Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography, & More

If I were to say “prisoner of war interrogator” something rather menacing probably comes to mind. If I were to say “Nazi prisoner of war interrogator” something really menacing probably comes to mind. And If I were to say the “the greatest Nazi prisoner of war interrogator”, you are probably imagining a truly horrifying, evil person. Learn more about Hanns Schraff, and his surprising story, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Navigation on the open ocean is extremely difficult. It is a skill that takes years to master. Even with years of skill, an experienced mariner was still able to ground their ship on an unseen reef, underwater rocks, or a sandbar, because they didn’t know their precise location. The main problem, which was unsolved for centuries, was determining your longitude. Learn more about the longitude problem, and how it was eventually solved, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Standing next to an extremely tall structure can be an exhilarating experience. Something which was no less exhilarating to early humans. Ever since humans created the first pile of rocks, we have been trying to build ever-larger piles of rocks. These piles of rocks eventually evolved into structures hundreds of meters tall. Learn more about the structures which have held the title of the tallest in the world, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hollywood is known the world over for being the center of the motion picture industry. But did you ever wonder why the movie business is centered there or why it hasn’t moved somewhere else? Well, it all has to do with a clause in various union contracts. Learn more about the Thirty Mile Zone, or the TMZ, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On December 6, 1917, one of the greatest tragedies of World War I took place. In a single instant, 1,782 people, mostly civilians were killed. However, this tragedy didn’t take place on the fields of Belgium or in a trench in France. It took place in the harbor of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Learn more about the Halifax Explosion, one of the worst disasters of World War I, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Running a restaurant is a very difficult business. Most restaurants barely make a profit, and it isn’t unheard of for a series of restaurants to shuffle through the same building as one goes out of business after the other. Longevity in the restaurant game is very difficult. Even if you manage to make your restaurant a success, you aren’t guaranteed that your children will want to take over the business. There is one restaurant, however, which has managed to stay in business for almost 300 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“E Pluribus Unum”, “Habeus Corpus”, “Carpe Diem”, “Caveat Emptor”. All of these phrases are known by most people, yet they come from a language that has been dead for 1500 years: Latin. Latin is on our money, serves as mottos for universities, and is the foundation for our entire naming system in biology. Many concepts from law and logic are all described by Latin phrases. Learn more about Lingua Latina, the Latin Language on this episode of Totum Ubique Cotidie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1964, New York City disc jockey “Murry the K” humorously dubbed himself the fifth Beatle due to his early promotion of the Beatles on his radio program. Since then, almost two dozen other people have been dubbed the 5th Beatle due to their contributions to the band. Some people dubbed the 5th Beatle was even given the moniker by members of the band themselves. Learn more about the people who have been dubbed the 5th Beatle, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1598 the Dutch Empire acquired the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. There they found a short, fat, flightless bird that was only found on that island. The bird had absolutely no fear of humans, but perhaps it should have. In 1662, just 64 years later, the last known bird was sighted, and after that, the entire species went extinct. Learn more about the dodo bird and how it disappeared on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the very days of the United States, the country was mostly made up of farmers. They primarily ate the food which they grew, and maybe hunted to supplement their diet. They also drank. Alcohol. A lot of alcohol. In fact, the amount of alcohol consumed by early Americans on average might have been more than any other people in human history. Learn more about the alcohol consumption habits of early Americans on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth Swaney was born in 1984 in Oakland, California. She attended the University of California Berkley where her only athletic accomplishment consisted of serving as the coxswain of the men’s rowing team. Elizabeth, however, desperately wanted to be an olympian. The only thing standing in her way was a complete lack of athletic ability. Her lack of athletic ability didn’t stop her, and in 2018, she managed to achieve her goal of competing in the Olympics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When people from prehistory created the first works of art on the walls of caves, they used the colors that they found around them. Almost all of the early cave art is drawn in black or dark red. As time progressed, humans figured out how to create more colors and they began using them in more and different ways. However, some colors were very difficult to create and those who could do it became fabulously rich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think of languages and countries usually coincide. Germans speak German, the French speak French, and the Spanish speak Spanish. While this is largely true, it isn’t totally true. There are a host of small, regional languages which are only spoken by a few people. These languages are often ignored because they aren’t associated with a country. Learn more about the languages in Spain which are not Spanish on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charles Cunningham Boycott was not a well-liked person amongst his neighbors in Ireland. No one would talk to him, no one would sell to him, and no one would work for him. He was so disliked that his very name became synonymous with refusing to do business with someone. Learn more about Charles Cunningham Boycott and how his name became a part of the English language on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year, around this time, one of the largest entertainment events is held. Wrestlemania. However, this isn’t just a wrestling show. How it came about is a story of business consolidation, modern media, and celebrity culture. Even if you aren’t a fan of professional wrestling, the story behind the business of Wrestlemania is fascinating. Learn more about Wrestlemania on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At 9:30 am on July 2, 1881, at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., James Garfield, President of the United States was fatally shot. It is an event that, quite frankly, doesn’t really get the attention that other political assassinations have received. The story behind how and why it happened is as fascinating as any in American History. Learn more about the Assassination of President Garfield on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Located in the middle of Rome, the capital of Italy, is what many people consider to be the smallest country in the world: Vatican City. However, Vatican City isn’t like other countries. At all. It is different in almost every respect to any other country, so much so, that it is reasonable to ask why the country even exists. Learn more about Vatican City, and why it is even a thing, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ancient world created many incredible wonders. The Pyramids of Giza, The Great Wall of China, and the Colosseum are just a few of the great wonders which are still standing. However, one of the greatest achievements is one that didn’t leave any physical monuments. Its legacy is the people who live on the remote islands in the Pacific Ocean. Learn more about the Polynesian navigators and how they explored the Pacific on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1776, 13 British colonies in North America declared their independence. If you got a brand new country with that new country smell, what’s the first thing you need to do? Well, you need to come up with a name for the country. Believe it or not, The United States of America wasn’t everyone’s first choice. Learn more about the name of the United States on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you think of Spain, you probably think of a predominantly catholic country with major cathedrals and churches in every village. However, most of the Iberian peninsula for almost 800 years was under Muslim control. The legacy of the Moorish occupation can still be seen in the names of places and some of Spain’s most historic buildings. Learn more about Al Andalus, the area of Muslim-controlled Spain, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m a podcaster who makes podcasts. You are a podcast listener who listens to podcasts. This is a podcast by a podcaster about podcasts for people who listen to podcasts. Because a podcast about podcasting is the ultimate podcast for podcasters. Learn more about podcasts on this episode of the Everything Everywhere Daily….Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hedy Lamarr was one of the most beautiful women in the world. She was a Hollywood star who appeared in films with the likes of Clark Gable and Spencer Tracey. But she was much more than just a pretty face. She was also an inventor who created one of the technologies which have helped develop the modern world. The fruits of her labor can be found in Bluetooth and wifi today. Learn more about Heddy Lamarr and her invention which helped shape the world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On December 11, 1941, Nazi Germany declared war on the United States. The interesting thing about this decision is that they didn’t have to do it. In fact, it would have been far better had they not done it. This decision has been one of the biggest mysteries of World War II. Learn more about why Hitler declared war on the United States on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every day on April 1st, you have to be careful what you read and hear. This day, known to accounts as the beginning of the second quarter, is known to most people as April Fool’s Day. Why do we have a day where we try to trick people, and why does that day occur on April 1st? Learn more about April Fool’s Day on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In northern Greece, lying off the larger Chalkidiki peninsula is a place that is unique on planet Earth. It only has a population of about 2,400 people scattered across 20 settlements and some random people living by themselves. What makes this area unique is that all 2,400 of its citizens are monks and all are men….and women are not allowed to even enter. Learn more about the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About 1500 years ago, a group of people that we would now call Vikings landed in what we now call England, and created a language we now call Old English. Fast-forward to today, and people from 140 countries are listening to a podcast in a dialect we call American English. How did nordic invaders lead to a language which is now spoken on all seven continents? Learn more about the history of the English language on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you think of Spain, you probably think of a European country which has its arm around Portugal and the eat tapas and paella. However, what if I told you that Spain is also an African country? In fact, it is the smallest country in Africa, and no, I’m not talking about the Canary Islands. Learn more about Ceuta and Mellia, the African parts of Spain, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is an old adage about warfare that says “amateurs talk about strategy, whereas professionals talk about logistics”. There is a great deal of truth to this statement. While history books have given a great deal of attention to the D-Day landing at Normandy, what has been almost totally ignored is the incredible logistical effort which was required after the landing. Learn more about the Red Ball Express Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isaac Newton is one of the most important scientists in the history of the world. His discoveries have impacted almost every aspect of physics, and a huge part of the first two semesters of any physics course is dominated by his discoveries. It raises an interesting question: If Nobel Prizes were given out when Newton was alive, how many would he have won? Join me as I play fantasy Nobel Prizes with Sir Isaac Newton on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The internet is often considered to be an open environment where no one really controls anything. A company or a person might have control over a particular website but in the big scheme of things you can set up whatever websites you want without anyone’s permission. This is mostly true, but not totally true. If you keep going up the chain of control on the internet, you will eventually reach the top, where there sit people who hold seven keys. Those keyholders are ultimately the ones who control the internet. Learn more about the internet’s key masters on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sign up for the Travel Photography Academy: http://TravelPhotographyAcademy.com -------------------------------- Associate Producer Thor Thomsen Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/EEDailyPodcast/ Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the unique things about track and field is that you don’t just compete against your immediate competitors, but you are also competing against the clock or the tape measure. That means you can compare achievements with people in the past, and that means world records. You would expect world records to fall over time, but there are a small number of records that haven’t been broken in decades and no one has even come close to breaking them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

William Shakespeare is widely considered one of the greatest poets and playwrights in the history of the English language. However, over the last two centuries many people have begun to wonder if William Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon, England was indeed the person who wrote the works which have been attributed to him. If you look at the evidence or the lack thereof, they aren’t necessarily crazy for thinking it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve done several episodes pertaining to Ancient Rome. The reason is that so many of the foundational things in our world, from our alphabet to our calendar, to the names of our months, all can be traced back to Rome. During these episodes, I’ve often talked about the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. However, many people might not realize what the difference is between the two. When did the republic become an empire, and why? Learn more about the Roman Republic and Empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Soccer, aka football, is the most popular sport in the world. Of all the professional leagues in the world, there is one that has achieved a level of success and competition above all others. Spain’s Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, otherwise known as La Liga. Learn more about La Liga, and the history of football in Spain, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Far above the Arctic Circle on the Norwegian island of Spitzbergen, built into the side of a mountain which is permanently frozen, is humanity’s greatest insurance policy. There lie genetic backup copies for much of the world’s agricultural crops. These seeds are stored for a day which hopefully will never come. Learn more about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even if you aren’t a fan of classical music, you are probably at least familiar with what an orchestra is. But have you ever wondered why orchestras use the instruments they do? Or why they have them in that combination, or why it is even called an orchestra at all? And what exactly is a symphony or a philharmonic? Learn all about orchestras on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

World War II was the first major conflict that saw the use of strategic bombers. In the months immediately after the war, the US saw the need for an advanced bomber to replace the bombers which were developed during the war. Moreover, they wanted something bigger, faster, and that used newly developed jet engines. The end result of the process was the B-52 bomber which had its first flight in 1952. Learn more about Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the plane which is still in service today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1967, war broke out between Israel and Egypt. It was the beginning of what would be known as the Six-Day War. As Israeli forces raced across the Siani Peninsula, Egyptian forces took measures to ensure that the Suez Canal wouldn’t be captured. They scuttled ships on either end of the canal to prevent it from being used. Unfortunately, there were ships still in the canal and they got stuck…..for a long time. Learn more about the Yellow Fleet and crews that sailed to nowhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated. Everyone wears a lot of green, there are parades, shamrocks, and a whole lot of drinking. But who exactly was St. Patrick? Why do we celebrate his day? And what does any of this have to do with shamrocks, drinking, and wearing green? Learn more about St. Patrick’s Day and why we celebrate it on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States Constitution spells out a very specific process for how to amend the document. First, Congress must vote to approve the amendment. Then the amendment is sent to the state legislatures for ratification. Most amendments never make it through congress. But what happens when an amendment makes it through congress but then doesn’t get approved by the states? Learn more about unratified amendments, and how some of them have become immortal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every so often, you see lottery jackpots that grow to enormous levels. Lotteries such as Powerball and Mega Millions have on occasion grown to have prizes over $1 billion dollars. However, they all pale in comparison to the annual lottery which takes place in Spain every year. The total amount of money given away in this lottery is over double the cash prize given out in the biggest American lottery. Learn more about El Gordo, the Spanish Christmas Lottery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year, around this time, people who live in northern latitude countries turn their clocks ahead one hour. Then, months later, we do the exact same thing in reverse, setting all of our clocks back. Why do we do this? Is there a good reason for it? Should we continue to do it? Learn more about the history and future of Daylight Savings Time on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to most history books, the United States Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. This is a truth, but it really isn’t the truth. At best it could be described as the beginning of the end of the Civil War. Learn more about when the US Civil War really ended on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Australia is what I would call a sporting country. Cricket, rugby, and Australian Football are all incredibly popular sports. Australia has also really punched above its weight in the Summer Olympics, earning an oversized number of medals given its population. Their performance at the Winter Olympics, however, has not been so great. Learn more about the extremely unlikely way that Australia won its first Winter Olympics Gold Medal on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The country of San Marino is one of the smallest countries in the world. It is completely surrounded by Italy, is about 24 square miles in area, and has a population of about 33,000 people. The most interesting thing about San Marino is the fact that it exists. Why didn’t San Marino get sucked into Italy like every other city-state on the peninsula? Learn more about tiny San Marino and why it still exists in the 21st century on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Right now vaccinations are all over the news. There are many companies that have developed vaccines for COVID-19 and there is a good chance that most people in the world will wind up getting a vaccine in the next year or two. Many of you may never have given much thought to what is a vaccine? How do they work, and how were they developed? Well, there are answers to those questions. Learn more about the history of vaccines and how they work on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early hour of March 18, 1990, two police officers enter Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The problem was, they weren’t police officers. They were thieves. In a little over an hour, they stole 13 valuable works of art which had a combined value of over $500 million dollars. It was the largest robbery in American history. Learn more about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the late 1950s, NASA recruited military test pilots to become the very first American Astronauts. They underwent an extensive battery of tests to find the very best astronauts for the Mercury program. These men became the Mercury 7. However, at the same time, another round of tests was being conducted on another group of pilots. These pilots were given the exact same physical and mental tests as the astronauts. The only difference was, they were women. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1973, 34 mushers and their dog teams lined to take part in a race that recreated a 1925 event where the medicine was delivered by dog sled to the remote town of Nome, Alaska. Since then, the race has become a global phenomenon and is the best-known dog sled race in the world. Learn more about the Iditarod on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the spring of 1940, the German war machine rolled over the nations of Western Europe so quickly that it surprised everyone, including the Germans. With France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark conquered, there was only one more country left to fall: Great Britain. To topple this final domino, the German high command prepared for the invasion of the island. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices