Podcast Transcript The term Dark Ages has been used to refer to a period in European history when culture supposedly regressed and civilization was in decline. The idea of a Dark Ages is one that was prevalent amongst historians for centuries. But lately, historians have been reconsidering the idea of a Dark Age and questioning …
Podcast Transcript On the morning of November 1, 1755, the citizens of Lisbon, Portugal set out to go to church for the feast of All Saints Day. Little did they know that moments later, their lives and the lives of everyone in Lisbon were about to be turned upside down and that the city of …
Podcast Transcript Somewhere over your head, right this moment is an artificial satellite. Many of them actually. They beam television and radio signals down to Earth. They can tell us our exact time and location, and they can also help us predict the weather and they are now even providing broadband internet. But how do …
Podcast Transcript The American constitution was written in 1787, but there was a mechanism built in to amend and change the document. Since 1787 the Constitution has been amended 27 times, most recently in 1992. The most recent amendment, however, had a path to ratification which was far different than any other of the 26 …
Podcast Transcript Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is known to almost everyone in the world. If he isn’t known, then his music certainly is. Even though he is one of the greatest composers in history, he was not the only musician in his family. In fact, according to some, he might not have even been the best …
Podcast Transcript In 2005, a small auction house in New Orleans sold a painting at auction labeled at Lot 664. The description of the item was simply, “Christ Salvator Mundi. Oil on cradled panel.” The painting was sold for $1,000. Twelve years later, the same painting was sold at Christie’s in New York for a …
Podcast Transcript There are few things that are truly universal across all cultures and throughout history. These things are often so obvious that we overlook them and forget how they are things that make us human. One such thing which seems so simple yet actually has profound origins: singing children to sleep. Learn more about …
Podcast Transcript There were tens of millions of stories to come out of World War II. Many of them are tales of horrible human cruelty. However, there is one particular story that is as horrific as any other, yet it doesn’t involve human barbarity, it involves nature. It was so horrific that it has been …
Podcast Transcript One of the most ubiquitous forms of payment today is credit cards. The odds are good that you have one, and most probably have one on your person right now. But how did it come about that you could pay for something by just giving someone a piece of plastic and who exactly …