Podcast Transcript Prior to the modern era, very few people traveled anywhere. It was rare for anyone to travel more than about 20 miles from where they were born. However, there were a few people who managed to travel quite extensively. In particular, there was one man in the 14th century who might have traveled more …
Podcast Transcript I’m sure all of you are familiar with Watergate. You also might be familiar with Gamergate, Contragate, Pizzagate, Partygate, Chinagate, Deflategate, Sandpapergate, and WinegateThere are dozens and dozens more of these scandals which have all been named with the suffix -gate. But why do scandals get affixed with -gate in the English language, and …
Podcast Transcript For thousands of years, humans have traveled on the water and have wondered if it was possible to travel under the water like a fish. The idea of underwater travel stuck around for centuries, but eventually, humans did figure out how to travel underwater, even if the first efforts were not successful. Learn more about …
Podcast Transcript On January 25, 1959, a group of 10 hikers set out in the middle of the Russian Winter on what was to be a two-week excursion into the wilderness. One of the hikers returned early. The other nine were never heard from again. Week’s later their bodies were found, and it spawned a mystery that …
Podcast Transcript If you have ever looked at a map of the Caribbean, you might have noticed that the tiny islands in the Lesser Antilles consist of a whole bunch of tiny, independent countries. All of these countries became independent around the same time, got their independence from the same country: Great Britain.Given their common history …
Podcast Transcript When you think of international trade and globalization, you probably think it is a relatively modern phenomenon. However, the roots of globalization actually go back thousands of years. While there were many products that were originally traded, there was one particular category of goods that drove trade like no other: spices. Spices are …
Podcast Transcript Most people think that the second world war started in September of 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. However, that was only the beginning of the European war. The conflict in Asia, however, actually began much earlier. What both the European and Asian theaters have in common is they started with an invasion by …
Podcast Transcript They are so ubiquitous that most people don’t even realize that they have an origin. They are so commonly used that some of you might have them in your hands right now. Yet, the objects we use to eat do have very definite histories. Moreover, around the world, we often use very different …
Podcast Transcript There is an old saying that da Nile isn’t just a river in Egypt. That is true. It is also a river in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda. The Nile is the longest river in the world, yet it is one of the smallest major rivers in the world. Historically, some of …