Episode – 0299 : May Day Transcript Every year of May 1st, people all around the northern hemisphere celebrate the arrival of spring. A day we call May Day. But […]
Episode – 0279 : Charles Boycott
Episode – 0279 : Charles Boycott Transcript Charles Cunningham Boycott was not a well-liked person amongst his neighbors in Ireland. No one would talk to him, no one would sell […]
Episode – 0276 : Why Does Vatican City Exist?
Episode – 0276 : Why Does Vatican City Exist? Transcript Located in the middle of Rome, the capital of Italy, is what many people consider to be the smallest country […]
Episode – 0273 : Al Andalus
Episode – 0273 : Al Andalus Transcript If you think of Spain, you probably think of a predominantly catholic country with major cathedrals and churches in every village. However, most […]
Episode – 0253 : Unratified Amendments
Episode – 0253 : Unratified Amendments Transcript The United States Constitution spells out a very specific process for how to amend the document. First, Congress must vote to approve the […]
Episode – 0250 : How the US Civil War Really Ended
Episode – 0250 : How the US Civil War Really Ended Transcript According to most history books, the United States Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, when General Robert […]
Episode – 0245 : The Mercury 13
Episode – 0245 : The Mercury 13 Transcript In the late 1950s, NASA recruited military test pilots to become the very first American Astronauts. They underwent an extensive battery of […]
Episode – 0209 : The Dionne Quintuplets
Episode – 0209 : The Dionne Quintuplets Transcript Multiple births happen very infrequently. The odds decrease dramatically the more children are born at once. The odds of twins is 1 […]
Episode – 0150 : Syndrome K
Episode – 0150 : Syndrome K Transcript In 1943, the Italian government surrendered to the Allied forces. The Germans, not wanting to cede such a large part of Europe to […]
Episode – 0149 : Martha Mitchell Was Right
Episode – 0149 : Martha Mitchell Was Right Transcript Have you ever thought something and everyone else said you were crazy?Have you ever been called crazy and then have the […]
Episode – 0145 : The House of David
Episode – 0145 : The House of David Transcript What do you get when you take one part religious cult and one part Harlem Globetrotters and one part Troy Polamalu’s […]
Episode – 0143 : Get the Lead Out
Episode – 0143 : Get the Lead Out Transcript Clair Patterson was a geochemist who worked at CalTech from the 1940s through the 1990s. His work involved studying the age […]
Episode – 0132 : Jury Duty
Episode – 0132 : Jury Duty Transcript Every so often, adults may be asked to perform a civic duty by sitting on a jury. Usually, the commitment might be nothing […]
Episode – 0107 : Pyrrhic Victory
Episode – 0107 : Pyrrhic Victory Transcript In a previous episode, I talked about how you can win by not losing. That is called the Fabian Strategy named after Roman […]
Episode – 0106 : The Election of 1876
Episode – 0106 : The Election of 1876 Transcript If you think the current American political climate is contentious, then you need to take a step back and take a […]
Episode – 0085 : Robert Smalls: Man of Action
Episode – 0085 : Robert Smalls: Man of Action Transcript Robert Smalls was born a slave in 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina. From that humble beginning, he went on to […]
Episode – 0086 : The Electoral College
Episode – 0086 : The Electoral College Transcript The Electoral College is a lot like figure skating. People only care about it every four years. Unlike figure skating, people tend […]
Episode – 0056 : The Last US Civil War Pension
Episode – 0056 : The Last US Civil War Pension Transcript On May 31, 2020, Irene Triplett passed away at the age of 90. Her life was rather unremarkable save […]
Episode – 0048 : Lis Hartel: A Remarkable Olympian
Episode – 0048 : Lis Hartel: A Remarkable Olympian Transcript Lis Hartel was a Danish equestrian competitor in the 1940s and 1950s. She competed in the 1952 Olympics and the […]
Episode – 0044 : Damnatio Memoriae
Episode – 0044 : Damnatio Memoriae Transcript The ancient Romans had a practice called Damnatio Memoriae, which was to banish someone’s memory from public life. It was also sometimes known […]