This term was named after a nineteenth century Englishman, Captain Charles C. Boycott (who originally had the surname “Boycatt,” but the family changed the spelling when he was nine years old). If you guessed that at a certain point Captain Boycott became quite unpopular with the masses, you’re correct. Shortly before Boycott would find himself boycotted, the situation in Ireland […]
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Today in History: February 20, 2003 The evening of February 20, 2003 was crisp, clear and cold in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Winters in New England tend to be long and monotonous, and what better way to stave off cabin fever than by checking out a band at a local club? The 80’s band Great White was in town playing […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn the truth about whether alcohol actually kills brain cells. [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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Meghan asks: In “The bane of my existence” what is a bane? The phrase “the bane of my existence” is extremely popular, and you’ve probably said it once or twice yourself, perhaps about a difficult exam during finals week, or the cat who woke you up at 3 a.m. for breakfast, or the gym teacher who made you run an […]
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BR522 asks: Why aren’t commercial airplanes have parachutes? Seatbelts and airbags in cars save passengers lives. Parachutes save people who, for a variety of reasons, exit a plane in mid-flight. So why aren’t parachutes provided to passengers on commercial airline flights, in case of emergencies? Because they almost certainly would not save anyone’s life. Parachuting Basics When your average daredevil […]
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When it comes to war, innovation is key and WWII saw more insane ideas and weapons of war developed than perhaps any before it. One of the more surreal was the Antonov A-40, colloquially known as the tank that could fly! Known in Russia as the, крылья танка (literally, “Winged Tank”), the Antonov A-40 was the end result of one, […]
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Today in History: February 19, 1934 In what would become one of Hollywood’s longest lasting unions, Bob Hope and Dolores Reade wed on this day in 1934, just a year after Hope had divorced his first wife, Grace Troxell. Hope and Reade’s marriage endured almost 70 years until Hope’s death in 2003 at the age of 100. Dolores passed away […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn the origin of the standard QWERTY style keyboard and how it came to dominate in many regions of the world. 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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Jamie M asks: When did having young teenage girls marry stop being so widespread? A long, long time ago. Marriage in the Ancient World In the Western world (and generally speaking) before imperial Rome, girls were deemed sufficiently mature for marriage and sex when they first started menstruation (and boys, by the way, when they developed pubic hair). Marriage was […]
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Martha was a very lonely bird. She had once been part of a pair, with her male counterpart George, but he had died several years before. So, for the final years of her life, Martha sat in her one-bird cage alone. The Cincinnati Zoo offered a thousand dollar reward (about $23,000 today) to anyone who could track down a mate […]
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Today in History: February 18, 1478 The antics of the feuding Plantagenet family wrangling for the English crown during the War of the Roses set the standard for all dysfunctional families to follow. Family loyalty meant very little to this bunch when it came to winning the throne of England. George Plantagenet, born in 1449 to the Duke of York […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the mysterious disappearance of the original Olympic flag, and how it was somewhat humorously “discovered” again some 77 years after that disappearance. [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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Jon Le-Bon / Shutterstock.com Featureflash / Shutterstock.com carrie-nelson / Shutterstock.com meunierd / Shutterstock.com Text Version: Fact #681: There’s an urban legend that states that Coca-Cola was originally green in color. In fact, the original formula for Coca-Cola was also brown like it is today. The whole “Coca-Cola was green” myth started around the same time Coca-Cola was commonly sold in green […]
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Harriet W. asks: What is the difference between brown and white eggs? There are all sorts of rumours surrounding brown eggs and white eggs. Some people say that brown eggs are better for you and contain more nutrients; some people think brown eggs taste better; some think that brown eggs are better for cooking things like quiches, while white eggs […]
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Today in History: February 17, 1993 It is estimated that as many as 900 people may have lost their lives when the Neptune, a dangerously overloaded passenger ferry, overturned near the coast of Haiti on this day in 1993. Some estimates claim as many as 2,000 people were on board at the time, though this may be an exaggeration. Whatever […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. When a Tulip Cost More than a House Despite how it sounds, “Tulipmania” does not refer to just a general love of tulips; it was actually one the world’s first recorded major financial bubbles. Long before the dot com frenzy or the […]
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