This Day In History: August 22, 1893 “The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.” ―Dorothy Parker On August 22, 1893, writer, poet and critic Dorothy Parker was born in West End, New Jersey. Her witty, irreverent and sometimes scathing sense of humor enthralled and entertained audiences across numerous genres from the […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about a Catholic priest and mathematical physicists whose theory on the origin of the universe, which later evolved into what we know today as “The Big Bang Theory,” was once called by Albert Einstein, “the most beautiful and satisfactory explanation of creation to which I ever listened.” He also made a variety of […]
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Heroes come in many forms; some are even furry and four-legged. Due in part to their superior ability to sniff and hear trouble, dogs have long been a fantastic ally and a great protector of humans. After all, it was Lassie who, through a series of barks, told the grown-ups that Timmy was in trouble again (Note: Timmy never actually […]
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This is a video from CGP Grey. If you’re a fan of TodayIFoundOut, I guarantee you’re going to love his YouTube channel, unless you just hate videos that is. (He also has a good podcast, Hello Internet, with fellow YouTuber Brady Haran.) Also, don’t forget to check out TodayIFoundOut’s YouTube channel here, which very soon will start being updated weekly […]
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The town of Centralia, Pennsylvania has been on fire for more than fifty years. Founded in 1862, Centralia popped up in response to the booming coal mining industry. Anthracite coal, a type of coal once in high demand for heating homes, lay under the town and surrounding area in massive quantities. (In fact, approximately 95% of all anthracite coal in […]
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This Day In History: August 21, 1920 “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh Christopher Robin Milne was born in London on August 21, 1920 to author Alan Alexander Milne and his wife Dorothy. For a first birthday gift, he received […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the crab that for a brief period every year quite literally overruns Christmas Island with the crab to human ratio at approximately 20,000 to 1. You’re also going to learn how they survive the journey across the island as well as why they do it in the first place, among other interesting […]
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This Day In History: August 20, 1619 On August 20, 1619, the first seeds were planted for the American/African slave trade. Although the “20 and odd” Africans aboard the ‘Man of War” were not considered slaves as slavery as it became was not practiced in the New World at that time; little is known about their status. It is believed […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about a phrase that very nearly became the popular way to answer a telephone, where the term came from, as well as how we ended up with “hello.” We’re also going to spend a little time debunking a popular myth concerning “hello.” [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes […]
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Chicken nuggets are delicious. I know this isn’t a particularly controversial statement. Despite pink slime, chemical preservatives, and sometimes questionable nutritional value, it’s hard to argue the basic point that these deep-fried, previously frozen, nugget-shaped “chicken” pieces are at least somewhat appealing to the human taste bud. The common assumption is that McDonald’s was the first to give us these […]
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Glossyhorses asks: Why can’t you have your fences over 6 feet tall in the backyard and half that in the front? The primarily purposes of a fence include to keep animals in, people out, and perhaps even so others can’t see into your yard. But if this is the case, why are there laws that limit how tall fences can […]
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This Day In History: August 19, 1399 On August 19, 1399, the troubled reign of King Richard II came to an end when he surrendered power to his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke. His reign is remembered as a series of blunders, goofs, and general ineptitude, but what do you expect from a king who inherits the throne at the age […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the man who ultimately lent his name to the Hubble Telescope and why he was given that honour. [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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Kyle S. asks: There’s a story circulating around that NASA found out pens didn’t work in space, but still needed a writing device that would work there, so they spent millions of tax payer dollars developing a ball point pen that could be used in space. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, just used pencils. Is this true? Thanks! […]
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This Day In History: August 18, 1634 On August 18, 1634, Urbain Grandier, a parish priest from St.-Pierre-du-Marché of Loudun, France, was executed for the crime of sorcery, when all he was really guilty of was ignoring that pesky vow of celibacy (like most clerics before him, including Pope Alexander VI who had seven known children) and provoking the anger […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Greatest Practical Joke of the 19th Century, the Berners Street Hoax The year was 1809. Famed English author, Theodore Hook, made a bet with one of his close friends, the noted architect and writer, Samuel Beazley, that within one week, he […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn who invented duct tape and how they came up with it. You’re also going to learn the original name of the tape before it was commonly touted as tape for air ducts, despite it being a poor choice in many cases for that use, unless you want your house to burn down. [TRANSCRIPT] […]
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