Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last ruler of an independent Egypt and one of the most important women of the ancient world.  In addition to being a brilliant and cunning ruler in her own right, she was also famously associated with two of the most powerful men in the late Roman Republic.  Yet was her involvement with these men that ultimately led to the downfall of her and of Egypt. Learn more about the rise and fall of Queen Cleopatra on this episode of Everything Everywhere...

Perhaps the greatest advancement in the arts in the 20th century was the creation of motion pictures.  Motions Pictures was a brand-new art form. While initially it was just recorded stage presentations, it eventually evolved into something much more.  Today, it is a multi-billion-dollar industry, which is all due to countless technical advancements that have occurred over the decades.  Learn more about the history of motion pictures, how they were created and how they evolved on this episode...

Located in the South Atlantic Ocean, situated between South America and Africa, lies the most remote human settlement on Earth. There, a community of a little over 250 people eke out a living over 1,500 miles from the next closest humans.  Getting there is difficult, and living there is probably even harder.  Learn more about Tristian da Cuhna and how such an isolated community manages to survive on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Available nationally, look for a...

One of the most difficult concepts for early thinkers to get their heads around was the idea of nothing.  Everywhere we go, all our lives, there is something. There is air and matter that surrounds us everywhere because if there weren’t, we wouldn’t be here.  Eventually, scientists and philosophers became comfortable with the idea of nothing and were able to study it. What they found was that nothing was actually something.  Learn more about vacuums and how the concept of it was accepted and...

Just south of the United States and north of Guatemala is Mexico, a fact which I’m sure all of you know.  However, most people don’t know that much about Mexico. There are caricatures of Mexico, and many people are familiar with some of the tourist areas, but that’s about it.  In reality, Mexico is one of the world’s largest countries, and its unique geography has influenced its history and economy.  Learn more about Mexico's physical, cultural, and economic geography on this episode of...

For thousands of years, many theories have been put forward as to the cause of communicable diseases.  These theories ranged from the religious to the magical and sometimes quasiscientific, but what they all had in common was that there was no proof for anything.  Over the centuries these theories became dogma and often prevented a better understanding of diseases. It wasn’t until the 19th century that we got a clear picture of what the cause actually was. Learn more about the germ theory of...

In October 1919, the champions of the National League, the Cincinnati Reds, faced the champions of the American League, the Chicago White Sox, in the World Series.  While Cincinnati won the championship on the field five games to three, the series will be forever remembered because of the events surrounding it. Even a hundred years later, it remains one of the most significant events in American professional sports. Learn more about the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal, and how it almost...

I would say that there is a very good chance that almost everyone listening to the sound of my voice right now is wearing something made of cloth.  Cloth, textiles, and fabrics go back a very long way, but despite their ancient origins, not every culture had them.  Yet, where they existed, they were often some of the most valuable commodities, and they were, in some fashion, used by everyone from rich to poor.  Learn more about cloth, textiles, and fabrics, their origin, and how they’ve...

In the year 53 BC, Rome suffered one of the greatest military defeats in its history. A Roman army led by Marcus Lucinisu Crassus was led into the desert in present-day Southern Turkey and was systematically destroy by an army from the Kingdom of Parthia.  The defeat itself didn’t radically weaken Rome, but the death of Crassus led to a chain of events that would result in the end of the Roman Republic.  It was also the opening salvo in a centuries-long rivalry between Rome and Parthia that...

Located between China and India, Pakistan, Buthan, and Nepal is the world’s highest chain of mountains, The Himalayas.  The Himalayas aren’t just very tall, picturesque mountains that are the home of Mount Everest. They are perhaps the most important mountain range on Earth.  The Himalayas serve as the source of several of the world’s most important rivers. It is responsible for weather patterns throughout much of Asia, and it has served an important role throughout history in trade,...

Sharing an episode of “What It’s Like to Be...” from author Dan Heath. On the podcast, Dan explores the world of work, one profession at a time, and interviews people who love what they do. He finds out: What does a couples therapist think when a friend asks for relationship advice? How does a stand-up comedian come up with new material? What are the clues that suggest fraud to a forensic accountant? If you’ve ever met someone whose work you were curious about, and you had 100 nosy questions...

In September 1944, despite over half a year still remaining in World War II, the Allies began preparing for an eventual post-war world. One of the biggest questions being discussed was what to do with Germany. After two world wars with Germany in just a quarter century, no one wanted a third. One American official developed a plan that would basically destroy Germany as a modern country to prevent them from ever making war again. Learn more about the Morgenthau Plan and the attempt to destroy...

In the early 1960s, the United States was always a step behind the Soviet Union in the space race.  By the mid-1960s, the Americans had caught up. They didn’t have many glamorous firsts, but they were doing increasingly difficult things in space. All of that came crashing to a halt on January 27, 1967, when three astronauts died in what was a seemingly routine training exercise.  Learn more about the Apollo 1 Disaster, how it happened, and how it influenced the future of the Apollo program on...

In the mid-18th century, excavations in the ancient town of Herculaneum, just outside the city of Pompeii and destroyed by the same volcano, discovered something….interesting.  They found a villa that contained 1800 ancient scrolls. Unfortunately, the volcano's heat carbonized them, making them illegible and incredibly fragile. Still, for over 250 years, scholars have hoped that techniques would eventually be developed to allow these scrolls to be read.  That day may have finally...

In the early 19th century, the most abundant bird in North America, and perhaps the entire world, was the passenger pigeon. An estimated three billion of them would fly in flocks so large that they could blot out the sun.  However, within a century, the entire species had gone extinct.  It was one of the fastest and most disastrous turnarounds for any species in recorded history. Learn more about the passenger pigeon and how they went extinct on this episode of Everything Everywhere...

Depending 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...

Let 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...

One 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 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...

In 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...

Mark 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...

The 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...

On 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...

One 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...