The Younger Dryas

The Younger Dryas

Podcast Transcript Around 12,900 years ago, the last ice age was ending. Things were warming up, and the glaciers were starting to recede. …and then something happened.  For about 1,200 years, the climate reversed and got colder again.  When this cooling trend ended and the ice age was finally over, it also happened to coincide …

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The History of Popcorn

The History of Popcorn

Podcast Transcript Almost everyone has had popcorn and some of you have even probably had some recently. Popcorn can be made at home, can be purchased pre packaged in stores, and has been tightly associated with movie theaters.  Yet, despite seeming like a rather modern snack, popcorn has actually been around for thousands of years. …

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Starship Update

Starship Update

Podcast Transcript One of the biggest advances in space flight right now is happening with the development of Starship. Starship is the largest rocket ever flown, but it is fundamentally different than all other rockets that have come before it. Its intent is to be fully reusable.  This has the potential to completely revolutionize spaceflight …

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The Cultural Revolution

The Cultural Revolution

Podcast Transcript In 1966, the People’s Republic of China entered what became one of the most tumultuous periods in its history.  In a spasm of revolutionary upheaval primarily led by students, almost everyone in the country, including high-ranking communist officials, was a potential target for public humiliation, denunciations, torture, and hard labor.  The result was …

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Margarine

Margarine

Podcast Transcript In the mid-19th century, the French Emperor Napoleon III requested the creation of a product similar to butter but cheaper.  The result was dubbed margarine.  Over the years, the ingredients that made up margarine changed radically, all the while becoming closer to butter in both looks and consistency.  However, it has faced resistance …

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The Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer

Podcast Transcript 1968 marked the beginning of one of the most infamous killing sprees in American history. For two years, Northern California was terrorized by a series of seemingly random murders. It wasn’t just the killings that terrorized people; it was the fact that the killer taunted the police and the media through a series …

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The Battle of Actium

The Battle of Actium

Podcast Transcript On September 2, 31 BC, one of the most important battles in history took place off the coast of Greece.  The forces of Octavian, the posthumously adopted son of Julius Caesar, squared off against the forces of Mark Antony, the former right-hand man of Julius Caesar.  After having been partners in ruling Rome …

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The 2025 Nobel Prize Winners

The 2025 Nobel Prize Winners

Podcast Transcript Every year, the Nobel Prize committee awards the Nobel Prize in accordance with the will of Alfred Nobel.  Save for the years where there have been world wars, the prize has been given annually since 1901.  The 2025 prizes have just been announced, and each recipient has made a unique contribution for which …

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The World In The Year 1925

The Year 1925

Podcast Transcript If you look at the grand sweep of human history, there are centuries where seemingly little happens, and there are decades where centuries take place.  The first 25 years of the 20th century were one of the most intense periods of change in history.  Empires fell, social norms were overturned, science and technology …

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