Everything Everywhere Daily - The Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Far above the Arctic Circle on the Norwegian island of Spitzbergen, built into the side of a mountain which is permanently frozen, is humanity’s greatest insurance policy. There lie genetic backup copies for much of the world’s agricultural crops. These seeds are stored for a day which hopefully will never come. Learn more about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - Understanding Orchestras

Even if you aren’t a fan of classical music, you are probably at least familiar with what an orchestra is. But have you ever wondered why orchestras use the instruments they do? Or why they have them in that combination, or why it is even called an orchestra at all? And what exactly is a symphony or a philharmonic? Learn all about orchestras on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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the memory palace - Episode 77: Butterflies

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

A note on notes: We’d much rather you just went into each episode of The Memory Palace cold. And just let the story take you where it well. So, we don’t suggest looking into the show notes first.

This episode was originally released in 2015. Sometimes you’re working on an episode (and when I say “you’re” I mean, “I’m,”) working on an episode and you realize it’s just all wrong. That there’s a good episode in there but you need to take a few days and go at it again. Because you (and, again, “you”=”I”) think it, and you (this time I mean you, the listener) deserve better. And you put out a re-run. It’s a good one, though.

Everything Everywhere Daily - The B-52 Stratofortress

World War II was the first major conflict that saw the use of strategic bombers. In the months immediately after the war, the US saw the need for an advanced bomber to replace the bombers which were developed during the war. Moreover, they wanted something bigger, faster, and that used newly developed jet engines. The end result of the process was the B-52 bomber which had its first flight in 1952. Learn more about Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the plane which is still in service today.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - The Yellow Fleet

In 1967, war broke out between Israel and Egypt. It was the beginning of what would be known as the Six-Day War. As Israeli forces raced across the Siani Peninsula, Egyptian forces took measures to ensure that the Suez Canal wouldn’t be captured. They scuttled ships on either end of the canal to prevent it from being used. Unfortunately, there were ships still in the canal and they got stuck…..for a long time. Learn more about the Yellow Fleet and crews that sailed to nowhere.

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Bay Curious - Your Stories From the Year of COVID

We asked you to send us reflections on how your life has changed in the year since Bay Area leaders first issued a shelter-in-place order —the emotional beginning of the pandemic year for many of us. Amidst the hard stuff, you're finding bright spots and hope moving forward.

Additional Reading:

Curious City - COVID-19, One Year Later

We’ve reached the one-year anniversary of Chicago’s stay-at-home order. From schools going virtual to plastic shields lining the grocery store check-out lane, just about every aspect of life has been affected by the pandemic. To mark all the change this year has brought, we hear some essays from folks who’ve written about their experiences. Plus we look to the future and visit some vaccination sites to answer a listener’s question about what the vaccine means to people. From “cautious” to “hopeful,” they tell us what they’re most looking forward to next.

Everything Everywhere Daily - St. Patrick’s Day

Every March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated. Everyone wears a lot of green, there are parades, shamrocks, and a whole lot of drinking. But who exactly was St. Patrick? Why do we celebrate his day? And what does any of this have to do with shamrocks, drinking, and wearing green? Learn more about St. Patrick’s Day and why we celebrate it on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - Unratified Constitutional Amendments

The United States Constitution spells out a very specific process for how to amend the document. First, Congress must vote to approve the amendment. Then the amendment is sent to the state legislatures for ratification. Most amendments never make it through congress. But what happens when an amendment makes it through congress but then doesn’t get approved by the states? Learn more about unratified amendments, and how some of them have become immortal.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - El Gordo: The World’s Biggest Lottery

Every so often, you see lottery jackpots that grow to enormous levels. Lotteries such as Powerball and Mega Millions have on occasion grown to have prizes over $1 billion dollars. However, they all pale in comparison to the annual lottery which takes place in Spain every year. The total amount of money given away in this lottery is over double the cash prize given out in the biggest American lottery. Learn more about El Gordo, the Spanish Christmas Lottery.

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