In the east end of Glasgow during the 1980s there were epic conflicts between warring ice cream truck operators over turf that came to be known as the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars. These conflicts resulted in regular occurrences of violence and intimidation, usually on a daily basis. This culminated in the deaths of six people from the family of one […]
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There aren’t a great number of positive things that can be attributed to the Great Depression. However, Scrabble is a game that probably wouldn’t have existed without it. It all began with an unemployed architect by the name of Alfred Mosher Butts of Poughkeepsie, New York. Thanks to his excessive free time while unemployed, he decided to invent a word […]
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Today in History: March 11, 1425 B.C.E. Thutmose III is considered one of the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt. He excelled both a general and as a statesman, and during his reign Egypt reached the height of its power and prestige. When his father Thutmose II died, the boy who would become Thutmose III was only ten years old. His […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about a Japanese man who continued fighting WWII decades after it ended, because he thought the war was still going on. [TRANSCRIPT] We’re also happy to say that Squarespace is offering a 10% discount to all our listeners, which you can get by going to squarespace.com and signing up with the offer code: […]
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Our resident medical expert, Scott, and a buddy of his recently started The Medicine Journal, where you can learn all sorts of interesting facts about all things medical related. Below is their third video. If you like it, please subscribe to their YouTube channel here If you liked this video, you might also enjoy: How the Human Body Generates Electricity […]
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Today I found out why we throw coins into fountains and how the tradition got started. People have been throwing coins into fountains seemingly as long as there have been coins and fountains. The tradition all started with water. Water, of course, is vital to sustain human life. While many people in the developed world today have clean, drinkable water readily […]
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This is thought to have its origins in bowling tournament prizes. Late eighteenth and early nineteenth century prizes given out during these tournaments were often food items, such as a basket filled with various grocery items, a large ham, or the like. Particularly around Thanksgiving in the United States, turkeys became common prizes. At some point (no one knows the […]
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Today in History: March 10, 1988 Andy Gibb rose to the top of the pop heap starting in 1977 with his first single “I Just Want to Be Your Everything,” followed by “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” and 1978’s “Shadow Dancing.” His first three singles all shot to number one, a feat that Justin Beiber, or anyone else for that […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The “House of Horrors” Hotel and One of America’s First Serial Killers Herman Webster Mudgett was born in 1861 in New Hampshire to a relatively wealthy family. He was reportedly extremely intelligent from a young age, and went on to study medicine […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn whether there is any truth to the idea that listening to Mozart will make you more intelligent. [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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Depending on where you live, you may have noticed that coupons have small print stating they are worth some fraction of a penny, usually something like 1/100th or 1/20th of a penny. In truth, the coupons really are worth this and if you wanted, you could redeem them for their cash value. Of course, you’d need a large quantity of […]
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When you think of World War I, you probably think of the technology that made this war so deadly: tanks, machine guns, gas attacks, and bombs. With so many deadly weapons at their disposal, it seems impossible that soldiers would need the humble horse to fight as well. But over a million horses were used by Great Britain alone during […]
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Cindy asks: This is kind of ewww, but I read that eating your own boogers helps boost your immune system. Is this true? Does physically taking boogers out of your nose, putting them in your mouth and swallowing boost your immune system? The short answer is probably not. You ingest your snot all the time without needing to channel it […]
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Today in History: March 7, 1981 18 year-old Mel Yorba entered Disneyworld with several friends on March 7, 1981. By some accounts, the teenager and his friends were pretty tanked. Drunk or not, Yorba pinched the butt of a passing girl, who immediately alerted her boyfriend, 28 year-old James O’Driscoll. He wasn’t having that, and began chasing Yorba through the […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn how two teenagers, $100, a bicycle borrowed from a friend, and a little elbow grease comprised the humble origins of what today is one of the largest companies in the world. [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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This isn’t just a popular metaphor, it’s actually true. One bad apple will absolutely quickly spoil an entire box of apples. The obvious way this can happen is simply if one of the apples is infested with some fungi or critters that reproduce and spread throughout all the apples in a box, ruining them as they go. The less obvious, […]
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For a few bloody weeks in August and September 1874, in an effort to retake control of their communities, white supremacists rampaged across Louisiana. By the time the smoke cleared (and federal troops arrived), at least six white men and many dozens of black freedman had been killed. The Carpetbaggers Following the end of the Civil War, a white man […]
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For eighteen years, Ben Franklin, the great American inventor, diplomat, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, was a tenant in a beautiful four story Georgian house at 36 Craven Street in London, mere blocks from the River Thames. As ambassador from the colonies, he entertained, lived, and even allowed other intellectuals of the time to stay at the house […]
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