500 Open Tabs

This week we are joined by special guest co-host Alyssa Cooper as she walks us through the insane Beanie Baby craze of the late 90s. A listener email explains the Mr. Trashwheel phenomenon that has taken over Baltimore.Episode Tabs:How Playground Rumors and Artificial Scarcity Created the Billion-Dollar Beanie Baby Maniahttps://www.mentalfloss.com/fun/toys/how-playground-rumors-and-artificial-scarcity-created-beanie-baby-maniaListener Tabs:MEET THE MR. TRASH WHEEL FAMILYhttps://www.mrtrashwheel.com/trash-wheel-familyEmail your closed tab submissions to: 500opentabs@gmail.comSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/500OpenTabs500 Open Tabs Wiki: https://500-open-tabs.fandom.com/wiki/500_Open_Tabs_Wiki500 Open Roads (Google Maps episode guide): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tg9g2HcUaFAzXGbw7Continue the conversation by joining us on Discord! https://discord.gg/8px5RJHk7aGet 40% off an annual subscription to Nebula by going to nebula.tv/500opentabsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We are back for season 3 with new tabs and a new format! This week we learn about the South African legend Renfrew Christie, who used his dissertation at Oxford as a front to spy on the Apartheid government's secret nuclear program. A listener email fills in the gaps of our Emperor Norton knowledge. Episode Tabs:Farewell to a South African hero, Professor Renfrew Christiehttps://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-22-farewell-to-a-south-african-hero-professor-renfrew-christie/Listener Tabs:Joshua Norton Posthumously Reinstated as a Mason After 166 Yearshttps://emperornortontrust.org/blog/2025/9/3/joshua-norton-posthumously-reinstated-as-a-mason-after-166-yearsEmail your closed tab submissions to: 500opentabs@gmail.comSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/500OpenTabs500 Open Tabs Wiki: https://500-open-tabs.fandom.com/wiki/500_Open_Tabs_Wiki500 Open Roads (Google Maps episode guide): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tg9g2HcUaFAzXGbw7Continue the conversation by joining us on Discord! https://discord.gg/8px5RJHk7aGet 40% off an annual subscription to Nebula by going to nebula.tv/500opentabsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After meeting on the 500 Open Tabs Discord, a few fans of the show got together and recorded a tribute episode "The Tab Conspiracy," so we decided to share it with our tens of listeners!! This week they discuss how Ivo Zdarsky flew to Vienna in a homemade airplane to claim political asylum from Czechoslovakia and the life of Bud Hurlbut, the engineer/creator most famously known for designing Knott's Berry Farm. Happy Holidays!Continue the conversation by joining us on Discord! https://discord.gg/8px5RJHk7aEmail your closed tab submissions to: 500opentabs@gmail.comSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/500OpenTabs500 Open Tabs Wiki: https://500-open-tabs.fandom.com/wiki/500_Open_Tabs_Wiki500 Open Roads (Google Maps episode guide): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tg9g2HcUaFAzXGbw7Get 40% off an annual subscription to Nebula by going to nebula.tv/500opentabsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week we are joined by award winning author Amal El-Mohtar as we learn about herbiary plagiarism from the 16th century, how Kix cereal once offered toys with radioactive material, and the tale of a 14th century French dog pulling a reverse John Wick. A listener mail tells us about the most lopsided football game of all time.Holiday Market at Tito Rick's GarageSaturday December 13th, 11am-4pm2918 Imperial Ave San Diego, CA 92102Kaveh's Online Store:https://www.blacksmithfilms.com/storeCat People https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/hannah-hillam/cat-people/9780762486083/?lens=running-pressEpisode Tabs:Asking questions through fiction: research into Henry Lyte’s ‘A Niewe Herball’ (1578)https://www.herbalhistory.org/home/henry_lyte/Kix cereal once offered 'Atomic Bomb Ring' with radioactive material as a promotion?https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kix-lone-ranger-atomic-bomb-ring/A Murder and a Dog Seeking Justicehttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201008/a-murder-and-a-dog-seeking-justiceListener Tabs:1916 Cumberland vs. Georgia Tech football gamehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1916_Cumberland_vs._Georgia_Tech_football_gameEmail your closed tab submissions to: 500opentabs@gmail.comSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/500OpenTabs500 Open Tabs Wiki: https://500-open-tabs.fandom.com/wiki/500_Open_Tabs_Wiki500 Open Roads (Google Maps episode guide): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tg9g2HcUaFAzXGbw7Continue the conversation by joining us on Discord! https://discord.gg/8px5RJHk7aGet 40% off an annual subscription to Nebula by going to nebula.tv/500opentabsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.