Podcast Transcript The universe is big. Really, really big. So big that it is hard to intuitively grasp its size because we have nothing in our lives that we could compare it to. Not only is the universe big, but within it are things that really big as well. The discovery of these big things …
Podcast Transcript The English language has evolved organically, gathering words and phrases from different languages, countries, and communities. It should come as no surprise that many of the words in English have come from the military. For centuries, soldiers have developed their own way of speaking and created words to describe their unique circumstances. Some …
Podcast Transcript The odds are quite good that somewhere around you right now as you listen to me speak these words, is a battery. Whether it is in your smartphone, earbuds, automobile, smoke detector, or laptop, batteries have become ubiquitous in the modern world. The origins of chemical batteries go back thousands of years before …
Podcast Transcript Located in Northern Europe, along the Atlantic coast, is the relatively small nation of Belgium. Belgium is like other countries in most ways, but its history and founding are very different from those of its neighbors. How it was founded had important implications for all over Europe and may still impact the country’s …
Podcast Transcript Sandwiches are one of the most popular types of food in the world. They are incredibly easy to make, can be incredibly cheap, and they come in numerous varieties. Yet, the humble sandwich is also the subject of a great deal of controversy. What type of sandwich is best? Where did sandwiches come …
The Isle of Man (also known as the Isle of Mann) is one of the most unique bits of Europe and the British Isles. It’s culturally, historically, linguistically, and geographically different from all the other islands surrounding it and there are a lot of interesting facts many don’t know about it. Outside of the UK …
Yucca House National Monument is one of the most unique sites in the entire U.S. national park system. Despite being a declared a national monument by Woodrow Wilson in 1919, the site has had absolutely no development. There is no visitor center, no ranger, and no staff dedicated to the site. In fact, in one …
Pu’ukohola Heiau is the ruins of the last major ancient Hawaiian temple. It is notable in Hawaii’s recent history for being the home of King Kamehameha I, who was responsible for uniting the independent islands of Hawaii, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kauai, and Niihau under his rule. This unification took decades at the cost of …
Podcast Transcript Aircraft carriers are some of the most fearsome weapons in the world. They are enormous platforms that can travel around the globe, projecting power over an enormous part of it. However, aircraft carriers have a rather humble origin that actually predates the invention of the airplane. Throughout the 20th century, they saw many …