The British Crown Jewels

The British Crown Jewels

Transcript Located in the Tower of London are a collection of objects, some of which date back 800 years, which are the physical symbols of the British Monarchy. These objects have a value that would almost be impossible to measure given both their intrinsic and historical worth.  Learn more about the British Crown Jewels and …

Read more

Potpourri: Spain Edition

Potpourri: Spain Edition

Transcript In the process of doing research, I often come across various stories which are interesting but might not be worthy of a full episode. They are more like snippets than stories. Every so often I save these things up for a special episode because I really hate to let things go to waste.  So …

Read more

REALLY Expensive Musical Instruments

REALLY Expensive Musical Instruments

Transcript For a professional musician, their instrument is their livelihood. If making music is your career, it isn’t surprising that many top musicians will pay the equivalent of a new car on their instrument. However, there is a class of musician which have instruments which are far more valuable than a car. They are the …

Read more

The History of Academic Degrees

The History of Academic Degrees

Transcript Every year around June, millions of people will wear robes and put on funny flat hats to receive their university degrees. But why do they all wear robes, and what’s the deal with that flat hat, and why does the hat have a frilly thing hanging off of it? And why do we give …

Read more

How Clarence Birdseye Created the Frozen Food Aisle

How Clarence Birdseye Created the Frozen Food Aisle

Transcript For thousands of years, food storage was one of humanity’s biggest problems. Even if you could grow or hunt sufficient calories when food was abundant, it was very difficult to store those calories for when food was scarce.  One man made a huge advancement in our ability to store foods, which now allows us …

Read more

The Six Political Eras In American History

The Six Political Eras In American History

Transcript American history isn’t a single linear story. There are periodic changes to the political order where political parties and affiliations are reordered.  According to political scientists, there have been six different political eras in American history. Each era was a reflection of issues that confronted the country at the time. Learn more about America’s …

Read more

The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti

The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti

Transcript In April 1920, two men who were delivering the payroll to the Slater-Morrill Shoe Company in Braintree, Massachusetts were killed in broad daylight. The payroll was taken by the killers, and they jumped into a getaway car. A few weeks later, two Italian immigrants with known ties to radical anarchist groups were arrested for …

Read more

What and How Astronauts Eat in Space

What and How Astronauts Eat in Space

Transcript When the space race first began, scientists didn’t even know if it was possible for humans to eat in a zero-gravity environment. Once they figured out it was possible, it didn’t mean that it wasn’t without problems.  There was a host of issues with eating in a zero-g environment that had to be overcome. …

Read more

The Voyages of Admiral Zheng He

The Voyages of Admiral Zheng He

Transcript In the early 15th century, just before Europe began its Age of Exploration, China was embarking on a series of voyages that put to shame anything anyone in Europe would do for centuries.  These voyages were led by a man who was the greatest admiral in history up to that point and the ships …

Read more