Learn 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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You’ve seen it in your science classroom, and there was probably a copy of it on the inside cover of your chemistry book. Maybe if you are a real nerd, you might even have your own personal copy. Yet its very creation was a revolutionary breakthrough that helped scientists and generations of students understand the very things that make up our world. Learn more about the Periodic Table of the Elements and how it helped explain the natural world, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sp...
January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. Its name derives from Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions. Janus symbolizes new opportunities and looks both forward and backward. It is often associated with new resolutions, fresh starts, and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, while it marks the peak of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. January also represents something else…..questions and answers. Stay tuned as I answer your questions on this episode of Everyth...
Every year, people around the world ring in the New Year. How they do this, however, can differ radically from place to place. New Year’s traditions tend to be even more varied than Christmas celebrations. As with Christmas, traditions involve drinks, food, and rituals, but usually with a lot more noise and staying up later. Learn more about traditions surrounding how we ring in the New Year on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a...
Discover the fascinating history of Tokyo, a city whose rise to global prominence is relatively recent. Unlike older capitals, Tokyo began as the humble fishing village of Edo, transforming under the Tokugawa shogunate into a major center. The episode details its evolution through the Meiji Restoration, devastating earthquakes and firebombing, post-war recovery marked by events like the 1964 Olympics, and its status today as the world's largest and a leading global metropolis despite facing economic bubbles.
Ever since the advent of broadcast television, one of the staples of television programming has been game shows. Game shows have been around for almost 90 years, and during that time, contestants have won everything from a goat to millions of dollars. Some game shows require an incredible amount of skill, and others require nothing but dumb luck. However, it hasn’t been all fun and games. They have also been the subject of scandal and controversy. Learn more about game shows, how they work, and ...
In 1941, in the midst of the North Africa Campaign, the British found themselves on the ropes. Under General Erwin Rommel's leadership, the German advance threatened Cairo and the Suez Canal. The one thing that was stopping the Germans was that the British still held the strategic port city of Tobruk in Libya. For over half a year, the Germans laid siege to the city, and the British tried to relieve it. Learn more about the Siege of Tobruk and its importance in the North Africa campaign on this ...
Canada, the world's second-largest country, boasts immense geographic diversity from coastlines to varied regions. The episode explores how geography shapes its landscape, population distribution, inland waterways, and even economic factors.
Every year, primarily in Commonwealth countries, the day after Christmas is a legal holiday. It is a rather odd holiday in that it doesn’t celebrate anything or anyone in particular. Most people who celebrate the day have no clue what the origins of the holiday are, and many of the people who think they know the origins of the day are wrong. Learn more about Boxing Day and how the day after Christmas became a holiday on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your w...
In the winter of 1776, things did not look good for the Continental Army. Everything got off to a great start in 1775, but this year saw a series of defeats at the hands of the British. Things were looking so bad that many Americans thought that the revolution was effectually over. If Washington was to keep the revolution going, he needed a miracle. He needed a Christmas miracle. Learn about the Battle of Trenton and the Christmas attack that kept that revolution alive on this episode of Everyth...
The United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, is one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the United States. Their motto of “Duty, Honor, Country” is something for every cadet that attends the academy to aspire to. However, things haven’t always been that way. There was a period when West Point was downright rowdy and rambunctious. Learn more about the 1826 West Point Egg Nog riot and how the military academy completely went out of control one Christmas on this episode ...
Christmas is the time of year for getting together with loved ones, celebrating, and giving gifts. As a song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Nobody could possibly dislike Christmas, right? Well, some people don’t like Christmas, and historically, some people really don’t like Christmas. In fact, in 17th century England, they actually banned Christmas….and that did not go over well. Learn more about the Plum Pudding Riots and the Puritan War on Christmas on this episode of Every...
In the 19th century, the British and the Chinese went to war on two separate occasions—the reasons why they went to war are both simple and complicated. The more complicated reason has to do with the trade policies of the British Empire and centuries-old entrenched attitudes on the part of the Qing dynasty. The simple reason had to do with pushing drugs as a matter of national policy. Learn more about the Opium Wars, why Britain and China went to war, and how it affected the future of China on t...
Ever since the beginning of the Space Age, some have envisioned landing humans on Mars. There are a few who have taken things a step further. They envision not just landing on Mars but having a population of humans who live there permanently. But how realistic is that dream? Could we actually do this, and if we can’t, what would we need to do? Learn more about building a colony on Mars and what it would take on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your wireless b...
Approximately 3,200 years ago, one of the most momentous events in human history took place. Multiple major civilizations during the Bronze Age collapsed within a generation. International trade ground to a halt, almost every major city around the Mediterranean was destroyed, and much of the world entered a dark age. Despite its significance, this event is one of the least known and understood periods in human history. Learn more about the Late Bronze Age Collapse and its possible causes on this...
One of the most common things in the world are superstitions. Superstitions can be found everywhere and in everyone. Some of them are cultural, and some of them are unique to the person. Some of the most successful people in the world have superstitions, which they observe with rigid dedication. Learn more about superstitions and where they come from on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed MasterClass G...
The First World War was one of the most devastating conflicts in human history. When the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, the fighting might have stopped, but the impact of the war continued. Today, over a century after the war concluded, it can still be felt. Not in the third or fourth-order geopolitical ramifications but in the literal ground where the people of Belgium and France live and work. Learn more about Zone Rouge, the Iron Harvest, and the lingering effects of the First Wor...
Situated on a rocky hill overlooking the city of Athens is a former religious center, military fortress, and cultural hub known as the Acropolis. The Acropolis of Athens is one of the most iconic landmarks of ancient Greece and a symbol of Western civilization. Situated on top of the Acropolis is the Parthenon, a masterpiece of ancient Greek architecture and one of the most recognizable landmarks of classical civilization. Learn more about the Acropolis of Athens, the Parthenon, and their roles ...
One of the world’s most popular snack foods is peanuts. Peanuts are consumed by themselves as a snack, processed in the form of peanut butter, and can be made into peanut oil. Hundreds of different products, including plastics, dyes, cosmetics, paper, and soap, have all been derived from peanut plants. However, unlike other popular foods, for some people, the consumption of peanuts can actually be deadly. Learn more about peanuts, their history, and their uses on this episode of Everything Every...
One of the most common substances on Earth is sand. Most people don’t think very much about sand, but sand is an extremely important part of our world. It isn’t just for building sand castles and going to the beach. Sand is the second most consumed resource in the world after water. There is an entire science to sand, what different types consist of, how it is made, and even how it moves. Learn more about sand and the surprising complexity of a seemingly simple subject on this episode of Everyth...
Located on the island of Java in Indonesia, just 100 kilometers from the capital of Jakarta, lies what might be one of the most important archeology sites in the world. While it has been known to locals for centuries and to professional archeologists for over 100 years, it has only been seriously studied in the last several decades. Some of the estimates of the age of this site, if true, would radically transform what we know about early human civilization. Learn more about Gunung Padang, perhap...
The earliest forms of democracy go back over 2000 years to Ancient Greece. While this early system did have voting, not everyone could vote. In fact, most people couldn’t vote. Voting was limited to free men and then only property-holding men. The expansion of voting rights to women took centuries, but by the 19th century, a movement was taking place in many countries that eventually led to the widespread extension of the franchise to women in the 20th. Learn more about women’s suffrage and how ...
If you ever watch a war movie, you might see a scene where a prisoner of war evokes the Geneva convention to their captors. But what exactly is the Geneva Convention, and what does it say? Why did countries sign a treaty covering ethics in war, of all things? Who is and isn’t covered by the Geneva Convention, and what happened to prisoners of war before the Geneva Convention? …and what happens if a belligerent party doesn’t honor the Geneva Convention? Learn more about Prisoners of War and the G...
In the aftermath of the Second World War, everyone had hoped that major military conflicts would be a thing of the past. However, just five years after the end of the war, another major conflict erupted on the Korean Peninsula that directly or indirectly engaged most of the world’s great powers. The war saw dramatic turns of fortune for both sides and in the end, nothing was ever resolved. Learn more about the Korean War, its origins, and how it never really ended on this episode of Everything E...
Despite having very different cultures and being separated by thousands of kilometers, Asia and Europe have been connected for thousands of years. Through a series of overland and sea trade routes, goods, ideas, and people were able to move from east to west and vice versa. These routes were responsible for some of history’s greatest cultural exchanges as well as some of its greatest disasters. Learn more about the Silk Road and how it shaped history on this episode of Everything Everywhere Dail...
In 1982, the Phillips and Sony Corporations jointly released the compact audio disc to the world. The technology involved was originally just used to play digital audio, but it actually had much more potential. Over the last 40 years, basic optical disc technology used in CDs has expanded to store digital video and every type of digital data. Yet, despite the ubiquity of the internet and the ability to access digital files all over the world, there is still a demand for this technology. Learn mo...
The United States and Canada share the world's longest undefended border. The United States and the United Kingdom have shared what has been called a “special relationship” since the Second World War. The idea of these countries going to war with each other today is unthinkable. Yet, this was not always the case. There was a time when this was very thinkable, and that time was far more recent than most people realize. Learn more about the planning for a US/Canadian war and how both sides made pl...
The Roman Empire was ruled by a single family for its first century. The family was actually a merger of two of the most distinguished clans in Roman history. This family included some of the best and worst emperors in Rome's history. It also included a host of potential emperors who showed great potential but were killed under mysterious circumstances. Ultimately, paranoia and poor leadership caused the family to collapse. Learn more about the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and how they came to rule Ro...
Gravity is the weakest of the fundamental forces of nature, yet, if you have enough of it, it can create the most powerful thing in the known universe: a black hole. The very idea of a black hole didn’t really exist until the early 20th century, and now they are regularly found by the world’s most powerful telescopes. As much as we know about them, there is, even more we don’t know and probably will never know. Learn more about black holes, what they are, and how they work on this episode of Eve...
Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC, is the home of the president of the United States. The idea of a home for the president dates back to the very first president, and ever since the second president, every single one has lived in the same house while they were in office. While the house appears to be the same as the one built in the late 18th century, the interior has been radically transformed over the years. Learn more about the White House, how and why it was built and how...
The modern world runs on electricity. That isn’t a throwaway statement. If we take away electricity, our modern civilization will quickly fall apart. The power that runs the modern world is dependent on a very technical, and in some cases very fragile, network of electrical generation, transmission, and consumption. These electrical networks can be as small as a city or as large as a continent. Learn more about the electrical grid, how it works and how may change in the future on this episode of...
