When it comes to war, innovation is key and WWII saw more insane ideas and weapons of war developed than perhaps any before it. One of the more surreal was the Antonov A-40, colloquially known as the tank that could fly! Known in Russia as the, крылья танка (literally, “Winged Tank”), the Antonov A-40 was the end result of one, […]
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Today in History: February 19, 1934 In what would become one of Hollywood’s longest lasting unions, Bob Hope and Dolores Reade wed on this day in 1934, just a year after Hope had divorced his first wife, Grace Troxell. Hope and Reade’s marriage endured almost 70 years until Hope’s death in 2003 at the age of 100. Dolores passed away […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn the origin of the standard QWERTY style keyboard and how it came to dominate in many regions of the world. 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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Jamie M asks: When did having young teenage girls marry stop being so widespread? A long, long time ago. Marriage in the Ancient World In the Western world (and generally speaking) before imperial Rome, girls were deemed sufficiently mature for marriage and sex when they first started menstruation (and boys, by the way, when they developed pubic hair). Marriage was […]
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Martha was a very lonely bird. She had once been part of a pair, with her male counterpart George, but he had died several years before. So, for the final years of her life, Martha sat in her one-bird cage alone. The Cincinnati Zoo offered a thousand dollar reward (about $23,000 today) to anyone who could track down a mate […]
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Today in History: February 18, 1478 The antics of the feuding Plantagenet family wrangling for the English crown during the War of the Roses set the standard for all dysfunctional families to follow. Family loyalty meant very little to this bunch when it came to winning the throne of England. George Plantagenet, born in 1449 to the Duke of York […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the mysterious disappearance of the original Olympic flag, and how it was somewhat humorously “discovered” again some 77 years after that disappearance. [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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Jon Le-Bon / Shutterstock.com Featureflash / Shutterstock.com carrie-nelson / Shutterstock.com meunierd / Shutterstock.com Text Version: Fact #681: There’s an urban legend that states that Coca-Cola was originally green in color. In fact, the original formula for Coca-Cola was also brown like it is today. The whole “Coca-Cola was green” myth started around the same time Coca-Cola was commonly sold in green […]
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Harriet W. asks: What is the difference between brown and white eggs? There are all sorts of rumours surrounding brown eggs and white eggs. Some people say that brown eggs are better for you and contain more nutrients; some people think brown eggs taste better; some think that brown eggs are better for cooking things like quiches, while white eggs […]
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Today in History: February 17, 1993 It is estimated that as many as 900 people may have lost their lives when the Neptune, a dangerously overloaded passenger ferry, overturned near the coast of Haiti on this day in 1993. Some estimates claim as many as 2,000 people were on board at the time, though this may be an exaggeration. Whatever […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. When a Tulip Cost More than a House Despite how it sounds, “Tulipmania” does not refer to just a general love of tulips; it was actually one the world’s first recorded major financial bubbles. Long before the dot com frenzy or the […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn why no Olympian would be caught dead using the official Olympic salute anymore, and where the salute is ultimately thought to come from. [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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Find more from this author at All That is Interesting a part of the PBH Network. Subscribe to their newsletter here. Sam Patch: Before Evel Knievel was a twinkle in his father’s eye, Sam Patch was thrilling audiences across America. As a child laborer in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Patch would entertain his friends by jumping off the mill dam. By […]
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Laury asks: What causes morning sickness? Most mothers will tell you that “morning sickness” is a misnomer, and that it should really be called “all day sickness.” In fact, it’s sometimes called “nausea and vomiting during pregnancy” or NVP. Pregnant women have been experiencing this unfortunate side effect of growing a parasite… err human inside them seemingly for as long […]
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Jamie M. asks: When did people stop thinking it was OK to marry your cousin? In modern western society, marrying your cousin is not well accepted, particularly in the United States. Through a combination of old prejudices and present-day conventional wisdom about inherited birth defects, first cousin marriage is seen by many as a little too close for comfort, as […]
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Today in History: February 14, 1988 22-year-old speed skater Dan Jansen was widely favored to take the gold in both the 500- and 1,000 meter events at the Calgary Winter Games in 1988. If he hadn’t suffered a tragic personal loss just hours before the first competition, events may have played out quite differently for the young Olympian. The day […]
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