Sergeant Alvin York

Sergeant Alvin York

Podcast Transcript In October 1918, just weeks before the end of the First World War, one of the most incredible feats of military valor took place in the Meuse–Argonne offensive, one of the last great battles of the war.  This incredible feat of bravery and soldiering was done by a very unlikely soldier. One that …

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Ocean Currents and Gyres

Ocean Currents and Gyres

Podcast Transcript The surface of the Earth is 70 percent water.  If you just looked at a map and saw a sea of blue, you might think that the water is just sitting there, but it’s not.  The oceans are constantly moving, and it isn’t just waves and tides that move. There are enormous rivers …

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Solar Eclipses

Solar Eclipses

Podcast Transcript Every few years, somewhere on Earth is witness to one of the planet’s greatest sights: a total solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse is rare, but it can be calculated centuries in advance.  However, that wasn’t always the case. For thousands of years, solar eclipses were rare events that were considered to be …

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Questions and Answers: Volume 17

Questions and Answers: Volume 17

Podcast Transcript There is an old saying that April showers bring May flowers. However, that saying doesn’t really address where the April showers come from in the first place.  I believe they come from the questions of curious people. When they are answered, they bring tears of joy which manifests in the form of rain.  …

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The Legend of Jackie Robinson

The Legend of Jackie Robinson

Podcast Transcript On April 15, 1947, a rookie infielder took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  All eyes in the world of baseball, and indeed the United States, were focused on this player and this game. However, this wasn’t the normal debut of a rookie player.  This game marked the breaking of the long-standing color …

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Planet X

Planet X

Podcast Transcript Ever since the discovery of the planet Neptune in 1846, astronomers have noticed that something was not right. The orbit of Neptune was being gravitationally influenced by some other, unknown body that was dubbed Planet X. In 1930, it was thought that this body had been discovered with the discovery of Pluto, but …

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A History of Scurvy

A History of Scurvy

Transcript When Europeans began sailing the high seas on extended voyages, the most deadly thing they encountered wasn’t enemy navies, starvation, or even shipwrecks.  It was a painful disease where your body would literally start falling apart and it killed more than 2,000,000 sailors between the voyage of Columbus to the middle of the 19th …

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The Battle of Alesia

The Battle of Alesia

Transcript In the year 52 BC, the Roman General Julius Caesar fought the last major battle in the conquest of Gaul.  The implications of the battle have reverberated throughout history and can still be felt in the world today.  But the real story isn’t the implications of the battle, but how it was won. It …

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Why is Citizen Kane Considered The Greatest Movie Ever?

Why is Citizen Kane Considered The Greatest Movie Ever?

Transcript In 1941, a young artistic prodigy released his first motion picture. It had enormous anticipation, received incredible reviews, and earned nine Academy Award nominations. However, the film was a financial failure because the vast majority of theaters refused to show it.  In the 80 years since its release, it has been named the greatest …

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