Podcast Transcript The United States federal agency charged with gathering foreign intelligence is the Central Intelligence Agency or the CIA. The CIA is tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information as well as conducting covert action and clandestine operations. It was created in the shadow of the Second World War and became one …
Podcast Transcript Behind almost every web page, email address, and podcast is a system that translates addresses understandable by humans to something that can be understood by computers. The system is one of the foundations of the Internet, yet its origin was in a handmade list that was placed on a single computer. Unbeknownst to …
Podcast Transcript Every military in the world is a hierarchal organization. There are people at the top who make decisions, people down below who follow those orders, and people in between who make it happen. Today, most militaries have an elaborate rank structure with multiple ranks in the chain of command. However, it wasn’t always …
Podcast Transcript In the late 19th century, the American frontier became famous for its outlaws and gangsters. Men like Billy the Kid and Jesse James became notorious for their criminal exploits. While this was happening in the American West, there were similar outlaws in the Australian bush. One, in particular, has captured the imagination of …
Podcast Transcript Nestled in the heart of West Africa lie two nations with distinct identities yet tied together by a common geography and history: Senegal and The Gambia. The landscape of this region wasn’t always as fragmented as it is now. It wasn’t until the 19th century that it was carved into the separate entities …
Podcast Transcript One of the most important advancements in the 20th century was the identification of the structure of the DNA molecule. However, that discovery didn’t appear out of nowhere. It was part of a century-long process that included many advancements in biology, chemistry, and physics. Solving the secret of the DNA molecule was a …
Podcast Transcript In 1804, one of the most significant individuals of the 19th century placed a crown upon his head in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris and declared himself Emperor of the French. He went on to revolutionize France and French society and profoundly affected all of Europe. His influence was so great …
Podcast Transcript Several centuries ago, many places celebrated the start of the new year in March, not January. March was originally the first month of the year, according to the Romans, which is why the Latin numbers for seven, eight, nine, and ten all appear in the months of September, October, November, and December. That, …
Podcast Transcript Some of the most important battles in history, the ones that changed the course of civilizations, are often very small battles. In 1532, a battle, really just a skirmish, took place, which completely changed the future paths of Peru, Spain, and the entire continent of South America. Despite the importance of this battle, …