Queen Isabella

Queen Isabella

Transcript She was never intended to be a queen. She wasn’t the firstborn and the rules of the time didn’t support her as a woman. Yet through cunning and guile, she managed to take power.  As a queen, she was at the center of many of the most significant and notorious events in European history, …

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The Battle of Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae

Transcript In the year 480 BC, one of the most famous battles in history took place on the shore of the Malian Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Several thousand Greeks held back several hundred thousand Persians, in a battle which is still remembered 2,500 years later.  While the Greeks lost the battle, they did ultimately …

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May Day

May Day

Transcript Every year of May 1st, people all around the northern hemisphere celebrate the arrival of spring. A day we call May Day. But it is also the day that communist countries held military parades, and the Soviets would show off all of their military strength in public. Mayday is also the international distress signal …

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The Mount Tambora Eruption

The Mount Tambora Eruption

Transcript In 1815, one of the most catastrophic and deadly events in recorded human history occurred in Indonesia.  A volcanic explosion took place which was larger than anything, any human had ever witnessed in over 10,000 years.  The total global death toll from the event might have been as high as the tens of millions. …

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J. Harlen Bretz: Proving Theories Via Outliving Your Critics

J. Harlen Bretz: Proving Theories Via Outliving Your Critics

Transcript Many people have an idealized view of how science works. They think that someone makes a discovery or publishes a paper, then everyone acknowledges their discovery, and everyone moves on to the next thing. Science! However, that isn’t quite how things work in reality. The real advancement of science can be quite messy. One …

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‘Mad’ Jack Churchill

'Mad' Jack Churchill

Transcript When you think of battles involving broadswords and longbows you probably thinking back to the time of Braveheart.  But what if I told you that those weapons were being used much more recently in a modern mechanized war?  …well, at least one guy was using them in World War II. Learn more about ‘Mad’ …

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Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali

Transcript He was a painter, a writer, sculptor, photographer, and one of the most significant avant-garde artists of the 20th century.  He was also a showman, celebrity, and one of the well-known personalities in the world.  …and he had one of the most famous mustaches in history.  Learn more about Salvador Dali on this episode …

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DEFCON Levels

DEFCON Levels

Transcript Historically, an army could have days, weeks, or even months to prepare for war.  However, with the development of intercontinental missiles and nuclear weapons, the time for preparation was reduced to hours or even minutes.  In light of these changes, it was necessary to develop a system that allowed for rapid mobilization and readiness.  …

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Hanns Scharff: Master Interrogator of the Luftwaffe

Hanns Scharff: Master Interrogator of the Luftwaffe

Transcript If I were to say “prisoner of war interrogator” something rather menacing probably comes to mind. If I were to say “Nazi prisoner of war interrogator” something really menacing probably comes to mind. And If I were to say the “the greatest Nazi prisoner of war interrogator”, you are probably imagining a truly horrifying, …

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