The Anaconda Plan

The Anaconda Plan

Podcast Transcript When the United States entered the Civil War, the Union needed a plan for its conduct of the conflict.  General Windfield Scott, the Union’s senior military commander, devised a strategy that would play to the Union’s strengths and exploit the Confederacy’s weaknesses. He hoped it would bring about a swift end to the …

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Psychological Disorders Named After Cities

Psychological Disorders Named After Cities

Podcast Transcript Psychologists have identified hundreds of different psychological disorders and conditions.  Some of them are rather common conditions that affect large segments of the population at one time or another. Others are quite rare and only come up in certain circumstances, or even in certain places.  Within that, there is a rare subset of …

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Edward Teller and the Development of the H-Bomb

Edward Teller and the Development of the H-Bomb

Podcast Transcript During the Second World War, the United States established the highly secret Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb based on nuclear fission. While the Manhattan Project was ultimately successful, some in the program were thinking bigger.  They felt that the explosion from an uncontrolled fission reaction could be used to create an …

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Abdulrahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori: 40 Years A Slave

Abdulrahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori: 40 Years A Slave

Podcast Transcript In 1788, the son of the leader of the Confederation of Futa Jallon in West Africa was commanding his 2,000 troops against a neighboring military force and was captured.  He was sold into slavery and spent the next 40 years of his life living as a slave in Mississippi. That was until a …

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Kamikaze

Kamikaze

Podcast Transcript In the last year of the Second World War, things were not going well for the Imperial Japanese military.  They had lost several major naval battles against the United States, they were losing territory, and they had no capability to rebuild the ships that they were losing. They were desperate to find something …

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The History of Camping

The History of Camping

Podcast Transcript We are all familiar with camping, and many of us go camping or camp regularly. Enjoying the great outdoors with friends and family can be an enjoyable experience. However, camping has a history that is unlike most things in humanity. The path from the ancient world to luxury glamping was not straight.  Despite …

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The Battle of Bannockburn

The Battle of Bannockburn

Podcast Transcript In June of 1314, Scottish forces under the command of Robert the Bruce squared off against an English army led by King Edward II. The battle was the culmination of years of English intervention in Scotland after a succession crisis. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Scots won the day, earned their independence, and …

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Canadian Football

Canadian Football

Podcast Transcript In 1903, the Ontario Rugby Football Union adopted a set of rules for their sport which were codified by Thrift Burnside, the captain of the University of Toronto football team. The rules were major changes to the game of rugby and were largely based on the rules created by Walter Camp for use …

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Why Does Liechtenstein Even Exist?

Why Does Liechtenstein Even Exist?

Transcript If I was to ask you what the wealthiest royal family in Europe was, your first guess would probably be the British Royal Family.  But it isn’t.  It also isn’t the royal families in Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, or even the wealthy enclave of Monaco.  The richest royal family is also the …

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