Hi! Happy (almost) Valentine's Day! I've always wondered about where Valentine's Day came from. We've heard it's a Hallmark holiday, a day to venerate a historical saint, a day to love our favorite people—so many explanations! But what is the actual history of Valentine's Day? Would it absolutely drive you nuts if I told you we don't actually know? Take a listen to find out! From all sorts of different stories about who Valentine was to how we even got to the celebration we have in the modern era, I take a deep dive into all things February 14. Saint Valentine: Martyr, Man of Love, or Myth?

Sources:

Music by Tim Beek. "Unicorn" by Tim Beek (timbeek.com).

This day in history: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/february-12 

Historical birthdays: https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/february/12 

St. Valentine: https://www.history.com/articles/real-st-valentine-medieval 

Filling in gaps from the above: https://www.history.com/articles/st-valentine-story-patron-saint 

Terni and relics: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Valentine 

Sometimes my brain takes me down rabbit holes of the most random things. And today, that thing was stamps. Yes, like the cute little square stickers you put on the corner of your envelopes when you send snail mail.

I was sitting in my kitchen doing the monotonous task of adding stamps to 20+ envelopes and thought to myself: Who came up with this idea? What’s the origin story? Why did I pay so much for these? Are stamps expensive or reasonably priced? Who designs them?

So, I decided we would learn everything about stamps together! Super random, I know, but there’s actually more to learn than you might think. I for sure learned something new! And I hope you do, too.

Music by Tim Beek. "Unicorn" by Tim Beek (timbeek.com).

Research is from the below sources:

This day in history: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/february-5 

HIstorical birthdays: https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/february/5 

Stamp costs: https://www.npr.org/2024/04/12/1244273973/forever-stamp-cost-price-going-up-usps-postage#:~:text=Why%20do%20stamp%20prices%20keep,68%25%2C%20to%20900%20million. 

Origin story: https://info.mysticstamp.com/learn/the-origin-of-postage-stamps-a-glimpse-into-postal-history/ 

USPS Specifically: https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/stamps-postcards.htm 

USPS Facts: https://facts.usps.com/2000-first-circular-postage-stamp/ 

Design tidbits: https://stampart.us/history_of_stamps/ 

Federal Duck Stamp: https://www.fws.gov/program/federal-duck-stamp/federal-duck-stamp-contest-event-information 

A tell-all episode about my 23rd year? I think yes! Happy birthday to me! Join me as I chat through and reflect on all of the things I did this year—big and small.

I've been around for 23 years and this is the first time I've reflected on what went well, what I'm proud of, and what I'm excited for to come in my 24th year. From perfecting my at-home latte to making new friends, from growing out my hair to starting this podcast, and everything in between, I had a grand old time thinking about the past year of my life.

Forty years (and one day) ago, hundreds of people gathered at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida and millions worldwide watched on live TV to see the tenth launch of the Challenger, where the first civilian would be going to space on a shuttle mission. Just over a minute after launch, the sky was filled with smoke, flames, and debris. The mission had quickly become unsuccessful and the public was in total shock. Join me today as I discuss the Challenger Disaster—the before, during, and aftermath of it all—and other interesting space tidbits that I learned along the way.

Research:

General information: https://www.history.com/articles/challenger-disaster

Space shuttle deep-dive: https://www.nasa.gov/space-shuttle/#:~:text=Starting%20with%20Columbia%20and%20continuing,space%2C%20the%20International%20Space%20Station. 

James Webb Telescope: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/

Book:

Challenger by Adam Higginbotham

Music by Tim Beek. "Unicorn" by Tim Beek (timbeek.com)

A bonus episode?! How fun! In today's more casual episode, we're detailing all seven majors that I, your host, had in college. Is there a secret eighth major mixed in there? That's up to you, dearest listener! From genetics to communications to linguistics and everything in between, listen to the reasons why I chose each major, why I changed them, and how I ended up where I am today. And, if there's anything you take away from this episode, let it be this: It's ok to change your mind!

Music is by Tim Beek. "Unicorn" by Tim Beek (timbeek.com).

It's January. You have high hopes. You're going to be so productive and get so much done all year long. But how exactly are you going to do that? In this episode, I took a deep dive into different productivity systems that people follow. I explain what they are, how to do them, and (of course!) what I think about them.

Article 1:

https://www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/7-productivity-methods

Chronotypes:

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/chronotypes

Article 2:

https://www.wrike.com/blog/complete-guide-personal-kanban/

Music is by Tim Beek. "Unicorn" by Tim Beek (timbeek.com).

Picture this: It’s January 15, 1919. Boston, Massachusetts. The largest, most precariously built molasses tank you've ever seen has just been refilled. The weather is mild, people are ambling about, and it’s a regular day in the city—until it's not.

Today we're discussing The Great Molasses Flood, one of the strangest historical events I've ever discovered. Was the entire city sticky? Did it smell like molasses for months? You'll have to listen to find out! Learn about what this event even is, why it happened, and the aftermath.

Research for this episode came from: https://www.history.com/articles/the-great-molasses-flood-of-1919

Music is by Tim Beek. "Unicorn" by Tim Beek (timbeek.com).

Welcome to the first episode of The Everything Endeavor! And, Happy New Year! In the spirit of January and all the “new year, new me” posts that flood social media feeds this time of year, we’re discussing habits and identity. More specifically, how your self-perception can be the determining factor in making your habits stick…for real this time! I've always had a hard time sticking to the New Year's Resolutions that I set for myself, and this year I decided to take them seriously. While researching how to actually make it work once and for all, the habit-identity correlation became was astounding. I hope you can apply some of this to your own habit formation this year!

Article 1:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6635880/

Verplanken B, Sui J. Habit and Identity: Behavioral, Cognitive, Affective, and Motivational Facets of an Integrated Self. Front Psychol. 2019 Jul 10;10:1504. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01504. PMID: 31354563; PMCID: PMC6635880.

Article 2:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-about-addiction/202503/the-identity-hack-to-behavioral-change

Music is by Tim Beek. "Unicorn" by Tim Beek (timbeek.com).

Welcome to The Everything Endeavor! I'm so glad you're here. Listen for a quick preview inside my brain and hear what you're getting yourselves into every Thursday. So happy to have you join me on this endeavor!

Music by Tim Beek. "Unicorn" by Tim Beek (timbeek.com).