History of the FIFA World Cup

History of the FIFA World Cup

Podcast Transcript In 1872 the first international football match took place between England and Scotland.  Since then, international football has been at the apex of world sport.  Starting in 1930, a quadrennial competition has been held where the greatest national teams competed to determine the world champion. Learn more about the FIFA World Cup, its …

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The Gracchi Brothers

The Gracchi Brothers

Podcast Transcript During the Roman Republic, two brothers took it upon themselves to seek to change Rome to benefit the poor and underclass. Needless to say, the Roman elites did not like this and did everything in their power to ensure it didn’t happen.  …and the elites were successful. But in the process, they changed …

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Leap Seconds

Leap Seconds

Podcast Transcript Every few years, without any regular schedule or planning, officials at the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service will add an extra second to the year.  The reason why this is done does make sense, but adding an extra second to a year can cause a host of problems, and many are …

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The Dieppe Raid

The Dieppe Raid

Podcast Transcript In 1942, Allied forces attempted a landing on the coast of France to gain a toe hold on the continent. Thousands of men took part in the landing…and it was a disaster. Over a thousand men were killed, and over 2,000 were captured.  Despite being a massive failure, the lessons learned from that …

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World Population Throughout History

World Population Throughout History

Podcast Transcript Human beings have been around for hundreds of thousands of years. For the vast majority of that time, the total population of humans has been quite small.  Then, quite suddenly, at least in the grand sweep of history, the population of humanity exploded.  Now, it appears that humans might be on the cusp …

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The Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Lighthouse of Alexandria

When Alexander the Great died, one of his generals and best friends, Ptolemy, took Alexander’s corpse and went to Egypt to establish a new pharaonic dynasty. One of the things he did during his reign was to begin construction on what would become one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  It stood for …

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The Last of the Romanovs

The Last of the Romanovs

Podcast Transcript For over 300 years, the Romanov family ruled over the Russian Empire.  After the Communist Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne, and he and his family were placed under house arrest, where they ultimately met a grizzly fate. For decades after their deaths, the world wondered what happened to them until their …

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Why Is The Sky Blue?

Why Is The Sky Blue?

Podcast Transcript Children are highly inquisitive and are always asking questions. One of the most common questions that children have is, “why is the sky blue?”  It is a simple and reasonable question, yet the answer is rather complicated, and most adults really aren’t sure why the sky is blue. Learn why the sky is …

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All About the Isle of Man

All About the Isle of Man

Podcast Transcript Located between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, in the middle of the Irish Sea, lies one of the oddest political jurisdictions in the world.  It isn’t a country, nor is it a territory of another country. For the most part, it has autonomy over its affairs, yet it depends entirely on …

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