Podcast Transcript There are many lessons we are supposed to know in life: pick up after yourself, never bet against a Sicilian when death is on the line, and most importantly, don’t invade Russia in the winter. Known as one of the greatest military disasters in history, Napoleon’s invasion of Russia is often cited as …
Podcast transcript In late May and early June of 1917, the French Army faced what could have been an existential crisis. After three years of some of the most brutal conflict that the world had ever seen, many soldiers had had enough. Thousands of troops refused to obey orders and refused to go along with …
Podcast Transcript All sports are governed by a body of rules. Within those rules, there is usually a set of norms for how the game should be played. Most coaches will instruct their players to use similar techniques. However, every so often, someone comes along who totally rethinks how a game can be played. Using …
Podcast Transcript On April 12, 1862, one of the most daring and audacious events of the American Civil War took place. It wasn’t a major battle. It didn’t involve armies lining up across each other on an open field. Instead, it was one of the first examples in military history of a raid designed to …
Podcast Transcript One of the most common types of plants in the world is grass. Grass is almost everywhere. An enormous part of the landmass on Earth is covered with grass. Grass isn’t just stuff in a field that cows eat, although that is part of it. Grasses also include some of the most economically …
Podcast Transcript Christmas is the time of year where we celebrate traditions that have been handed down to us over the centuries. However, traditions can vary from place to place and not all traditions are old. Some traditions are very modern. …and some traditions are downright bizarre. Learn more about the world’s strangest Christmas traditions …
Transcript László Polgár was born just after World War II in Hungary. His field of study was the nature of human intelligence. After studying the lives of over 400 great intellectuals from throughout human history, he came to a startling conclusion: geniuses weren’t born, they were made. So he set about conducting an experiment on …
Podcast Transcript The term “banana republic” is often used pejoratively to describe small, poor, unstable developing countries. Being called a banana republic is never a good thing. However, that term has a very real origin which involved actual bananas, mercenaries, corporate money, and the American government. Learn more about Banana Republics, where the name comes …
Podcast Transcript The Sahara desert is by far the largest desert in the world. It evokes images of sand dunes, camels and just being really really dry. However, it didn’t always use to be that way. Quite recently, at least geologically speaking, it was a place with grasslands and forests. While it disappeared and became …