Episode – 0329 : The History of Memorial Day Transcript Every year, on the last Monday in May, the United States honors its war dead. It is often celebrated with […]
Episode – 0328 : Why Does Liechtenstein Even Exist?
Episode – 0328 : Why Does Liechtenstein Even Exist? Transcript If I was to ask you what the wealthiest royal family in Europe was, your first guess would probably be […]
Episode – 0327 : The History of Mathematical Symbols
Episode – 0327 : The History of Mathematical Symbols Transcript One of the simplest mathematical statements possible is 2+2=4. While the concept is very easy to understand, when you write […]
Episode – 0326 : The Battle of Alesia
Episode – 0326 : The Battle of Alesia Transcript In the year 52 BC, the Roman General Julius Caesar fought the last major battle in the conquest of Gaul. The […]
Episode – 0325 : Potemkin Villages
Episode – 0325 : Potemkin Villages Transcript In 1787, Russian Empress Catherine the Great took a six-month trip to visit her newly acquired territories in the Crimean which had been […]
Episode – 0324 : Bell Labs
Episode – 0324 : Bell Labs Transcript What do lasers, photovoltaic cells, the transistor, digital cameras, cell phone technology, the communication satellite, computer networking, radio astronomy, and the UNIX operating […]
Episode – 0323 : The 17-Year Cicada
Episode – 0323 : The 17-Year Cicada Transcript Every 17 years one of the grandest spectacles in nature takes place. Billions of insects in a seemingly coordinated fashion will emerge […]
Episode – 0322 : Tarrare: The Hungriest Man in History
Episode – 0322 : Tarrare: The Hungriest Man in History Transcript Have you ever been really full after a meal? Like really really full? Could you imagine eating and never […]
Episode – 0320 : Really Expensive Musical Instruments
Episode – 0320 : Really Expensive Musical Instruments Transcript For a professional musician, their instrument is their livelihood. If making music is your career, it isn’t surprising that many top […]
Episode – 0319 : Scurvy
Episode – 0319 : Scurvy Transcript When Europeans began sailing the high seas on extended voyages, the most deadly thing they encountered wasn’t enemy navies, starvation, or even shipwrecks. It […]
Episode – 0318 : The 2013 America’s Cup: The Greatest Comeback in Sport’s History
Episode – 0318 : The 2013 America’s Cup: The Greatest Comeback in Sport’s History Transcript Comeback stories are some of the best stories in sports. Whether it is coming back […]
Episode – 0317 : Citizen Kane: The Greatest Movie Ever Made?
Episode – 0317 : Citizen Kane: The Greatest Movie Ever Made? Transcript In 1941, a young artistic prodigy released his first motion picture. It had enormous anticipation, received incredible reviews, […]
Episode – 0316 : Airport Codes
Episode – 0316 : Airport Codes Transcript If you’ve done your share of flying, you are probably familiar with the three-letter airport codes which identify every commercial airport in the […]
Episode – 0315 : Potpourri: Spain Edition
Episode – 0315 : Potpourri: Spain Edition Transcript In the process of doing research, I often come across various stories which are interesting but might not be worthy of a […]
Episode – 0314 : The British Crown Jewels
Episode – 0314 : The British Crown Jewels Transcript Located in the Tower of London are a collection of objects, some of which date back 800 years, which are the […]
Episode – 0313 : The Immortal Henrietta Lacks
Episode – 0313 : The Immortal Henrietta Lacks Transcript Henrietta Lacks was a mother of five who died of cervical cancer in 1951 at the age of 31. Before she […]
Episode – 0312 : Examining The Zipper
Episode – 0312 : Examining The Zipper Transcript I’m guessing that almost everyone listening to this podcast has, within the last 24 hours used a zipper. They are ubiquitous at […]
Episode – 0311 : Randomness
Episode – 0311 : Randomness Transcript Randomness is all around us. Many of you probably think that this podcast is pretty random given that you have no clue what each […]
Episode – 0310 : The Largest City in the World
Episode – 0310 : The Largest City in the World Transcript The rise of civilization is sometimes defined as the urbanization of humanity. The transition from hunter-gatherers to living in […]
Episode – 0309 : The South Atlantic Anomaly
Episode – 0309 : The South Atlantic Anomaly Transcript For years people believed that there was a part of the Atlantic Ocean where ships and planes would disappear called the […]