Today I found out why Dalmatians are commonly firehouse dogs. Dalmatians as firehouse dogs have become so common in books and movies that it’s practically a stereotype. It turns out that Dalmatians actually really do have a strong history in the firehouse, and they used to have some purpose, too. Before fire trucks, there were horse-drawn carriages. One of the […]
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The Bermuda Triangle is a large area of ocean between Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda. Over the last few centuries, it’s thought that dozens of ships and planes have disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the area, earning it the nickname “The Devil’s Triangle.” People have even gone so far as to speculate that it’s an area of extra-terrestrial activity or […]
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Today in History: January 23, 1849 On this day in 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first known woman in the United State to earn a medical degree, graduating first in her class from Geneva Medical College in upstate New York. (There may or may not have been women in the U.S. before her who achieved this as well, but disguised […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about whether or not “French” Fries are really French and the fascinating history of the potato in the western 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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Seth asks: Where does the expression “open a can of worms” come from? For the uninitiated, the expression “to open a can of worms” means to attempt to solve one problem, or to do something, that creates a whole litany of other problems that were not there in the first place. The idiom has become a journalistic and writing cliche […]
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Mike asks: Why does everyone say the U.S. is a Democracy when it’s really a Republic? Frequently, politicians, and many ordinary Americans, refer to the United States as a democracy. Others find this aggravating because, unlike in a democracy where citizens vote directly on laws, in the United States, elected representatives do – and, therefore, the U.S. is a republic. […]
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Today in History: January 22, 1901 When Queen Victoria died on January 22, 1901 at the age of 81, she had reigned for 63 years, longer than any other monarch in English history. Most of her subjects had known no other sovereign but her, and her death was both a shock and a genuine blow to the millions who populated […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about an instance where the Beatles inadvertently offended a dictator and the aftermath of that act. 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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The world’s most commonly used spice, Piper nigrum, starts life as berries in a clump on a flowering vine (like grapes). Native to Southern India, today pepper is grown throughout the tropics. Archaeological evidence of people using pepper goes back to at least 2000 BC in India. It is known that pepper was exported, but to what extent remains a […]
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Today I found out about the man-eaters of Tsavo. In 1898, the British were in the process of building a railway bridge over the Tsavo River in Tsavo, Kenya. Over the next nine to ten months, the Indian railway workers hired by the British, as well as native Africans in the area, were terrorized by two lions. At the time, […]
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Today I found out about the Great Emu War of 1932. Emus are native to Australia, and as everyone knows, nearly everything in Australia seems capable of killing you. If the sun doesn’t do it, there are still redback spiders, funnel webs, and Taipans, and others to contend with. It should come as no surprise, then, that the emu—part ostrich, […]
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Today in History: January 21, 1959 Carl Switzer was best known as Alfalfa, the freckled-faced character with the uncontrollable cowlick from the popular Hal Roach “Our Gang” films. Switzer joined the cast when he was seven years old, and appeared in over 75 of the classic shorts. Alfalfa had many stand-out moments during the series, but the one he is […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the interesting case of the bear who joined the Polish military and fought in WWII. 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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Kara asks: Did unicorns ever exist? On November 30, 2012, the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s government “news” agency, reported that scientists had “reconfirmed” the existence and location of the final resting place of the unicorn ridden by King Dongmyeong, the founding father of Goguryeo of an ancient Korean kingdom. The unicorn’s grave was located under a rock near […]
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Embed This Infographic [Source: Today I Found Out] If you liked this infographic, you might also enjoy: 10 Interesting Medical Facts Part 1 10 Interesting Things About the Human Body Part 1 10 Fascinating Facts About the Human Body Part 2 10 Fascinating Facts About the Human Body Part 3
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Today in History: January 20, 1949 J. Edgar Hoover founded the Federal Bureau of Investigation and ran it with an iron fist (and quite possibly prettily painted fingernails) for 48 years. During the early days, Hoover and his G-men were looked upon as America’s guardian angels – keeping the U.S. safe from plotting radicals, cross-country bank robbers/thrill killers, and Nazi […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. From Dream to 3-D Reality: The Fascinating Origin of Pixar Before a story about toys, before monsters went corporate, before anyone went searching for Nemo, and before twenty seven Academy Awards, Pixar was a high-end computer hardware company whose clients included the […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about a group of monks that used to practice self-mummification via an excruciating and lengthy ritual while the monk was still alive. 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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