Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More

Charles Darwin is often credited with the discovery of the theory of natural selection.  This is partially true, but it isn’t totally true. He didn’t do this alone. In particular, there was someone else who did much of the research that lead to the discovery. In the process, he also made a discovery that bear’s his name and influenced the fields of both biology and geology. Learn more about Alfred...

In the late 19th century, bananas, a fruit that had been popular for thousands of years suddenly became a mass-market sensation. However, just a few decades after it was popularized, the industry had to completely change what was grown due to a pestilence.  As a result, the bananas that most people eat today are very different than the bananas that everyone ate before the second world war. Learn m...

Ever since humans looked up at the night sky and noticed that some of the points of light moved, they have been aware of the planet Jupiter.  However, it was the invention of the telescope that let us know just how amazing Jupiter was.  Since then, we’ve sent eight probes to the planet to help us unlock its secrets.  Learn more about Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, on this episode...

On April 4, 1949, representatives of 11 North American and European countries assembled in Washington DC to sign a treaty of mutual defense. That treaty, and the organization which it spawned, has served as the basis for defense policy for Western Europe and North America for almost 75 years.  Over that time, the membership in the organization has grown and its original purpose has changed.  Learn...

When Europeans arrived in the New World in 1492, it was the beginning of a series of events that ws the biggest change in humanity since the discovery of agriculture. The magnitude of those changes wasn’t even known at the time, or even for several centuries after the fact. It has only been recently that researchers have discovered the magnitude of what happened. Learn more about The Great Dying o...

On July 20, 1976, Viking 1 became the first robotic lander to land on Mars. On September 3, its sister Viking 2 followed suit. Both of them carried experiments to test for biology on Mars, something which no subsequent Mars lander since has replicated.  The results from these chemical experiments have divided researchers for decades and have been the cause of one of the greatest debates in planeta...

All three of the holy books from great monotheistic faiths share a similar story about a Queen from a land in the south who traveled to Jerusalem to meet King Solomon.  This queen, who is said to have come from a land called Sheba, held not only the fascination of Solomon but of people for over 2000 years. But did she really exist, and if she did, where exactly did she come from? Learn more about...

In the year 60 BC, a very unlikely alliance was formed between three of Rome’s most powerful men.  Gaius Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, and Marcus Licinius Crassus agreed to put aside their differences for mutual gain.  For many years the alliance worked, and the three men were able to run the Roman Republic….until it eventually fell apart. Learn more about the First Triumvirate on this ep...

For ages, people have tried to categorize people by intelligence. However, it wasn’t until the early 20th century that attempts were made to provide a quantifiable measure of human intelligence.  In 1912, a German psychologist by the name of William Stern dubbed a method of scoring intelligence tests called an intelligence quotient.  Every since there, there has been controversy surrounding the me...

In the year 1162, in the Khentii Mountains of what is today Northeastern Mongolia, a baby by the name of Temüjin was born.  He would go on to become the single greatest conqueror and establish the largest contiguous empire in world history.  His empire would reverberate throughout history and is still being felt today, both politically and genetically. Learn more about Ghengis Khan and the Mongol...

You have probably heard the old saying that there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.  There are several reasons why statistics are often misinterpreted. One of the biggest is the confusion between the two concepts of correlation and causation.  This confusion is not only made by laypeople but also by members of the media and scientists. Learn more about correlation and causation and why one do...

Hollywood is known the world over for being the center of the motion picture industry.  But did you ever wonder why the movie business is centered there or why it hasn’t moved somewhere else? Well, it all has to do with a clause in various union contracts. Learn more about the Thirty Mile Zone, or the TMZ, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow...

In the 18th century, the French writer and philosopher Voltaire said, ​​"This body which was called, and which still calls itself, the Holy Roman Empire was in no way holy, nor Roman, nor an empire." Since then, some variation of this quote has found itself into history classes around the world.  So what exactly was the Holy Roman Empire, and was Voltaire right? Learn more about the Holy Roman Emp...

For thousands of years, rice has been one of the most important agricultural crops in the world.  It has fed billions of people, has been crossbred into tens of thousands of variants, and is now grown in every continent except Antarctica. The importance of rice has not diminished over time and in fact, might grow in the future.  Learn more about rice, and how it was domesticated and spread around...

In the early 20th century, a Soviet agronomist named Trofim Lysenko developed some unique theories of biology and genetics.  He rose to the top of the Soviet hierarchy in his field, and Stalin himself endorsed his theories.  The result of the implementation of his ideas was nothing short of disastrous. Learn more about Trofim Lysenko and Lysenkoism on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. S...

On August 15, 1971, US President Richard Nixon ended the gold convertibility of the US Dollar and simultaneously ended the Bretton Woods System, which had governed international monetary policy since the end of the Second World War. The system which replaced Bretton Woods wasn’t built on formal treaties and conferences. It was a highly informal system that, for the most part, still exists today. L...

About 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid collided with the Earth near the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. This impact ended the era of the dinosaurs and resulted in one of the greatest species extinctions in history. That large asteroid wasn’t the first to hit the Earth, nor will it be the last.  Today, many people are actively trying to ensure that such an event never happens again.  Learn mor...

In the early 4th century, the Roman Emperor Constantine ordered the construction of a church on the burial site of Saint Peter. It was the greatest church in Christianity. Centuries later, that building was falling apart, so Pope Julius II ordered the construction of a replacement church that would be newer and much bigger.  Learn more about St. Peter’s Basilica, the world’s largest church, on thi...

On April 28, 1789, the crew of the HMS Bounty engaged in a mutiny against their despotic captain, William Bligh. After sending the captain out on a rowboat, the rest of the crew sailed to an uninhabited island, sank the ship, and set up home.  The descendants of those mutineers are still living on that island today. Their home has become one of the most unique and remote communities on Earth. Lear...

Sometime during the reign of Ptolemy I or Ptolemy II, the Egyptian state decided to build an institution dedicated to accumulating all human knowledge in the City of Alexandria. As the city grew, this institution grew along with it to become the greatest knowledge repository in the ancient world. …and then Julius Caesar burned it down. Maybe. Learn more about the Library of Alexander, how it was c...

Friday the 13th is a day associated with bad luck and ill omens.  However, why is this particular combination of day of the week and day of the month considered bad luck? If you think you know why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky, there is a good chance that the story you’ve heard is wrong. Learn more about Friday the 13th and how it became associated with being unlucky on this episode of Eve...

In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Cater stumbled upon one of the most pristine tombs of an Egyptian Pharaoh ever found. The tomb of King Tutankhamen. That discovery because a pop culture sensation and revolutionized our understanding of Ancient Egypt.  Learn more about King Tutankhamen, aka King Tut, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn about how you can invest in art at https...

At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, the delegates worked hard to create a document that would govern their new country.  At the end of the convention, they had a session titled “Leftover Business.” It was here in the “leftover business” section of the constitutional convention where the Vice Presidency was born.  Some say it has been leftover business ever since. Learn more about the Vice Presi...

In the early 1845s, farmers around Europe suffered from a blight that devastated the potato crop.  This lasted for several years, but nowhere was it more pronounced than it was on the island of Ireland, where it resulted in death and mass migration. The effects of this potato blight can still be witnessed in the world today. Learn more about the Great Irish Famine, also known as the Irish Potato F...

On May 20, 1910, an event occurred which never occurred before or since.  Gathered for the funeral of the British King Edward VII, nine different European monarchs assembled inside Windsor Castle for a photo. In the immediate years after this image was taken, life would change dramatically for most of the monarchs.  Learn more about the day nine kings were in one room and what happened to them lat...