Human beings have suffered from many of the same chronic illnesses and conditions since the dawn of recorded history. In fact, many of the words we use to describe medical maladies today date back to the birth of classical civilization, when Greek and Roman physicians first began studying medicine. Asthma The original Greek word, aazein, meant to pant or exhale […]
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Today I found out about a man who fairly accurately estimated the circumference of the Earth well over 2,000 years ago: Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Born around 276 B.C. in Cyrene, Libya, Eratosthenes soon became one of the most famous mathematicians of his time. He is best known for making the first recorded measurement of the Earth’s circumference, which was also […]
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Today in History: January 1, 1973 Roseann Quinn was a 27-year-old teacher living in New York City who had a spent a quiet New Year’s Eve home alone. Restless and bored by New Year’s Day, she decided to hang out for awhile at Tweed’s, a bar located across the street from her Upper West Side apartment. While she was there, […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the first time we humans drove automobiles and promptly wrecked them. 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 how the 20/20 vision scale works. With more than 150 million people in the United States (nearly half of the population) requiring some form of corrective eyewear to compensate for visual impairment, chances are you have had your eyesight graded on the 20/20 scale before. If you haven’t, you have probably heard other people saying they […]
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Kara asks: A penguin’s feet are always on ice, so why don’t they freeze or have some sort of evolutionary built in insulation? There are many different species of penguin, and while our minds might take us to those living in the Antarctic tundras, freezing feet isn’t something every penguin has to contend with. In fact, there are some species […]
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Today in History: December 31, 1696 Rendering unto Caesar has never been a popular pastime, and the window tax imposed upon the citizens of Great Britain on this day in history, 1696, was no exception. The new window tax was actually a progressive form of property tax. Every homeowner, no matter how humble, paid a base tax of two shillings. […]
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In today’s episode, you’ll learn about the probable coming banana apocalypse, and about how this won’t be the first time this has happened in recent history forcing humans to switch bananas. 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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France and Algeria have a long, disgruntled history with each other. The first major contact was made between the two countries in 1526. At the time, Algeria was still part of the Ottoman Empire.Various conflicts ensued between the two for the next few centuries. This brings us to 1830 when France decided to invade the country in order to set […]
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This is an excerpt from our book, The Wise Book of Whys, available on Kindle | Nook and in Print | Audiobook This tradition is mostly thanks to Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadian Band. While their work is largely unknown to those born in the last few decades, the band has sold over 300 million records to date. Guy […]
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Today in History: December 30, 1809 On December 30, 1809, it became illegal to wear masks at balls held within the City of Boston, as its citizens believed this practice was “detrimental to morals.” This was not just an isolated incident of off-the-wall prudery. Bostonians were setting the standard for killjoys everywhere since the 1650s, not surprising considering the city’s […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. John Lennon and the Making of His Last Album When John Lennon and Yoko Ono stepped into New York’s “The Hit Factory” on August 7, 1980, it was quite the occasion. John was returning to the music-making game after a five year […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the bizarre story of the elephant who was condemned to death by hanging. [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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In the first century, after the death and ascension of Christ, his apostles carried on the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. At the forefront of this effort was Peter, chief of the apostles, fisher of men and the “rock” of the Roman Catholic Church. Simon the Fisherman Peter began life as Simon, and, together with his brother, earned his living […]
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There have been four assassinations of U.S. Presidents to date. Two are very famous and two not as well-known. The first assassination of a President is both well-known and well-documented. On April 14, 1865, actor and southern advocate John Wilkes Booth shot the 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s theater. Lincoln died from his wounds the next day. (Incidentally, […]
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Today in History: December 27, 1900 Carry Nation’s vendetta against alcohol was personal. In 1867 at the age of 22, she married a physician by the name of Charles Gloyd, who, like so many of that era, turned out to have a serious drinking problem. Their marriage produced a child, but Charles’s alcoholism made him unable to provide for his […]
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The script for this video is an excerpt from our new book, The Wise Book of Whys available now: Print | Kindle | Nook | Audiobook If you liked this video, you might also enjoy: Our Book: The Wise Book of Whys The Superhero Who Powers Up By Smoking, and Other Bizarre Comic Characters The Soviet Superman: Red Son Why […]
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In today’s episode, you’re going to learn just what exactly the difference is between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and England. [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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