Everything Everywhere Daily
1,469 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1.1K ratingsLearn something new every day!
Everything Everywhere Daily is a daily podcast for Intellectually Curious People. Host Gary Arndt tells the stories of interesting people, places, and things from around the world and throughout history. Gary is an accomplished world traveler, travel photographer, and polymath.
Topics covered include history, science, mathematics, anthropology, archeology, geography, and culture.
Past history episodes have dealt with ancient Rome, Phoenicia, Persia, Greece, China, Egypt, and India. as well as historical leaders such as Julius Caesar, Emperor Augustus, Sparticus, and the Carthaginian general Hannibal.
Geography episodes have covered Malta, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Monaco, Luxembourg, Vatican City, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, the Isle of Man, san marino, Namibia, the Golden Gate Bridge, Montenegro, and Greenland.
Technology episodes have covered nanotechnology, aluminum, fingerprints, longitude, qwerty keyboards, morse code, the telegraph, radio, television, computer gaming,
Episodes explaining the origin of holidays include Memorial Day, April Fool’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, May Day, Christmas, Ramadan, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Canada Day, the Fourth of July,
Famous people in history covered in the podcast include Salvador Dali, Jim Thorpe, Ada Lovelace, Jessie Owens, Robert Oppenheimer, Picasso, Isaac Newton, Attila the Hun, Lady Jane Grey, Cleopatra, Sun Yat Sen, Houdini, Tokyo Rose, William Shakespeare, Queen Boudica, Empress Livia, Marie Antoinette, the Queen of Sheba, Ramanujan, and Zheng He.
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Episodes
The Worst Roman Emperors (Encore)
July 11, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesDepending on how you define it, there were somewhere between 70 to 100 Roman emperors between the ascension of Augustus to the fall of the western empire in 476. A period of about 500 years. Some of them managed to be just and competent rulers who ruled for extended periods of peace and prosperity. Others….were not. Learn more about the worst Roman emperors who ran the gamut from insane to incompetent on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available nationally, look for ...
The Origin of Words and Phrases: Common Idioms
July 10, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesLet me cut right to the chase. This episode is going to be a deep dive into the origin of some common idioms. I don’t want to dance around the subject or have to walk on eggshells, so I’m using this introduction to break the ice. Whether you’re feeling under the weather or ready to burn the midnight oil with us, you’re in for a treat. I will spill the beans on their meanings and origins and explain how to use them, even if you only do so once in a blue moon. Learn more about the origins and ...
Unintended Consequences
July 09, 2024 08:00 - 17 minutesOne of the most famous lines in poetry comes from the poet Robert Burns, who spoke of ‘The best-laid schemes of mice and men.’ The line has been used in reference to the fact that no matter how good the plan or the intentions behind it, things will often not go according to plan. Indeed, there have been times in history when plans have made things far worse than the problem they were trying to solve. But there have also been times when things have turned out better than hoped for reasons not...
The English Premier League
July 08, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesThe most popular sports league in the world in terms of the number of people who follow and watch is the English Premier League. Unlike other sports leagues, the English Premier League is relatively new. It was only created in the early 90s in response to the poor condition of top-division football at the time. Since then, it has brought in billions in revenue for the clubs that have played in the league, as well as some of the world’s highest salaries for its players. Learn more about the...
The Horrible Voyage of the 1905 Russian Baltic Fleet (Encore)
July 07, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutesIn February 1904, the Russian Empire found itself at war with the Empire of Japan over what was territory in the current nation of China. The problem for Russia was that a big chunk of its navy was located in the Baltic Sea, and the war was in Asia. The Baltic fleet was sent on an incredibly long and interesting voyage to get the ships into battle. Learn more about the disastrous voyage of the Imperial Russian Baltic Fleet and how it helped change the course of Russian history on this episo...
How to Lie With Statistics
July 06, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutesMark Twain once said, 'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.' The reason why he placed statistics into its own category is because it is possible to use numbers to misrepresent the truth, distort reality, or outright lie. However, if you know what to look for, you can catch misuses of statistics, and if really pay attention, you can find these misuses almost everywhere. Learn more about how you can lie with statistics on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily...
Questions and Answers: Volume 20
July 05, 2024 08:00 - 17 minutesThe month of July is named after Julius Caesar. In 44 BC, after his assassination, the Roman Senate renamed the month of Quintilis after him in honor of the month he was born. The fact that he was appointed dictator for life probably had something to do with it. All the emperors that came later never changed it, so instead of Quintilis, we have July. So stay tuned for the Quintilis episode of questions and answers on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available national...
The Declaration of Independence (Encore)
July 04, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutesOn July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress of the 13 British colonies in North America issued a document addressing their grievances with the British Crown and stated to the world why they considered themselves to be a free and independent country. That document and its legacy have had a much bigger impact than its signatories could have ever imagined almost 250 years ago. Learn more about the Declaration of Independence, how it came about, and its legacy on this episode of Everything Everywh...
Broadway
July 03, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesOne of the leading destinations for live stage performances is Broadway. The term Broadway, derived from the street in New York City, is not just a name. It's a rich history of notable theaters and a style of performance that has become synonymous with it. But why did theater develop on that particular street in that particular city, what divides Broadway from off-Broaday, and how exactly does Broadway work as a business? Learn more about Broadway, its history, and how it functions as a bus...
Thorium (Encore)
July 02, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesLocated in the 90th place on the periodic table is the element Thorium. Thorium, as with every element, has unique properties, making it useful in certain applications. However, Thorium’s best days might still be ahead of it and might move it to the front of the list of the world’s most important elements. Learn more about Thorium, how it was discovered, and its potential uses on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill Bo...
The Abdication of Edward VIII
July 01, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutesIn December 1936, the United Kingdom underwent its greatest constitutional crisis of the 20th century. The king, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne to marry an American divorcee. This might not seem like a scandal today, but at the time, it threatened to collapse the entire British government when Europe was on the brink of war. The aftermath of the abdication crisis saw the rise of a new king and the birth of an entirely new royal line, a legacy that endures to this day. Learn more about t...
The Drake Equation (Encore)
June 30, 2024 08:00 - 10 minutesIn 1961, at the Green Bank observatory in West Virginia, a small conference was held for astrophysicists. The meeting was organized by Cornell University professor and astronomer Frank Drake. The subject of the conference was the search for extraterrestrial life. In preparation for the conference, he jotted down his thoughts in the form of an equation. An equation that has changed how we think about life on other worlds. Learn more about the Drake Equation and the variables that make it up ...
The North Africa Campaign
June 29, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutesBefore the Allied invasions of Normandy or Sicily in World War II, the ground war against Germany and Italy was first fought in North Africa. The reason why there was even a conflict in Africa was a combination of geography and history. Even though it doesn’t get the attention the war in Asia or Europe receives, the war in North Africa was pivotal to the ultimate resolution of the war in Europe. Had things gone differently, the entire course of the war would have changed. Learn more about th...
Corn aka Maize
June 28, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesThe biggest agricultural crop in the world today, by total weight, is corn. Also known as maize, corn is a crop of the New World. The ancients in China, India, Mesopotamia, and Rome never knew about corn. Yet, since the Columbian Exchange, it has become one of the world’s most important commodities as a source of food, animal feed, and the basis of many manufactured food products. Learn more about corn, aka maize, where it came from, and how it revolutionized the world of agriculture on thi...
Gregor MacGregor and the Biggest Scam in History
June 27, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutesOne of the most audacious scams in history took place in the early 19th century in Britain. A man sold thousands of people a dream of land in the New World. His claims attracted large investments, encouraged hundreds of people to move around the world, and even suckered in members of the royal family. However, his promises were empty, and in the end, shiploads of people were stranded in the middle of nowhere, and many people lost their life savings. Learn more about Gregor MacGregor and on...
The Discovery and Burial of the Remains of Richard III (Encore)
June 26, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutesThe death of a British monarch is a very big event. Thousands of people may take part in the funeral and procession, with millions more lining up to pay their respects and billions more watching on television. This didn’t always use to be the case, however. In particular, there was one English King who not only didn’t get an elaborate funeral, no one knew exactly where his body was for over 500 years. Learn more about the body of King Richard III and how it was lost and then discovered on t...
Air Conditioning
June 25, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesOne of the biggest problems that humanity has faced for thousands of years is heat. Excessive heat made it difficult to work in the middle of the day. Heat was especially problematic in the tropics, where a shockingly large percentage of humanity lived. As cities became more developed, excess heat, all year round, became a limiting factor in how tall buildings could get. All of this was solved with one invention. Learn more about air conditioning and how it helped usher in the modern world...
The Formation of the United Nations
June 24, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesIn the midst of the Second World War, the Allied powers began planning ahead for what the post-war world was going to look like. The Legion of Nations had failed to prevent World War II. If they were to prevent another major war from breaking out in the 20th century, they needed something else. Learning from the lessons from the past, they created a new organization that would ultimately be run by the winners of the war. Learn more about how and why the United Nations was formed on this ep...
The Marginal Revolution (Encore)
June 23, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutesIn most academic disciplines, there is often a single idea or discovery which makes everything fall into place. All of the things which didn’t make sense before suddenly do when looked through this new lens. These eye-opening discoveries usually occur in the hard sciences, but one such advancement also took place in the field of economics. Learn more about the Marginal Revolution and how it changed economic through on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available nationa...
The French Foreign Legion
June 22, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesA popular topic of films has been the French Foreign Legion. The French Foreign Legion was supposed to be an organization where someone could get a new identity and a new start on life, even if they were criminals. They were often stationed in hot, desolate places, where they served out their tour of duty before starting a new life. But how much of the legend surrounding the French Foreign Legion story is really true?? Learn more about the French Foreign Legion, how it was formed and how i...
The Domestication of Cats (Encore)
June 21, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutesDogs and cats are both domesticated, four-legged, fur-bearing mammals. Beyond that, they really don’t have much in common. One of the things that they don’t have in common is how they wound up in the lives of humans. Cats established their relationship with humans at a totally different point in history and for a totally different reason. Learn more about the domestication of cats and how these wild animals wound up as pets on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Availab...
The History of Skyscrapers
June 20, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesIf you were to pick a single visible icon to represent the 20th century, it would probably be the skyscraper. Skyscrapers didn’t really even exist before the 20th century, but by the end of the century, they became ubiquitous in major cities around the world. The skyscraper didn’t just appear out of nowhere. They wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for multiple technical innovations. Continued innovations have allowed skyscrapers to get taller and taller. Learn more about skyscrapers,...
The Moon
June 19, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesAbout 384,400 km or 238,900 miles above the surface of the Earth is our planet's only natural satellite, The Moon. Every culture and civilization on the planet has had the moon play a role in its legends, and they have also used the moon to keep track of time, plant, and harvest. Scientists have wondered where the moon came from and how it was formed, and with data gathered over the last several decades, we now have a better understanding of its origin. Learn more about the Moon, its origi...
Phillip II of Macedon
June 18, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesAlexander the Great was one of the most famous people from the ancient world. He defeated a vastly larger Persian Empire and conquered everything from Egypt to India. Yet, what Alexander achieved wouldn’t have been possible without his father. In fact, if Alexander hadn’t accomplished what he did, his father would probably be the one given the title “great.” Learn more about Philip II of Macedon and how he changed the world of Ancient Greece and laid the foundations for his son on this epis...
Charles Ponzi and His Scheme (Encore)
June 17, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesIn January 1920, an Italian American businessman in Boston started a new company. In order to raise money, he took $100 investments from 18 people and offered them a fabulous return on their money in only 45 days, and he delivered on his promise. Soon people were lining up to give him their money and everything worked great…. …until it didn’t. Learn more about Charles Ponzi, the man whose name is synonymous with fraud, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available nati...
The Danube River
June 16, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesLocated in Central and Eastern Europe is one of the continent's longest and most rivers: the Danube. For thousands of years, the Danube has been a vital river for commerce and agriculture, and it has served as a natural boundary for empires and kingdoms. Today, it is still vitally important to ten countries and has become one of the top tourist attractions in Europe. Learn more about the Danube River and the important role it has played in history on this episode of Everything Everywhere Da...
The History of the Toilet
June 15, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutesIt is one of the most important inventions in history. Almost everyone listening to this has one. You use one almost every day, and if we didn’t have them, the world would be a very different place. I am talking about toilets. It isn’t something we like to talk about in public, but the sanitary removal of waste has been one of the critical components of allowing the development of the modern world. Learn more about the history of toilets and how this simple invention helped shape the moder...
Wu Zetian: China’s Only Female Emperor (Encore)
June 14, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutesIn the very long history of China, it has had exactly one female ruler. She was a woman who managed, against all odds, to inch her way closer to power over a period of years until she reached a point where she could claim power for herself. By all accounts, she was beautiful, brilliant, cunning, and absolutely ruthless. Learn more about Wu Zetian, China’s only female emperor, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill B...
The US Occupation of the Philippines
June 13, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesThe Philippines is one of the largest countries in the world. With a population of 115 million people, it is the 14th largest country in the world in terms of population. However, for a period of 48 years, it was a colony of the United States. That half-century was one of the most important in the history of the Philippines. It saw two major wars, profound social and cultural changes, and laid the foundation for full independence. Learn more about the period of American occupation of the Ph...
The Origins of Wine (Encore)
June 12, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesFor thousands of years, wine has been one of the most important beverages in the world. It has been consumed by common folk and by emperors, and it can be made in a surprisingly wide variety of geographies. It can be made by backyard vintners as well as by megacorporations. It is so important that it plays a central role in some religions, yet it is completely banned by others. Learn more about the history of wine and winemaking and how it has changed over the centuries on this episode of...
The War of 1812
June 11, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutesAfter the American War of Independence, Britain recognized the United States, but it didn’t necessarily make them close allies. Each country had its own agendas, and a generation later, they were butting heads again over a host of issues. The result was another war, but unlike the Revolutionary War, everyone claimed victory, and no one really won anything. Learn more about the War of 1812, its causes, and its resolution on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available ...
The History of Books
June 10, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesBooks are one of the foundational tools of civilization. They allow us to pass knowledge and information between people who don’t know each other, and their compact form allows knowledge to be transported across vast distances. Their permanence allows information to be sent across time such that centuries might separate a writer from a reader. But how did books develop, and in the modern world, is a book still a book if it's purely digital? Learn more about books, where they came from, and...
College Sports
June 09, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesIn the 19th century, several American universities began to compete with each other in several sporting events in friendly intercollegiate competitions. Fast forward over a hundred years, and college sports in the United States is a multibillion-dollar business. How did institutes of higher education become some of the biggest sports organizations in the world? And how did this situation come to be, and why does it only exist in the United States? Learn more about college sports and how it b...
Ninjas (Encore)
June 08, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutesNinjas are awesome. They’re silent, they can turn invisible, and they can totally flip out and kill people, especially their mortal enemies…pirates. …or at least that is what popular culture would like you to believe. Were ninjas really as powerful as they are made out to be? Were they the ultimate silent assassins? Learn more about ninjas, real ninjas, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond at your ...
The Five Good Emperors
June 07, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesDepending on how you define it, there were approximately 70 Roman Emperors. They were a mixed bag ranging from philosophers to the insane, from generals to children. Some were truly horrible, but some were actually pretty good at their job. In particular, there were five consecutive emperors who reigned during the peak of Pax Romana. Learn more about the Five Good Emperors on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill Bottl...
D-Day
June 06, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesOn June 6, 1944, the largest amphibious landing in world history took place on the shore of Normandy, France. The allied forces called it D-Day. The landing marked the commencement of Operation Overlord, a strategic move that heralded the long-awaited opening of the second front in the European war. D-Day was the start of the most meticulously planned events in history and one of the greatest logistical operations of all time. It was also the day that saw some of the war's most horrific and ...
The Apollo Lunar Module
June 05, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesWhen President John F. Kennedy set the objective of landing on the moon before the end of the 1960s, no one really knew what it entailed. The Apollo program involved many incredible feats of engineering, but perhaps the most impressive was the development of the Apollo Lunar Module. The Lunar Module was unlike any spacecraft before or since. It was the first spacecraft designed to fly only in the vacuum of space and the first to land on another celestial body. Learn more about the Apollo L...
A Brief History of Central America
June 04, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutesLocated between Mexico and Columbia, in a strategic area connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific, is the region we call Central America. The countries that makeup Central America were mostly former Spanish colonies, but unlike other Spanish colonies to the north and south, Central America wound up as a series of small countries rather than one big one. But why? Learn more about the history of Central America and how the current borders came to be on this episode of Everything Everywhere Dail...
The History of Money (Encore)
June 03, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesMoney is a very strange thing. All of us use it. We spend it, earn it, and save it. We know it when we see it. Yet, even some of the world’s best economists have a very hard time defining it. It has been around for thousands of years, yet innovation is still being made with it today. Learn more about the history of money, how it came about, and how it developed over time on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill Bottled-...
The St. Scholastica Day Riot
June 02, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutesA common occurrence at many universities is that they have contentious relationships with their local community. This is not a recent development. It is something that has existed ever since universities were developed. The relationship between colleges and local towns was probably at its worst in 1355 when an outbreak of violence occurred at Oxford University. Learn more about The St. Scholastica Day Riot and its 500-year legacy with the local community on this episode of Everything Everyw...
Questions and Answers: Volume 19
June 01, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesThe month of June was originally called Iunius by the Romans. It originally had 29 days and was the fourth month of the year. Today, it has 30 days, and it is the sixth month of the year. It used to be a bad omen to be married in June, and now it is the most popular month to be married in. However, despite all the changes in June, there is one thing that has remained constant: questions and answers. Stay tuned for the 19th installment of Questions and Answers on this episode of Everything E...
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
May 31, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutesIn August of 1964, an event occurred off the waters of North Vietnam that would have repercussions that would echo in US foreign policy for decades. Two alleged confrontations between US Navy vessels and North Vietnamese ships set off a chain of events that resulted in a dramatic escalation in the United States' involvement in Vietnam and a subsequent backlash that would change military policy to the present day. Learn more about the Gulf of Tonkin Incident and the event that began the larg...
The Real Story of Cowboys
May 30, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutesOne of the most iconic images of America is the cowboy. Cowboys have defined entire genres of literature and movies and are the basis for entire styles of fashion. But how did cowboys come about, what exactly did they do, and who exactly became cowboys? Perhaps most importantly, how realistic is our image of cowboys? Spoiler: It's not very realistic at all. Learn more about Cowboys, how they came to be, and how realistic their portrayal in media is, on this episode of Everything Everywhere...
The Destruction and Rediscovery of Pompeii (Encore)
May 29, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesIn the year 79, Mount Vesuvius, a volcano located east of the modern-day city of Naples, erupted. Vesuvius had erupted before, but this eruption was different. It ejected an enormous amount of ash, which completely buried several towns and cities below the mountain. Almost 2,000 years later, the largest of those cities, Pompeii, was rediscovered, and what archeologists found revolutionized our understanding of the ancient world. Learn more about the destruction and rediscovery of Pompeii on...
The Wonderful World of Bees
May 28, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesThere are millions of different insect species in the world. All of them fill some niche in the ecosystem in which they live. However, some species are more important than others. In particular, insect species that are members of the family Apidae, or what you probably know as bees. Bees are some of the most important pollinators in the world. They are responsible for a large amount of plant reproduction worldwide. Learn more about bees, what they are and their importance on this episode of...
The Law of the Sea
May 27, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutesThe world as we know it is made up of 193 countries, Antarctica, and a host of territories. However, between all of those places are the high seas or international waters, which are not controlled by anyone. But where do international waters begin? What can you do in international waters? And how close can you actually sail to another country? Learn more about the Law of the Sea, how it was created, and what it stipulates on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available n...
The Bataan Death March
May 26, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesOn December 8, 1941, as the Japanese were bombing Pearl Harbor, they were simultaneously attacking other Allied positions around Asia. One of the biggest attacks was on Manila in the Philippines and the Filipino and American forces that were entrenched on the Bataan Peninsula. Filipino and American forces ended up surrendering, which began one of the most brutal and horrifying episodes of the entire war. Learn more about the Bataan Death March and how and why it happened on this episode of ...
How Barbed Wire Shaped the West and the World (Encore)
May 25, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutesWhen Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act of 1862, there was a rush of people who moved west to claim the free land that was offered. However, there was a problem. Creating physical divisions for plots of land on the prairie was difficult when there was no stone or wood. Eventually, there was a solution to the problem, which offered a cheap way to divide land…and created a whole host of new problems as well. Learn more about barbed wire and how it shaped the American West, warfare, and...
Joan of Arc
May 24, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesIn 1428, a young girl from the village of Domrémy, France, audaciously set out to meet the heir apparent to the French throne, the Dauphin, and told him what he had to do to defeat the English occupying her country. She claimed that she was told what to do by God. Against all odds, the Dauphin took her advice, and it worked. After a series of military victories, the Dauphin was crowned king, and the young girl went on to become one of the greatest heroes in French history. Learn more about...
Nazis in South America
May 23, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutesOn May 11, 1960, an auto worker who went by Ricardo Klement stepped off the bus after his shift at a Mercedes-Benz automotive plant in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As he was walking home, he was abducted by several men and thrown into a vehicle. This was no ordinary kidnapping, however. There was no demand for ransom. That was because this was no ordinary autoworker. This was actually Adolf Eichmann, one of the masterminds behind the holocaust. Eichmann wasn’t the only member of the German Nazi ...