Podcast Transcript In October 1962, a U-2 spy plane discovered Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba. The subsequent 13 days were some of the tensest in human history. The United States and the Soviet Union came closer to nuclear war than at any point in the cold war. It was only a last-minute cooling of …
Podcast Transcript In 1887, the German physicist Heinrich Hertz discovered radio waves. While the first practical use of this discovery was communication, there were also some who realized that radio waves could serve another purpose. It was possible to use these radio waves to detect objects at a distance. It was something that revolutionized warfare …
Podcast Transcript In the early 1950s, a new type of music burst forth, which had its roots in blues, gospel, country, and swing. This new music took the world by storm and was as controversial as it was successful. This music has spawned countless variations, some of which are so different that it is hard …
Podcast Transcript In 19th century America, a movement began to take areas of exceptional natural beauty and preserve them. This idea of setting aside land for the purpose of preservation is something that was never really taken seriously before. These areas became known as national parks, and they spawned a movement of land preservation that …
Podcast Transcript Every since the lands of the New World were mapped, people dreamt of creating a canal through Central America to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. For almost 500 years, that dream was just that. A dream. Creating such a canal would require one of the greatest engineering projects in human history. It …
Podcast Transcript There are four things that are considered to be the Great Inventions of Ancient China: gunpowder, the compass, the printing press, and paper. Despite the incredible impact that all four things have had on the world, the greatest cultural and social impact might very well be paper. Even in a world awash in …
In the late 19th century, a young man by the name of Erich Weiss decided to pursue a career in magic and illusion. To honor his favorite magician, he took the name The Great Houdini. He became one of the most successful magicians in history and also found success in motion pictures and aviation. It …
Podcast Transcript In the early 11th century, a group of merchants from the Amalfi Coast of Italy received permission from the Caliph of Egypt to rebuild a church and hospital in Jerusalem to care for pilgrims to the Holy Land. They called themselves The Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Fast forward almost one thousand …
Podcast Transcript In the year 1258, two of the greatest empires in world history collided. For one, it was yet another in an incredible string of conquests. For the other, it resulted in its downfall and the destruction of one of the world’s greatest centers of knowledge and learning. For the people who suffered through …