55803006Before the advent of podcasts, if you were an illiterate who wanted to enjoy the work of a famous author, you had to hope his or her writings were translated into rebuses. But today, in the present, it is the future, and we have podcasts. And while they've been detrimental to the once-thriving rebus industry, podcasts have now allowed John Hodgman to share historical-esque, fact-like audio vignettes with the world.

That's right, the inimitable John Hodgman has a new free daily podcast called Today In the Past (link opens in iTunes), featuring a fascinating rundown of events that happened on that date in history, events like the discovery of Grant's tomb in Manhattan on November 11, 1922. I recommend subscribing even if you're not illiterate. It's just that good.

The content of the podcast is drawn from John Hodgman's book More Information Than You Require, which was recently released in paperback. I had the good fortune to see him read from the book on Wednesday and can attest that, while not as useful in a street fight, the paperback edition is every bit as funny as the hardbound one.