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

On March 23, 1989, two electrochemists from the University of Utah, Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons, took part in a press conference where they announced to the world that they had achieved sustainable, tabletop nuclear fusion. The events which followed were what is called in scientific circles: a dumpster fire. Yet, despite everything, thirty years later, there is a small but growing community in the world of physics who are sure that something happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In most sports, there are always debates about who is the greatest of all-time. Baseball can argue about Babe Ruth vs Willie Mays. Basketball can argue about LeBron James vs Michael Jordan. However, there is one sport where there is absolutely, positively no doubt who is the greatest of all-time. When it came to Greco Roman wrestling, there is one name that unquestionably stands above all others: Aleksandr Karelin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are from Hungary, you have probably heard the story of Károly Takács. If you aren’t from Hungary, you probably haven’t, but probably should. His story is remarkable not only for what he had to overcome but how he managed to overcome it. Learn more about this remarkable Olympic Medalist on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 8, 1980, officials from the World Health Organization announced that smallpox, the disease which had ravaged humanity across the world for millennia, had been eradicated. Over the last century before the eradication of smallpox, it is estimated to have killed half a billion people. Learn more about humanity’s deadliest disease and how it was eradicated on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1908, in the middle of the Siberian wilderness, near the Tunguska River, an explosion took place which was equivalent in size to the detonation of a 5 megaton nuclear bomb. But it wasn’t a nuclear bomb. Such things didn’t even exist then. It was a mystery that scientists are still trying to figure out today. Learn more about the Tunguska Event on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey is one of the largest, oldest, and most significant buildings in the world. It has served as a holy place for three different religions and has been the focal point for two different empires. Almost, 1,500 years after its construction, it is still making headlines today. Learn more about the Hagia Sophia on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Electoral College is a lot like figure skating. People only care about it every four years. Unlike figure skating, people tend to have a lot of opinions on the subject. Learn more about the past, present, and possible future of the Electoral College on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Smalls was born a slave in 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina. From that humble beginning, he went on to become a war hero, a ship captain, a presidential advisor, and a member of the US House of Representatives. However, he is best known for one of the most daring exploits of the entire Civil War. Learn more about Robert Smalls on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you ask most Americans what makes up the United States, they would tell you the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. They would be right. Mostly. Ever since the founding of the country, the United States has also had territories. Territories have often been training wheels for regions before they became full-blown states. The United States still has territories today. Learn more about the territories of the United States on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many things which have been called ancient mysteries. These are products or techniques which were used in the past which have since been forgotten or lost. Most of these things have been rediscovered, and usually in a way that was better than what originally came before it. There is one thing which truly has been lost in time and we have no idea how it was made. Learn more about Greek Fire, and how it worked, and how we lost the secret on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2002 the BBC did a poll where they named the top 100 Britons in history. It had many people you have probably heard of, including Isaac Newton, Princess Diana, John Lenon, and Queen Victoria. The person who was ranked #2, however, is someone that many people outside of the UK might not have heard of. Yet, he really is one of the most important people when it came to the development of the modern world. Learn more about Isambard Kingdom Brunel on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you wanted to get away from it all? I mean really, really, really, REALLY get away from it all? Then I have got the place for you. Point Nemo. Point Nemo is literally the most remote place on planet Earth. Learn more about Point Nemo and other poles of inaccessibility on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again it is time to investigate the stories which are interesting, but not big enough to justify their own show. It is time for another potpourri episode. This time the common theme is cold, ice, and frozen temperatures. These stories may seem unbelievable but are true. As true as the Stark Family motto that Winter is Coming. With that, join me in this second potpourri edition of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, GPS devices that can determine where you are in the world have become ubiquitous. In fact, there is a very good chance that the device you are using to listen to this podcast has a GPS receiver in it. GPS is used for a wide variety of applications all over the world. It has been called the world’s first global utility. Learn more about the Global Positioning System, how it came to be, and how it works, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You have probably heard the expression “All roads lead to Rome”. Well, it isn’t just a pithy saying to reference how you can take many paths to reach the same goal. It has a very literal meaning and its origin comes from a monument that still, sort of, exists in Rome today. Learn more about the Milliarium Aureum on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1978, a Soviet helicopter pilot flying over the forests of Siberia made an incredible discovery. Not far from the border of Mongolia, up the side of a mountain, he saw a clearing and signs of human habitation. The location was far removed from any other humans. In fact, it was almost 250 kilometers to the nearest human settlement. What they found there was astonishing. Learn more about the incredible Lykov Family on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Located approximately 100km east of Rotterdam, the city of Nijmegen is a mid-sized Dutch city situated on the Waal river that few people outside of the Netherlands are familiar with. For the last several years, every single day regardless of the weather, people of Nijmegen have honored events that took place in the city 76 years ago. Learn more about the city of Nijmegen and the daily Sunset March on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we think of what made human beings into humans beings, one of the first things which come up is the discovery of fire. The control and use of fire is one of the earliest things which our ancestors did which separated us from other apes and began us on the path to becoming modern podcast listening humans. Learn more about how humans came to use fire on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the course of doing research for shows, I often come across interesting facts that wouldn’t really make for an entire episode. They are really interesting, but I’m not sure how I could turn it into even a short daily podcast like this one. So, the solution was to create an episode where I could just randomly put all these loose ends together. With that, I bring to you my first potpourri show, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The currency in the United States is the dollar. You probably already knew that. It is also the name of the currency in over 20 other countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. What is a dollar exactly, and why is that the name of the currency in these countries? Learn more about the history of the dollar on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last 300 years, a debate has raged between mathematicians about who should be credited with the invention of calculus: Sir Isaac Newton or Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz. The sides of the debate have mostly been based on geography with English mathematicians advocating for Newton, and Continental Europeans siding with Leibnitz. Learn more about the war over calculus, even if you’ve never taken a calculus course in your life, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are often told that schools are where you learn how to think, not what to think. Sadly, almost no school curriculum deals directly with logic and the closely related subject of logical fallacies. Fallacies are all around us. Just read something online or watch a few minutes of television and you’ll probably encounter examples of people using fallacious reasoning and logical fallacies. In fact, you’ve probably engaged in it yourself. We’re all guilty of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Dick Fosbury won the Gold Medal in the men’s high jump. He did it by jumping an Olympic record 2.24 meters or 7 feet, four inches. What was remarkable about his accomplishment wasn’t the height he jumped, but how it did it. He didn’t just win a gold medal, he revolutionized the sport of high jumping. Learn more about the Fosbury Flop on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thomas Edison is often credited with the invention of the light bulb. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. If there is any modern invention that really can’t be attributed to a single person, it would be the incandescent lightbulb. Learn about the history behind the incandescent light bulb, perhaps the most significant invention of the 19th century, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eliud Kipchoge is unquestionably the greatest marathon runner in history. He’s won an Olympic Gold Medal, holds the world’s record, and has won 12 of the 13 marathons he has ever entered. However, there was one accomplishment that had been out of reach for Kipchoge and every other marathoner: The 2-hour marathon. On October 12, 2019, Kipchoge managed to break that barrier under some very special circumstances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today the world can communicate with text, images, audio, and video at the speed of light. Most of this is done via undersea fiber optic cables which connect the various continents to each other. All of this modern long-distance communication has its start with the first transatlantic telegraph cable. The first long-distance submarine communications cable which connected Europe and North America in 1858. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many people think that politics and elections in the United States are the most controversial they have ever been. History, however, begs to differ. Perhaps the oddest and most controversial presidential election in American history was the election of 1824. It is an election that doesn’t get a lot of attention given who won and the lack of major issues at stake, but it is one which more people should be familiar with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People didn’t travel much in the ancient world. But, for those who did they developed the ancient equivalent of guidebooks. These were often lists of manmade sites and attractions which any traveler should take the time to see. Over time, one such Greek list was written down and it became known to us as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Learn more about the Seven wonders, how they were built and how they were destroyed, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Roman Catholic Papacy is one of the oldest institutions in the world, second only to the Chrysanthemum Throne in Japan. Since its inception, there have been 266 popes, and a couple of anti-popes as well. The pope is not only the head of a religion but also the leader of a sovereign, albeit small, state as well. The process of choosing a pope is unlike any other in the world. Learn more about the selection process for picking a new pope on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here is a question you’ve probably never bothered to think about before….What is the oldest man made object orbiting the earth? Which, if any, of the really early satellites are still whizzing around up in space? It turns out, the fourth satellite ever put in orbit is still there, 62 years after it was launched. Learn more about Vanguard 1, the world’s oldest satellite, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our ability to measure time is one of the fundamental things which makes us human. We’ve gone from very crude and inexact measures of time to time measurements which are so accurate that it would take billions of years to lose a single second. This increased accuracy has allowed us to navigate the seas, space, and even get directions to a nearby store. Learn about the history of how we keep time on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pandemics can be world-changing events. The aftermath of a pandemic can shape societies and topple empires. Whether it's the flu, smallpox, cholera, or the bubonic plague, these pandemics have killed more people than all the wars in human history. However, pandemics weren’t always a part of humanity. There was a first pandemic that caught civilization by surprise, and the legacy of that pandemic can still be felt in our world today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone is probably familiar with Murphy’s Law which says that “Anything which can go wrong will go wrong.” However, there are many such laws, known as eponymous laws, which are sayings, adages, or truisms, which have been attributed to people over the years. These are not hard and fast mathematical or physical laws, but rather are general truths which can help you see and understand the world better...and they are usually named after someone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While different countries may debate as to what sport should really be called ‘football’, the reality is that the word football describes a broad family of sports all of whom have a very similar background and origin. Just like species with a common ancestor can evolve in ways where they look totally unlike each other, so too did the football sports evolve from a common ancestor into very different forms today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Latin Alphabet has become the most widespread system of writing in the world. Its origins can be traced back thousands of years to Ancient Romans and to civilizations before that. It is probably the single biggest thing that we use today which originated in Rome. Today’s English alphabet, you know that one from the song, is a modification of the system which was used by the Romans, which has had some unique quirks in the past that most English speakers are unaware of. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone loves french fries. It is one of the few things which most people can agree on in the world today. The average American consumes over 16 pounds of them every year, and they have become a staple part of the cuisine in countries all over the world. Yet, why do American’s call them “french” fries? What do the French have to do with it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 31, 2020, Irene Triplett passed away at the age of 90. Her life was rather unremarkable save for one important fact: she was the last person who received a pension from the United States government from the US Civil War. Find out how a woman who died two decades into the 21st Century was still receiving a pension from a war which ended 155 years ago on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If there is one song almost everyone knows it is Happy Birthday to You (yes, that is the actual title of the song, even though everyone just calls it Happy Birthday). Not only has the song been sung at countless children’s birthday parties, but it has also been mentioned in Supreme Court decisions and was the subject of one of the most important copyright cases in history. Learn more about the most famous song in the world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The border between the United States and Canada is the longest border between any two countries in the world. The total length of the land border is 8,891 kilometers or 5,525 miles long. In addition to being the longest border in the world, it is also the longest non-militarized and non-fenced border in the world. With a border that long, you are bound to have some oddities, and the US/Canadian border has plenty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The longbow was one of the most devastating weapons in medieval Europe. It was a weapon that could launch projectiles hundreds of yards and pierce the heaviest of armor. It was the battlefield trump card to heavy armored cavalry. No country adopted and mastered the longbow quite like the English. One reason why they found the military success they did was due to a complete societal commitment to the longbow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Which person can be credited with having saved the most human lives in history? There might not be a direct answer to that question, but one person whose name always comes up is that of Normal Borlaug. Borlaug has been called “Humanity’s Forgotten Benefactor” and was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. His efforts have been attributed to having saved the lives of over a billion people. Yet, few people know who he is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Of the 193 countries in the United Nations, exactly three haven’t adopted the widespread use of the metric system: Myanmar, Liberia, and the United States of America. Of those three, the US is the country that really stands out. It has the biggest economy in the world, does an incredible amount of international trade, and has immigrants from every country in the world If there was one country on paper that should be using the metric system, it is the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Roman Republic, men of senatorial rank could compete for political offices which were placed in a set order and had to be earned sequentially. This hierarchy was known as the Cursus Honorum. The Cursus Honorum was the basis of political and social life in ancient Rome, and the fortunes of entire families could rise and fall based on how high someone could climb. Learn more about the Roman political ladder on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

North America and Europe have much which separates them culturally as well as geographically. One of the biggest differences is in the area of sports. Not just which sports we play, but in how sports are organized. Many people on either side of the Atlantic have no clue how sports are organized on the other side, or at least have major misconceptions. Learn more about how sports are managed and operated in Europe and North American on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lis Hartel was a Danish equestrian competitor in the 1940s and 1950s. She competed in the 1952 Olympics and the 1956 Olympics and she won medals at both. However, her Olympic medals are just the starting point of her fascinating and inspirational story. Learn more about Lis Hartel and her remarkable accomplishments on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Each of the 50 states in the United States has a unique history. 13 of them were originally British Colonies. Some of them were former Spanish or French territory. Most of them were officially US territories before they became states. A few, however, were actually independent countries before they joined the Union…..or at least they sort of were independent countries. Learn more about the states that were once countries on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask most Muslims what the holiest site is in Islam, and they would all obviously tell you it is the Kaaba at the Great Mosque of Mecca. Ask most Christians what the holiest site is in Christianity, and you might get a blank stare or at least several different answers. Through most of Christianity, there has been one place that has been agreed upon as the holiest site, and it has been the cause of wars and disagreements which have continued to this day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For eight seasons, the TV show Dexter showed the fictional life of a crime solving forensics expert who just so happened to have been a serial killer who killed serial killers. This got me wondering, has there ever been a real life Dexter? A killer, or even a criminal, who targeted other criminals? Well, there sort of has been. Learn the story of the real life Dexter on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ancient Romans had a practice called Damnatio Memoriae, which was to banish someone’s memory from public life. It was also sometimes known as oblivion. It called for the complete deletion of the person’s name or image from all statues, inscriptions, coins, and texts. While the practice neither began nor ended with the Romans, they are ones who gave it the name we used today. Learn more about the history of expunging people from history on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sports history is littered with really bad teams. The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t win a single game and wound up losing 26 in a row. The 2012 Charlotte Bobcats went 7-59 for a .106 winning percentage. The 1899 Cleveland Spiders set a record for futility in baseball winning only 20 games out of 154. However, all of those teams are giants compared to the worst professional sports team in history: The Washington Generals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices