Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More

Despite what you might have been told, Christopher Columbus and his expedition were not the first Europeans to reach the Americas.  Almost 500 years earlier, a small group of Norse settlers arrived on what is today the Island of Newfoundland.  Yet, their presence on the continent was short-lived and no one ever came after them.  Learn more about how Vinland, Vikings, and lactose intolerance might...

Philip II of Spain was one of European history’s most important yet underrated monarchs.  He had more titles and kingships than almost anyone and was behind some of the biggest events in the history of several European countries.  On top of all of that, he also reigned over one of the largest empires in world history.  Learn more about Philip II and the incredible events surrounding his life on th...

Located just southwest of the southern tip of India lies one of the only countries in the world consisting soely of coral atolls.  Unlike similar countries which are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, this country has a location and proximity which has given it a unique history. It also faces a unique set of problems given geography and geology.  Learn more about the Maldives, its past, present,...

Early in the second world war, the Germans found themselves with a metaphorical pebble in their shoe. The pebble was actually a rather large rock that happened to guard the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.  Unfortunately for them, it happened to be controlled by the British. If they could remove the British, they could solve their problem and maybe do something for Hitler’s friend, Francisco Fra...

One of the landmark inventions in human history was the ability to record sound.  This technology allowed music to go from something only appreciated by a small number of people to something which could be enjoyed by millions.  It also allowed people to speak to others across vast distances and eventually led to a thing called podcasting. Learn more about the history of recorded sound and how we w...

The American Civil War wasn’t just a military conflict. There was also a major political and legal conflict struggle that took place alongside the military campaigns.  In the last months of the war, President Abraham Lincoln knew that if the war was to truly be the end of the conflict, it was necessary to ban slavery once and for all.  That would require changing the constitution. Learn more about...

Cricket is the world's second most popular spectator sport, behind association football or soccer.  However, it is played almost nowhere outside of former British Colonies. It is a game that can be confusing to those who are uninitiated and, if played in its traditional manner, can take an extremely long time to complete.   Learn more about Cricket, how the game developed and how it is played toda...

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 which 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...

For thousands of years, humans have been using the power of the wind to do useful work. At first, the wind was just used for sailing ships, but eventually, the wind's power was harnessed for mundane tasks like milling grain and pumping water.  Unlike many ancient energy sources, wind power is still used today, and it has become a major source of electrical generation. Learn more about how humans c...

Most people are familiar with the ancient Egyptian civilization, which arose along the banks of the Nile River.  However, the Egyptians were not the only major civilization that existed on the Nile.  Just south of Egypt was a culture that was very similar yet very different, who was Egypt’s sometimes enemies, sometimes trade partners, sometime overlords, and sometimes subjects. Learn more about th...

In 1816, the world experienced something that it had never seen before. All over the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, and North America, summer never came. …or at least it didn’t in any way which it did before.  It caused chaos and misery all around the world.  Learn more about 1816, the year without a summer, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Subscribe to the podcast!  https://l...

For thousands of years, humans knew that certain foods could treat certain ailments. However, why or how the foods did this was totally unknown.  It wasn’t until the early 20th century that researchers discovered exactly what chemicals were in food that prevented and cured many diseases.  Today, that knowledge has led to an entire industry dedicated to providing and supplementing nutrients.  Learn...

Centuries ago, if you were a ruler, you needed to protect yourself and your realm. You’d obviously need an army and soldiers, but you would also need some sort of defensive fortification to protect yourself from attack.  The solution to this problem in the middle ages was the development of massive structures which could resist direct attack and often served as a seat of administration for a regio...

For thousands of years, humans have looked up at the night sky and wondered, “are we alone?” For the longest time, it remained nothing more than a philosophical question, but in the 20th century, some researchers thought it was time to finally start looking.  One of the big questions was how do you look for something that you don’t know exists, and if it does, you don’t know where it is? Learn mor...

In 1854 an unusually severe outbreak of cholera occurred in London.  While cholera was not an uncommon disease, physicians at the time weren’t sure what caused it.  This time, one doctor took a completely different approach, stopping the epidemic and ushering in a new field of medicine. Learn more about John Snow and the Broad Street cholera outbreak of 1854 on this episode of Everything Everywher...

Located in the South Pacific Ocean is one of the most isolated islands in the world. It is over a thousand miles from the nearest human settlement. There a civilization unlike any other in the world arose and ultimately fell. While the story of the island didn’t end with the fall of that civilization, the physical remains of that society have endured and have fascinated people for centuries.  Lear...

In 1957, two chemists at the Clinton Corn Processing Company of Clinton, Iowa, developed a system for converting the sucrose found in corn starch into fructose.  Over 60 years later, the product they created can be found in a dizzying array of food products worldwide. Learn more about High Fructose Corn Syrup, how it is made, how it is used, and the controversy surrounding it on this episode of Ev...

The Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus oversaw the rise of Sweden as one of the great powers in Europe. In 1626, he ordered the construction of a warship that would be the most powerful floating platform in Northern Europe.  Its maiden voyage in 1628 was one of the most memorable of any ship in history.  Learn more about the Vasa, its incredible maiden voyage, and its status today, on this episode of...

In February 1904, the Russian Empire found itself at war with the Empire of Japan over what was the territory of China.  The problem was the majority of the Russian navy was located in the Baltic Sea, and the war was in Asia.  They were sent on an incredibly long voyage to get the ships into battle. Learn more about the disastrous voyage of the Imperial Russian Fleet and how it helped change the c...

All around you, right this second, you are surrounded by electromagnetic radiation.  You might better know this by names such as light, radio waves, microwaves, x-rays, or ultraviolet rays.  Fundamentally, they are all variations of the same phenomenon and are all part of the electromagnetic spectrum.  Learn more about the electromagnetic spectrum and how different wavelengths can behave very diff...

The first world war, known simply as the Great War at that time, was the most horrific war the world had ever seen. When the conflict ended, there was an effort to make sure that such a thing never happened again.  To that end, a deliberative body was created where nations could come together to debate and discuss matters before plunging, once again, into war.  While having some success, this deli...

Most children growing up are admonished not to take candy from strangers.  It is good advice, but it isn’t advice that comes from nowhere. It comes from a particular incident 150 years ago that shocked the world and changed how we view children’s safety. It was an event, the echos of which can be seen today in efforts to find abducted children. Learn more about the kidnapping of Charley Ross on th...

In the TV series Game of Thrones, there were four different seasons where disputes were determined with trial by combat.  As fictional as the Game of Thrones universe is, the idea of resolving legal disputes by fighting, sometimes to the death, was historically accurate.  For centuries, trial by combat was a legitimate option for conflict resolution, and according to some theories, it might still...

For most of human history, if you wanted something, you had to make it yourself or know the person who made it.  Eventually, merchants began to sell more and more goods in one store to make it convenient for consumers.  These stores reached their zenith with enormous structures which sold almost everything. They were not just innovations themselves, but they were an engine for innovations which ar...

If you’ve done your share of flying, you are probably familiar with the three-letter airport codes which identify every commercial airport in the world.  Airports like DFW, LGA, and HOU are easy to figure out. However, why is there an X in LAX? How did Washington Dulles wind up with IAD? And what is the deal with almost every airport code in Canada? Learn more about airport codes and the weird log...