The Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge

Podcast Transcript San Francisco Bay is one of the largest and best natural harbors in the world. The entrance to the harbor is a one-mile, 1.6 kilometer, wide straight called the Golden Gate.  Historically, getting from one side of the Golden Gate to the other was a time-consuming task. During the Great Depression, the problem …

Read more

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Medal and Record Recap

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Medal and Record Recap

Podcast Transcript Most coverage of the Olympics is very biased towards whatever country you happen to live in, and certain popular sports.  Lesser sports and accomplishments from athletes in other countries may often be completely overlooked.  So, I figured I’d give a recap of the Tokyo Olympics by putting my very special touch on it, …

Read more

The Children of Nazis

The Children of Nazis

Podcast Transcript Almost everyone has a black sheep in their family. Someone who maybe gets in trouble with the law and doesn’t follow rules. But what if you had the misfortune to be related to someone truly horrific? What if you had a relative who was in the upper echelon of the Third Reich? For …

Read more

The Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Kingdom of the Netherlands

Podcast Transcript If I say the Kingdom of the Netherlands, you are probably thinking of the country in Europe that is really flat, where they ride bikes, have windmills, and grow tulips. Well, that is only partially correct. Well, technically 98% correct. There are other parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and they are …

Read more

Tarrare: The Hungriest Man in History

Tarrare: The Hungriest Man in History

Transcript Have you ever been really full after a meal? Like really really full?  Could you imagine eating and never feeling full? Like going to an all you can eat fish restaurant and then getting kicked out for eating too much and going fishing so you can eat more fish?  Well, there was one Frenchman …

Read more

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Transcript Far above the Arctic Circle on the Norwegian island of Svalbard, built into the side of a mountain which is permanently frozen, is humanity’s greatest insurance policy.  There lie genetic backup copies for much of the world’s agricultural crops.  These seeds are stored for a day which hopefully will never come. Learn more about …

Read more

A History of the Zeppelin

A History of the Zeppelin

Transcript Airplanes were not the first type of aircraft. Lighter-than-air airships were flying decades before the Wright Brothers flew their first airplane. Of all the airships, there was one company that became so successful in airship development and construction that their name became synonymous with the rigid airship. Learn more about zeppelins on this episode …

Read more

The Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution

Podcast Transcript One of the most transformative events of the 20th century was the Russian Revolution.  The Revolution was responsible for the downfall of the Russian monarchy and the rise of the Soviet Union, the world’s first communist country.  However, its impact wasn’t limited to Russia. It had reverberations that were felt all over the …

Read more

Desalination

Desalination

Podcast Transcript Seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water… and the vast majority of it is useless for consumption or agriculture.  This problem has been known for thousands of years, and for thousands of years, humans have recognized that it is possible to turn seawater into drinking water; it was just difficult …

Read more