Despite being pretty rare in comparison to other denominations, the U.S. two-dollar bill is one of the most storied notes in American folklore. So why do some people think it's lucky? Why do others think it's bad luck? Join Ben and Noel as they explore the bizarre evolution of the two-dollar bill in this week's Classic episode.

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Well, Ridiculous Historians, as our pal Mark Twain settled into a life of literary fame, he still couldn't help himself from making huge investments in terrible ideas -- sometimes, at an enormous emotional cost to his family. In the second part of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore some of Twain's most infamous bad investments, from a bizarre nutritional powder to his own board game, his deep friendship with Nikola Tesla, and more.

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Today, Mark Twain is widely thought of as one of America's greatest authors -- but he was also, get this, a terrible investor. Inspired by his father's unfailing (and unsuccessful) efforts to become a business tycoon, Twain spent loads of time and money backing inventions that either didn't work... or were outright scams. In part one of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore how Twain's early life experiences set him on this path -- and how he originally had a different pen name. Also, this is our Connecticut series.

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The Day of the Dead is a longstanding traditional celebration in Mexico, and currently hundreds of thousands of people associate it with a gigantic parade -- you know, like the one they saw in the James Bond film "Spectre". There's just one strange twist about that parade: before the movie, the procession didn't exist. Join Ben and Noel as they trace the weird evolution of this event from fiction to the real world in this week's Classic episode.

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As the karaoke phenomenon became a global pastime, it likewise transformed to adapt to cultures outside of Japan. In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the expansion of karaoke as both technology and culture as well as the troubling ethical nature of AI, arriving their own interpretations along the way.

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Nowadays most people are at least generally familiar with the concept of karaoke -- technology allows you to sing along with your favorite songs, often to the delight of your friends and fellow amateur vocalists. It's a global phenomenon, and has created countless karaoke-based communities wherein, if only for a moment, anyone can be a star. In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max delve into the origin story of karaoke, which may have began all because one Japanese guy was mad at his coworkers.

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It's become one of the strangest anecdotes in modern American history -- numerous sources will swear to you that, in a last-minute panic before reaching customs, legendary musician Louis Armstrong had Richard Nixon's unwitting assistance smuggling a hefty amount of marijuana through US customs. It's bizarre (and pretty hilarious) if true... but how true is it? Tune in as the guys get to the bottom of this bizarre American fable in this week's Classic episode.

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Let's be honest: when many Americans think of Nebraska, we immediately think of corn. Yet there's much more to the Cornhusker State than a single crop. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into several ridiculous bits of Nebraska history, from an epic barn move to the surprising, silly origin story of how Lincoln, Nebraska ended up with its name.

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