A Brief History of California

A Brief History of California

Podcast Transcript California isn’t just another US state. It is the most populous state in the union, and it has an economy which, if it were an independent country, would be the 5th largest in the world.  Yet, this wasn’t always the case. In the 19th century, California wasn’t much at all. Hardly anyone lived …

Read more

The History of the Bow and Arrow

The History of the Bow and Arrow

Podcast Transcript One of the most important inventions in human history was the bow and arrow.  A bow and arrow is a rather simple device, but it was a revolutionary advancement in humanity’s ability to hunt and fight.  Unlike many early human inventions, the bow and arrow have had an extremely long lifespan. For thousands …

Read more

A History of the Blitz

A History of the Blitz

Podcast Transcript From September 1940 until May 1941, the people of the United Kingdom experienced the horrors of war firsthand.  Hundreds of bombers ran thousands of missions over civilian areas of Great Britain.  The hardest hit of all the cities was the capital of London.  By the time the bombing campaign stopped, tens of thousands …

Read more

Investing 101

Investing 101

Podcast Transcript Every day, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of investments are bought and sold around the world. Most of these transactions are conducted by investment banks and other large institutions.  Many, if not most, of these organizations act on behalf of other actors, often individual investors. However, many people avoid investing because it …

Read more

The History of Citizenship

The History of Citizenship

Podcast Transcript Almost everyone listening to the sound of my voice is a citizen of some country.  Citizenship seems very simple and straightforward, but it is anything but. For most of human history, almost everyone was not a citizen of anything.  Today, it is entirely possible to change citizenship, become a citizen of multiple countries, …

Read more

The Bone Wars

The Bone Wars

Podcast Transcript The 19th century was a period of rapid advancement. New technologies such as the railroad and the telegraph radically changed civilization.  Scientific advancements were almost constant as we took great strides in understanding our universe.  One scientific field that saw incredible advances was paleontology. Much of the advancement was made by two researchers …

Read more

The History of Butter

The History of Butter

Podcast Transcript Ever since humans domesticated animals and realized they could extract milk from them, they have been making and consuming butter.  While we might not think much of butter today, at one point, it was so prized that it was given as an offering to the gods.  While some cultures prized it, others looked …

Read more

The History of Superman

The History of Superman

Podcast Transcript In 1938, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster released what would become one of the most well-known fictional characters of the 20th century.  Their creation was a hit and soon spread to its own line of comic books, TV shows, movies, cartoons, and merchandise.  Yet, as popular as the character was, it …

Read more