Podcast Transcript One of the most significant figures in 16th-century Britain was Mary Stuart, aka Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary’s life was one of the most fascinating of the period. Depending on which historian you consult, she was a schemer, a traitor, a pawn, or a victim. According to some, she was all of these …
Podcast Transcript For thousands of years, humans all around the world have coveted gemstones. Gemstones have been used as symbols of authority by kings, queens, and emperors, have been central to religious ceremonies, and have served as adornments for the wealthy. While you may have heard of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, what exactly are …
Podcast Transcript On April 12, 1861, the United States Civil War began when Confederate forces began a bombardment of the Union held Fort Sumter at the mouth of the harbor in Charleston, South Carolina. The battle was not itself a great battle, and the number of casualties was shockingly small, but what it began totally …
Podcast Transcript In any sport, there is always one debate that comes up. It comes up year after year, and it has been around for as long as sport has existed. The debate is about who is the greatest of all time, or in common parlance, who is the GOAT? Every sport has its own …
Podcast Transcript During the Second World War, the United States embarked on one of the greatest science and engineering projects the world had ever seen. Over 125,000 people took part in the program, the vast majority of which had no clue what it was for, and the total cost of the program was over a …
Podcast Transcript If you have used a computer, which I’m assuming is almost everyone listening to this, you have probably had to store your data somewhere. You might have used a USB drive, a hard drive, or if you are old enough, maybe even a floppy drive. These types of data storage are just the …
Podcast Transcript In 8 BC, the Roman senate passed a resolution renaming the month of Sextillis to August to honor the emperor Augustus. They chose Sextillis, which was the sixth month in the calendar because it was the month that he conquered Egypt. Fast forward several centuries and August had a permanent place on the …
Podcast Transcript In almost all sports, people will refer to what is known as having a home-field advantage. Home-field advantage is a simple concept. It implies that teams playing in their home stadium, arena, or field have a slight advantage over the visiting team. But is home-field advantage a real thing? And if it is, …
Podcast Transcript According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest library in the world is the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The Library of Congress was originally intended to be the library of the United States Congress, but over two centuries since its founding, it has evolved to something much grander, covering …