Keith D. asks: I was just wondering who came up with the expression “This ain’t my first rodeo”? For the uninitiated, “This ain’t my first rodeo” is roughly equivalent to telling a person that you’re more than prepared for a given situation or that it offers little challenge to you. It’s more often than not used derisively, usually in situations […]
Read more
This Day In History: March 27, 1973 In one of the most memorable, if controversial, moments in Academy Award history, iconic actor Marlon Brando refused a best actor Oscar for his role in “The Godfather.” Brando sent Sacheen Littlefeather, a 26-year-old aspiring actress in his stead. Attired in full Apache dress, Littlefeather explained that Brando could not accept the award […]
Read more
In this episode, you’re going to learn the truth about who invented the TV dinner. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: Daily Knowledge Podcast
Read more
Ivory has been producing their uniquely floating soap for the well over a century now and in that time they’ve become one of the most popular soap brands in the world. For many years, the company has maintained that the discovery of its trademark floating soap was a complete accident, but exactly how true is this? For those of you who […]
Read more
Byron H. asks: When exactly does a speed limit come into effect? Is it when you see the sign or the instant you cross it? If it’s an increase in speed can you legally accelerate up to the speed so your speed matches the sign right when you get to it, or do you have to wait? On paper, speed […]
Read more
This Day In History: March 26, 1904 “Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out what was going on without bothering everybody with a lot of questions, and then being unexpectedly called away before you find out how it ends.” – Joseph Campbell Joseph John Campbell, the renowned professor, author, anthropologist, speaker and mythologist was born […]
Read more
In this episode, you’re going to learn about the man that many think loosely inspired the character of Indiana Jones. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: Daily Knowledge Podcast
Read more
Jacob M. asks: Does juicy fruit gum actually contain any fruit juice? With a brand recognition rate somewhere close to 99% in the States, it’s pretty safe to say that almost everyone reading this has at least heard of Juicy Fruit gum, if not also chewed it at some point. The question we’re looking at today is- exactly what fruit […]
Read more
This Day In History: March 25, 1150 The Tichborne Dole dates back to medieval England during the reign of Henry II. The story began in 1150, when Lady Mabella, the wife of the miserly and cruel Sir Roger Tichborne, asked her husband to fulfill her one dying wish. She warned that he and his heirs would suffer dire consequences if […]
Read more
In this episode, you’re going to learn about a (now) controversial experiment run on third grade students in the 1960s and the truth about what was done and the surprisingly positive end result. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: Daily Knowledge Podcast
Read more
In this video, produced by the very talented Brady Haran over at Numberphile, which you can subscribe to here, Dr. Persi Diaconis answers the question of how many times you have to shuffle a deck of cards to thoroughly mix them up, as well as demonstrating the best and worst ways to shuffle. If you like this video, please join […]
Read more
Nick C. asks: How did they settle on six feet deep for graves? If there’s one thing everyone knows about graves other than the fact that they’re really spooky at night, it’s that they’re always six feet deep. In truth, despite “six feet under” being synonymous with the very idea of death, it has little to no relevance in burial […]
Read more
This Day In History: March 24, 1765 On March 24, 1765 the British Parliament passed the Quartering Act, which specified the obligation of the American colonists to provide British troops with shelter and provisions. The Act ordered the colonists to provide barracks for the soldiers stationed nearby, and if they did not have ample space in the barracks, housing must […]
Read more
In this episode, you’re going to learn about the first woman to circumnavigate the globe and the lengths she had to go to to make this happen. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: Daily Knowledge Podcast
Read more
This is the time of year when millions of Americans are being stricken with March Madness (See: How March Got So Mad). Over a hundred teams (both men’s and women’s) are competing against one another for the right to be called a champion. This is a goal that all of these collegiate athletes work towards and most would never give […]
Read more
An expensive meal at a fancy restaurant, a declaration of romance, and a big, fat diamond ring- this is a pretty standard formula for an engagement proposal. After all, it has been ingrained in all of us that a diamond ring equals love and the bigger the diamond, the more love there must be. Well, believe it or not, diamonds […]
Read more
This Day In History: March 23, 1839 OK is an expression that almost all of us, young or old, rich or poor, sprinkle throughout our sentences all day, every day. We use it so often and with so many shades of meaning that most of us assume it’s been around since the Big Bang. Surprisingly, the expression isn’t even two […]
Read more
This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Why are Calico Cats Almost Always Female? While any breed of cat can be born with calico fur, the vast majority of these cats are female, with only about one in three thousand calico cats born male according to the Humane […]
Read more