Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More

In the years after the American Revolution, New York City was growing rapidly, and so was the demand for trained physicians.  But medical education required something that was difficult to obtain legally, and rumors soon spread that the dead were not being allowed to rest in peace.  Anger grew, suspicions hardened, and in the spring of 1788, outrage exploded into violence in the streets...

According to the US Census, the single largest ethnic group in the United States are Germans. More than 40 million Americans identified German as their ancestry, nearly 12 percent of the total population. Driven from Europe by unrest, poverty, famine, and religious persecution, Germans quickly assimilated into American society. So much so that it’s difficult to imagine an America without kindergar...

One of the biggest and most important industries in the world is banking.  Banks control an enormous amount of money and are often the most influential economic institutions in most countries.  Yet, banks are not a modern invention. Banks, in one form or another, have been around for thousands of years and have evolved into the modern institutions we have today over that time. Learn more...

For more than a century, one of Europe's richest cities worked on a building it did not yet know how to finish. Its designers created an enormous space that seemed impossible to cover, leaving future generations with one of the Middle Ages' greatest engineering challenges. The solution would require new machines, new construction techniques, and one of history's most brilliant architects. Learn mo...

For most of human history, growing food depended on one deceptively simple piece of technology. Over thousands of years, it evolved from little more than a sharpened stick into a machine that could transform entire landscapes, open new regions to farming, and support much larger populations. Its development helped shape settlement patterns, economies, and even the rise of civilizations. Learn more...

For thousands of years, educators have wrestled with the question: what knowledge does a person truly need? The answer once included seven formal subjects that established the foundation of education from ancient Greece through the medieval university. The subjects have changed dramatically over time, but the underlying idea has survived. Learn more about the origins, evolution, and continued rele...

He was one of the most influential political writers of the American Revolution, helped shape the argument against British taxation, drafted major documents for the Continental Congress, and helped create both of America’s first two systems of government. Yet when the colonies decided to declare their independence, he refused to support it. For that decision, he paid a steep price that can still b...

Following the end of World War II, the United States occupied Japan from 1945 to 1952. During the occupation, the United States aimed to achieve three main goals: demilitarization, democratization, and social and economic reform. Under US control, Japan was transformed from a militaristic empire into a peaceful, economic powerhouse.  Learn more about the US occupation of Japan and its impact...

Every day, billions of people exchange pieces of paper, metal coins, and increasingly, numbers on a screen.  The names attached to that money often have histories stretching back centuries, with origins in weights of silver, royal crowns, ancient coins, distant cities, and even animals. Some of the most familiar names in your wallet have surprisingly obscure beginnings. Learn more about the c...

For decades, China was transformed by revolution, war, and the radical policies of Mao Zedong.  After Mao’s death, however, power eventually fell to a man who had twice been purged, stripped of his positions, and sent into political exile.  He would never hold China’s highest formal office, yet he became its most powerful leader, set the country on a dramatically different course, and wa...

September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest day in the history of the United States. In just 12 hours, 22,726 people were killed, wounded, or went missing just outside of Sharpsburg, Maryland, in one of the largest battles of the US Civil War. Despite ending in a draw, the Union's ability to hold off the Confederates was a major win, with significant political ramifications that helped shift the course...

For thousands of years, humans in the Americas have cultivated an extremely hot plant. When it was transferred to the Old World, it transformed cuisines, inspired scientific measurements, and made some meals much, much, much hotter. Its story stretches from the ancient Americas to kitchens on almost every continent. Learn more about the surprisingly hot history of peppers on this episode of Everyt...

For most of history, the name Napoleon has been associated with conquest, ambition, and empire.  But decades after the first emperor's fall, his nephew of the same name rose to power and attempted to reshape France and the world.  His reign was marked by grand projects, dramatic victories, and a catastrophic downfall that brought an empire to an end.  Learn more about The Rise and F...

Movies are filled with hidden meanings, unanswered questions, and details that inspire audiences to look beyond what appears on screen.  Over the years, fans have created elaborate explanations for mysterious characters, surprising connections, and secret histories hiding beneath some of the most famous films ever made.  Some theories are ridiculous, some are surprisingly convincing, and...

Long before smartphones and Amazon, shopping from home was already a global phenomenon thanks to the printed catalog. Peaking at more than fifteen hundred pages, the massive Sears Catalog became an American icon, serving as a vital lifeline for isolated rural homesteads and a book of wonders for generations of children who spent hours scouring its pages to build their holiday wish lists. But the f...

In the early 20th century, a British explorer became convinced that somewhere deep in the Amazon lay the remains of a sophisticated civilization. He spent years gathering clues from old manuscripts, Indigenous accounts, and his own expeditions, until he finally vanished while searching for it. For decades, his theory was dismissed as fantasy. Modern archaeology, however, has begun finding evidence...

The idea of crime and punishment dates back to the earliest societies.  As societies have evolved, so too have punishments, transitioning from overt, public forms of discipline to more discrete methods.    Whether it be public floggings and executions or the security cameras in your grocery store, fear of punishment and deterrence has been the main tool to encourage citizens to foll...

In the early 20th century, one title in sports stood above all others: the boxing Heavyweight Champion of the World. It was the epitome of athletic prowess, and at that point, every champion had been white.  In 1908, one man shattered the color barrier and sent seismic shockwaves through society that would be felt for decades. Learn more about Jack Johnson and his historic championship reign...

In June 1940, France suffered one of the most humiliating military defeats in its history.  The country was divided, its government surrendered, and millions of people suddenly found themselves living under occupation.  Yet across France, small groups began printing newspapers, gathering intelligence, hiding fugitives, and fighting back.  What started as scattered acts of defiance e...

In the late 14th century, England was recovering from the Black Death, fighting an expensive war, and struggling with a labor shortage that had upended the traditional social order. When the government imposed a deeply unpopular tax, anger spread rapidly through villages and towns.  Within days, thousands marched on London, powerful officials were killed, and a teenage king faced the greatest...

In 1950, physicist Enrico Fermi asked a very simple yet important question: If the universe has intelligent civilizations, as so many people believe, where are they? This became known as the Fermi Paradox, and it has been one of the foremost philosophical and scientific questions of our age.  One of the most straightforward answers to the Fermi Paradox is also one that many people simply don’...

For thousands of years, a tale of war, wandering, monsters, and homecoming has traveled across oceans, languages, and civilizations.  Its journey from ancient performance to written masterpiece reveals a story that has survived empires, religious changes, and technological revolutions.  Along the way, it has been preserved, translated, reimagined, and shared by countless generations.&nbs...

The number 44 has great significance. It is the atomic number of ruthenium; the 44th Roman emperor was Claudius Gothicus, and the 44th pope was Sixtus III. Perhaps most importantly, 44 was the number worn by the great Milwaukee Braves player, Hank Aaron.  In his honor, I give to you the 44th installment of questions and answers on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Shop the store at...

It began as a rare luxury, valued alongside precious stones and guarded by skilled craftsmen.  Over thousands of years, it transformed architecture, science, art, and medicine.  It allowed people to see farther into space, deeper into the microscopic world, and eventually transmit information around the planet at the speed of light.  Yet, at its core, it is just a deceptively simple...

For centuries, the southern tip of Africa was a crossroads where oceans, empires, and peoples collided.  European settlers arrived seeking supplies and profit, but their foothold eventually expanded into conquest, migration, warfare, and a struggle for control between rival colonial powers.  The consequences reshaped the region’s borders, economy, and society, leaving divisions that woul...