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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Robert Osbourne David Denver was born in new Rochelle, New York, on January 9, 1935 (that is exactly one day after the birth of Elvis Presley.) Just as his “distinguished-sounding” real name seems a bit incongruous for the actor who was to achieve worldwide fame playing a perennial goofball named “Gilligan”, so the real-life Bob Denver was almost a direct […]
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Dorothy “Dot” Rhone, a quiet girl from Liverpool, England, was abused by her heavy drinker father. She also had a very emotionally distant mother. She grew up terribly shy, introverted and withdrawn and didn’t think she was at all pretty. As she said, I never thought I was pretty at school because my sister always said my nose would spread […]
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On a cold, late November Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a crowd of 7,021 arrived to the Minneapolis Auditorium to watch an NBA game between the Fort Wayne Pistons and the Minneapolis Lakers. This was a new experience for many of the fans in the stands. The NBA had formed due to a merger between rival leagues, the Basketball Association of […]
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Today in History: December 26, 1610 If contemporary accounts are to be believed, the Countess Elizabeth Bathory is one of the most prolific serial killers of all time. She makes Ted Bundy look like a chump, and Jeffrey Dahmer a mere dabbler in torture and perversion. In a word, this lady was a real whack-job, and on this day in […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn the humorously unromantic origin of the name “Mistletoe” and the origin of the practice of kissing under this parasitic plant. [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 that the British once planned to construct a massive aircraft carrier during World War II… made of ice. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as crazy as it sounds at first glance. Britain was taking a beating from the German ships and submarines and were looking for something to build a ship out of that couldn’t be destroyed by […]
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Today in History: December 25, 1941 “White Christmas,” one of the most instantly recognizable songs in history, was introduced to the world on Christmas Day 1941. Composed by famed songwriter Irving Berlin, the song was performed on NBC radio during Bing Crosby’s weekly radio program. It went on to become the top-selling single of all time, with an estimated 50 […]
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