Podcast Transcript In 1965, the world’s first fully enclosed sports facility, the Houston Astrodome, was opened to the public. The Astrodome itself was a marvel of engineering, but because it was enclosed, the grass that was initially planted soon died. It was replaced with artificial grass, which was basically a synthetic carpet that looked like …
Podcast Transcript For thousands of years, humans have used the power of water to do work for them. At first, it was very simple, then it gradually evolved to more complex and more efficient devices to harness the power of water. Eventually, we were able to harness some of the world’s largest rivers to produce …
Podcast Transcript Before the US Civil War, a group of abolitionists didn’t just sit around passively to wait for the end of slavery to arrive. They took matters into their own hands. They set up a clandestine network that operated over multiple states to bring escaped slaves to freedom. Their network wasn’t a top-down organization, …
Podcast Transcript Located in the Indonesian Archipelago, it is one of the newest countries in the world, Timor-Leste, or, as it’s sometimes known in English, East Timor. While geographically very close, and pretty much surrounded by Indonesia, Timor-Leste has had a history very different from Indonesia. Their histories diverged when they became colonized by different …
Podcast Transcript On May 16, 1929, 270 people assembled in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Blossom Room. They were there to honor the highest achievements in filmmaking over the last year. It was not broadcast on radio, was not recorded, and the entire event only took 15 minutes. Those present on that day didn’t know it, …
Podcast Transcript Over 300 years ago, humanity was in the early stages of what would be its greatest transformation in history. Around the world, there were new ideas that were just starting to take root. That isn’t to say that all was great in the world, but seeds were planted that would bear fruit centuries …
Podcast Transcript March is upon us. It is a month of madness if you happen to be a basketball fan, a month with celebrations if you happen to be Irish, and the month where we celebrate the ratio of the circumference to its diameter. It is also the month of the equinox. Where the days …
Podcast Transcript Every month, or sometimes every quarter, governments around the world release economic statistics. Markets will often wait for the release of these statistics, and billions of dollars of investments will often hang on what these statistics reveal. While the announcement of economic data will often make the news, many people aren’t aware of …
Podcast Transcript Located at the southern end of the Iberian peninsula is the largest autonomous community in Spain by population and the second largest by area: Andalusia. Andalusia is different from the other regions of Spain for a host of reasons. It has a unique history, a unique geography, and a unique culture. Moreover, many …