Today in History: February 4, 1902 “There were times in an aeroplane when it seemed I had escaped mortality to look down on Earth like a God.” – Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh, the celebrated aviator who made the first solo non-stop trans-Atlantic flight, was born on February 4, 1902 in Detroit, Michigan. He grew up on his family’s farm […]
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This is another great video from Hank Green et al. on why you can see your breath when it is sufficiently cold outside. If you like this video, be sure and subscribe to their phenomenal channel, SciShow. If you liked this video, you might also enjoy: How Long You Could Survive in Space Without a Space Suit What Causes the […]
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Matthew B. asks: Is it true that drinking gasoline will make you go blind? Probably not, although anecdotal evidence shows it has a strong correlation with stupidity. What it may do is cause vomiting, vertigo, confusion, drowsiness, breathing difficulties, burning in the esophagus, sore throat, weakness, and diarrhea, even when ingested in small amounts; in larger portions, it can cause […]
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Mark C. asks: What does the letters in the stinky term P.U. stand for? Often used to accuse someone of exceeding his allotted level of funk, P.U. is, surprisingly, not an acronym, but, rather, likely was derived simply from the pronunciation of its parent word. Dating back to the early 17th century, a common exclamation of contempt for a foul […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about who invented jeans, what inspired their creation, and how they became so popular. In the Bonus article, you’re also going to learn why women’s bikes traditionally have slanted crossbars. [TRANSCRIPT: Jeans | Bikes] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by […]
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This Day In History: February 3, 1998 On February 3, 1998, Karla Faye Tucker was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas. She was the first woman to receive the death penalty in the state since the Civil War. Over one thousand demonstrators and 200 hundred members of the press gathered outside the prison. Emotions ran high. Even those that […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn the various theories on what happened to all the neanderthals, as well as what the current leading theory is. You’re also going to learn a surprising fact about modern humans in relation to Neanderthals. In the Bonus Why article, you’re going to learn just why it is that it hurts men in the […]
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Marla W. asks: Did Shakespeare really invent the expression “to stand on ceremony” or is this just another expression he gets credit for online that was invented by somebody else? Thanks! Dating back to the early days of the English Renaissance, and quite possibly having been coined by none other than the Bard, himself, the phrase “to stand on ceremony” […]
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Some people are into feet, others like dressing up in furry costumes, and a rare few will even get scatological (See: Mozart’s Much Less Family Friendly Works). But when it comes to weird sexual practices, it would be difficult to top the mating rituals of the one-humped camel. Also known as the Arabian camel and dromedary, Camelus dromedarius is found […]
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This Day In History: February 2, 1886 For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, So far will the snow swirl until the May. On February 2, 1887, the first official Groundhog Day featuring a rodent meteorologist at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania occurred. According to long-standing tradition, if on this day a groundhog pops out of his hole and […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Invention of the Piano The names that come to mind at the mention of the Italian Renaissance are the likes of Medici, Da Vinci, and Galileo. Few, however, know the name Bartolomeo Cristofori, an accomplished craftsman who lived and worked […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the man who ultimately had his name lent to the prestigious Newbery Award, and why the award was named after him [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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On April 17, 1955, the greatest scientist of his generation checked himself into Princeton Hospital due to chest pains. By early the next morning, Albert Einstein had died from an abdominal aortic aneurysm – the rupture of the aorta, the heart vessel that’s the body’s main supplier of blood. While word was still getting out that the great Dr. Einstein […]
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With the Super Bowl this weekend, we thought we’d do a “Football facts” roundup to help you impress your buddies with amazingly interesting Football knowledge. 891) Buffalo wings were invented sometime around the 1960s by either John Young or Frank and Teressa Bellissimo in Buffalo, New York. The spreading of this tasty appetizer was relatively slow until Football stepped in. […]
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This Day In History: January 30, 1972 On January 30, 1972, British Army paratroopers shot and killed 13 unarmed demonstrators participating in a civil rights march in Derry, Northern Ireland. The march was in protest of the policy of internment without trial, which allowed the British government to detain suspected Irish nationalists indefinitely. The day became forever known as Bloody […]
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Noah A. asks: Why do roosters crow in the morning? Next to the bark of a dog or the gentle meowing of a cat, the crow of a rooster is one of the most recognisable animal noises on Earth; but why exactly do roosters feel the need to crow and is there any truth to the idea that they crow […]
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In this episode, we’re plunging down the rabbit-hole trying to separate myth from fact to discern who was France’s most famous prisoner, the Man in the Iron Mask. In the Bonus Fact, you’re also going to learn some interesting things about what inspired Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes […]
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This Day In History: January 29, 1820 On January 29, 1820, King George III died at Windsor Castle after 60 years on the throne, the longest reign of any English monarch up to that time. Extremely ill both mentally and physically for the last decade of his life, his son George, Prince of Wales had begun acting as Regent in […]
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