In Arabic, the rhyme Shubeik Lubeik means "your wish is my command." So it's an apt title for a new graphic novel by Deena Mohamed, which explores a world in which wishes are commodified and classified for consumption. Cheap wishes are packaged and sold in cans, while expensive wishes belong in bottles. In today's episode, Mohamed explains to NPR's Ayesha Rascoe how this system is meant to illustrate the ways wealth already works in our society, and how difficult it can be to decide what wishes are worth hoping for.
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 Daily.
Comedy writer Kashana Cauley grew up watching the film Conspiracy Theory, starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts, with her parents. She says that's likely her earliest entryway into a world she explores in her debut novel, The Survivalists – it follows a millennial lawyer falling in with a community of doomsday preppers. In this episode, Cauley tells NPR's Juana Summers about the control people might feel preparing for an impending apocalypse, and how that experience is ultimately shaped by our understanding of race in the U.S.
After the US Civil War, the French historian Edouard de Laboulaye floated the idea of creating a large monument to honor the success of the United States in creating a democracy.
Almost 20 years later, after significant time in fundraising, design, and construction, the new statue was unveiled to the public in New York Harbor.
Since then, the gift of France has become a symbol not just of New York but of the United States and has inspired other similar statues around the world.
Learn more about the Statue of Liberty and how and why it was built on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Saying sorry can be really difficult sometimes – it requires a certain amount of accountability, reflection and empathy. But that's precisely why it can go so far in a familial, romantic or professional relationship. In their new book, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy break down six essential steps to a good apology – and explain why it's more important to think about the impact of our words than the intent behind them. They tell NPR's Mary Louise Kelly that while focusing on regret centers our own feelings, saying sorry actually puts the other person first.
On September 1 and 2 of 1859, people all over the world were treated to something quite rare. Auroras were seen in the skies as far south as the Caribbean and as far north as Brisbane, Australia.
However, some astronomers and telegraph operators experienced something different.
If this same event were to happen today, it might bring out society to its knees.
Learn more about the Carrington Event and what it means for our modern world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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.
In the 17th century, the Netherlands was struck by the world’s first investment bubble. They weren’t investing in stocks or bonds, or real estate. They were investing in…..tulip bulbs.
Tulip bulbs became a mania, and even common people were spending money on tulips. The price of some tulip bulbs rose so high that, at one point, a single bulb was worth ten times the annual salary of a laborer.
Learn more about Tulipmania on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
