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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In this episode, you’re going to learn the fascinating story of a humble add-on mission to one of NASA’s more ambitious projects. This little additional objective was overseen by none other than famed scientist Dr. Carl Sagan. The purpose- potential first contact with an alien civilization. This is the story of how Sagan and his team put together such a […]
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Few outside of Seattle remember or know anything about the Seattle Pilots, the only Major League Baseball team to go bankrupt. It started with such promise on April 11, 1969, when 17,000 Seattleites saw the Pilots open their first – and only – season with a seven to nothing win over the Chicago White Sox. As the Seattle Times’ headline […]
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Jill R. asks: Why do police officers wear blue uniforms instead of some other color? Police services like the NYPD and the LAPD are bona fide pop culture staples that have been featured in countless movies and TV shows. Their distinctive blue uniform is known the world over, but have you ever stopped to think, “Well, why is it blue?” […]
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This Day In History: September 5, 1975 In Sacramento, California on September 5, 1975, a young woman with a .45 caliber handgun approached President Gerald Ford while he was walking with a group of well-wishers on the Capital grounds. The would-be assassin, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, got within two feet of Ford before a Secret Service agent grabbed the gun and […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn some fascinating facts about the Dung Beetle, including a very recent discovery about how they navigate. [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 the very talented Brady Haran who, among other channels, produces phenomenal videos such as this one over at Numberphile, which you can subscribe to here. You can also follow Brady on Twitter here. If you liked this video, you might also enjoy: “Math” vs. “Maths” and Why Mathematics has an ‘S’ on the End Why […]
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Ricky A. asks: How do dry cleaners clean the clothes? What happens to clothes after being dropped off at the dry cleaners is a mystery to most. We know that our clothes come back a whole lot cleaner than when we dropped them off, but how? And who first got the bright idea to clean clothing without water? The earliest […]
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Today in History: September 4, 2006 “I would never blame an animal if it bit me, because I’m at fault, not them. I heal so quickly. If you cut my arm off I would grow a new one.” – Steve Irwin On September 4, 2006, popular Australian TV personality and environmentalist Steve “the Crocodile Hunter” Irwin died from a stingray […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn how it is that certain organic materials become petrified. [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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Karly N. asks: What did Mozart die from? In 35 short years, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart produced over 600 works for symphony, concert, chamber, opera and choir, including Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro (and some less than family friendly works that few speak of today) before suddenly dying in 1791. Despite 200 years and countless theories, […]
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Scott L. asks: Is it true that Michael Jackson bleached his skin to turn himself white? Many scandals marred Michael Jackson’s personal life, overshadowing his otherwise remarkable musical career. One such scandal was the obvious change in his appearance, especially his skin color, which started from the mid-eighties to slowly but surely turn from dark to white. By the mid-nineties […]
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