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.
This episode explores the Maginot Line, a series of defensive fortifications built by France after World War I to prevent future German invasions. The podcast details the motivations behind its construction, its impressive engineering, and ultimately, its strategic failure due to Germany bypassing it in World War II. The episode also discusses the misallocation of resources and the line's lasting impact on military strategy and the French psyche.
Before the US Civil War, a group of abolitionists didn’t just sit around passively to wait for the end of slavery to arrive. They took matters into their own hands. They set up a clandestine network that operated over multiple states to bring escaped slaves to freedom. Their network wasn’t a top-down organization, which centrally organized everything. Rather, it was one of the earliest examples of a decentralized network where the members didn’t even know who else was involved. Learn more about ...
Located in the Indonesian Archipelago, it is one of the newest countries in the world, Timor-Leste, or, as it's sometimes known in English, East Timor. While geographically very close, and pretty much surrounded by Indonesia, Timor-Leste has had a history very different from Indonesia. Their histories diverged when they became colonized by different countries and came to a head in the late 20th century. Learn more about Timor-Leste and its long painful path to independence on this episode of Eve...
This episode explores the history and workings of the Academy Awards, from its origins as a Hollywood labor dispute mediator to its current status as a global televised event. It covers the creation of the Oscar statuette, the evolution of the awards ceremony, the voting process, and the accuracy of the Academy's selections. The episode also touches on controversies and changes in categories over the years.
This episode explores the state of the world in 1700, examining major empires and their trajectories, including China, Japan, India, and the Ottomans. It also covers the state of colonization in the Americas and Africa, the political landscape of Europe, and the significant scientific and philosophical advancements that laid the groundwork for the modern era.
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In 1864, Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born in Cochran Mills, Pennsylvania. At the age of 18, she began a career as a journalist writing under a pen name. During her career, she became a pioneer in both investigative journalism and travel writing. She later became a novelist, ran an industrial factory, and was one of the leading voices for women’s suffrage in the early 20th century. Learn more about Nellie Bly and her incredible life on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mob...
This episode explores the meaning, calculation, and potential flaws of key economic statistics. It covers GDP, unemployment rates, inflation (CPI), and the stock market, highlighting how these metrics are used and sometimes manipulated. The podcast emphasizes the importance of understanding these statistics for informed decision-making.
This episode explores Andalusia, a region in southern Spain, highlighting its distinct culture, history, and geography. It covers the region's Moorish heritage, key cities like Seville and Cadiz, and its influence on Spanish traditions like tapas, flamenco, and bullfighting. The episode also touches on Andalusia's economic significance through olive oil and sherry production.
This episode explores the causes, events, and consequences of the Mexican-American War, a conflict often overlooked in history. It details the rising tensions between the U.S. and Mexico, the annexation of Texas, key battles, and the significant territorial changes resulting from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The episode highlights the war's lasting impact on the map of North America and its role in shaping the relationship between the two countries.
The Netherlands is unlike any other country on Earth. What sets the Netherlands apart from every other country isn’t its size; it's the fact that 17% of the area of the country was once in the sea. Turning the sea into land is no easy feat, but it is something that the Dutch have been doing for centuries. Not only have they expanded the territory of the Netherlands, but they have also created a system that protects the country from flooding and storms. Learn about how the Dutch managed to reclai...
In 1582, a Japanese nobleman by the name of Lord Otomo Sorin sent a group of envoys to Europe. The entire round trip of their journey took eight years, and along the way, they visited several European countries and met multiple European heads of state, including two popes. It was hoped that their mission would revolutionize relations between Europe and Japan. Learn more about the Tensho Embassy and the first Japanese mission to Europe on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint...
This episode delves into the intricate world of Greek gods, starting with the primordial deities and tracing the lineage through the Titans to the Olympian gods. It covers the myths surrounding their births, power struggles, and the eventual rise of Zeus. The episode highlights key figures like Gaia, Uranus, Cronus, and Zeus, explaining their roles and relationships within the dysfunctional divine family.
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is presented to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have displayed extraordinary bravery and valor in combat, often at great personal risk and beyond the call of duty. The Medal of Honor has a rich history dating back to the American Civil War and has undergone various changes in its design, criteria, and awarding process. Learn more about the Medal of Honor, how it was created and how it is awarde...
In the early 20th century, David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale, and his wife Sydney Bowles had seven children, six girls and one boy. The sisters all achieved notoriety for entirely different reasons. They were, how can I say, different from each other. Very different. Several of them found themselves associated with some of the most important individuals of the mid-20th century. Learn more about the Mitford Sisters and their very different lives on this episode of Everything Everywhere D...
In 1970, one of the world’s largest infrastructure projects opened in Aswan, Egypt. It was a dam that harnessed the power of the Nile River, the longest river in the world. The dam provided electricity for half of the country and tamed the annual floods, a regular feature on the Nile. But the project wasn’t without its drawbacks. It became a point of contention during the Cold War, displaced thousands, and destroyed an unknown number of ancient artifacts. Learn more about the Aswan High Dam on t...
In the year 331 BC, one of the most important battles in world history took place. The vastly outnumbered forces of Alexander the Great lined up against those of Darius III, leader of the Persian Empire. The outcome of the battle didn’t just change the map of the world in the 4th century BC; it changed the world in a way that can still be seen today. Learn more about the Battle of Gaugamela and how it changed the world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your...
It is the most expensive substance in the world by a wide margin. When it was first proposed, it was actually proposed in jest. However, decades later, the joke turned out to have been true. It is a fundamental part of the universe, and by all accounts, it should be everywhere, yet it can’t be found anywhere, and physicists aren’t really sure why. Learn more about antimatter, how it was discovered, and what it is on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your wirel...
One of the most popular card games in the world is poker. The game was played in the old west among cowboys, by dogs on velvet paintings, and by the crew of the Star Ship Enterprise. Poker is played informally among friends and family, yet it is also a high-stakes competitive game where millions of dollars can be won or lost. It is a game that has origins that go back centuries, but in its modern manifestation, it is also very modern. Learn more about the game of Poker and how it became one of t...
Perhaps the most respected and feared soldiers in the world are those who belong to Special Forces. Special Forces are considered to be the elite of the elite. Most nations have some sort of Special Forces units in their military. Some of the best-known Special Forces units are household names and others are, how shall we say, more secret. While Special Forces seem rather modern, the tradition of creating units of elite soldiers actually goes back to antiquity. Learn more about Special Operation...
On the morning of February 14, 1929, a horrific crime took place on the north side of Chicago. Seven men were lined up against the wall of an auto garage and gunned down in cold blood by machine gun fire. The event marked the low point of the violent mob wars that took place in the city of Chicago. It also marked a turning point in attitudes towards prohibition in the United States and the war on organized crime. Learn more about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, why it happened, and its repercu...
A reconnaissance satellite, otherwise known as a spy satellite, is somewhere above your head right now, collecting images and gathering intelligence on whatever it sees below it. Ten countries are currently believed to have at least one spy satellite. While these satellites can gather an enormous amount of data, they do not have the superpowers that they are often depicted as having in films and television. Learn more about spy satellites, how they work and how they have evolved over time on thi...
In the 1960s, a New York clinical psychiatrist and an adoption agency conducted an experiment. They separated multiple sets of identical twins and one set of identical triplets into different families to test how much of personality is due to genetics or the environment. None of the children or families were ever told about this. The results of this experiment, and other cases like it, have proved to be fascinating. Learn more about identical twins and triples that were separated at birth on thi...
Located off the coast of South America and in the Southern Atlantic Ocean is the Falkland Islands. The Falklands are an almost treeless archipelago where sheep and penguins outnumber the people. It has little in the way of natural resources beyond fish and grass for grazing. Yet, these sparsely populated islands have been the subjects of international disputes and even war. Learn more about the Falkland Islands on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your wireles...
Sometime about 3,200 years ago, one of the most famous wars in ancient history took place. Maybe. It has been the subject of some of the greatest works of Western literature, and it has given us some of the most enduring cultural references. It was also the subject of one of the greatest archeological finds of the 19th century. Learn more about the city of Troy and the Trojan War on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mi...
One of the most common and versatile forms of energy in the world is natural gas. Natural gas is used for cooking, heating, electrical production, and powering vehicles. Entire economies are dependent on its consumption, and others are dependent on its production. As such, it has become one of the most important commodities in the world. Learn more about natural gas what it is, where it comes from, and how it's used on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your wi...
Depending on how you define it, there are about 193 to 200 countries in the world today. Over the last 100 years, that number has been constantly increasing. Sometimes, the number goes up a lot in short periods of time, and other times, there might be decades between the creation of a new country. There hasn’t been a new country created since 2011, but it is entirely possible that we might make new additions to the list of nations before this decade is out. Learn more about the world’s next poss...
In the 1950s and 1960s, the British Intelligence community was shocked by a series of high-profile defections to the Soviet Union. These defections proved to be devastating to British intelligence during the Cold War and may have led to the death or imprisonment of hundreds of undercover British operatives. These defections changed Western intelligence gathering forever in ways that can still be felt today. Learn more about the Cambridge Five and how they influenced the Cold War on this episode ...
In the early 20th century, as automobiles became more and more popular, the need for a national system of roads in the United States became more evident. One of the suggested roads connected the city of Chicago, Illinois, on the Great Lakes, with the city of Los Angeles, California, on the Pacific Ocean. In 1926 the route was established, following paths and trails which had been used for centuries, and quickly found itself as a central object of popular culture. Learn more about Route 66, its h...
Located in East London is the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Passing directly through the observatory is an imaginary line that extends from the North Pole to the South Pole. This line is significant because it is the reference point for every other line of longitude in the world. What is even more remarkable is that there is no objective reason for this particular line to be so important. Learn more about the Prime Meridian and why it is where it is on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily....
