Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More

From September 1940 until May 1941, the people of the United Kingdom experienced the horrors of war firsthand.  Hundreds of bombers ran thousands of missions over civilian areas of Great Britain.  The hardest hit of all the cities was the capital of London.  By the time the bombing campaign stopped, tens of thousands were killed, over a hundred thousand were injured, and thousands of buildings, in...

Every day, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of investments are bought and sold around the world. Most of these transactions are conducted by investment banks and other large institutions.  Many, if not most, of these organizations act on behalf of other actors, often individual investors. However, many people avoid investing because it seems complicated, and they don’t understand how it works...

Almost everyone listening to the sound of my voice is a citizen of some country.  Citizenship seems very simple and straightforward, but it is anything but. For most of human history, almost everyone was not a citizen of anything.  Today, it is entirely possible to change citizenship, become a citizen of multiple countries, or possibly even become a citizen of no country at all.  In some countries...

In the early 13th century, England suffered through the worst monarch it would have in its history: King John. John and his arbitrary policies and high taxation angered the nobility, the church, and the common people.  However, out of his disastrous reign came something good. An uprising against his rule forced him to sign a document establishing fundamental principles of limited government, the r...

There is an old saying that da Nile isn’t just a river in Egypt. That is true. It is also a river in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda.  The Nile is the longest river in the world, yet it is one of the smallest major rivers in the world.  Historically, some of the world’s greatest civilizations have depended on it, and today it is still a source of conflict between countries that depend on...

The 19th century was a period of rapid advancement. New technologies such as the railroad and the telegraph radically changed civilization.  Scientific advancements were almost constant as we took great strides in understanding our universe.  One such scientific field that saw incredible advances was paleontology. The field was advanced by two researchers who found an incredible number of fossils…...

Ever since humans domesticated animals and realized they could extract milk from them, they have been making and consuming butter.  While we might not think much of butter today, at one point, it was so prized that it was given as an offering to the gods.  While some cultures prized it, others looked down upon it and some elevated the production and use of it as an art form.  Learn more about butt...

In 1938, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster released what would become one of the most well-known fictional characters of the 20th century.  Their creation was a hit and soon spread to its own line of comic books, TV shows, movies, cartoons, and merchandise.  Yet, as popular as the character was, it has been constantly reinvented and even resurrected over the years. Learn more about Superm...

When European explorers set off from Europe, many of them chased things that didn’t exist. The Fountain of Youth, the City of El Dorado, and Prester John were all things they pursued but came up empty-handed.  However, there was one thing that these European explorers searched for that actually did exist, but not in the way they had hoped.  While it was never historically relevant, it could play a...

This is the first episode of Everything Everywhere Daily to be recorded in front of a live audience. It was recorded on November 9, 2024, at McFleshman's Brewing Company. Sponsors Sign up at butcherbox.com/daily and use code daily to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year plus $20 off your first order! Subscribe to the podcast!  https://link.chtbl.com/EverythingEv...

If you happen to be feeling blue because you feel like a loose cannon, fear not, because I happen to like the cut of your jib. Perhaps if you have a square meal, you’ll be riding high, and by and large, you might avoid being three sheets to the wind.  If you know the ropes and don’t cut and run, you might be above board without being taken aback.  Learn more about the origin of words and phrases t...

One of the most famous battles in the history of the American West took place in June 1876.  An alliance of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes faced off against the United States cavalry.  The battle was a rout and one of the most devastating losses for the American military, as well as one of the greatest victories for Plains Indians.  The victory, however, was only temporary...

The election of 1860 was unquestionably the most important election in American history.  The presidential election after that was still important, but it has the distinction of being perhaps the oddest presidential election in history, if for no other reason than it was conducted in the middle of a civil war.  Learn more about the election of 1864 and all the ways we’ve never seen anything like i...

During the Second World War, the Allies were desperate to develop ideas to help them win the war.  Some of these ideas, such as the atomic bomb and the Norden bombsight, were so promising that they warranted investments of staggering amounts, reaching into the millions and billions of dollars.  Other ideas, such as training bats to drop bombs or pigeon-guided missiles, were so outlandish that they...

One of the most popular board games in the world is Monopoly.  Millions of copies of the game have been sold and thousands of different versions have been published.  However, the origins of the game are not what most people think. In fact, the game was originally designed not as a way for people to win by amassing properties but rather to demonstrate why that was a bad idea. Learn more about the...

Ancient mathematics was very different than the mathematics you are used to today.  Two primary tools ancient mathematicians used were the compass and the straightedge. With these two very simple objects, they were able to make an astounding number of proofs and mathematical discoveries.  However, there were some problems that were always beyond their grasp.  Learn more about squaring the circle a...

Right now in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are getting shorter, and things are getting colder.  In the southern hemisphere, the opposite is happening.  Regardless of whether you are in the North or the South, there is one thing for certain…in November, there shall be questions, and there shall be answers.  Stay tuned for Questions and Answers volume 25 on this episode of Everything Everywher D...

Today, there is a giant rift that is tearing the continent of Africa apart. ..and I mean this quite literally because the rift isn’t cultural, economic, or political, it’s geologic. In several million years, Africa will be split into two continents, and while the process will take a long time, you see ample evidence for it right now. Learn more about the East African Rift and how it has shaped the...

The myth of the werewolf, a human who transforms into a wolf, is one of the most enduring and pervasive tales in folklore.  Tales of werewolves could be found in many countries for over 2000 years.  In the Middle Ages, people suspected of being werewolves were hunted alongside witches and vampires. By the 20th century, the werewolf myth had evolved into a common narrative and appeared in a multitu...

Some of the most frightening and iconic monsters in the history of the horror genre are vampires.  Vampires have a history that is both ancient and modern. For thousands of years, various cultures around the world have had stories of vampire-esque beings who would prey on humans.  However, in the last two centuries, these stories have coalesced into a very specific type of creature with a unique b...

In 1816, a group of friends who were writers were stuck indoors in Geneva, Switzerland, and were bored. So, they created a challenge for themselves. They were to each come up with a unique ghost story.  After several days of being unable to come up with a story, one of the women in the group was struck with an idea for her ghost tale.  Her story became the basis of one of the most important novels...

One of the primary religious practices of the Ancient Egyptians was preparing physical bodies for the journey to the afterlife. This highly developed process, perfected over centuries, preserved bodies for thousands of years.  Many of these bodies, discovered by archeologists and thieves, were taken out of Egypt and put in museums all over the world.  They have caught the attention of the public a...

One of the most popular forms of fiction today involves zombies. There are TV shows, movies, and books that all envision life during a zombie apocalypse.  Zombie stories are a relatively new form of fiction. However, zombies didn’t come out of nowhere.  They have a basis in legend, religion, and fact….. well, sort of fact.  Learn more about zombies, their origins, and how they have been portrayed...

If you are listening to me speak these words, regardless of where in the world you live, you are part of a global network we call human civilization. You share in the ideas, technology, and goods created worldwide and by people in your community. Most people on the planet are a part of this system. But not everyone. Some people have remained separated from this system and still live in their tradi...

On August 4, 1892, in Fall River, Massachusetts, an incredibly grizzly event took place.  Andrew and his wife, Abby Borden, were brutally murdered by repeated strikes with a hatchet to their heads.  The primary suspect in the case was their daughter, Lizzie. In the subsequent trial, there wasn’t enough evidence to convict, and ever since, people have wondered if Lizzie did, in fact, kill her paren...