Episodes

  • 5 Strange Traditions of the British Monarchy

    5 Strange Traditions of the British Monarchy
    Jul 9 2024
    Britain is a nation of many strange old traditions, from cheese rolling and wife carrying to mayor weighing and possibly the world’s most brutal ball game. Then there’s the British royal family, an almost endless source of quirky behavior and bizarre rituals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    8 mins
  • 7 Facts About the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

    7 Facts About the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
    Jul 2 2024
    The first list of the wonders of the world was compiled by the ancient Greek writer and poet Antipater of Sidon in the second century BCE, and it included seven extraordinary landmarks around the Mediterranean and modern-day Middle East. Since then, these ancient marvels have been a subject of study, fascination, and awe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    9 mins
  • The Funniest Medieval Dog Names

    The Funniest Medieval Dog Names
    Jul 1 2024
    Alongside their eternal nemeses cats, dogs are the most popular pets in the world. They have been humans’ most faithful friends for at least 12,000 years, hunting with us, protecting us, and accompanying us in our everyday lives. In fact, dogs were the first domesticated animals, predating chickens, cows, goats, pigs, sheep, and even agriculture itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    7 mins
  • The earliest passports used written descriptions instead of photos.

    The earliest passports used written descriptions instead of photos.
    Jun 4 2024
    Imagine trying to pass through border security when all you have to prove your identity is a piece of paper that says “brown hair and freckles.” While that wouldn’t fly today, it’s typically how things worked before passports had photographs. Early passports simply included details such as the holder’s name and the location they were traveling; photography wasn’t invented until the 1820s, and it took many more years for the technology to allow for easy passport photographs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    11 mins
  • Walking was a competitive sport in the 19th century and There have been four Madison Square Gardens.

    Walking was a competitive sport in the 19th century and There have been four Madison Square Gardens.
    May 28 2024
    At 1 a.m. on March 10, 1879, the arena at Gilmore’s Garden in New York City (later renamed Madison Square Garden) was absolutely packed with screaming fans of America’s latest sports craze: pedestrianism. That’s right, competitive walking. At the venue, fans outside tried to shove themselves in, breaking windows and scaling the roof. It was no less chaotic inside, where ticketholders scrambled on top of tables, chairs, and each other’s shoulders to get a better view. That day marked the start of the Astley Belt, essentially the Super Bowl of walking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 mins
  • Kodak accidentally discovered the U.S. was testing the atom bomb.

    Kodak accidentally discovered the U.S. was testing the atom bomb.
    May 28 2024
    When the United States government detonated the first atomic bomb, nicknamed Gadget, near Los Alamos, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, they did it in secret — or as secretly as you can test something that creates an explosion reaching 40,000 feet into the air. It was known as the Trinity Test, but as far as the public knew, an Air Force weapons stash had accidentally exploded. Soon after, Kodak started getting complaints that its X-ray film was unusable, due to mysterious exposed black spots, called “fogging,” and one research scientist’s quest to find the source of the problem led him to make a startling discovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 mins
  • Memorial Day was originally called “Decoration Day.”

    Memorial Day was originally called “Decoration Day.”
    May 27 2024
    As the American Civil War came to an end in 1865, communities across the U.S. honored fallen soldiers through local ceremonies at burial sites. On May 30, 1868, the first national ceremony of this kind took place on a day that would come to be known as Memorial Day — though at the time, it was called “Decoration Day.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    5 mins
  • How Did People Wake Up on Time Before Alarm Clocks?

    How Did People Wake Up on Time Before Alarm Clocks?
    May 14 2024
    Timekeeping technology has come a long way from ancient Egyptian sundials, and with it, so has the ability to wake up at whatever precise time might be needed for work, school, or appointments — even if we often ignore a ringing alarm in favor of snoozing for just 10 more minutes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    7 mins