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...
Dec 10, 2024•14 min•Ep 1618•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Dec 09, 2024•17 min•Ep 1617•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Dec 08, 2024•16 min•Ep 1616•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Dec 07, 2024•16 min•Ep 1615•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Dec 06, 2024•15 min•Ep 1614•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Dec 05, 2024•17 min•Ep 1613•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Dec 04, 2024•16 min•Ep 1612•Transcript available on Metacast For thirty years between 1455 and 1485, England suffered its greatest civil war at that point. The war was ultimately over succession to the throne and who should be king. The period was filled with death and bloodshed, and when the dust settled, it left England a changed country and set the stage for its later ascension. Learn more about the War of the Roses, its causes, and its resolution on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors MasterClass Get up to 50% off at MASTERCLASS.COM/...
Dec 03, 2024•16 min•Ep 1611•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes over 3000 years ago, somewhere in Southwestern China, a leaf from the Camellia sinensis plant may have accidentally found its way into a pot of boiling water. Noticing that the leaf had turned the water a different color, some person unknown to history drank the concoction and found that it was good. That was the start of something that is today a globe-spanning multi-billion dollar industry that millions of people indulge in every day. Learn more about tea, its origins, and how it spr...
Dec 02, 2024•14 min•Ep 1610•Transcript available on Metacast December is upon us, and we should be cognizant of the fact that December is based on the Latin word Decem, meaning tenth, which is why December is the 10th month of the year……except that it is actually the 12th month. The reason why the 12th month is named the 10th month is because the original Roman calendar was perhaps the dumbest calendar even used in all of human history, where they had a full two months that were pretty much unaccounted for. Fast forward over 2000 years and December is jus...
Dec 01, 2024•17 min•Ep 1609•Transcript available on Metacast Music is a very powerful thing. It can invoke a wide variety of emotions and moods. Particular songs we've heard might invoke memories of when we first heard them. However, there is some music that actually can server as a cultural shorthand. Not even full songs are necessary. Just a few notes can provide a very specific cultural reference. Learn more about representative riffs, what they are, and how they came to be on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Sign up at butcherbox....
Nov 30, 2024•16 min•Ep 1608•Transcript available on Metacast In 1897, the visionary Russian rocket scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky discovered an equation that governed how rockets worked. His equation, which was independently discovered by several other rocket scientists, immutably governs how we can send rockets into space. The variables in his equation have determined everything surrounding spaceflight and rocketry since its inception and will for the foreseeable future. Learn more about the Tyranny of the Rocket Equation on this episode of Everything ...
Nov 29, 2024•14 min•Ep 1607•Transcript available on Metacast For about a month, from the end of November to the end of December every year, one of the most popular animals in North America is the turkey. Turkeys are the traditional meal served at Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, it is a tradition that is found almost nowhere else in the world. This is mostly due to the fact that turkeys are native to North America. Learn more about the turkey, how it became domesticated, and how it became a part of the holidays in North America on this Episode of Ever...
Nov 28, 2024•15 min•Ep 1606•Transcript available on Metacast After the Prophet Mohammed's death in 632, his followers faced a dilemma. Mohammed was not only their spiritual leader but also their political leader. While no one could replace Mohammed, they needed a leader for their community. The result was the creation of the position of the caliph, or "successor." A series of caliphs ruled the Islamic world for centuries, and they left an indelible mark on the world today. Learn more about the Islamic Caliphates and how they ruled the Islamic world on thi...
Nov 27, 2024•16 min•Ep 1605•Transcript available on Metacast For more than 350 years, a single problem stumped the world of mathematics. The problem was extremely simple to state, yet it proved fiendishly difficult to prove. For several centuries, bounties were placed on finding a solution, and many failed to prove it. Finally, in 1994, seemingly out of nowhere, a proof was offered, but it was far cry from the initial promise of being simple. Learn more about Fermat’s Last Theorem and its legacy in the world of mathematics on this episode of Everything Ev...
Nov 26, 2024•16 min•Ep 1604•Transcript available on Metacast There are many things in our world that have surprisingly ancient origins. One of the things that most definitely does not have ancient origins in the concept of prison and incarceration as punishment. Today, almost everywhere in the world, the primary form of punishment for crimes is incarceration. Yet historically speaking, this form of punishment was almost never practiced until the modern era. Learn more about prisons and jails, what the difference is and how they came to be on this episode ...
Nov 25, 2024•17 min•Ep 1603•Transcript available on Metacast It was the worst economic depression that the United States had ever seen. The stock market crashed. Thousands of businesses went bankrupt. The unemployment rate hit 20% There were soup lines and an army of homeless scattered throughout the country. It was not the Great Depression. Learn more about the Panic of 1893, the forgotten depression that realigned American politics, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Sign up at butcherbox.com/daily and use code daily to get chicken...
Nov 24, 2024•14 min•Ep 1602•Transcript available on Metacast Since the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788, there have been 60 presidential elections, which have been run every four years. Over time, a system was developed for the election of the president, including how parties select a candidate and how votes are selected. Some of this has been done via legislation, some via tradition, and some via constitutional amendments. However, before any of this was established, the very first presidential election was held, which was unlike an...
Nov 23, 2024•16 min•Ep 1601•Transcript available on Metacast A little over 400 years ago, the world was undergoing a revolution, although most people who lived at that time probably didn’t know it. For better or worse, the long-term and short-term changes were underway. Parts of the Earth that had never been in contact with each other began to make contact with each other, even if they weren’t looking to do so. Learn more about the world during the year 1600 on the 1600th episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Sign up at butcherbox.com/daily and...
Nov 22, 2024•17 min•Ep 1600•Transcript available on Metacast There is an excellent chance that you know someone who has a twin sibling. In fact, there are some of you listening who have a twin brother or sister. Multiple births are something that isn’t common but also isn’t super rare, either. However, multiple births have actually become more common over time despite the fact that there are some types of multiple births that are exceedingly rare. Learn more about multiple births, twins, triplets, and more, and how they happen, on this episode of Everythi...
Nov 21, 2024•16 min•Ep 1599•Transcript available on Metacast California isn’t just another US state. It is the most populous state in the union, and it has an economy which, if it were an independent country, would be the 5th largest in the world. Yet, this wasn’t always the case. In the 19th century, California wasn’t much at all. Hardly anyone lived there. It was far away from the American center of power and was technically part of Mexico. Yet despite its late start, it more than made up for lost time in the 20th century. Learn more about California, i...
Nov 20, 2024•16 min•Ep 1598•Transcript available on Metacast One of the most important inventions in human history was the bow and arrow. A bow and arrow is a rather simple device but it was a revolutionary advancement for humanity’s ability to hunt and to fight. Unlike many very early human inventions, the bow and arrow have had an extremely long lifespan. For thousands of years it remained virtually unchanged. That was until the last 100 years when this age old device changed dramatically. Learn more about the history of the bow and arrow and how it cha...
Nov 19, 2024•15 min•Ep 1597•Transcript available on Metacast From September 1940 until May 1941, the people of the United Kingdom experienced the horrors of war firsthand. Hundreds of bombers ran thousands of missions over civilian areas of Great Britain. The hardest hit of all the cities was the capital of London. By the time the bombing campaign stopped, tens of thousands were killed, over a hundred thousand were injured, and thousands of buildings, including homes, factories, and historic landmarks, were destroyed. Learn more about the Blitz, how and w...
Nov 18, 2024•16 min•Ep 1596•Transcript available on Metacast Every day, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of investments are bought and sold around the world. Most of these transactions are conducted by investment banks and other large institutions. Many, if not most, of these organizations act on behalf of other actors, often individual investors. However, many people avoid investing because it seems complicated, and they don’t understand how it works. Learn more about investing and some of the basic concepts on this episode of Everything Everywhere ...
Nov 17, 2024•16 min•Ep 1595•Transcript available on Metacast Almost everyone listening to the sound of my voice is a citizen of some country. Citizenship seems very simple and straightforward, but it is anything but. For most of human history, almost everyone was not a citizen of anything. Today, it is entirely possible to change citizenship, become a citizen of multiple countries, or possibly even become a citizen of no country at all. In some countries, the issue of who can become a citizen and how are some of the biggest issues they face. Learn more ab...
Nov 16, 2024•16 min•Ep 1594•Transcript available on Metacast In the early 13th century, England suffered through the worst monarch it would have in its history: King John. John and his arbitrary policies and high taxation angered the nobility, the church, and the common people. However, out of his disastrous reign came something good. An uprising against his rule forced him to sign a document establishing fundamental principles of limited government, the rule of law, and individual rights, marking a crucial milestone in developing constitutional and legal...
Nov 15, 2024•15 min•Ep 1593•Transcript available on Metacast There is an old saying that da Nile isn’t just a river in Egypt. That is true. It is also a river in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda. The Nile is the longest river in the world, yet it is one of the smallest major rivers in the world. Historically, some of the world’s greatest civilizations have depended on it, and today it is still a source of conflict between countries that depend on it for water and power. Learn more about the Nile River and how its geography has and continues to sha...
Nov 14, 2024•12 min•Ep 1592•Transcript available on Metacast The 19th century was a period of rapid advancement. New technologies such as the railroad and the telegraph radically changed civilization. Scientific advancements were almost constant as we took great strides in understanding our universe. One such scientific field that saw incredible advances was paleontology. The field was advanced by two researchers who found an incredible number of fossils…..and who totally hated each other. Learn more about the Bone Wars and how two paleontologists advance...
Nov 13, 2024•16 min•Ep 1591•Transcript available on Metacast Ever since humans domesticated animals and realized they could extract milk from them, they have been making and consuming butter. While we might not think much of butter today, at one point, it was so prized that it was given as an offering to the gods. While some cultures prized it, others looked down upon it and some elevated the production and use of it as an art form. Learn more about butter, what it is, how it is made and how it has been used throughout history on this episode of Everythin...
Nov 12, 2024•16 min•Ep 1590•Transcript available on Metacast In 1938, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster released what would become one of the most well-known fictional characters of the 20th century. Their creation was a hit and soon spread to its own line of comic books, TV shows, movies, cartoons, and merchandise. Yet, as popular as the character was, it has been constantly reinvented and even resurrected over the years. Learn more about Superman, his origin, and his evolution on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Sign up at ...
Nov 11, 2024•15 min•Ep 1589•Transcript available on Metacast 
