How fast you’re going while out floating on the big blue can be notoriously tricky to judge if you’re just eyeballing it. One method used to get around this issue was introduced in the sixteenth century using a “chip log” or “log-line.” In a nutshell, this method used a plank of wood (usually wedge shaped and weighted on one end […]
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Today I found out that Frank Sinatra was originally offered the main role in the movie that would become Die Hard. This 1940s singer might not be the man who comes to mind when you think about the action-packed Die Hard movies. At the start of his movie-making career, Sinatra was cast mostly in singing roles, though he did manage […]
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Today in History: March 14, 1971 By early 1971, the Rolling Stones should have been lighting their cigarettes with £100 notes. They recently released their most successful album to date, “Sticky Fingers,” and signed a lucrative deal with Atlantic Records to start their own label, Rolling Stones Records. But then they discovered after eight years at the top, no-one on […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about a man, nicknamed “White Death” by his enemies, who is considered to be the greatest sniper in history and who achieved this status without the use of a scope. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: Daily […]
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As with many etymologies, the exact root of this word is difficult to say with one hundred percent certainty. However, the leading theory is extremely plausible and backed up by a fair bit of documented evidence. Specifically, it is thought that a dollar is called a “buck” thanks to deer. One of the earliest references of this was in 1748, […]
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On August 14, 1922, a collection of baseball stars gathered at Fenway Park in Boston. An exhibition all-star game had been set-up to honor and raise money for the family of Tommy “Little Mac” McCarthy- Boston Red Sox great in the 1880s and 1890s. The game featured the Boston Red Sox, World Series champs only three seasons ago, versus a […]
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Today in History: March 13, 1865 By early 1865, the Confederacy had its back against the wall. General Sherman and the Union army were taking large swathes of the south, marching through the Carolinas with relative ease. General Lee was desperately trying to protect the Confederacy’s capital of Richmond from the onslaught of General Ulysses S. Grant’s approaching forces. And […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn just what the Moon smells and tastes like. [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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Today I found out about the meaning of the word “gesundheit” and other sneeze etiquette around the world. You are probably accustomed to hearing or saying “bless you” after someone sneezes. It’s simple sneeze etiquette, at least in English speaking countries. In Germany, it’s polite to say “gesundheit” after someone sneezes, which more or less means “health.” More specifically, it’s […]
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Jeremy R. asks: Why do they bother sterilizing the needles when executing people? Besides the fact that manufacturers sterilize the needles (so no real extra effort is needed), other sterilization procedures are also used in these executions for good reason. You see, a stay of execution may happen at the last minute. If this happens, but then the condemned later […]
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Michael asks: What’s a tarnation? Like in the expression, “What in tarnation!” We have the word “tarnation” thanks to societal taboos against saying certain words- instead substituting in other words that often mean the exact same thing, but for some reason we find it acceptable to say the one rather than the other… Humans… 😉 In this case, the pertinent […]
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Today in History: March 12, 1776 On this day in 1776, a public notice ran in the local newspapers in Baltimore, Maryland acknowledging the large contribution being made by women to the Revolutionary cause. The notice proclaimed: The necessity of taking all imaginable care of those who may happen to be wounded in the country’s cause, urges us to address […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn the real color of the Sun. And if you’re thinking it’s yellow, you might want to give this episode a listen. 🙂 [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 This episode is brought you by […]
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You may think the reason toothpaste makes things like orange juice taste so awful is simply due to the common mint flavor of toothpaste clashing with other flavors, but this isn’t actually what’s going on here. The real culprit is thought to be two compounds almost universally added to toothpastes -sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium lauryl ether sulfate, which are […]
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In the east end of Glasgow during the 1980s there were epic conflicts between warring ice cream truck operators over turf that came to be known as the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars. These conflicts resulted in regular occurrences of violence and intimidation, usually on a daily basis. This culminated in the deaths of six people from the family of one […]
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There aren’t a great number of positive things that can be attributed to the Great Depression. However, Scrabble is a game that probably wouldn’t have existed without it. It all began with an unemployed architect by the name of Alfred Mosher Butts of Poughkeepsie, New York. Thanks to his excessive free time while unemployed, he decided to invent a word […]
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Today in History: March 11, 1425 B.C.E. Thutmose III is considered one of the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt. He excelled both a general and as a statesman, and during his reign Egypt reached the height of its power and prestige. When his father Thutmose II died, the boy who would become Thutmose III was only ten years old. His […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about a Japanese man who continued fighting WWII decades after it ended, because he thought the war was still going on. [TRANSCRIPT] We’re also happy to say that Squarespace is offering a 10% discount to all our listeners, which you can get by going to squarespace.com and signing up with the offer code: […]
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