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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On October 29, 1929, on what would become known as “Black Tuesday,” the stock market crashed. In one terrible day, the market lost fourteen billion dollars (about $188B today), signaling the beginning of the (roughly) ten-year-long Great Depression, with most of the last vestiges of the downturn only ceasing around 1939 due to the onset of World War II. Just […]
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This Day In History: August 15, 1969 The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in upstate New York over a period of four days beginning on August 15, 1969. It was rainy, chaotic, and proclaimed a disaster area by the U.S. government. Most of those in attendance say it was the most magical and […]
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Whether it’s a Bachelor Party, Dollar Drinks, Ladies’ Night or just Happy Hour, many of us get carried away once in awhile, and end up suffering the next day. While most home remedies are ineffective for managing the pain and nausea, there are a few steps you can take to either prevent, or alleviate, the ill-effects of having one (or […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn the fascinating story of eventual Nobel Prize winner Dr. Barry Marshall and his lengthy fight against the general medical community who refused to accept his extensive research demonstrating the simple cause and easy cure of peptic ulcers. You’re also going to learn the gutsy (literally) stunt he pulled to finally get people to […]
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This Day In History: August 14, 1976 On an August morning in Belfast, Ireland during the mid-‘70s, a member of the I.R.A. named Danny Lennon was speeding down Finaghy Road North and was shot dead by British soldiers chasing him in hot pursuit. His car careened into a young mother named Anne Maguire who was walking down the road with […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about how the Great Depression gave us one of the most popular board games in history, Scrabble. [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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Steve S. asks: Who was Monterey Jack and when did he invent his cheese? Cheese predates written history. Ancient Egyptians loved cheese so much that depictions of the cheese-making process were painted in tombs. Homer’s Odyssey talks about how Cyclops stored his cheese. The Greeks and Romans used cheese as a delicious currency. During the Middle Ages, if there was […]
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D. Peterson asks: Why do deer always seem to freeze in headlights instead of keep running? Less a function of fear than bewilderment, simply put, deer freeze in headlights because they can’t see. Deer Eyes vs. Human Eyes The eyes of deer and people share a number of features, but they also have a few significant differences. Pupil Unlike human […]
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This Day In History: August 13, 1997 Once upon a time, way back in 1992, there were two young students at the University of Colorado named Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They collaborated on a crudely done short film called “Jesus vs. Frosty” which caught the eye of FOX exec Brian Graden in 1995. He hired the two lads to […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn what is actually going on in your skin when you get a sunburn, as well as why it often takes so long after you “burn” for the pain to start or your skin to become inflamed. You’re also going to learn the real meaning of “SPF” in terms of protection (and if you’re […]
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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: Why 1 is Not a Prime “Math” vs. “Maths” and Why Mathematics has […]
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M. Favro asks: Why can my house pipes freeze in winter sometimes, but fire hydrants completely exposed to the cold never seem to burst? The fire hydrant that we know today traces its origins back to fire plugs. Water mains that transported fresh water in a city or town used to be made of hollowed out logs buried beneath the […]
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