Podcast Transcript For more than a century, one of Europe’s richest cities worked on a building it didn’t know how to finish. Its designers created an enormous space that seemed impossible to cover, leaving future generations with one of the Middle Ages’ greatest engineering challenges. The solution would require new machines, new construction techniques, and …
Podcast Transcript For most of human history, growing food depended on one deceptively simple piece of technology. Over thousands of years, it evolved from little more than a sharpened stick into a machine that could transform entire landscapes, open new regions to farming, and support much larger populations. Its development helped shape settlement patterns, economies, …
Podcast Transcript For thousands of years, educators have wrestled with the question: what knowledge does a person truly need? The answer once included seven formal subjects that established the foundation of education from ancient Greece through the medieval university. The subjects have changed dramatically over time, but the underlying idea has survived. Learn more about …
Podcast transcript He was one of the most influential political writers of the American Revolution, helped shape the argument against British taxation, drafted major documents for the Continental Congress, and helped create both of America’s first two systems of government. Yet when the colonies decided to declare their independence, he refused to support it. For …
Podcast Transcript In the aftermath of World War II, the United States occupied Japan from 1945 to 1952. During the occupation, the United States aimed to achieve three main goals: demilitarization, democratization, and social and economic reform. Under US control, Japan was transformed from a militaristic empire into a peaceful, economic powerhouse. It was unlike …
Podcast Transcript Every day, billions of people exchange pieces of paper, metal coins, and increasingly, numbers on a screen. The names attached to that money often have histories stretching back centuries, with origins in weights of silver, royal crowns, and ancient coins. Many of the names have similar origins, even if they are on the …
Nepal is the home of Mount Everest, ancient cities and kingdoms, and a country that was shut away from foreign visitors up until 1951. After the regime of isolation ended in the 50s, just two short years later two mountaineers summited Mount Everest and brought the Himalayas of Nepal to international fame. If you’re planning …
Podcast Transcript For decades, China suffered from revolution, war, and the radical policies of Mao Zedong. After Mao’s death, however, power eventually fell to a man who had been purged twice, stripped of his positions, and sent into political exile. He would never hold China’s highest formal office, yet he became its most powerful leader, …
Podcast Transcript September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest day in the history of the United States. In just 12 hours, 22,726 people were killed, wounded, or went missing just outside of Sharpsburg, Maryland, in one of the largest battles of the US Civil War. Despite ending in a draw, the Union’s ability to hold off …