This Day In History: March 16, 1190 The Jewish people inspired fear, revulsion and hatred among the English during the Middle Ages. They looked and talked a little different, their customs were different, and their religion was different. They were also reviled as the killers of Christ, a Jew who advocated “love thy neighbor as thyself” second only in importance […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. When Lincoln Was Almost Assassinated Nine Months Before He was Assassinated In August 1864, the Sixteenth President of the United States of America was nearly assassinated about nine months before he was actually assassinated. This is the story. Throughout the Civil […]
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This is one of many great videos from the seemingly perpetual great video making machine known as Vi Hart, in which she (once again) does the Pi-Day equivalent of revealing there is no Santa Clause, a.k.a. this time explaining why it’s actually Tau Day. You can subscribe to her phenomenal YouTube channel here. If you liked this video, you might […]
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This is one of many great videos from the seemingly perpetual great video making machine known as Vi Hart, in which she (once again) does the Pi-Day equivalent of revealing there is no Santa Clause, a.k.a. why Pi is a terrible mistake. You can subscribe to her phenomenal YouTube channel here. If you liked this video, you might also enjoy: […]
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This is one of many great videos from the seemingly perpetual great video making machine known as Vi Hart, in which she does the Pi-Day equivalent of revealing there is no Santa Clause, a.k.a. why Pi is not special. You can subscribe to her phenomenal YouTube channel here. If you liked this video, you might also enjoy: The Terrible Mistake […]
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In this episode, you’re going to go down the fascinating rabbit hole of tracing the origin of XOXO meaning “hugs and kisses.” [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: Daily Knowledge Podcast
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Matt J. asks: Was the peanut gallery expression really originally a racial term? Used to refer to those giving unsolicited (and unvalued) advice, the expression “peanut gallery” has its roots in late 19th century vaudeville, although for some, the phrase is considered a racial slur. A typical vaudevillian show of music, drama, comedy, acrobatics, dance and other acts was performed […]
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This Day In History: March 13, 1942 Dogs had been trained for military purposes by both sides during World War I. Once the war was over, the practice was temporarily abandoned. On March 13, 1942, the Quartermaster Corps of the U.S. Army once again began training dogs for the now official War Dog Program called the K-9 Corps. Over a […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about a fascinating transformation that occurs to the lead male partner of a female clownfish when the female dies. Or, in other words, why Finding Nemo is a lie. 😉 [TRANSCRIPT] And for more interesting inaccuracies surrounding the otherwise highly entertaining film, be sure and check out episode #183 of this podcast: A […]
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It was June 1931 when the law finally caught up with Al “Scarface” Capone for good. After three years of building a case against Capone for tax evasion, the FBI was finally ready to arrest and try the notorious gangster. In the October of that same year, he was found guilty on five counts of tax evasion between 1924 and […]
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This Day In History: March 12, 1969 March 12, 1969, was a busy day in the Land of Fab Four. Paul McCartney, the last bachelor Beatle, married his girlfriend Linda Eastman, while George and Pattie Harrison were paid a visit by the Drugs Squad. One of the most enduring marriages in rock began, after a night of intense arguing according […]
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In this episode, you’re going to find out what causes people to go bald, along with a lot of other interesting facts about hair and a very promising potential cure for baldness that is just on the horizon. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: […]
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Few things in childhood are more traumatising than waking up one morning to find your beloved pet fish, Michael Scofield, floating upside down in his tank (true story); his tiny fishy light cruelly extinguished before his time. But why do they float upside down when they decide it’s time to take a ride on the porcelain express? The answer to […]
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Karla S. asks: Why does the week start on Sunday? Why not Wednesday or Friday? As with so many things passed down to us from antiquity, religion is the reason the calendar week starts (for many of us) on Sunday. The first day of the week (for many), Sunday has been set aside as the “day of the sun” since […]
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This Day In History: March 11, 1888 On March 10, 1888, temperatures in the Northeast rose into the 50s after an exceptionally mild winter. Farmers were beginning to ready their fields, crocuses were sprouting in some areas, and people were looking forward to an early spring. By March 11, the region was caught in the grip of what became known […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the time when the Canadian government attempted to make a machine that could detect whether or not someone was gay, with the point at the time being to discover and subsequently fire any government employees who were gay. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You […]
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This is a video from MinuteEarth created by Henry Reich et al. 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 page here. If you liked […]
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John I. asks: Is there anyone buried in the tomb of the unknown soldier or is it just all symbolism? It’s Armistice Day, November 11th, in the nation’s capital. It is a brisk day at Arlington National Cemetery. Dignitaries stand silently on the third anniversary of the ending of World War I, watching as a single white casket is lowered […]
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