The History of Mathematical Symbols

The History of Mathematical Symbols

Transcript One of the simplest mathematical statements possible is 2+2=4. While the concept is very easy to understand, when you write it down you have to use mathematical symbols which are, historically speaking, a relatively recent invention.  At one point, mathematicians were doing reasonably complicated work without the benefit of symbols at all. Something which …

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The Richest Athlete in History: Gaius Appuleius Diocles

The Richest Athlete in History: Gaius Appuleius Diocles

Transcript Who do you think what the wealthiest athlete in history? Maybe Michael Jordan. Perhaps Tiger Woods or Roger Federer. Or maybe Lionel Messi or LeBron James?  Well, historically speaking, if you added up the fortunes of all of those people, they probably couldn’t compare to one man who competed in ancient Rome. A man …

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The History of Academic Degrees

The History of Academic Degrees

Transcript Every year around June, millions of people will wear robes and put on funny flat hats to receive their university degrees. But why do they all wear robes, and what’s the deal with that flat hat, and why does the hat have a frilly thing hanging off of it? And why do we give …

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How Clarence Birdseye Created the Frozen Food Aisle

How Clarence Birdseye Created the Frozen Food Aisle

Transcript For thousands of years, food storage was one of humanity’s biggest problems. Even if you could grow or hunt sufficient calories when food was abundant, it was very difficult to store those calories for when food was scarce.  One man made a huge advancement in our ability to store foods, which now allows us …

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The Six Political Eras In American History

The Six Political Eras In American History

Transcript American history isn’t a single linear story. There are periodic changes to the political order where political parties and affiliations are reordered.  According to political scientists, there have been six different political eras in American history. Each era was a reflection of issues that confronted the country at the time. Learn more about America’s …

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The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti

The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti

Transcript In April 1920, two men who were delivering the payroll to the Slater-Morrill Shoe Company in Braintree, Massachusetts were killed in broad daylight. The payroll was taken by the killers, and they jumped into a getaway car. A few weeks later, two Italian immigrants with known ties to radical anarchist groups were arrested for …

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The History of the Microwave Oven

The History of the Microwave Oven

Transcript According to legend, in 1945 an engineer by the name of Perry Spencer was working in front of an active radar installation. As he was working, he noted that a candy bar that he had in his shirt pocket started to melt.  His investigation into the phenomenon resulted in a new technology that has …

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The World’s Greatest (Worst?) Misers

The World’s Greatest (Worst?) Misers

Transcript Have you ever known someone who was really cheap? Like they would wear clothes until they disintegrated? Or they would never pick up the tab? Or maybe they are horrible tippers? Well, there is cheap and then there is cheap. Some people are so cheap that they appear to live in destitute poverty, even …

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What and How Astronauts Eat in Space

What and How Astronauts Eat in Space

Transcript When the space race first began, scientists didn’t even know if it was possible for humans to eat in a zero-gravity environment. Once they figured out it was possible, it didn’t mean that it wasn’t without problems.  There was a host of issues with eating in a zero-g environment that had to be overcome. …

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