Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ SCUBA diving is a popular activity that has recreational and commercial uses.  Most people who have never gone SCUBA diving think that it is just a matter of breathing air out of a tank when you are underwater. However, there is a lot more to it. In fact, solving the problem of underwater breathing wasn’t solved until after hum...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ In the last days of the first world war, an event occurred which resulted in the rapid collapse of the German monarchy, and ultimately hastened the surrender of Germany and 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 t...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ During the second world war, one of the biggest efforts of the war was the Manhattan Project: the secret American program to create an atomic bomb.  The scientists and staff of the Manhattan Project were in a race to beat Nazi Germany to be the first country to build the A-bomb. When Germany surrendered in May 1945, and America...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ Located near the city of Masvingo in Central Zimbabwe are the ruins of one of the greatest civilizations of the Middle Ages.  When European explorers first discovered the ruins, they simply couldn’t believe that it was built by native Africans.  Subsequent archeological investigations show not just that they were wrong, but tha...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ In 1967, the very first Saturn V rocket was launched. It was the largest rocket ever built.  55 years later, it is still the largest rocket ever launched. However, it might not hold that distinction for much longer. There is a new rocket in town and it might soon displace the Saturn V, and in the process, revolutionize space fl...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ In the year 73 BC, Rome faced one of its greatest threats to its existence. An army of over 100,000 liberated slaves rose up in revolt and threatened the very fabric of the Roman Republic.  The revolt was led by a gladiator slave who lead his motley army and, to the astonishment of Rome, managed to defeat many Roman legions.  T...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ Sometimes the most important things are things we don’t even want to think about let alone talk about.  The issue of handling and removing human waste and dirty water is one such problem that has confronted humans since the dawn of time.  The elimination of waste and excess water was one of the fundamental things which allowed...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ If you measure the success of a lifeform by how long they manage to exist on Earth, then by far the most successful forms of life have been stromatolites.  Stromatolites aren’t the sexiest form of life. They still exist on Earth today, but if you have seen them, you might never have known it.  In addition to having been around...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ Every February 14, people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day. It is a day for everything heart-shaped, flowers, jewelry, candy, and romance.  Why is this day the day dedicated to romance? What’s with the hearts? And who or what is a valentine? Is this all a giant conspiracy of greeting card manufacturers? Learn more abo...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ In 1996 two college students walking along the Columbia River in Washington State stumbled upon what turned out to be an ancient human skull.  What they couldn’t have known was that their discovery would lead to a better understanding of how humans came to the Americas, as well as years of scientific, cultural, and political co...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ When most people think of Switzerland, they of small country embedded in the Alps that makes fine chocolates and is the home of the cuckoo clock. They have been neutral in European conflicts for almost 500 years and they serve as the headquarters for several international organizations.  Yet, it was the Swiss who during the Ren...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ In 1994, a German archeologist named Klaus Schmidt was investigating a site in southeastern Turkey which had been known to be a source of ancient stone tools.  What he found was far greater. His discovery totally upended the world of archeology and has changed everything we thought we knew about early human civilization. Learn...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ Every single day, the oceans of the world go through a cycle with two high tides and two low tides.  For thousands of years, no one knew why the tides rose and fell, and even today, most people only have a vague idea of what drives the tides.  They dictate the lives of many people who live near the sea, and we might even be abl...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ Prior to the modern era, very few people traveled anywhere. It was rare for anyone to travel more than about 20 miles from where they were born.  However, there were a few people who managed to travel quite extensively. In particular, there was one man in the 14th century who might have traveled more than any other person up to...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ New York City has been called the city that never sleeps. It is the world center for finance, the location of the United Nations, and a center for fashion and entertainment.  But why did this city become so important, and why did such an important city get founded where it is? Was it chance, was it history, or was it geography?...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ I’m sure all of you are familiar with Watergate. You also might be familiar with Gamergate, Contragate, Pizzagate, Partygate, Chinagate, Deflategate, Sandpapergate, Winegate, and Chinagate.  There are dozens and dozens more of these scandals which have all been named with the suffix -gate.  But why do scandals get affixed with...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ Almost 2,800 years ago the Ancient Greeks held a sporting event every four years on Mount Olympus.  The festival was part competition, part religious celebration, and it was considered so important that wars would come to a halt in honor of the games. Then in the 19th century, one man came up with the idea of bringing the games...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ Computers have obviously transformed our world. You wouldn’t be listing to my voice right now if it wasn’t for computers.  However, the first computers, a device that could perform arbitrary calculations, actually came well before electronics. It was made of gears, cogs, and levers, and it was able to perform mathematical calcu...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ For thousands of years, humans have traveled on the water and have wondered if it was possible to travel under the water like a fish.  The idea of underwater travel stuck around for centuries, but eventually, humans did figure out how to travel underwater, even if the first efforts were not successful.  Learn more about the sub...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ On February 25, 1959, a group of 10 hikers set out in the middle of the Russian Winter on what was to be a 10-day excursion into the wilderness.  One of the hikers returned early. The other nine were never heard from again.  Week’s later their bodies were found, and it spawned a mystery that researchers are still trying to solv...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ If you have ever looked at a map of the Caribbean, you might have noticed that the tiny islands in the Lesser Antilles consist of a whole bunch of tiny, independent countries.  All of these countries became independent around the same time, got their independence from the same country: Great Britain. Given their common history...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ When you think of international trade and globalization, you probably think it is a relatively modern phenomenon. However, the roots of globalization actually go back thousands of years.  While there were many products that were originally traded, there was one particular category of goods that drove trade like no other: spices...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ Most people think that the second world war started in September of 1939 when Germany invaded Poland.  However, that was only the beginning of the European war.  The conflict in Asia, however, actually began much earlier. What both the European and Asian theaters have in common is they started with an invasion by a belligerent...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ They are so ubiquitous that most people don’t even realize that they have an origin. They are so commonly used that some of you might have them in your hands right now.  Yet, the objects we use to eat do have very definite histories.   Moreover, around the world, we often use very different objects to consume our food, and some...

Subscribe to the podcast!  https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/ 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 t...