Everything Everywhere Daily - The History of Credit Cards

One of the most ubiquitous forms of payment today is credit cards. The odds are good that you have one, and most probably have one on your person right now. But how did it develop that you could pay for something by just giving someone a piece of plastic? How exactly does this system work and how do credit card companies make money? Learn more about credit cards, where they came from and how they work, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - The USS Indianapolis

There are tens of millions of stories to come out of World War II. Many of them are tales of horrible human cruelty. However, there is one particular story that is as horrific as any other, yet it doesn’t involve human barbarity, it involves nature. It was so horrific that it has been the subject of books and movies, and was the inspiration for the film Jaws. Learn more about the USS Indianapolis and the terrifying fate of its sailors, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Read Me a Poem - “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich

Amanda Holmes reads Adrienne Rich’s poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers.” Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you’ll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman.


This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch.



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Everything Everywhere Daily - Snake Oil

If you were to call someone a snake oil salesman, it usually means they are trying to defraud someone, and more specifically it often implies making false medical claims. But what exactly is snake oil, and why did it develop such a bad reputation, and why specifically do we use snake oil for such a negative metaphor? Learn more about snake oil and why we still reference it on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - Lullaby and Goodnight

There are few things that are truly universal across all cultures and throughout history. These things are often so obvious that we overlook them and forget how they are things that make us human. One such thing which seems so simple yet actually has profound origins: singing children to sleep. Learn more about the lullaby and how it is one of the things which all humanity has in common, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - The Aberfan Disaster

On Friday, October 21, 1966, the small Welsh village of Aberfan suffered woke up to a typical autumn day. Many of the men in the village went to work at the local coal mine and the children went to the local school. At 9:15 am, the lives of everyone in the village had changed forever. The village suffered one of the worst industrial accidents in British history. Learn more about the Aberfan Disaster, its causes, and its aftermath, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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