Mayday. Mayday. Mayday.

You've heard it in every disaster movie. Every sinking ship scene. Every plane going down in flames. One word. Screamed three times. And somehow everyone in the world knows exactly what it means.

But why that word? Why not just "help"? Why not "emergency"? Why Mayday — and why three times?

In this episode Daniel figures out that the answer has been hiding in plain sight for a hundred years. And almost nobody has noticed.

Here's the first thing that will surprise you. Mayday is not an English word. It never was. It just sounds like one.

The real word is French. M'aider. It means — help me.

After World War One, air traffic between England and France exploded. Planes crossing the English Channel every day. And with more planes came more emerge ...