Author Archives: Daven Hiskey

Weekly Wrap Volume 90

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Bonsai! Long before the bonsai art form of creating miniature trees came to Japan, the wealthy in China were perfecting their craft known as “penzai” and “penjing.” The former means “tray plant” and the latter “tray scenery.” It is from the […]

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Who Invented the QWERTY Keyboard, the Truth About the Origin of the Fortune Cookie, Fascinating Harry Potter Facts and More

In this week’s “best of” our YouTube channel, we discuss who invented the QWERTY keyboard and how it became the defacto configuration for keyboards, the truth about who really invented the Fortune Cookie, the interesting story behind the song “A Boy Named Sue” and what famous children’s poet wrote it, and a bunch of fascinating Harry Potter facts. Be sure […]

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Weekly Wrap Volume 89

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Truth About Your Flammable Farts Contrary to popular belief, it’s probably not methane leaking from behind that reckless “bros” light on fire (known as pyroflatulence); rather, it’s most likely primarily hydrogen. In a typical, healthy body, human farts are comprised […]

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What Happens When You Freeze Water In a Container That Won’t Let It Expand, Why a Baker’s Dozen is 13 Instead of 12 and More…

In this week’s “best of” our YouTube channel, we discuss what happens when you freeze water in a container that won’t let it expand, why figure skaters don’t seem to ever get dizzy when they spin, how smoke detector’s work, and the fascinating story behind how the dwarf planet Pluto got its name.  Be sure and subscribe to our YouTube […]

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How Bees Make Queens

In this video from the crew at SciShow, they answer the question of how bees make queens along with mentioning a lot of other fascinating facts about our little stinging friends. If you like this video, be sure and subscribe to their channel here. You can also join us in supporting their efforts to make more videos like this by […]

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Why Humans Get Old

In this video from MinuteEarth, they discuss why humans age and how certain other creatures avoid this. If you like TodayIFoundOut, odds are you’ll also greatly enjoy their videos. So go check them out and subscribe to their channel here. You can also join us in supporting their efforts to make more videos like this by donating via their Patreon […]

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Why We Get Ice Cream Headaches, The Rockstar Who has a PHD, What Causes Hiccups and More

In this week’s “best of” our YouTube channel, we discuss why we get ice cream headaches, why engines are commonly measured in horsepower, what causes hiccups, what the Hokey Pokey is all about, and the Rockstar with a PhD.  Be sure and subscribe to our YouTube Channel for many more videos like this. What Causes Ice Cream Headaches Why Engines […]

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Weekly Wrap Volume 88

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Why Some Cheeses Come in Wheels and Others in Blocks Whether a block, a wheel, a cylinder or a pyramid, a cheese’s shape is dictated by concerns with pressure, salt absorption, ripening, economics and/or tradition. Cheeses that are made in wheels, […]

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Fourth of July Fact Round Up

For those in the United States celebrating Independence Day and looking to have something interesting to talk to your friends and relatives about at your respective barbeques, here is some conversation fodder to both make yourself look smarter and avoid having to discuss once again how your cousin’s three year old daughter is already showing every sign of being the […]

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Why We Call the Seasons as We Do, What PEZ Stands For, Who was the First to Pee on the Moon, The Coming Banana Apocalypse, and More…

In this week’s “best of” our YouTube channel, we discuss why we call the seasons Summer, Autumn (or Fall), Winter, and Spring; what PEZ stands for and some interesting things about its creator; the fact that soon enough the type of banana we eat today probably won’t be available in the supermarkets anymore; who was the first to pee on […]

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Weekly Wrap Volume 87

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Dollars to Doughnuts The word “doughnut” is American in origin and traces its roots to the early 19th century. It is presumed to have been a combination of the words dough and nut. It first appeared in print in Washington Irving’s […]

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Encyclopedic Numbers and an Aphasic Man

In this video, produced by the very talented Brady Haran over at Numberphile which you can subscribe to here, Dr. Sarah Wiseman discusses some interesting things about the different ways our brains read numbers and a case of a French Aphasic man who’d lost some of those abilities with some incredibly fascinating results. If you like this video, please join […]

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In Which We Answer the Questions: Do Earwigs Lay Eggs in Your Ears, When Did Humans Start Wearing Clothes, and Much More…

In this week’s “best of” our YouTube channel, we look at whether earwigs really sometimes lay eggs in people’s ears, when humans first started wearing clothes, why certain bedding has tags that say they are illegal to remove, why we toast drinks, and, finally, we also debunk 6 common myths.  Be sure and subscribe to our YouTube Channel for many […]

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Weekly Wrap Volume 86

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Heroic Death of Chariots of Fire’s Eric Liddell Imagine you dedicated your adult life to helping those less fortunate than yourself -that you spent your entire adult life trying to make the world a better place, and when you died […]

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How Many Burgers in a Cow, Why Some Countries Drive on the Left and Others on the Right, The Difference Between Brown and White Eggs, and Much More…

In this week’s “best of” our YouTube channel, we look at how many burgers a typical beef cow produces, the difference between brown and white eggs, whether Isaac Newton really had an apple fall on his head (surprising this one), what size Marilyn Monroe really was, why some countries drive on the right and others on the left, and we […]

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