Podcast Transcript In the early centuries of Christianity, some of the most important battles were fought not with swords, but with words. Bishops gathered from across the Roman world to debate questions that would define the faith for millions of people: the nature of God, the identity of Jesus, the role of Mary, and even …
Podcast Transcript Hidden among the rugged desert mountains of Jordan is a city carved into rose-colored sandstone cliffs. It grew wealthy by controlling ancient trade routes, mastered the challenge of bringing water into a dry landscape, and blended Arabian traditions with influences from Greece and Rome. For centuries, it flourished as the capital of a …
Podcast Transcript The symbol on the national flag of Lebanon is the cedar tree. The problem is, there aren’t many cedar trees in Lebanon anymore. In the ancient world, wood was used as a building material and a source of fuel, and there weren’t many alternatives. As civilizations and empires grew, they had an insatiable …
Podcast Transcript For centuries, the printed page was one of the most efficient ways to preserve and share information. In the digital age, engineers sought to reproduce the best qualities of paper without sacrificing many of the benefits of a screen. The result was a technology that uses remarkably little power, remains readable in bright …
Podcast Transcript In the early years of the Cold War, fear of communism and nuclear war swept across the United States. In this environment, one married couple from New York soon found themselves at the center of one of the most controversial trials in American history. They were accused of giving nuclear secrets to the …
Podcast Transcript In 1939, Detective Comics introduced a new superhero. He was just a man with no superpowers. He only had the mind of a detective and a whole lot of money. He is a silent guardian, watching over the people of Gotham City. Protecting the good and punishing the evil. He isn’t the comic …
Podcast Transcript The year 500 was a turning point between the ancient and medieval worlds. The Western Roman Empire was gone. New kingdoms were rising across Europe. Persia and Byzantium remained great powers, and civilizations flourished from China and India to Africa and the Americas. It was a world divided by distance, yet connected by …
Podcast Transcript In the heart of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains lies a landscape of towering granite cliffs, ancient sequoias, cascading waterfalls, and deep valleys carved by ice. It has inspired Indigenous peoples, explorers, artists, conservationists, and millions of visitors. Its story also helped create the modern idea of protecting wild places for everyone. Learn more …
Podcast Transcript In the summer of 2026, the United States caught World Cup fever, just as we do every four years. And just like we do every time, we were eliminated by a much smaller country. The United States is a large, rich country. We win a disproportionate share of Olympic medals and Nobel Prizes. …