Daven Hiskey, Author at Today I Found Out

Author Archives: Daven Hiskey

This Day in History: A Proposal by the Joint Chiefs of Staff Suggesting That the U.S. Military Should Commit Acts of Terrorism in the U.S. and Blame it on Cuba is Presented to the Secretary of Defense

March 13, 2013 Daven Hiskey

This Day In History: March 13, 1962 On this day in history, 1962, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Lyman Lemnitzer, submitted a proposal to the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, developed by the Joint Chiefs and the Department of Defense, outlining plans to commit various acts of terrorism on U.S. soil and then to frame the […]

This Day in History

New Authors

March 11, 2013 Daven Hiskey

I recently put out a job listing for some new writers to add to the team here on Today I Found Out. I received well over 300 applicants, with a shockingly high percentage of them being amazingly good. After going through all the applications a few times, I managed to narrow the list down to the top 10% and gave […]

Announcements

The Woman Who Carried a Fetus in Her Body for 60 Years

March 8, 2013 Daven Hiskey

The woman was Huang Yijun from China. When she was 31 in 1948, she became pregnant only to find out that she had an ectopic pregnancy, meaning the egg had not attached in the uterus. In most ectopic pregnancies, the egg will implant in the Fallopian tubes, but in Huang’s case, the egg implanted just outside her Fallopian tubes causing […]

The Origin of Saint Patrick’s Day

March 7, 2013 Daven Hiskey

Today I Found Out has teamed up with Jeremiah Warren to show his awesome “trivia” related videos here. You can subscribe to Warren’s YouTube Channel here. If you liked this video and the Bonus Saint Patrick’s Day facts below, you might also enjoy: Why Superheroes Wear Their Underwear on the Outside The Origins of Halloween and Trick or Treating The […]

Why Sideburns are Named as They Are

March 6, 2013 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out why sideburns are named as they are. It turns out, despite this particular brand of facial hair style being around as far back as at least 100 BC (with one of the earliest known instances being in a mosaic of Alexander the Great), sideburns were named after a specific man in the late 19th century. The […]

Why We Call the Seasons Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring

February 26, 2013 Daven Hiskey

J.K. asks: Why are the seasons called winter, spring, summer, and fall? “Winter” derives from the Proto-Germanic *wentruz, meaning winter. This in turn probably comes from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) *wed, meaning “wet”. Alternatively, it may come from the PIE *wind-, meaning “white”. Either way, the Proto-Germanic *wentruz gave rise to the Old English “winter” as the fourth season of the […]

5 Common Misconceptions About George Washington

February 21, 2013 Daven Hiskey

Today I Found Out has teamed up with Jeremiah Warren to show his awesome “trivia” related videos here. I hope you enjoy his videos as much as I have. Bonus George Washington Facts: George Washington was taphephobic (irrationally terrified of being buried alive). On his death bed, he told his attendants “I am just going. Have me decently buried and […]

15 Interesting Mr. Rogers Facts

February 19, 2013 Daven Hiskey

45 years ago today on February 19, 1968, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood made its national TV debut. The show’s purpose, as put forth by Mr. Rogers, was to promote: good self esteem, self control, imagination, creativity, curiosity, appreciation of diversity, cooperation, patience, and persistence. In homage to the great Fred Rogers, here are a few interesting Mr. Rogers facts you may […]

Facts Lists

15 Interesting President Facts

February 17, 2013 Daven Hiskey

1) Heaviest President in U.S. History: The the 27th President of the United States, President William Howard Taft (serving from 1909 to 1913) was the heaviest President in U.S. history. He was 5’11″ tall and weighed 290 pounds. Not only was he the heaviest, he was also the last President to regularly sport facial hair. In 1921, Taft became the […]

The Alphabet Song is Based on a Tune by Mozart

February 15, 2013 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out the English “alphabet song”, also known as “The A.B.C.”, is based on a tune by Mozart, which in turn is based on a French tune, “Ah, vous dirai-je, maman” (“Ah! Would I tell you, mother?”), which popped up in 1761. A couple decades later, Mozart used this tune in his Twelve Variations on Ah, vous dirai-je, […]

The Way a Soldier’s Horse is Portrayed in an Equestrian Statue Has Nothing to Do With How The Soldier Died

February 12, 2013 Daven Hiskey

Myth: The way a soldier’s horse is portrayed in an equestrian statue indicates how the soldier died. This myth, perpetuated by many a tourist guide the world over, simply isn’t true. (Not unlike how tourist guides around the equator will often tell you that what hemisphere you’re in effects the way the water swirls down the toilet or drain. They’ll […]

The Origin of Valentine’s Day

February 10, 2013 Daven Hiskey

Holiday Facts

Origin of the Phrase “Run Amok”

February 7, 2013 Daven Hiskey

If like me, you ever found yourself using the phrase “run amok” and began wondering, “What’s an ‘amok’?” look no further, because here’s your answer. For those not familiar, today the phrase “run amok” (also spelled “amuck”) is often used to describe such things as children making a mess while they run around and play or the like. Classically, though, […]

How Groundhog Day Got Started

February 5, 2013 Daven Hiskey

Gracen asks: How did the tradition of predicting weather by checking to see if a rodent did or didn’t see their shadow get its start? Like so many holiday traditions, the origins and progression of Groundhog Day to what we think of it today as are a bit murky. However, we’ll try to shed some light on the subject, starting […]

The Tale of the Man Who Nearly Drowned While Falling from the Sky

January 29, 2013 Daven Hiskey

The man was Lt. Col William Rankin. How did he almost drown in the sky? In 1959, while ejecting from his F-8 Crusader at 47,000 ft (14,325 meters) and at a speed of Mach .82 (624 mph or 1004 km/h), he got caught up in a cumulonimbus tower (basically a dense, vertical cloud, generally found in areas of extreme atmospheric […]

January 24: James W. Marshall Discovers a Small Amount of Gold at Sutter’s Mill in California, Sparking the California Gold Rush

January 24, 2013 Daven Hiskey

This Day In History: January 24, 1848 On this day in history, 1848, James W. Marshall was checking on the progress made the night before in expanding a drainage channel at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California (which at the time was part of the Mexican territory, but just 9 days later would be ceded to the U.S.). Marshall was using […]

This Day in History

The Difference Between Kosher Salt and Table Salt

January 23, 2013 Daven Hiskey

Mushyrulez asks: What’s the difference between Kosher salt and table salt? In truth, not much. The primary ingredient to both, not surprisingly, is sodium chloride. In fact, the U.S. government requires that any food-grade salt be a minimum of 97.5% pure, so any type of salt you consume in the U.S. (and most developed countries) is going to be almost […]

Answers
Food

20 Interesting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Facts

January 18, 2013 Daven Hiskey

1) His name was originally Michael, not Martin. His father was also Michael King, hence why Martin Luther King Jr. was originally named Michael King Jr. However, after a trip to Germany in 1931, Michael King Sr. changed his own name in homage to historic German theologian Martin Luther. Michael King Jr. was two years old at the time and […]

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