It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say that the oldest district of Athens, Plaka, might be one of the most unique, beautiful and historic neighborhoods on earth. Also known as the “Neighborhood of the Gods,” Plaka lies right under the cradle of Western civilization, the Acropolis. Plaka is filled with many archaeological monuments and sites spanning millennia. It’s […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about a little-known woman who rose from being a prostitute to arguably the most successful pirate in history and who ultimately managed to retire and get off, not only scot-free, but elevated to nobility. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes […]
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Today in History: May 8, 1984 On May 8, 1984 the cross-country Olympic torch relay commenced in New York City, heralding the lead-up to the opening ceremonies in Los Angeles, California. It was also the day the Soviet Union announced their decision to boycott the Olympics out of fear for their athletes’ safety while in the U.S. Within days, 13 […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn when and why humans started shaving various parts of our bodies, including why women started shaving their legs and armpits. [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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Karla asks: Why does aspirin prevent heart attacks? The wonder drug once gleaned from the bark of a willow tree is today used to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. But not everyone benefits from daily aspirin therapy. What is Aspirin? As early as Hippocrates (400 BC), people were harvesting willow to treat pain. Today, aspirin is: “Acetyl salicylic acid […]
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Overshadowed by the coverage of the Kent State Massacre that occurred not two weeks prior, when two people were killed and 11 injured while protesting at Jackson State College in the spring of 1970, the nation barely noticed – and today few remember. The Protest About 4,300 black (and only five white) students were enrolled at the historically black college […]
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Image via: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com 711: According to Mike Tyson, his ex-wife Robin Givens was sleeping with Brad Pitt when Tyson and she were still married. Tyson stated in an interview about the specific incident, “I was getting a divorce. I was going to my lawyer’s office to divorce her that day but I wanted to sneak in…This particular […]
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Today in History: May 7, 1789 On the evening of May 7, 1789, the very first American Presidential Inaugural Ball was held in New York City. It was an elaborate shindig held to celebrate the official inauguration of George Washington as the first president of the brand-spanking-new United Stated of America. George Washington had been sworn in as the nation’s […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn the slightly stomach turning origin of the world’s most expensive cup of coffee. You’re also going to learn a surprising truth about professional wine tasters, as well as why coffee “beans” aren’t actually beans. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes […]
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Masa C asks: Why do fingernails on a chalkboard make us cringe? Listen to this. Irritated? Angry? Just glad it’s over? Here’s why. Your Ear After examining the results of a 2011 study, researchers have theorized that the human ear is specifically built so that: Sounds in [a certain] range are amplified due to the anatomy of the ear canal; […]
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Andrew M. asks: Why do we say “You just earned some brownie points.” What were brownie points originally for? There are many, many origin theories for this one. One of the most often repeated and widely accepted theories is that “brownie points”—imaginary points earned by someone for doing a good deed, and lost by doing something unfavourable—stem from the Brownies, […]
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Today in History: May 6, 1910 On May 6, 1910, Britain’s King Edward VII passed away after a brief nine year reign, and his son, George Frederick Ernest Albert, ascended the throne as King George V. The King is dead, long live the King. Born on June 3, 1865, George V was the second son of Edward, Prince of Wales […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about one of the more bizarre and little known chapters in the Beatles’ storied history- when they were continually pelted with Jelly Beans and were powerless to stop it. [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 […]
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Our resident medical expert, Scott, and a buddy of his recently started The Medicine Journal, where you can learn all sorts of interesting facts about all things medical related. Below is a sample article from their site. Have you ever seen the toenails of your grandfather and thought he might be a troll? Those yellow, misshapen and brittle nails tend […]
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An idiom that is often used when something is new and fantastic is that, “It’s the best thing since sliced bread!” But how did this saying come to be? And what makes sliced bread so darn great? Our story begins about thirty thousand years ago, takes us through the town of Chillicothe, Missouri, and, then, to a futuristic ‘wonder’ful bread […]
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As if his stories weren’t occasionally disturbing enough, it turns out Edgar Allan Poe’s love life was more than a little creepy as well. Creepy Courtship Poe met his bride-to-be, Virginia Clemm, when she was 7 years old, and he was 20, shortly after his mother’s death in 1829. Their parents, his natural father (David Poe) and her mother (Maria […]
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Today in History: May 5, 1877 On May 5, 1877, the great Chief Sitting Bull gathered his people and headed north to Canada, well out of the reach of the U. S. Army. Thousands of cavalrymen had been relentlessly pursuing Sitting Bull and the Hunkpapa Lakota, or Dakota Sioux, since “General” George A. Custer (he was actually a Lt. Colonel […]
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In this Weekend Why episode of the podcast, you’re going to learn why it is that blueprints were once commonly printed on blue paper. 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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