Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More

Sound travels fast. Very fast. However, it is not so fast that we can’t recognize that it has a finite speed.  The speed of sound was estimated and later measured centuries ago, but it was only recently that it has been possible actually travel faster than the speed of sound. It turns out that while it is possible to travel faster than the speed of sound, there are a whole host of problems that go...

In 1942, Allied forces attempted a landing on the coast of France to gain a toe hold on the continent. Thousands of men took part in the landing…and it was a disaster. Over a thousand men were killed, and over 2,000 were captured.  Despite being a massive failure, the lessons learned from that raid paved the way for the massive success of the invasion of Europe almost two years later. Learn more a...

During the Roman Republic, the highest office that someone could aspire to was the position of consult. Every year, two men were elected consul, and it was such a high honor it would help your family for generations. …except that it actually wasn’t the highest office. There was one office that was higher, but you couldn’t be elected to it. Someone could only be appointed, only for a limited amount...

People are fascinated by extremes. We are interested in the biggest, strongest, fastest, and tallest.  I’m certainly no exception.  One of the things I’ve been fascinated with is the past, and in particular, very old things. Things which have withstood the test of time. So, let’s learn more about the oldest things in the world, and even in the universe, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Dai...

It has been said that a dog is a man’s best friend.  This might be true, but…..why. How was it that this particular animal developed such a special relationship with humans?  How did the domestication process take place, and where did it happen? …and how is it that there are so many different breeds of dogs that call came from the same original source? Learn more about the domestication of dogs an...

One of the most popular foods in the world is tomatoes.  Tomatoes are grown almost everywhere in the world today, and they have become the basis of several international cuisines.  However, just a few hundred years ago, no one was eating tomatoes as we know them today. In fact, even after they were cultivated, there were people terrified to actually to eat them. Learn more about tomatoes and tomat...

World War II was famously fought between two forces, the Axis and the Allies.  Most people know that the Axis was comprised of Germany, Italy, and Japan. What many people don’t know is that there were actually several more countries that were part of the alliance.  …and why exactly was it called the Axis? … and how did these countries work together? Learn more about the Axis powers, how the allian...

One of the biggest changes to humanity over the last 100 years has been the increase in life expectancies.  One of the biggest reasons for the increase in life spans has been the development and use of antibiotics.  Yet, the development of antibiotics was largely accidental, and they have become so ubiquitous it is actually becoming a problem.  Learn more about antibiotics, their discovery, and th...

In 1483, the King of England, Edward V, and his brother were taken into custody by his uncle Richard the Duke of Glouster and placed into the Tower of London.  Both the king and his brother were never seen again. They just….disappeared.  It is probably the greatest unsolved mystery in British History. Learn more about the Princes in the Tower on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.  Sponso...

In the early 12th century, a military monastic order developed in the Middle East with the express intent of protecting Christian pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. Despite its rather modest mission statement, over the next 200 years, this organization became one of the most powerful entities throughout the Middle East and Europe.  However, its success and power eventually planted the seeds of i...

Throughout the Second World War, one of the world’s most popular musicians was the American big band leader Glenn Miller.  He had a string of hits over a very short period of time, and his music is so synonymous with that period that it can be heard in almost every movie and documentary about the war. However, just before Christmas 1944, just a few months before the war in Europe would be over, Gl...

In the last days of the First World War, an event occurred that resulted in the rapid collapse of the German monarchy and ultimately hastened the end of the war.  The event was sparked by sailors in the German High Seas Fleet who, after suffering from months of low morale, finally decided to stop taking orders.  Learn more about the Kiel Mutiny and how it shaped the outcome of the First World War...

On December 10, 1896, the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel passed away. In his will, he gifted most of his estate for the creation of a prize that rewarded people for excellence in various forms of human endeavor.  Over a hundred years later, the prize he created is one of the most prestigious awards that are given out in the world. Learn more about the Nobel Prize, how they were created, and how the...

In 1947, India and Pakistan became independent countries after almost 200 years of British colonial rule.  However, this wasn’t just a case of a former colony becoming independent. It was a single colony which was partitioned into two separate countries. That partition had wide-ranging implications, many of which are still being felt today.  Learn more about the partition of India and Pakistan, th...

In his 1979 book Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, an alien race builds a computer to answer the ultimate question to life, the universe, and everything.  The computer took 7.5 million years to come up with the answer.  They could have saved a lot of time and money if they just waited a month.  Stay tuned for Questions and Answers Volume 11 on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors D...

The United States and Canada are like two siblings. They live next to each other, have the same parents, and are a lot alike. However, the way they both grew up was very different.  The United States achieved its independence through a revolution. The Canadians, however, didn’t join the American Revolution even though they almost certainly could have. Learn more about why Canada didn’t join the Am...

If aliens were to look at the Earth through a telescope from far away and analyze our atmosphere, they would find that the dominant element is nitrogen. Nitrogen makes up 78% of our atmosphere, and it's all around us. However, it behaves very differently than the other common elements around us.  Nitrogen is not just vital for the functioning of life but is also used in various industrial and comm...

I’m guessing that almost everyone listening to this podcast has, within the last 24 hours used a zipper.  They are ubiquitous at this point and most people have never given them much thought. Yet, its invention was a rather inspired leap of creativity and required the development of several other technologies before it could even become a thing.  Learn more about the zipper, how it was invented an...

In the year 490 BC, one of the most pivotal battles in world history took place.  Just north of the City of Athens, Persian and Greek forces clashed in what was to be the first of several Persian attempts to invade Greece.  Despite being seriously outnumbered, the Greeks managed to win a decisive victory that had long-lasting ramifications.  Learn more about the Battle of Marathon, its causes, and...

One of the biggest innovations in computing over the last several years has been the blockchain.  There have been a host of companies that have hyped products using a blockchain. Blockchains are the basis of all cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens.  Despite all the talk about blockchains, most people still aren’t totally sure what a blockchain is or how it works.  So, learn more about what bl...

Under your feet and all around you are rocks and minerals.  Many times in your life, you have probably picked up a rock and looked at it. You might have climbed over rocks and mountains and never given a single thought as to what they consist of or what they even are.  Rocks and minerals don’t just make up our planet, but many objects in the universe as well.  But what are rocks and minerals, and...

Around 3,500 years ago, the people of Central America discovered something marvelous: the cacao bean could be used to create a fermented beverage that was unlike anything they had experienced.  For centuries, the cacao bean became so important in that part of the world that it was used as money.  Eventually, the bean was taken from the Americas to Europe, where it was radically transformed. Learn...

In 1864, Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born in Cochran Mills, Pennsylvania.  At the age of 18, she began a career as a journalist writing under a pen name. During her career, she became a pioneer in both investigative journalism and travel writing.  She later became a novelist, ran an industrial factory, and was one of the leading voices for women’s suffrage in the early 20th century. Learn more abou...

In 1864, Maximilian, the son of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and a member of the Hapsburg dynasty, arrived in Mexico. He had never been in Mexico before and, for that matter, had never even been anywhere in the Americas.  It was a good first trip, considering that when he arrived, within days, he was crowned the emperor of Mexico.  Unfortunately, his rule over Mexico didn’t last that long. Learn...

In the year 312, two claimants to the Roman imperial throne met outside the walls of Rome near a bridge that crossed the Tiber River.  The subsequent battle that followed was not that different from many other Roman battles that had been fought over the centuries.  However, the implications of that battle have long-reaching ramifications that have shaped the world for the past 1700 years.  Learn m...