Podcast Transcript The bible talks of three wise men who traveled to Bethlehem bringing gifts to the infant Jesus. These gifts were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I think most of you probably have a good conceptual grasp of gold, but what is the deal with frankincense, and myrrh? Were they really that big of a …
Podcast Transcript He sees you when you are awake, he knows when you are asleep, and he puts your name on a list. No, I’m not talking about an omnipresent surveillance state, I’m of course talking about Santa Claus. If you think of Santa, you probably have a very firm idea of what he looks …
Podcast Transcript From August 15 to August 20, in the year 636, one of the most important battles in history took place. The participants in the battle couldn’t have known it, but the results of that battle would shape world history for the next 1400 years. Much of the geography of the world today, can …
Podcast Transcript When President John F. Kennedy set the objective of landing on the moon before the end of the 1960s, no one really knew what it entailed. The Apollo program involved many incredible feats of engineering, but perhaps the most impressive was the development of the Apollo Lunar Module. The Lunar Module was unlike …
Podcast Transcript A common occurrence at many universities is that they have contentious relationships with their local community. This is not a recent development. It is something that has existed ever since universities were created. However, the relationship between colleges and local towns was probably at its worst in 1355 when an outbreak of violence …
Podcast Transcript The month of June was originally called Iunius by the Romans. Back then it had 29 days and was the fourth month of the year. Today, it has 30 days, and it is the sixth month of the year. It used to be a bad omen to be married in June, and now …
Podcast Transcript In August of 1964, an event occurred off the waters of North Vietnam that would have repercussions that would echo in US foreign policy for decades. Two alleged confrontations between US Navy vessels and North Vietnamese ships set off a chain of events that resulted in a dramatic escalation in the United States’ …
Podcast Transcript One of the most iconic images of America is the cowboy. Cowboys have defined genres of literature and movies and are the basis for entire types of fashion. But how did cowboys come about, what exactly did they do, and who exactly became cowboys? Perhaps most importantly, how realistic is our image of …
Podcast Transcript There are millions of different insect species on Planet Earth. All of them fill some niche in the ecosystem in which they live. However, some species are more important than others. In particular, insect species that are members of the family Apidae, or what you probably know as bees. Bees are some of …