The Assassination of President William McKinley

The Assassination of President William McKinley

Podcast Transcript On September 6th, 1901, in Buffalo, New York, the President of the United States, William McKinley was shot twice in the torso. Seven days later, he passed away due to an infection. For the third time in only 36 years, a US president had been assassinated.  Yet, few people remember this event, or …

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Gibraltar: Why Part of the UK is in Continental Europe

Gibraltar: Why Part of the UK is in Continental Europe

Transcript Located on a peninsula off of Southern Spain, best known for the massive rock which dominates its landscape, Gibraltar is one of the most strategic locations in the world.  It has been fought over for millennia, been the focus of many sieges, and is still the subject of diplomatic disputes in the 21st Century. …

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Post WWII German Expulsions

Post WWII German Expulsions

Transcript World War II was unquestionably the greatest bloodletting in world history. Never before had so many people lost their lives in such a short period of time. Of all of the many tragedies which took place during the war, one of the largest actually took place after the war.  It was the largest single …

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The History of Memorial Day

The History of Memorial Day

Transcript Every year, on the last Monday in May, the United States honors its war dead. It is often celebrated with parades, cookouts, and ceremonies at military cemeteries. While many people just think of it as a three-day weekend and the beginning of summer, it is a tradition that extends back over 160 years.  Learn …

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The 17-Year Cicada

The 17-Year Cicada

Transcript Every 17 years one of the grandest spectacles in nature takes place. Billions of insects in a seemingly coordinated fashion will emerge from the ground and cover the skies and the trees.  This is all part of their extremely unusual life cycle which consists of an extremely long juvenile period and very short adulthood. …

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The USS William D. Porter: The Unluckiest Ship in WWII

The USS William D. Porter: The Unluckiest Ship in WWII

Transcript During World War II, the United States had a fleet of over 1,200 combat ships. Each of them had a unique story and service record. With so many ships, there would be many stories of heroism, stories of tragedy, and some stories of total incompetence.  One ship, in particular, was so bad, it became …

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The Battle of Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae

Transcript In the year 480 BC, one of the most famous battles in history took place on the shore of the Malian Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Several thousand Greeks held back several hundred thousand Persians, in a battle which is still remembered 2,500 years later.  While the Greeks lost the battle, they did ultimately …

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Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper

Transcript In 1888, the city of London was terrorized by its most infamous serial killer. Anywhere between 5 and 11 murders were committed over an 18 month period in the Whitechapel district of London, and the crimes have never been officially solved. In the decades since then, a cottage industry has developed of amateur sleuths …

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The History of AM/FM Radio

The History of AM/FM Radio

Transcript For over 100 years, radio has been one of the biggest mediums for communication, information, and entertainment. It was the first true broadcast medium.  However, recent technical and demographic changes have made the future of radio, or at least some of the bands, doubtful.  Learn more about AM and FM radio, its past, present, …

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