Podcast Transcript Every year, before the start of Lent, in hundreds of cities around the world, there is a massive celebration. While the celebrations differ, sometimes dramatically, there are certain elements they all share. Modern celebrations can often get quite racy, and if you didn’t know it, you’d probably never guess that the origins of …
Podcast Transcript In 1648, Europe saw the end of two of the most horrific wars that had ever been seen on the continent up until that point. The treaties which ended these conflicts established an international order which overturned the system which had existed for centuries and established a new order which in many respects, …
Podcast Transcript When Napoleon Bonaparte conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century, he didn’t create a monolithic empire that was centrally run out of Paris. Well, he sort of did, but at least on paper, he didn’t. Rather, what he did was set up his family members as monarchs to rule in his …
Podcast Transcript Every culture has a different way of assigning names to people. Sometimes they use different words as names, sometimes names are in a different order, and sometimes they have completely different systems altogether. One of the most complicated naming systems in history had to be that used by the ancient Romans. They had …
Podcast Transcript On July 16, 1945, at 5:29 am, 35 miles southwest of Socorro, New Mexico, the world’s first nuclear bomb was detonated. This was the culmination of the Manhattan Project, one of the largest, and most expensive programs in world history. Yet, just before the event, the scientists and engineers who worked on the …
Podcast Transcript On March 1, 1932, one of the most famous men in the world, Charles Lindbergh, found that his 20-month-old son had been taken from his crib. It was the biggest news story of the era and it has been called the crime of the century. 90 years later, people are still enthralled with …
Podcast Transcript SCUBA diving is a popular activity that has recreational appeal and commercial uses. Most people who have never gone SCUBA diving think that it is just a matter of breathing air out of a tank when you are underwater. However, there is a lot more to it. In fact, solving the problem of …
Podcast Transcript In the last days of the first world war, an event occurred which resulted in the rapid collapse of the German monarchy, and ultimately hastened the end of the war. The event was sparked by sailors in the German High Seas Fleet who after suffering from months of low morale, finally decided to …
Podcast Transcript In 1967, the very first Saturn V rocket was launched. It was the largest rocket ever built. 55 years later, it is still the largest rocket ever launched. However, it might not hold that distinction for much longer. There is a new rocket in town and it might soon displace the Saturn V, …