Podcast Transcript Whaling is something that humans have engaged in for thousands of years. For most of that time, indigenous groups conducted it on a small scale for subsistence purposes. Over time, whaling became commercialized, the annual whale harvest exploded, and whaling became a cornerstone of the early industrial revolution. Alas, it couldn’t last forever. …
Podcast Transcript Every March, the United States experiences a period known as March Madness. It is the time when college basketball teams compete for a national championship. The process of crowning a national champion is a months-long process where teams vie for a chance to make the national tournament. Once there, in theory, every team …
Podcast Transcript All of you are familiar with the ABCs. It is one of the very first things that children are taught. Not only are they taught the letters that comprise the alphabet, but they are also, usually at the same time, taught the order of the alphabet. The order of the alphabet is something …
Podcast Transcript In the summer of 1863, after two years of war, Confederate General Robert E. Lee felt it was possible to swiftly end the conflict by taking the fight to the Union. Up until this point, almost all of the fighting had taken place in Virginia. Lee felt that by moving to the north, …
Podcast Transcript The 19th century was one of rapid technological advancement. Of all of the innovations to come out of this century, and there were many, perhaps none was more important than that of the telephone. The telephone radically changed communications, allowing personal communications over long distances. Despite what many people are often told, this …
From the World Heritage inscription: The religious complex represented by the former Lorsch Abbey with its 1,200-year-old gatehouse, which is unique and in excellent condition, comprises a rare architectural document of the Carolingian era with impressively preserved sculpture and painting of that period. It gives architectural evidence of the awakening of the West to the …
Podcast Transcript In 1869, the world was shocked by a discovery that was made outside of the town of Cardiff, New York. Two workers discovered what was claimed to be the remains of a 10 foot tall, petrified human being. The claim set off a fiery debate between those who thought it was proof of …
Podcast Transcript For as long as humans have been watching the night sky, they noticed that every so often, during a full moon, the moon would briefly go dark, or at least change color. They often created mythical explanations for the event. Eventually, this ancient people began to record its occurrences and were able to …
Podcast Transcript One of the most devastating weapons in the medieval world was the crossbow. It evolved from an early hand-held projectile weapon into a powerful tool of warfare that shaped battles for centuries. It was one of the few weapons powerful enough to stop a fully armored knight. Yet, despite its power, it wasn’t …