How Clarence Birdseye Created the Frozen Food Aisle

How Clarence Birdseye Created the Frozen Food Aisle

Transcript For thousands of years, food storage was one of humanity’s biggest problems. Even if you could grow or hunt sufficient calories when food was abundant, it was very difficult to store those calories for when food was scarce.  One man made a huge advancement in our ability to store foods, which now allows us …

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The Incredible Polgar Sisters

The Incredible Polgar Sisters

Transcript László Polgár was born just after World War II in Hungary. His field of study was the nature of human intelligence. After studying the lives of over 400 great intellectuals from throughout human history, he came to a startling conclusion: geniuses weren’t born, they were made.  So he set about conducting an experiment on …

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The Story of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony

The Story of Beethoven's 9th Symphony

Transcript On May 7th, 1824, in Vienna, Austria, the musical world changed forever.  The assembled crowd in the Kärntnertor Theater heard one of the most groundbreaking and revolutionary musical performances in history.  However, there was one person in attendance who didn’t hear the performance. The composer, Ludwig van Beethoven. Learn more about Beethoven’s 9th Symphony …

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Why You Can’t Resign From the British Parliament

Why You Can't Resign From the British Parliament

Transcript The British House of Commons has been called the Best Club in Town due to the fact that there is a 1,000-gallon vat of Scotch whiskey located in the cellar. However, I prefer to think of it as a roach motel. Because technically, once you are elected to Parliament, you can’t leave. It is …

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The History of Academic Degrees

The History of Academic Degrees

Transcript Every year around June, millions of people will wear robes and put on funny flat hats to receive their university degrees. But why do they all wear robes, and what’s the deal with that flat hat, and why does the hat have a frilly thing hanging off of it? And why do we give …

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The St. Nazaire Raid

The St. Nazaire Raid

Transcript In 1942, two and a half years into the Second World War, the British were facing a problem. While the British Navy mostly commanded the Atlantic, the Germans had one significant advantage. The battleship Tirpitz, the largest European military warship ever created at that time by total tonnage.  Rather than attack the Tirpitz head-on, …

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The Richest Athlete in History: Gaius Appuleius Diocles

The Richest Athlete in History: Gaius Appuleius Diocles

Transcript Who do you think what the wealthiest athlete in history? Maybe Michael Jordan. Perhaps Tiger Woods or Roger Federer. Or maybe Lionel Messi or LeBron James?  Well, historically speaking, if you added up the fortunes of all of those people, they probably couldn’t compare to one man who competed in ancient Rome. A man …

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The History of Memorial Day

The History of Memorial Day

Transcript Every year, on the last Monday in May, the United States honors its war dead. It is often celebrated with parades, cookouts, and ceremonies at military cemeteries. While many people just think of it as a three-day weekend and the beginning of summer, it is a tradition that extends back over 160 years.  Learn …

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Why Does Liechtenstein Even Exist?

Why Does Liechtenstein Even Exist?

Transcript If I was to ask you what the wealthiest royal family in Europe was, your first guess would probably be the British Royal Family.  But it isn’t.  It also isn’t the royal families in Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, or even the wealthy enclave of Monaco.  The richest royal family is also the …

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