Podcast Transcript Situated on a rocky hill overlooking the city of Athens is a former religious center, military fortress, and cultural hub known as the Acropolis. The Acropolis of Athens is one of the most important locations in all of Greece and perhaps in all of Western civilization. Situated on top of the Acropolis is …
Podcast Transcript One of the world’s most popular snack foods is peanuts. Peanuts are consumed by themselves as a snack, processed in the form of peanut butter, and can be made into peanut oil. Hundreds of different products, including plastics, dyes, cosmetics, paper, and soap, have all been derived from peanut plants. However, unlike other …
Podcast Transcript One of the most common substances on Earth is sand. Most people don’t think very much about sand, but sand is an extremely important part of our world. It isn’t just for building sand castles and going to the beach. Sand is the second most consumed resource in the world after water. There …
Podcast Transcript The earliest forms of democracy go back over 2000 years to Ancient Greece. While this early system did have voting, not everyone could vote. In fact, most people couldn’t vote. Voting was limited to free men and then only property-holding men. The expansion of voting rights to women took centuries, but by the …
Podcast Transcript If you ever watch a war movie, you might see a scene where a prisoner of war evokes the Geneva convention to their captors. But what exactly is the Geneva Convention, and what does it say? Why did countries sign a treaty covering ethics in war, of all things? Who is and isn’t …
Podcast Transcript In the aftermath of the Second World War, everyone had hoped that major military conflicts would be a thing of the past. However, just five years after the end of the war, another major conflict erupted on the Korean Peninsula that directly or indirectly engaged most of the world’s great powers. The war …
Podcast Transcript In 1982, the Phillips and Sony Corporations jointly released the compact audio disc to the world. The technology involved was originally just used to play digital audio, but it actually had much more potential. Over the last 40 years, basic optical disc technology used in CDs has expanded to store digital video and …
Podcast Transcript The United States and Canada share the world’s longest undefended border. The United States and the United Kingdom have shared what has been called a “special relationship” since the Second World War. The idea of these countries going to war with each other today is unthinkable. Yet, this was not always the case. …
Podcast Transcript The Roman Empire was ruled by a single family for its first century. The family was actually a merger of two of the most distinguished clans in Roman history. This family included some of the best and worst emperors in Rome’s history. It also included a host of potential emperors who showed great …