Today in History: December 20, 1962 On this day in 1962, a very young, well-scrubbed barbershop quartet from Ogden, Utah, The Osmand Brothers, made the first of many appearances on Andy Williams’ popular variety show, performing “I’m a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas” and “Side By Side.” The original singing Osmond Brothers, Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay were 9, 7, […]
Read more
In this episode, you’ll learn whether Newton was really inspired to create his theories on gravity after an apple fell on his head. 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
Read more
Dev asks: What causes spontaneous combustion? Most of us experience combustion, a chemical process where a fuel combines with oxygen to produce heat and light, in the form of a fire where both the fuel and ignition source are well known. In some circumstances, however, the trigger that ignited the fire is not a definite source, like a match, but […]
Read more
Although best known for his planning of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Osama bin Laden has a long history of terrorist activity against the United States dating back to 1992. In addition to bombings and other mass killings, he may have been developing another specialty as well – presidential assassinations, though as you’d expect with things of this nature, […]
Read more
Odds are you probably have a stick or a tub of it sitting in your fridge right now, but do you have any idea how margarine became a staple in most kitchens? It turns out, margarine has a long and controversial international history, and can even boast the involvement of Emperor Napoleon III in its invention. Margarine derives its name […]
Read more
Today in History: December 19, 1843 Published on this day in history, 1843, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” was written under intense financial pressure – his wife was pregnant with their fifth child, his parents and siblings were in need of funds, and he had a large mortgage payment looming. Dickens was also angry over how little money he’d made […]
Read more
In this episode of the podcast, you’ll learn whether it’s true or not that cracking knuckles throughout your life contributes to getting arthritis when you’re older. 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
Read more
On the morning of Friday, October 11, 1957, workers at the nuclear reactor Windscale Pile 1 near Seascale, Cumberland, England, faced a terrible choice: allow a raging fire to burn itself out while it released dangerously high levels of ionizing radiation into the surrounding countryside; or, attempt to extinguish the conflagration with water, an option that could cause a hydrogen […]
Read more
The modern, multi-coloured plastic water guns are a familiar sight, and you probably wouldn’t be surprised to find out they’ve been around for a while. That said, it might surprise you to learn that records show they likely pre-date the American Civil War, at least in some form or another. Back in 1861, Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to […]
Read more
Today in History: December 18, 1878 John “Black Jack” Kehoe, the last of the Molly Maguires, was hanged on this date in 1878 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, ostensibly for a cold case murder with such flimsy evidence the governor was extremely hesitant to sign the death warrant. In reality, he was to die for encouraging the Irish immigrants working the Pennsylvania […]
Read more
The last couple days, you may have noticed our new podcast posts, starting with Episode 1: Columbus and the Round World Episode 2: Growing Up with Caffeine We’ve teamed up with SpokenMatter.com to start producing this “Daily Knowledge” podcast series featuring interesting facts discussed in detail with a new episode every weekday. Give the episodes a listen at the above […]
Read more
In this episode of the podcast, you’ll learn whether it’s true or not that drinking caffeine stunts your growth. [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
Read more
Today I found out about the amazing acoustics of the ancient Epidaurus Theatre. Epidaurus, Greece was a small, unassuming city in ancient times, best known for being the supposed birth place of Apollo’s son, Asklepios the healer. As Asklepios’ following grew, so too did the town. Their medical centre became one of the most well-known in the classical world, attracting […]
Read more
Today I found out about the Orangeburg Massacre of 1968. As with many massacres around this turbulent time in history, the Orangeburg Massacre had its beginnings in race relations. In February, 1968, black students at South Carolina State College were prohibited from using the lanes at a nearby bowling alley. There were no other bowling alleys in town and the […]
Read more
As you can probably tell from its name, the Christmas Island red crab is a species of crab native to Christmas Island. Every year, millions of them will leave their forest burrows and swarm across the island to breed, leaving Christmas Island’s residents to deal with the consequences of their homes being overrun by crabs that outnumber the human populace […]
Read more
Today in History: December 17, 1538 When Pope Paul III excommunicated Henry VIII on December 17, 1538, it hardly came as a surprise. It was simply the inevitable outcome of a political game of cat and mouse between the English throne and the Vatican that dragged on for almost a decade. By the 1520s, Henry was having doubts about his […]
Read more
In this episode, you’re going to learn the fascinating truth behind whether Columbus actually knew the world was round before setting sail. [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
Read more
Henry Gustav Molaison, who came to be known by his initials, H.M., was studied from 1957 until his death in 2008. From an early age, H.M. suffered from severe epilepsy that was blamed on a bicycle accident when he was seven years old. He had seizures for many years that got progressively worse as he aged. The seizures finally got so […]
Read more