Podcast Transcript When Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba in 1959, the American government wanted to see him gone. So, they hatched plots and tried to assassinate him, again, and again, and again, and again. Needless to say, none of them worked, and some of the ideas were almost farcical. Learn about the many …
Podcast Transcript In the 1980s, images of starving children in Ethiopia shocked the world and triggered one of the largest humanitarian responses in history. But behind the famine was a much deeper story of drought, civil war, dictatorship, forced resettlement, and the politics of food. It was a disaster that changed Ethiopia, transformed global charity, …
Podcast Transcript In 1829, a British scientist who had never visited the United States left his fortune to a foreign country across the ocean. His instructions were simple, vague, and enormously ambitious: create an institution for the increase and diffusion of knowledge. From that bequest grew the Smithsonian, a collection of museums, research centers, priceless …
Podcast Transcript Few phrases in American law are more familiar than “You have the right to remain silent.” They are spoken in police stations, on city streets, and in countless movies and television shows. Yet behind those words is a real criminal case, a controversial Supreme Court decision, and a legal rule that changed policing …
Podcast Transcript It is a metal that is a part of a mineral that helped build empires, an ion that allows your nerves to fire and your muscles to move, and it is found in your kitchen. It has helped preserve food, shaped trade routes, powered industries, and become one of the most common substances …
From the Historic Center of Vienna World Heritage inscription: Vienna developed from early Celtic and Roman settlements into a Medieval and Baroque city, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It played an essential role as a leading European music center, from the great age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century. …
From the World Heritage inscription for the Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta: The Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta – Hotel Tassel (1893), Hotel Solvay (1894), Hotel van Eetvelde (1895) and the House and Workshop of Victor Horta – located in Brussels, are outstanding examples of Art Nouveau. These four …
Podcast Transcript Over 4,000 years ago, in the cities of ancient Mesopotamia, people told the story of a mighty king who sought fame, found friendship, faced devastating loss, and went searching for the secret of eternal life. This story is one of the oldest written stories in the world, and many of its tropes are …
Podcast Transcript The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was described as a marvel of engineering and architecture, and it was considered stunningly beautiful However, unlike the other ancient wonders, we have no idea who built it, exactly where it was, or whether it even existed. …