Podcast Transcript On Christmas Eve 1969, the nation of Norway received a massive Christmas present. After years of failed drilling attempts, Norway announced they had discovered one of the largest oil reserves on Earth. This remarkable find would immediately transform Norway from a quiet, industrial, and fishing-based economy into one of the world’s ten largest …
Podcast Transcript Flags are one of the oldest and most successful systems of visual communication ever devised. Long before they became symbols of countries, flags and flag-like objects identified armies, ships, military units, and rulers. However, their modern role as symbols of entire nations is actually a relatively recent development. Learn more about flags and …
Podcast Transcript In the years after the American Revolution, New York City was growing rapidly, and so was the demand for trained physicians. But medical education required something that was difficult to obtain legally, and rumors soon spread that the dead were not being allowed to rest in peace. Anger grew, suspicions hardened, and in …
Podcast Transcript According to the US Census, the single largest ethnic group in the United States are Germans. More than 40 million Americans identified their ancestry as German. Driven from Europe by unrest, poverty, famine, and religious persecution, Germans quickly assimilated into American society. So much so that it’s difficult to imagine an America without …
Podcast Transcript For more than a century, one of Europe’s richest cities worked on a building it didn’t know how to finish. Its designers created an enormous space that seemed impossible to cover, leaving future generations with one of the Middle Ages’ greatest engineering challenges. The solution would require new machines, new construction techniques, and …
Podcast Transcript For most of human history, growing food depended on one deceptively simple piece of technology. Over thousands of years, it evolved from little more than a sharpened stick into a machine that could transform entire landscapes, open new regions to farming, and support much larger populations. Its development helped shape settlement patterns, economies, …
Podcast Transcript For thousands of years, educators have wrestled with the question: what knowledge does a person truly need? The answer once included seven formal subjects that established the foundation of education from ancient Greece through the medieval university. The subjects have changed dramatically over time, but the underlying idea has survived. Learn more about …
Podcast transcript He was one of the most influential political writers of the American Revolution, helped shape the argument against British taxation, drafted major documents for the Continental Congress, and helped create both of America’s first two systems of government. Yet when the colonies decided to declare their independence, he refused to support it. For …
Podcast Transcript In the aftermath of World War II, the United States occupied Japan from 1945 to 1952. During the occupation, the United States aimed to achieve three main goals: demilitarization, democratization, and social and economic reform. Under US control, Japan was transformed from a militaristic empire into a peaceful, economic powerhouse. It was unlike …