Podcast Transcript Around 3,500 years ago, the people of Central America discovered something marvelous: the cacao bean could be used to create a fermented beverage that was unlike anything they had experienced. For centuries, the cacao bean became so important in that part of the world that it was used as money. Eventually, the bean …
Podcast Transcript When the 13 American colonies decided to form a proper constitution, the single largest question which confronted them was how their legislature would be organized. This question was really the crux of the entire constitutional convention, and if it couldn’t be resolved, it was likely there would be no constitution. Once it was …
Podcast Transcript In 201 BC, the Romans were victorious over their archrivals, the city-state of Carthage, in the Second Punic War. This was was the closest which Rome had ever come to defeat and almost spelled the end of the republic. 50 years later, some Romans felt that they left the job unfinished. In fact, …
Podcast Transcript Computers have obviously transformed our world. You wouldn’t be listing to my voice right now if it wasn’t for computers. However, the first computers, a device that could perform arbitrary calculations, actually came well before electronics. It was made of gears, cogs, and levers, and it was able to perform mathematical calculations as well …
Podcast Transcript In the ancient world, only seven metals were identified and named: gold, silver, iron, lead, copper, mercury, and tin. Tin probably doesn’t rank up there with the other metals in terms of interestingness….or usefulness. Nonetheless, tin was incredibly important to the ancient world and remains incredibly important today. In fact, tin is probably …
Podcast Transcript On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union placed a blockade on Berlin’s American, British, and French-occupied zones. No food, fuel, or supplies could enter the area known as West Berlin. Many people thought that either the allies would have to capitulate or engage in an armed conflict. However, the Americans and British eventually …
Podcast Transcript All over the world, you can find restaurants serving Japan’s greatest cultural export: sushi. While many people enjoy sushi, most people have no idea of the origins of sushi beyond the fact that it comes from Japan. There is also a great deal of confusion about what proper sushi etiquette is and what …
Podcast Transcript During World War II, one of the biggest concerns of the Allies was the development of a German atomic bomb. As such, the allies and various partisan groups in occupied countries made the destruction of anything related to the Nazi atomic program a high priority. One place, in particular, was subject to allied …
Podcast Transcript Long before Europeans arrived in North America, native people told stories of large hairy men who lived in the woods. For the last several centuries, periodic reports of such creatures have appeared all over the United States and Canada. In the late 60s and early 70s, photos and movies started to appear, which …