The 1970 October Crisis in Quebec

The 1970 October Crisis in Quebec

Podcast Transcript Canada has a reputation for being a rather low-key, friendly place.  For the most part, this is true. It is a nice place to visit and is not usually in turmoil. However, that hasn’t always been the case. Fifty years ago, Canadians faced the threat of extremism and terrorism, and it almost did …

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The Marginal Revolution

The Marginal Revolution

Podcast Transcript In most academic disciplines, there is often a single idea or discovery which makes everything fall into place.  All of the things which didn’t make sense before suddenly do when looked through this new lens.  These eye-opening discoveries usually occur in the hard sciences, but one such advancement also took place in the …

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The History of Libraries

The History of Libraries

Podcast Transcript As soon as humans developed systems of writing, they faced a problem. What to do with all of the things that were written down?  If you were going to document the lives of kings or tax records, then you need to be able to reference these details at some later date.  The solution …

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Human Migration to the Americas

Human Migration to the Americas

Podcast Transcript Perhaps the most important research in anthropology is how modern humans left their birthplace in Africa and migrated to the rest of the world. One big subset of that story is how humans managed to get to the Americas.  It is a tale that has resulted in theories being updated several times based …

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The History of Negative Numbers

The History of Negative Numbers

Podcast Transcript Over the span of human history, there are certain ideas that humans have had a very difficult time accepting.  Ideas that no one has any problem with today and are even grasped by children actually took centuries to take root.  Perhaps this is no more true than with the concept of negative numbers.  …

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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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The Origins of Baseball

The Origins of Baseball

Podcast Transcript In the 19th century, the first real American sport took off in popularity: baseball.  It went from being a children’s game to one of the most popular and lucrative professional sports in the world.  Yes, its origins have been shrouded in mystery, in no small part because of all the legends and myths …

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The 1964 Alaskan Earthquake

The 1964 Alaskan Earthquake

Podcast Transcript On March 27th, 1964, the second-greatest earthquake in recorded history struck the state of Alaska.  It was an absolute monster of an earthquake, completely devastating communities, including Alaska’s capital, Anchorage.  The quake was so great that people could feel it 1,200 miles away in Seattle.  Despite its power, the secondary effects of the …

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Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen

Podcast Transcript For over two thousand years, China lived under imperial rule. A series of dynasties and emperors were the defining feature of Chinese governance.  However, in the early 20th century, China threw off its imperial rulers and became, for the first time in its history, a republic.  Much of the reason why China became …

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