The History of Saint Patrick’s Day

The History of Saint Patrick's Day

Transcript Every March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated. Everyone wears a lot of green, there are parades, shamrocks, and a whole lot of drinking.  But who exactly was St. Patrick? Why do we celebrate his day? And what does any of this have to do with shamrocks, drinking, and wearing green? Learn more about …

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Unratified Constitutional Amendments

Unratified Constitutional Amendments

Transcript The United States Constitution spells out a very specific process for how to amend the document. First, Congress must vote to approve the amendment. Then the amendment is sent to the state legislatures for ratification.  Most amendments never make it through congress. But what happens when an amendment makes it through congress but then …

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El Gordo: The World’s Biggest Lottery

El Gordo: The World's Biggest Lottery

Transcript Every so often, you see lottery jackpots that grow to enormous levels. Lotteries such as Powerball and Mega Millions have on occasion grown to have prizes over $1 billion dollars. However, they all pale in comparison to the annual lottery which takes place in Spain every year. The total amount of money given away …

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What’s the Deal With Daylight Savings?

What's the Deal With Daylight Savings?

Transcript Every year, around this time, people who live in northern latitude countries turn their clocks ahead one hour. Then, months later, we do the exact same thing in reverse, setting all of our clocks back.  Why do we do this? Is there a good reason for it? Should we continue to do it?  Learn …

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How the US Civil War Really Ended

How the US Civil War Really Ended

Transcript According to most history books, the United States Civil War ended on April 9, 1865,  when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.  This is a truth, but it really isn’t the truth. At best it could be described as the beginning of the end of …

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How Australia Won Its First Winter Olympic Gold Medal

How Australia Won Its First Winter Olympic Gold Medal

Transcript Australia is what I would call a sporting country. Cricket, rugby, and Australian Football are all incredibly popular sports.  Australia has also really punched above its weight in the Summer Olympics, earning an oversized number of medals given its population.  Their performance at the Winter Olympics, however, has not been so great.  Learn more …

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Why Does San Marino Exist?

Why Does San Marino Exist?

Transcript The country of San Marino is one of the smallest countries in the world. It is completely surrounded by Italy, is about 24 square miles in area, and has a population of about 33,000 people.  The most interesting thing about San Marino is the fact that it exists.  Why didn’t San Marino get sucked …

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A History of Vaccines

A History of Vaccines

Transcript Right now vaccinations are all over the news. There are many companies that have developed vaccines for COVID-19 and there is a good chance that most people in the world will wind up getting a vaccine in the next year or two.  Many of you may never have given much thought to what is …

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Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist

Transcript In the early hour of March 18, 1990, two police officers enter Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The problem was, they weren’t police officers. They were thieves.  In a little over an hour, they stole 13 valuable works of art which had a combined value of over $500 million dollars.  It was the largest …

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