Gage A. asks: Was the man in the iron mask a real person? On November 19, 1703, a tomb in the Bastille’s Saint Paul Cemetery welcomed the corpse of a man who had spent almost the last four decades of his life in various prisons of France. He is without a doubt the most famous prisoner in French history, even though […]
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This Day In History: October 8, 1971 John Lennon’s second solo album Imagine, the follow-up to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, was released on October 8, 1971 in the U.K. (It had been released the previous month in the U.S.) Imagine was an artistic and commercial triumph, and proved to be the high water mark of Lennon’s career until his final […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn how exactly smoke alarms detect smoke. [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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Eliminating the unnecessary u, many duplicate consonants, the redundant e, converting diphthongs into simple vowels and turning the combination of e and r at the end of a word the right way around, Americans significantly changed the spelling of many English words. And it was done with the best of intentions – to make spelling easier. American English began to […]
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Tom R. asks: Who invented tasers? Early use of an electronic control device, like the TASER, by law enforcement occurred in the 1960s when American police officers used electric cattle prods to disperse Civil Rights activists. As for the earliest cattle prods, this came about when inventor John Burton of Wichita, Kansas received a patent (US427549 A) in the late […]
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This Day In History: October 7, 1943 On Wake Atoll in the South Pacific, there is a gravel path edged by white coral leading away from the road and toward the water. On the shore of the turquoise lagoon, the highest coral boulder bears a chiseled inscription. It reads: “98 US PW, 5-10-43.” This is a self-written epitaph of a […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn how exactly figure skaters are able to spin around at incredible rates without seemingly getting dizzy at all. [TRANSCRIPT] And for those curious about more detail in terms of the physics of how figure skaters are able to spin so fast, you can read up more on it here. Don’t miss future episodes […]
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Sarah H. asks: Why do Americans only use toilet paper and not bidets? A mini-shower for your nether region, bidets are a popular way worldwide to keep said regions tidy, and there are plenty of extremely inexpensive options for easily outfitting any standard toilet with one. So why has this popular bathroom fixture not caught on in the United States? […]
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Kelly asks: Is it true that men snore more than women? If it is true, why and if not where did this stereotype come from? Thanks! When humans sleep, the muscles around our throats relax and cause the airways to narrow. Snoring occurs when certain soft tissues—such as the soft palate (or roof of the mouth), the uvula (the dangling […]
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This Day In History: October 6, 1866 An innovation in the world of Wild West crime was made on October 6, 1866 when the Reno gang committed the first robbery ever made on a moving train. (There was an earlier one committed by guerrilla soldiers in 1865, but it’s thought to have taken place while the train was stopped). Robbing […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Why Asparagus Makes Pee Smell The smell comes from the way certain chemical compounds in asparagus break down inside people’s bodies. This is why cooking asparagus in various ways does not result in the same smelly byproduct; the specific digestive enzymes that […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about one of Americas early serial killers, what motivated her to do it, and how she got away with it for so long (and perhaps even got off scot-free). [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 […]
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Shortly after the Normans conquered England in 1066, their monarch, William, seized all of the lands, then divvied up control among those soldiers and nobles who helped him defeat the Anglo-Saxons (and keeping a fair bit for himself). However, as dramatic as that was, it is even more shocking that today, most of Britain remains in the hands of the […]
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It was March 14, 1932 when George Eastman, famed inventor, philanthropist, and founder of Eastman Kodak, invited a few loyal friends over to witness the rewriting of his will. He had made the decision to give a good portion of his money and prized possessions, including his enormous mansion, to the city he called home for his whole life- Rochester. […]
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This Day In History: October 3, 1967 On October 3, 1967, Woody Guthrie, legendary icon of the 50’s folk music revival, died of Huntington’s Disease in Queens, New York at the Creedmoor State Hospital. A prolific artist, Woody composed almost 3,000 song lyrics, authored two novels, and wrote poems, plays and prose during his lifetime. He served as an inspiration […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the bizarre tale of Mike the Headless Chicken, who went on living for a year and a half after his head got cut off, and how he managed this. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: Daily […]
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In this phenomenal video from Brady Haran on his Sixty Symbols channel (subscribe here) featuring Professor Philip Moriarty, you’re going to learn whether atoms ever actually touch or not, as well as what it even means for two things to come in contact. If you liked this video, be sure and subscribe to this channel and check out the many, […]
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Ryan F. asks: Why do we say someone “footed the bill”? Turning a noun into a verb and then employing it in a way that seems completely out of context, the phrase “foot the bill” has long been used to mean paying the cost of something (that usually benefits more than one person). The first written record of the phrase […]
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