Episode – 0232 : The London Beer Flood Transcript Early 19th century London was a dangerous, dirty, dingy place with tons of poverty and a lot of drinking. Alcoholism was […]
Episode – 0231 : Units of Measure
Episode – 0231 : Units of Measure Transcript Every day we are constantly using measurements. We have ways of measuring distance, temperature, time, light, pressure, energy….everything. Yet, why do we […]
Episode – 0229 : The Elevator
Episode – 0229 : The Elevator Transcript Some of the things we use every day were invented in the distant past. Other things were invented quite recently. However, there is […]
Episode – 0224 : Decimation
Episode – 0224 : Decimation Transcript You are probably familiar with the term decimation. The word is usually used in English to mean “to cause great destruction or harm”. However, […]
Episode – 0222 : Valentines Day
Episode – 0222 : Valentines Day Transcript Every February 14, people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day. It is a day for everything heart-shaped, flowers, jewelry, candy, and romance. Why […]
Episode – 0221 : Domus Aurea
Episode – 0221 : Domus Aurea Transcript Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, known to history as just Nero, was not the best of Roman Emperors. In fact, on most lists […]
Episode – 0219 : Hammurabi’s Code
Episode – 0219 : Hammurabi’s Code Transcript In 1901, Swiss archeologists Gustave Jequier discovered a large stone stele in what is today western Iran. That large stone was 2.25m or […]
Episode – 0216 : Jack the Ripper
Episode – 0216 : Jack the Ripper Transcript In 1888, the city of London was terrorized by its most infamous serial killer. Anywhere between 5 and 11 murders were committed […]
Episode – 0213 : Tulipmania
Episode – 0213 : Tulipmania Transcript In the 17th century, the Netherlands was struck by the world’s first investment bubble. They weren’t investing in stocks or bonds or real estate. […]
Episode – 0212 : The Smallest Country in the World
Episode – 0212 : The Smallest Country in the World Transcript How small can a country be and still be a country? In theory, there is no lower limit on […]
Episode – 0211 : The 1937 Soviet Census
Episode – 0211 : The 1937 Soviet Census Transcript In 1936, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin determined it was time for the Soviet Union to have another census.They hadn’t conducted one […]
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 – 0206 : The Green Bay Packers
Episode – 0206 : The Green Bay Packers Transcript The National Football League is big business. It earns more money than any other professional sports league in the world. All […]
Episode – 0202 : The Year of the Five Emperors
Episode – 0202 : The Year of the Five Emperors Transcript Every so often, the series Dr. Who would have a special episode where multiple versions of the time-traveling Doctor […]
Episode – 0201 : The Year of the Four Emperors
Episode – 0201 : The Year of the Four Emperors Transcript As long as the Roman empire lasted, they never created a set method of choosing successors to emperors. This […]
Episode – 0200 : The Oxford English Dictionary
Episode – 0200 : The Oxford English Dictionary Transcript In 1844, the Philological Society of London began investigating the creation of a new English dictionary. This initial foray would lead […]
Episode – 0199 : Exclaves and Enclaves
Episode – 0199 : Exclaves and Enclaves Transcript Normally, if a foreign country has you totally surrounded, that isn’t a good thing. However, in some parts of the world, it […]
Episode – 0198 : Inauguration Day
Episode – 0198 : Inauguration Day Transcript Every four years on January 20th, the United States holds a ceremony for the inauguration of the President of the United States. There […]
Episode – 0197 : The Crash at Crush
Episode – 0197 : The Crash at Crush Transcript In 1896, the United States was experiencing what we now call a recession. The Panic of 1896 had made life tough […]
Episode – 0196 : ALL RATS MUST DIE!!!
Episode – 0196 : ALL RATS MUST DIE!!! Transcript Humans and rats have lived in an uneasy relationship for millennia. Rats have spread diseases like the bubonic plague, destroyed grain […]