Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More

For thousands of years, humans all around the world have coveted gemstones.  Gemstones have been used as symbols of authority by kings, queens, and emperors, have been central to religious ceremonies, and have served as adornments for the wealthy.  While you may have heard of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, what exactly are they, and where do they come from? Learn more about gemstones,...

Located on the tips of our fingers are features known as friction ridges. We evolved them to get a better grip on objects.  It just so happens that those friction ridges are unique to every person.  That allows us to use friction ridges as unique identifiers and for authorities to use them to catch criminals, and in some ways, we have been doing so for centuries.  Learn more about fingerprints and...

On April 12, 1861, the United States Civil War began when Confederate forces began a bombardment of the Union held Fort Sumter at the mouth of the harbor in Charleston, South Carolina. The battle was not itself a great battle, and the number of casualties was shockingly small, but what it began totally changed the lives of millions of people and the course of the United States.  Learn more about t...

In any sport, there is always one debate that comes up. It comes up year after year, and it has been around for as long as sport has existed.  The debate is about who is the greatest of all time, or in common parlance, who is the GOAT? Every sport has its own contenders for the GOAT. In some sports, the GOAT is pretty easy to identify. In others, it isn’t quite so clear.  Learn more about who the...

During the Second World War, the United States embarked on one of the greatest science and engineering projects the world had ever seen.  Over 100,000 people took part in the program, the vast majority of which had no clue what it was for, and the total cost of the program was in the billions of dollars, at a time when a billion dollars was a lot of money.  The end result was the most devastating...

After the end of the second world war, Berlin was a divided city controlled by the four major allied powers. Despite the different zones of control, people could move freely between them. However, on August 13, 1961, the East German government decided to end the free travel of Berliners by building a wall around West Berlin.  For 28 years, the wall defined the city and served as a metaphor for the...

If you have used a computer, which I’m assuming is almost everyone listening to this, you have probably had to store your data somewhere.  You might have used a USB drive, a hard drive, or if you are old enough, maybe even a floppy drive. These types of data storage are just the latest in a long line of methods to store information that goes back a surprising amount of time.  Learn more about this...

In 8 BC, the Roman senate passed a resolution renaming the month of Sextillis to August to honor the emperor Augustus.  They chose Sextillis, which was the sixth month in the calendar because it was the month that he conquered Egypt. Fast forward several centuries and August had a permanent place on the calendar.  With that, prepare yourself for the August installment of Questions and Answers on t...

In almost all sports, people will refer to what is known as having a home-field advantage. Home-field advantage is a simple concept. It implies that teams playing in their home stadium, arena, or field have a slight advantage over the visiting team. But is home-field advantage a real thing? And if it is, what are the reasons for it, and which teams and which leagues have the largest home-field adv...

During the height of the Second World War, American shipping to Europe was constantly being attacked by German U-boats.  In an attempt to completely bypass German subs, aviation pioneer Howard Hughes began construction on what would be the world’s largest aircraft.  A plane that was so large it could carry 750 passengers or two full-sized tanks across the Atlantic.  Sadly, it was hampered by warti...

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest library in the world is the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.  The Library of Congress was originally intended to be the library of the United States Congress, but over two centuries since its founding, it has evolved to something much grander, covering almost every subject and language imaginable.  Learn more about the Library of C...

On December 29, 1170, the Archbishop of Canterbury was brutally murdered on the floor of the Canterbury Cathedral by four armed knights while preparing for his evening prayers.  The ramifications of that incident shook the country of England, its king, and the Catholic Church.  Over 850 years later, it is still remembered and remains one of the most significant events in English history. Learn mor...

Located in the state of Wyoming and a little bit of Montana and Idaho lies one of the world’s greatest national parks on Earth: Yellowstone.  In the 19th century, Yellowstone was declared the first national park in the world. However, what makes Yellowstone special actually dates back millions of years.  The geologic circumstances that led to the creation of Yellowstone today make it one of the mo...

You have probably heard the expression, “The house always wins.” This is usually true….in fact, it's almost always true. If it weren’t true, then casinos wouldn’t exist. Every game in a casino is designed to give the house an edge so that in the long run, with enough players, they are mathematically guaranteed to win money.  However, there have been a few occasions where people have figured out a...

For over 1000 years, Rome, either in its Republican or Imperial form, was the dominant power in the Mediterranean.  Then, at least in the West, the empire eventually fell apart.  Ever since people have been asking the question….why? Ever since it happened, people have been debating the reasons why, and after 1500 years, there still isn’t a consensus.  Learn more about the various explanations for...

On April 24, 1990, the Space Shuttle Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope into low Earth orbit. After some initial technical problems, it began providing images of our universe, the likes of which we’ve never seen before.  Even though larger, better telescopes have been sent to space for over 30 years, the Hubble has remained one of the most important instruments available to astronomers....

Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last ruler of an independent Egypt and one of the most important women of the ancient world.  In addition to being a brilliant and cunning ruler in her own right, she was also famously associated with two of the most powerful men in the late Roman Republic.  Yet was her involvement with these men that ultimately led to the downfall of her and of Egypt. Learn more a...

Perhaps the greatest advancement in the arts in the 20th century was the creation of motion pictures.  Motions Pictures was a brand-new art form. While initially it was just recorded stage presentations, it eventually evolved into something much more.  Today, it is a multi-billion-dollar industry, which is all due to countless technical advancements that have occurred over the decades.  Learn more...

Located in the South Atlantic Ocean, situated between South America and Africa, lies the most remote human settlement on Earth. There, a community of a little over 250 people eke out a living over 1,500 miles from the next closest humans.  Getting there is difficult, and living there is probably even harder.  Learn more about Tristian da Cuhna and how such an isolated community manages to survive...

One of the most difficult concepts for early thinkers to get their heads around was the idea of nothing.  Everywhere we go, all our lives, there is something. There is air and matter that surrounds us everywhere because if there weren’t, we wouldn’t be here.  Eventually, scientists and philosophers became comfortable with the idea of nothing and were able to study it. What they found was that noth...

Just south of the United States and north of Guatemala is Mexico, a fact which I’m sure all of you know.  However, most people don’t know that much about Mexico. There are caricatures of Mexico, and many people are familiar with some of the tourist areas, but that’s about it.  In reality, Mexico is one of the world’s largest countries, and its unique geography has influenced its history and econom...

For thousands of years, many theories have been put forward as to the cause of communicable diseases.  These theories ranged from the religious to the magical and sometimes quasiscientific, but what they all had in common was that there was no proof for anything.  Over the centuries these theories became dogma and often prevented a better understanding of diseases. It wasn’t until the 19th century...

In October 1919, the champions of the National League, the Cincinnati Reds, faced the champions of the American League, the Chicago White Sox, in the World Series.  While Cincinnati won the championship on the field five games to three, the series will be forever remembered because of the events surrounding it. Even a hundred years later, it remains one of the most significant events in American p...

I would say that there is a very good chance that almost everyone listening to the sound of my voice right now is wearing something made of cloth.  Cloth, textiles, and fabrics go back a very long way, but despite their ancient origins, not every culture had them.  Yet, where they existed, they were often some of the most valuable commodities, and they were, in some fashion, used by everyone from...

In the year 53 BC, Rome suffered one of the greatest military defeats in its history. A Roman army led by Marcus Lucinisu Crassus was led into the desert in present-day Southern Turkey and was systematically destroy by an army from the Kingdom of Parthia.  The defeat itself didn’t radically weaken Rome, but the death of Crassus led to a chain of events that would result in the end of the Roman Rep...