Podcast Transcript English is a very strange language. It is a Germanic language where half of the words come from a Romance language. We have a host of words that make absolutely no sense in terms of spelling or pronunciation. Perhaps strangest of all, some of the greatest literary works in the English language are …
Podcast Transcript After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the American military was on the defensive. They had been hit hard, and it would be months before they could regroup and strike back. However, one American officer had an idea. He hatched a plan where the Americans could strike back immediately to let the Japanese …
Podcast Transcript Located between England and France are several islands which have a unique status in the international community. They aren’t part of any country, nor are they a territory of a country. They share the same monarch as the UK but are not part of the Commonwealth. Learn about the Channel Islands, the Bailiwick …
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 …