The Elgin Marbles

The Elgin Marbles

Podcast Transcript Beginning in 1801, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, the Earl of Elgin, began a project to document the sculptures located at the Parthenon in Athens.  He then took it one step further and took half of the sculptures at the Parthenon and shipped them back to England.  It has been a …

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The Geologic Timeline

The Geologic Timeline

Podcast Transcript The Earth is pretty old. Our current, best estimate is that it is 4.54 billion years old, plus or minus 50 million years. Since then, however, a lot has happened. To help clarify the Earth’s timeline, geologists have divided the Earth’s history into various eras and periods. Each division of time represents a …

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The Port Chicago Disaster

The Port Chicago Disaster

Podcast Transcript On July 17, 1944, one of the worst disasters to befall the American military during World War II occurred. It didn’t occur in Europe or the Pacific, however. It took place on US soil.  The events leading up to this calamity and its aftermath permanently shaped the United States military.  Learn more about …

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The Assassination of James A. Garfield

The Assassination of James A. Garfield

Transcript At 9:30 am on July 2, 1881, at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., James Garfield, President of the United States was fatally shot.  It is an event that, quite frankly, doesn’t really get the attention that other political assassinations have received. The story behind how and why it happened is …

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1961 US Figure Skating Team

1961 US Figure Skating Team

Podcast Transcript In 1961, the United States figure skating team was one of the top programs in the world. The year before at the 1960 Olympics, they took the gold in both the men’s and women’s competitions.  Then on February 15, 1961, the team suffered a terrible catastrophe. One which took the better part of …

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The War of the Currents

The War of the Currents

Podcast Transcript In the late 19th century, several of the world’s foremost investors engaged in a public battle for the future of electricity. The battle was fought in boardrooms and newspapers, and there was seemingly nothing that was off-limits.  The battle eventually took the lives of several people…..and several dogs. Learn more about the current …

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Solving the Longitude Problem

Solving the Longitude Problem

Transcript Navigation on the open ocean is extremely difficult. It is a skill that takes years to master.  Even with years of skill, an experienced mariner was still able to ground their ship on an unseen reef, underwater rocks, or a sandbar, because they didn’t know their precise location.  The main problem, which was unsolved …

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The Legend of Andre the Giant

The Legend of Andre the Giant

Transcript On May 19, 1946, André René Roussimoff was born into the world in Coulommiers, France. At birth, he weighed 13 pounds or 6 kilograms…and from there, he only got bigger.  He eventually topped out at 7 feet, four inches tall, weighed 520 pounds, and became a worldwide phenomenon as a professional wrestler and actor.  …

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The Mount Tambora Eruption

The Mount Tambora Eruption

Transcript In 1815, one of the most catastrophic and deadly events in recorded human history occurred in Indonesia.  A volcanic explosion took place which was larger than anything, any human had ever witnessed in over 10,000 years.  The total global death toll from the event might have been as high as the tens of millions. …

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