The Election of 1800

The Election of 1800

Transcript I’ve done several episodes on close and interesting US presidential elections throughout history. Mainly they were to put current events into perspective, so you can realize that the controversies of today are really not all that new. However, there was one election that might be considered the closest and most interesting in history, but …

Read more

Unique Spanish Festivals

Unique Spanish Festivals

Transcript Many communities around the world hold local festivals. They might have some food stalls, a stage for musical acts, and some rides for the kids. Pretty standard stuff. But in Spain, they do things differently. Really different.  Learn more about the unique Spanish festivals which aren’t like those anywhere else in the world, on …

Read more

A History of Jury Duty

A History of Jury Duty

Transcript Every so often, adults may be asked to perform a civic duty by sitting on a jury. Usually, the commitment might be nothing more than a few hours or a few days. Occasionally, some juries might get a case that lasts years.  Why do we have juries, and where did this notion come from? …

Read more

The Longest Sports Games in History

The Longest Sports Games in History

Transcript Sometimes you might sit down to watch a sporting match and it is over before you know it. However, there are some games that seem to take forever.  A rare few games last an extraordinarily long time, as no one can seem to win.  Learn more about the longest games in history, in almost …

Read more

The Sultana Steamboat Disaster

The Sultana Steamboat Disaster

Transcript On April 27th, 1865, just weeks after the end of the American Civil War, a steamboat carrying former Union prisoners of war sailed up the Mississippi River from Vicksburg.  At 2 am, the boilers on the steamship exploded, killing 1800 people in what is still the largest maritime disaster in US history.  Learn more …

Read more

Greens vs. Blues: Fanatical Chariot Fans in Ancient Rome

Green vs. Blue: Fanatical Chariot Fans in Ancient Rome

Transcript Professional sports have become a multibillion-dollar industry with millions of fans who will live and die based on their favorite team’s performance.  Occasionally, soccer hooligans and Raiders fans will take their exuberance a bit too far. Rioting after a team wins a championship happens more often than not. However, nothing in the world of …

Read more

The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Transcript Scientists have coined a term called the Butterfly Effect, where small changes in one thing can lead to enormous changes in systems later on. Nothing in history exemplifies this more than the series of unfortunate coincidences that occurred on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo. The repercussions of those events can still be felt around …

Read more

Really Big Telescopes

Really Big Telescopes

Transcript Since the dawn of time, humans have looked up at the night sky to watch the stars. …and then nothing happened for hundreds of thousands of years until a guy by the name of Galileo Galilei point a telescope at the stars and saw a bunch of stuff that everyone had missed. Since then, …

Read more

The Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia

Transcript Every year, more than three million visitors will line up and buy a ticket to visit the most popular attraction in all of Spain: The Sagrada Familia. It is a stunning modernist architectural achievement and the crowning design of local architect Antoni Gaudí. Even though it gets millions of visitors, the church has been …

Read more