Adolph Arthur “Harpo” Marx was a brilliant, delightful, completely original comedian. Any fan of the Marx brothers and the wonderful movies (as I am) knows this. In the Marx brothers movies, Harpo played a childlike character, a kind of ethereal spirit who lived in his own world. He wore a curly wig, a big raincoat, a plug hat, and he […]
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In this video from Hank Green et al. at SciShow, they address the age old question “Why do ears ring?” If you like this video, be sure and subscribe to their channel here. If you liked this video, you might also enjoy: Do Earwigs Really Lay Eggs in Your Ears? Do Your Ears And Nose Continue To Grow As You […]
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Emily A. asks: Why do witches fly on broomsticks? We’ve heard this one. To get high, of course! But seriously, it’s thought the idea of witches flying around on broomsticks came from the practice of concocting “witches flying ointment” (read hallucinogens) and then using a broomstick to administer the drug to certain sensitive regions, thereby bypassing some of the negative […]
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This Day In History: October 21, 1854 Lo! in that house of misery A lady with a lamp I see Pass through the glimmering gloom, And flit from room to room. –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow On October 21, 1854, Florence Nightingale departed for the Crimea accompanied by 38 other women at the request of Sidney Herbert, Britain’s secretary of state at […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn where the tradition of carving pumpkins came from and why we call carved pumpkins “Jack O’ Lanterns.” [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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In the 1st century AD, while his flock was suffering from the sadistic persecutions of the Roman Emperor Nero, the second pope, Linus, put as his top priority, at least as far as we have records of, ladies’ hair. Little is known of Linus, and in fact some accounts dispute that he was even the second pope. Tertullian claimed in […]
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Karl M. asks: Why is it called blackmail when you threaten to reveal something about someone if they don’t give you money? “Blackmail” has its roots in the early 16th century, first used by English farmers living on the England/Scotland border. It derives from the Middle English word “male” which itself is thought to derive from the Old English word […]
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This Day In History: October 20, 1934 One year after Communist troops retreated to the hills to avoid the wrath of Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese Nationalist Party, only 4,000 out of the 86,000 had lived to tell the tale. Even though only five percent of Mao Tse-tung’s forces made it to the end of the Long March to northwest […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Who is McDonald in McDonald’s Restaurant McDonald’s is, without question, the most successful, popular, and influential fast-food restaurant chain in recorded history. The name most commonly associated with McDonald’s is Ray Kroc. Kroc was the entrepreneur who founded the McDonald’s corporation. So […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about an interesting punishment occasionally leveled against certain individuals in Ancient Rome- Damnatio Memoriae (condemnation of memory), where they would attempt to erase all evidence that that person had ever existed. [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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The Greenwood suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma disappeared overnight during the summer of 1921. Known as the “Black Wall Street,” due to being one of the wealthiest black communities in the United States at the time, Greenwood thrived as the home of Tulsa’s large African American community. But the arrest of a young African American man accused of attempting to rape […]
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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of eBay for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. We recently published a couple “Fascinating Cell Phone Related Facts” lists, which you can find here and here, on eBay who is currently running a cell phone selling challenge. Basically, if you’re looking to upgrade your cell phone, they’ll help you […]
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If we were to play a word association game where I said a word and you had to yell out the first color that came to mind, it would probably go something like this: Banana- Yellow; Apple- Red; Boy- Blue; Girl- Pink. We can all understand why yellow and red are associated with bananas and apples, but boys are not […]
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Today in History: October 17, 1961 In the late evening hours of October 17, 1961, 30,000 Algerians were demonstrating throughout the city of Paris to protest a curfew imposed upon them earlier in the month by the city’s police chief. Before the night was over, at least 200 Algerians died at the hands of the Paris police. Violent exchanges had […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn what exactly causes hiccups and some methods to cure them. You’re also going to learn about some of the longest bouts of hiccups ever recorded. [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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James R. asks: Where did peanuts originally come from? The shell of a peanut (not actually a nut) is a pod, and, like other legumes, each pod may contain more than one seed. Although the cultivar common in the United States has two seeds, different peanut varieties will have anywhere from one to four. Nutritious and versatile, peanuts are a […]
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In this video from Hank Green et al. at SciShow, they address the age old question “Is urine sterile?” with an answer that may surprise you. If you like this video, be sure and subscribe to their channel here. If you liked this video, you might also enjoy: How Urine Can Be Used to Make Gunpowder (and Other Interesting Pee […]
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Mark I. asks: Are there any known animals other than humans that intentionally commit suicide? Animal suicide is a hugely controversial issue in the world of animal research and psychology, because although there are numerous documented instances of animals seemingly intentionally ending their own lives, no one is exactly sure whether these cases can technically be classified as suicide. First […]
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