Podcast Transcript In 1879, Constantin Fahlberg, a chemist at Johns Hopkins University, made an astonishing discovery. He was conducting experiments with coal tar when he forgot to wash his hands. When he started eating lunch, he noticed something odd. His fingers tasted sweet. Fahlberg’s discovery was the start of a century-long pursuit to create alternatives …
Podcast Transcript On March 5, 1770, one of the major events leading up to the American Revolution occurred. A confrontation between Boston civilians and British soldiers resulted in the deaths of five Americans. While the events of that day helped spur the cause of American independence, the events which happened after helped determine what kind …
Podcast Transcript In 1999, two social psychologists, David Dunning and Justin Kruger, published a seminal paper on a cognitive bias that can affect nearly everyone. Since the paper was published, it has given a name to something which most people have recognized and, at times, may have been guilty of themselves. However, most people who …
Podcast Transcript 17th-century Europe was witness to one of the longest and most brutal wars in human history. The conflict lasted over a generation and was responsible for the deaths of up to half the population in some countries. When it finally ended, it resulted in a new geopolitical order, which, for the most part, …
Podcast Transcript Of all the vitamins and nutrients which are required by the human body, there are 13 of which that are considered essential nutrients. That means they can’t be produced within our bodies. One of those vitamins can be produced in our bodies, but it requires a little bit of help to make it. …
Podcast Transcript In 1612, when Galileo Galilei looked at the planet Jupiter through a telescope, he might have accidentally discovered a new planet, although he had no idea at the time. It wouldn’t be for another 300 years until astronomers found what Galileo had missed, and the process of discovery was unlike that for any …
Podcast Transcript The French Revolution wasn’t just a political revolution where one government was replaced with a new one. The French Revolution was also a social revolution and the largest social institution in France at the time of the revolution was the Catholic Church. At the height of the revolution, the revolutionaries attempted to replace …
Podcast Transcript During the height of the Second World War, American shipping to Europe was constantly being attacked by German U-boats. In an attempt to completely bypass German subs, aviation pioneer Howard Hughes began construction on what would be the world’s largest aircraft. A plane that was so large it could carry 750 passengers or …
Podcast Transcript In the very long history of China, it has had exactly one female ruler. She was a woman who managed, against all odds, to inch her way closer to power over a period of years until she reached a point where she could claim power for herself. By all accounts, she was beautiful, …