Everything Everywhere Daily - The World’s Oldest Satellite

Here is a question you’ve probably never bothered to think about before….What is the oldest man made object orbiting the earth? Which, if any, of the really early satellites are still whizzing around up in space? It turns out, the fourth satellite ever put in orbit is still there, 62 years after it was launched. Learn more about Vanguard 1, the world’s oldest satellite, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read Me a Poem - “The Canonization” by John Donne

Amanda Holmes reads John Donne’s poem, “The Canonization.” 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.



See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Everything Everywhere Daily - A Brief History of Timekeeping

Our ability to measure time is one of the fundamental things which makes us human. We’ve gone from very crude and inexact measures of time to time measurements which are so accurate that it would take billions of years to lose a single second. This increased accuracy has allowed us to navigate the seas, space, and even get directions to a nearby store. Learn about the history of how we keep time on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything Everywhere Daily - The First Pandemic

Pandemics can be world-changing events. The aftermath of a pandemic can shape societies and topple empires. Whether it's the flu, smallpox, cholera, or the bubonic plague, these pandemics have killed more people than all the wars in human history. However, pandemics weren’t always a part of humanity. There was a first pandemic that caught civilization by surprise, and the legacy of that pandemic can still be felt in our world today.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything Everywhere Daily - Eponymous Laws

Everyone is probably familiar with Murphy’s Law which says that “Anything which can go wrong will go wrong.” However, there are many such laws, known as eponymous laws, which are sayings, adages, or truisms, which have been attributed to people over the years. These are not hard and fast mathematical or physical laws, but rather are general truths which can help you see and understand the world better...and they are usually named after someone.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything Everywhere Daily - Football, Soccer, and Rugby

While different countries may debate as to what sport should really be called ‘football’, the reality is that the word football describes a broad family of sports all of whom have a very similar background and origin. Just like species with a common ancestor can evolve in ways where they look totally unlike each other, so too did the football sports evolve from a common ancestor into very different forms today.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices