Ladybugs, sometimes known as Ladybirds and less commonly Lady Beetles, are a rarity in the insect world in that they’re one of the few creepy crawly insects we as a species don’t actively dislike, due to their habit of eating the things that destroy our crops. But just how did this little insect get such a strange name? To start, […]
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Mark S. asks: Why does brown sugar form lumps but regular sugar doesn’t? When we say the word “sugar”, it’s highly likely that the first image to pop into your head is that of the ultra-fine, pure white granulated kind you can buy in most supermarkets. But how does this kind of sugar differ from the less popular brown kind, […]
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This Day In History: April 8, 1820 On April 8, 1820, Oliver Voutier was digging on the island of Milos in the Aegean Sea with two French soldiers under his command at the site of an ancient Greek theater. He happened to see local farmer Yorgos Kentrotas stop and stare in awe while out gathering stones. The officer followed the […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about a relatively popular superhero from the 1960s who recharged his super powers by lighting up a smoke, as well as about many other “interesting” lesser known superheroes today. [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 […]
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During WWI, when an Allied soldier wanted to read a map or letter at night, his choices were very limited- wait until it gets light, or risk exposing himself to enemy fire by firing up something like a bright lamp or lighter, if he had one. However, there was a seldom discussed third choice that was readily available- gather up […]
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Paul H. asks: Why doesn’t the moon have a cool name like the moons of other planets in our solar system? Almost every planet in our solar system and their respective orbiting moons have names taken directly from Greek and Roman mythology. For example, Mars is named for the Greek and Roman god of War, also known as Ares, while […]
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This Day In History: April 7, 1891 “Every crowd has a silver lining” – P.T. Barnum “The Great American Showman”, P.T. Barnum, died on April 7, 1891. Considered one of the most important figures in America’s entertainment history, LIFE magazine also dubbed him “the patron saint of promoters.” Always the consummate businessman, it’s said that his last thoughts were about […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about a time when actress Michelle Pfieffer accidentally joined a cult and how she was roped into it without realizing. [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
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Julie N. asks: Why is “C” the default drive letter in computers? For nearly as long as hard disk drives have been placed in personal computers running certain popular operating systems (notably MS-DOS/Windows), the primary hard disk has been designated with the letter “C”. But why? The idea for designating different storage devices with simple letters is generally attributed to […]
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This Day In History: April 6, 1896 On April 6, 1896, King George I of Greece proclaimed the opening of the first international Olympic Games held since Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned them about 1,500 years earlier. A crowd of 60,000 gathered in Athens to welcome athletes from 13 nations gathering to compete in 43 events, including swimming, wrestling, track-and-field, […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn why taking a multivitamin will typically turn your urine bright yellow. [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
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This is a video from MinuteEarth created by Henry Reich et al. If you like TodayIFoundOut, odds are you’ll also greatly enjoy their videos. So go check them out and subscribe to their channel here. You can also join us in supporting their efforts to make more videos like this by donating via their Patreon page here. If you liked […]
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Sometimes the worst nightmares are the ones you don’t have. There are numerous conditions, disorders, and illnesses that either limit or prevents the amount of sleep an individual is able to get. Many of them are quite dangerous, but none of them are as frightening or rare as fatal familial insomnia. Prion diseases are a category of rare fatal brain […]
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This Day In History: April 3, 1955 “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked” – Allen Ginsberg, “Howl” On April 3, 1955, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it would defend Beat poet Allen Ginsberg’s book “Howl” against obscenity charges. A few weeks previously, the U.S. Customs Department had seized 520 copies of […]
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Just wanted to say quickly that if you’re having the site freeze up on you on occasion right now, I’m aware of the issue and have tracked it down to a certain ad network’s ads being the culprit. I now have my ad people on it and they are attempting to track down which network within their network is serving […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about Mark Twain’s bold prediction concerning Halley’s comet, as well as a lot of other fascinating facts about Halley’s comet and its surprisingly significant influence on human history. [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 […]
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Whether caused by a tumor, a stroke, a blow to the head, or they were just born that way, people with achromatopsia have a limited or no ability to see color. Each of the possible physical causes of the condition, such as a growing tumor or a brain hemorrhage, damage either the thalamus (a relay station in the brain for […]
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Don H. asks: Do car blinkers click naturally or is there some mechanism added to make the clicking noise to let you know your blinker is on? Motor vehicle directional signals have been around almost as long as cars, and as early as 1909, a device was patented that had hand-shaped lights that indicated to other drivers which way a […]
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