who start their mornings off by swimming from one continent to the other. Plus: a town in Poland put itself on the map with an unusual tourist attraction: a chonky tuxedo cat.
I Joined the Turkish Commuters Who Swim Between Europe and Asia Every Day (https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/swimming-bosphorus-strait-istanbul-turkey) (Thrillist)
Chunky Tuxedo Cat Is a 5-Star Tourist Attraction in a Medieval Polish City (https://mymodernmet.com/gacek-cat-szczecin-poland/) (My Modern Met)
Back our show on Patreon so we can keep podcasting from continent to continent (https://www.patreon.com/bradycarlson)
28 Oct 2026
Carol Tuzzolo Grew Up In A House Behind The Statue Of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty has been looking out on New York Harbor for over a century. But behind her, there have been a few neighbors. Plus: you may already know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, but the statue also has roots in the Middle East.
The Little Girl Who Lived Next Door to the Statue of Liberty (https://www.untappedcities.com/little-girl-who-lived-statue-of-liberty-island/) (Untapped New York)
The Statue of Liberty Was Originally a Muslim Woman (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/statue-liberty-was-originally-muslim-woman-180957377/) (Smithsonian)
Raise a torch for this show as a backer on Patreon (http://patreon.com/bradycarlson)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.1 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
4.5 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 64 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
99
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
75
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