The History of Roller Coasters

The History of Roller Coasters

Podcast Transcript For well over a century, people have enjoyed the thrill of visiting an amusement park and riding roller coasters. The very first thing we can point to and call a proto-roller coaster had neither rollers nor did it coast. It was more of a slide. Over time, Roller coasters have evolved into massive …

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A Brief Overview of the Ottoman Empire

A Brief Overview of the Ottoman Empire

Podcast Transcript One of the most important empires in history was the Ottoman Empire.  It wasn’t the biggest empire, but it had an outsized impact on the world due to its strategic location and its moment in history.  The Ottomans shocked the world by capturing the city of Constantinople and later almost conquered much of …

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The Kokoda Track

The Kokoda Track

Podcast Transcript In July 1942, Japanese forces landed on the north shore of the island of New Guinea  Their goal was to cross the island by land and take the strategic city of Port Moresby.  If they had been successful, the entire fate of the war in the Pacific would have altered.  They didn’t take …

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The Phoebus Cartel

The Phoebus Cartel

Podcast Transcript Companies that sell products to the public have to follow a fine line.  On the one hand, they need to sell stuff to make money, and the way they do that is by making a good product.  However, if their product is too good, then people might not need to buy it again, …

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Swiss Neutrality

Swiss Neutrality

Podcast Transcript There are several rules that should be followed when going to war: There is also one other rule that should be added to that list: Don’t count on Switzerland as an ally. For over two centuries, Switzerland has remained staunchly neutral, even when wars were being fought just over its borders.  Learn more …

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The Hollow Nickel Case

The Hollow Nickel Case

Podcast Transcript In 1953, a newspaper delivery boy in Brooklyn, New York, made an odd discovery. One of his customers gave him a nickel that seemed lighter than the others.  When he dropped it, it popped open, exposing a small piece of microfilm. It was the bizarre beginning of the exposure and discovery of a …

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The V1 and V2 Rockets

The V1 and V2 Rockets

Podcast transcript The Second World War saw the development of many new weapons. Perhaps none was more terrifying than the development of long-range strategic rockets.  Rockets had been used in combat for centuries, dating back to their development in ancient China; however, the rockets developed by Germany were a different matter altogether.  They terrorized civilians …

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Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton

Podcast Transcript Alexander Hamilton was an American founding father who has recently gained popularity due to the popular musical Hamilton. Hamilton was the first U.S Secretary of the Treasury and was foundational in the formation of American financial and government policies, many of which remain in place to this day.  He is featured on the …

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The Fra Mauro Medieval World Map

The Fra Mauro Medieval World Map

Podcast Transcript Sometime around the year 1450, a monk living just outside of Venice created one of the greatest maps of the medieval world.  It was an enormous map, even by modern standards, and it had a level of detail that had never been seen before.  It took years to make and was a major …

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