On December 25, 2021, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope was launched from the European Space Agency launch center in French Guyana.  After six months of testing and configuring the telescope, in July of 2022, its first images were transmitted.  Since then, we have received a flood of images and data that have caused astronomers to rethink much of what we know about the universe.  Learn more about the discoveries made by the James Webb Space Telescope so far on this episode of Everything...

Insurance seems like a pretty modern concept. There are insurance commercials on television, and insurance companies sponsor major sports teams.  Most of us have to buy insurance, or we are at least under someone else’s insurance policy. However, insurance is far from a modern concept. It is actually one of the oldest financial arrangements in human history. Learn more about insurance, how it was created, and how it works on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Plan your...

From 1899 to 1900, China underwent a widespread and violent uprising. The revolt, a reaction against China’s exploitation by foreign powers, was decades in the making. In response to the revolt, a group of eight nations joined together to put down the rebellion and ultimately subjected China to yet another humiliating treaty. The rebellion wasn’t successful, but it laid the groundwork for the seismic changes that would shape the country during the 20th century.  Learn more about the Boxer...

In late 1944, the Allies were on a roll, and Germany was on the ropes. Some Allies, considering how fast they were advancing, thought the war might be over by Christmas. However, Hitler had a plan. He would engage in one last desperate battle, which he thought would turn the tide of the war in the West and possibly wipe out the Allies completely.  The result was one of the largest battles of the Second World War and the German military's ultimate failure. Learn more about the Battle of the...

For centuries, sailors told tales of gigantic waves that they encountered at sea, and for centuries, scientists didn’t believe them.  However, over time, evidence began to pile up, which suggested that the legends of these freak waves were, in fact, true.  These waves are rare, still not well understood, and terrifying to ships and sailors because there is almost no way to detect or predict where or when they will occur.  Learn more about rogue waves, how they were discovered, and how they...

Humans have probably had the desire to fly ever since they saw the first bird fly in the air.  Flying, as it turned out, was a very challenging problem for creatures without wings.  Throughout the 19th century, many people tackled the problem without success. It wasn’t until the first years of the 20th century that the problem was finally solved.  Learn more about the invention of the airplane and the solution to heavier-than-air travel on this episode of Everything Everywhere...

In the 1860s, one of the bloodiest wars in the Western Hemisphere took place….and it wasn’t the US Civil War.  It was a war between Paraguay and an alliance of Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil, and it was one of the bloodiest ever fought in Latin America. It was a conventional war that resulted in a guerilla war, which spawned famine and disease. Learn more about the Paraguayan War or the War of the Triple Alliance on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Plan your next trip...

At the end of the Second World War, Europe was a mess. The economies of most countries were in shambles and the threat of communism loomed over the continent.  In a speech at Harvard University on June 5, 1947, U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall proposed a plan which could help get Europe back on its feet. The plan is widely considered one of the most successful foreign aid programs in history. Learn more about the Marshall Plan, how it came about, and how it worked on this episode of...

Every year, hundreds of millions of birds around the world migrate.  Some migrate short distances, some migrate incredibly long distances, and others don’t bother to migrate at all. For centuries, people didn’t know why birds migrated, how they managed to travel such long distances every year, or where they would go. Thanks to modern science and technology we now have a much better idea of how it works and where they go. Learn more about bird migrations on this episode of Everything...

Sitting in most homes is a deck of playing cards. Cards and card games have become almost ubiquitous They are played by children and in retirement homes. They are played at family picnics, and there are also televised games played with millions of dollars on the line.  You can play games with friends, or you can even play them by yourself. Despite how common they are, most people don’t realize that they have a very ancient heritage.  Learn more about the origin of playing cards on this...

One of the defining events of the Middle Ages took place in Constantinople on April 12, 1204.  Soldiers of the Fourth Crusade, under orders of the Doge of the Republic of Venice, breached the walls and sacked one of the greatest cities of the era.  The sack wasn’t just an orgy of violence and destruction, which it was. It also set into motion events that caused irreparable divisions between the Eastern and Western Christian worlds and, ultimately, the fall of the Byzantine Empire.  Learn more...

For over 600 years, the empire that dominated the region of Southeast Asia was the Khmer Empire.  Built out of a collection of kingdoms, the Khmer Empire dominated its corner of Asia. It was an advanced civilization known for its massive building projects and its system of waterworks.  Even though the empire eventually fell, as all empires do, its legacy can still be seen in the religious and cultural institutions in the region today.  Learn more about the Khmer Empire, its rise, and its fall...

All around you, in the air and the ground, is the most common element on Earth: Oxygen. As you are certainly well aware, Oxygen is required for life on Earth as we know it. But you might realize that the Earth didn’t always have oxygen in its atmosphere.  Oxygen has been responsible for everything from the rise of multicellular life to the space program. Learn more about the element oxygen, what it is, and how it came to be in our atmosphere on this episode of Everything Everywhere...

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several major Americans were the battleground for a conflict between two great powers.  These powers were not armies or nations; rather, they were newspaper conglomerates headed by two of the most powerful figures in the history of American media.  The competition between them was furious, and it was fought not just on the pages of their newspapers but sometimes on the streets.  Learn more about Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, and the...

Every October in the Northern Hemisphere, leaves on the trees turn color and fall to the ground.  While the leaves turn from green to the bright colors of autumn, listeners' green questions are also transformed into colorful answers.  Stay tuned for volume number 23 of questions and answers on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Plan your next trip to Spain at Spain.info! Sign up at butcherbox.com/daily and use code daily to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE...

When we look at history, we tend to focus on grand things like great leaders and great battles. In reality, what makes for successful empires is often the mundane: stable laws, an uncorrupt civil service, or, for large sprawling empires, a system of roads.  Roads were one of the secrets to the success of Rome, and they proved useful for centuries, even after the empire's fall.  Learn more about Roman roads and how they linked together a vast empire on this episode of Everything Everywhere...

Many people have one or more favorite sports teams. Most people support these teams because they happen to be the team close to where they live.  What many people don’t realize is that many teams, especially major sports teams in North America, didn’t originate in the city where they are today.  In some cases, teams have moved multiple times, changed names, and even returned to the city where they originally came from.  Learn more about relocated sports teams and teams that have gone defunct...

Located in Vatican City, just off St. Peter’s Square lies one of the plainest and most uninteresting buildings you might ever find. It has no adornments and it is just a solid beige color.  However, inside that bland structure, you will find one of humanity’s greatest artistic achievements, and to enjoy it you just might get a sore neck. Learn more about the Sistine Chapel, the building, the art, and its history, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Plan your next trip...

The United States Constitution identifies three separate branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. Each branch has a set of checks and balances, which, in theory, limits the power of the others.  Two of those branches are outlined in detail in the Constitution. The third, the judicial, is given very little mention in comparison to the other two, and much of its workings and its power in relation to the other two, had to be created over time.  Learn more about...

After years of war throughout the continent of Europe, in 1814, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated and was exiled to the small island of Elba off the coast of Italy.  The European powers thought that they had seen the last of Napoleon. However, they were wrong.  He came back and, in a shockingly short period of time, regained control of France and its army.  Learn more about Napoleon’s 100 Days and the last gasp of the Emperor of the French on this episode of Everything Everywhere...

In 1972, one of the greatest movies ever made was released: The Godfather.  The Godfather is not only one of the most critically acclaimed movies in history but was also one of the most successful at the box office. Despite its overwhelming success, however, it almost didn’t get made and could have wound up a very, very different film.  Learn more about The Godfather and the fascinating story of its production, casting, and filming on this episode of Everything Everywhere...

In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter stumbled upon one of the most pristine tombs of an Egyptian Pharaoh ever found: the tomb of King Tutankhamun. That discovery became a pop culture sensation and revolutionized our understanding of Ancient Egypt. Learn more about King Tutankhamun, aka King Tut, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Plan your next trip to Spain at Spain.info! Sign up at butcherbox.com/daily and use code daily to get chicken breast, salmon or...

On December 11, 1978, one of the most audacious heists in history took place at JFK Airport in New York City.  A small group of thieves executed an almost perfect crime and walked away with 6 million dollars in cash and jewelry.  While the actual robbery went off without a hitch, it was after the crime that things fell apart and eventually left a trail of bodies strewn across New York.  Learn more about the 1978 Lufthansa Heist, how they pulled it off, and its bloody results on this episode...

For decades, the nation of Ethiopia has dreamed of creating a damn on the Blue Nile River.  Such a dam would provide an enormous amount of electricity for a country that is one of the lowest electricity consumers in the world. Such a project would be a massive undertaking and it would also bring a great deal of prestige to the country.  What was once a dream began to become a reality in the 21st century, and today is producing energy for the country. However, the project has also caused...

A popular activity that millions of people around the world engage in every week is bowling.  Today, all the equipment manufacturers and bowling alleys constitute a multibillion-dollar business.  However, this modern pastime has a history that goes back not hundreds of years but thousands.  Learn more about bowling, where it came from and how it has developed on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.  Sponsors Sign up at butcherbox.com/daily and use code daily to get chicken breast,...