Transcript Many people think that politics and elections in the United States are the most controversial they have ever been. History, however, begs to differ. Perhaps the oddest and most controversial presidential election in American history was the election of 1824. It is an election that doesn’t get a lot of attention given who won …
Transcript People didn’t travel much in the ancient world. But for those who did, they developed the ancient equivalent of guidebooks. These were often lists of manmade sites and attractions that any traveler should take the time to see. Over time, one such Greek list was written down, and it became known to us as …
Transcript The Roman Catholic Papacy is one of the oldest institutions in the world, second only to the Chrysanthemum Throne in Japan. Since its inception, there have been 266 popes, and a couple of anti-popes as well. The pope is not only the head of a religion but also the leader of a sovereign, albeit …
Transcript Here is a question you’ve probably never bothered to think about before….What is the oldest man made object orbiting the earth? Which, if any, of the really early satellites are still whizzing around up in space? It turns out, the fourth satellite ever put in orbit is still there, 62 years after it was …
Transcript Our ability to measure time is one of the fundamental things which makes us human. We’ve gone from very crude and inexact measures of time to time measurements which are so accurate that it would take billions of years to lose a single second. This increased accuracy has allowed us to navigate the seas, …
Transcript Pandemics can be world-changing events. The aftermath of a pandemic can shape societies and topple empires. Whether it’s the flu, smallpox, cholera, or the bubonic plague, these pandemics have killed more people than all the wars in human history. However, pandemics weren’t always a part of humanity. There was a first pandemic that caught …
Transcript Everyone is probably familiar with Murphy’s Law, which says that “Anything which can go wrong will go wrong.” However, there are many such laws, known as eponymous laws, which are sayings, adages, or truisms that have been attributed to people over the years. These are not hard and fast mathematical or physical laws, but …
Transcript While different countries may debate as to what sport should really be called ‘football’, the reality is that the word football describes a broad family of sports all of whom have a very similar background and origin. Just like species with a common ancestor can evolve in ways where they look totally unlike each …
Transcript The Latin Alphabet has become the most widespread system of writing in the world. Its origins can be traced back thousands of years to the Ancient Romans and to civilizations before that. It is probably the single biggest thing that we use today that originated in Rome. Today’s English alphabet, you know that one …