Questions and Answers: Volume 37

Questions and Answers: Volume 37

Podcast Transcript In the north, things are getting colder, snow is starting to fall, and the days are getting shorter. It is also the season for gift-giving.  As I can’t personally give all of you a customized gift, I can do the next best thing and answer your questions.  Stay tuned for the 37th installment …

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A Brief History of Panama

A Brief History of Panama

Podcast Transcript The country of Panama is best known as the location of the Panama Canal, the waterway that revolutionized international sea transportation. However, there is a lot more to the country. Its history is unlike any other nation in the Americas, and its path to independence was unusual to say the least.  Given its …

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Italian vs German Fascism

Italian vs German Fascism

Podcast Transcript Fascism is one of the most notorious political ideologies of the 20th century. Fascism is typically only thought of in tandem with Nazi Germany, but it wasn’t the only country that adhered to the ideology, and, in fact, they weren’t even the first.  It originated in Italy.  Despite many similarities between fascist Italy …

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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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