The Mexico of 1968 showed every indication of being the most modern nation in Latin America. President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz oversaw a country with a booming economy and a middle class predominately able to send their children to college for the first time in Mexico’s history. Mexico City was even getting ready to host the 1968 Summer Olympics to open […]
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Big appetites can come in small packages. Case in point: 5′ 7″ and 125 pound Molly Schuyler, who lives with her husband and four kids (ages 5, 6, 7 and 10) in Bellevue, Nebraska. She maintains her lean frame by typically sticking to lots of vegetables, salads without dressing and keeping up with her four kids. She also notes, “We […]
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This Day In History: September 12, 1966 The television series The Monkees revolved around four young guys trying to make it in the music business and the mad-cap adventures they had while doing so. The four “insane boys” (as the casting call described the perfect candidates for the job) chosen by producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider to portray The […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn the origin of the popular Looney Tunes corporation name “ACME,” as well as just why the coyote could never seem to catch the Road Runner. [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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The prevailing story of the origin of the potato chip starts in Saratoga Springs, New York, a historically affluent and resort community. It was 1853, eight years before the beginning of the Civil War. Known for its mineral springs and their supposed rejuvenation properties, Saratoga Springs had just started becoming a tourist destination with help of the railroad that cut […]
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This Day In History: September 11, 1297 “Wallace fought for Scotland and left the name of Wallace to be found like wild flowers all over his dear country” – William Wordsworth On September 11, 1297, The Earl of Surrey’s English forces met Scottish troops led by William Wallace and Andrew de Moray at Stirling Bridge. The Scots were stationed on […]
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In this episode, you’re going to find out about a time in high school when future MLB superstar Justin Verlander ultimately paid over $3000 for a single serving chocolate milk, and the interesting story of how this came to be. In the Bonus Facts, you’re also going to learn some interesting facts about milk, such as why it is white. […]
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In December 1979, in the depths of a Montreal winter, two Canadian newspapermen created one of the most popular board games the world has ever known. High school dropout Chris Haney was the photo editor of The Gazette. He had originally dropped out of school at the age of 17 in order to take a copy boy job with the […]
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This Day In History: September 10, 1991 Nobody suspected it at the time, but on September 10, 1991, a three-piece alternative band out of Seattle released a single that sparked a cultural revolution and changed the sound, look and vibe of rock music in ways unimaginable. Within a few months the band Nirvana, thanks to the song “Smells Like Teen […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about one of the most storied (and diminutive) soldiers in WWII, a few of the remarkable things he did during the war, as well as his very successful acting career that followed. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going […]
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John A. asks: What causes warts and how do you get rid of them safely? A viral infection caused by one of several ubiquitous strains (there are more than 100 known, with the vast majority of humans acquiring at least one strain at some point in our lives) of the pesky human papillomavirus (HPV), skin warts happen as the virus […]
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The practice of jus primae noctis (“right of the first night”) is, in simplest terms, the right of the local noble to deflower local peasant brides on their wedding night before their newlywed husbands. Precedence for this practice supposedly goes back for many thousands of years, with the first reference of something like it going all the way back to […]
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This Day In History: September 9, 1956 On September 9, 1956, 21-year-old Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. If Presley’s career was skyrocketing before, the exposure he received from Sullivan’s program launched it into the stratosphere. At first, Ed Sullivan had no intention of having Presley on his show, insisting that Elvis was […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the origin of the food pyramid, and why you’d be eating a poor diet if you followed the USDA’s various versions of it through the years. You’re also going to learn how it came to be this way despite vehement objections from the nutritionists tasked with creating the original (much more healthy) […]
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California’s largest lake was originally created by accident, grew to be a popular fishing destination and wildlife refuge, and today is on the verge of becoming an environmental and public health disaster. Due south of Coachella Valley, and roughly north of the heavily agricultural Imperial Valley, the Salton Sea is the lowest part of a basin by the same name […]
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Hollywood tends to depict a myriad of different things happening to a person when they’re exposed to the near vacuum of space without any sort of protection, from blowing up to having their bodies freeze instantly. Recently, in Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord had just about nothing happen when he did it for a little bit. So which one (if […]
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This Day in history: September 8, 1504 In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.” – Michelangelo On September […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Indestructible Jacklyn H. Lucas Would you fall on a grenade to save your friends? How about two grenades? Jack H. Lucas did and became the youngest man to be awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest combat award. […]
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