Podcast Transcript The Romans were familiar with Africa, or at least part of it. At one point, they controlled everything on the north coast of Africa from Morocco to Egypt. However, below their African territories was the vast Sahara Desert, which was extremely difficult to cross. For all practical purposes, it served as a permeable …
Podcast Transcript For centuries, the English Channel served as a moat that kept the conflicts of Continental Europe away from the island of Great Britain. While it served as a barrier for armies, it also served as a hindrance to commerce. The movement of goods and people across the English Channel was much more difficult …
Podcast Transcript In early 18th-century London, a petty criminal became one of the most celebrated people in England. He wasn’t celebrated despite the fact that he was a criminal; he was celebrated because he was a criminal. The authorities didn’t share in the public’s enthusiasm. He was arrested several times, but he managed to escape …
Podcast Transcript In the middle of the Third Century, things were looking really bad for the Roman Empire. This period was marked by civil war, economic collapse, foreign invasions, and a rapid succession of emperors, often military usurpers, most of whom died violently. If things had gone just a little differently, we would have been …
Podcast Transcript For thousands of years, people have looked into the night sky and occasionally seen something unusual. It was something fuzzy, sometimes bright, it had a tail and it wasn’t there before. It appeared out of nowhere and, after a few weeks or months, disappeared as mysteriously as it had appeared. When these events …
Podcast Transcript If you were to ask most people what year they associate with the American Revolution, it would be 1776. That was the year that the Continental Congress declared Independence. However, 1776 wasn’t the start of the revolution, nor was it the end of the revolution. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the …
Podcat Transcript On October 14, 1066, England changed forever. Forces led by William of Normandy sailed from France and defeated the King of England, putting the country on a radically different trajectory. It affected everyone from the aristocracy down to the commoners, and it even trickled down to the very language spoken in the country …
Podcast Transcript Located in the middle of San Francisco Bay is one of the Bay Area’s most iconic landmarks: Alcatraz. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, with over a million visitors every year. Most people know of Alcatraz as a prison, yet it only served as a prison for …
Podcast Transcript On April 15, 1912, one of the greatest disasters in modern nautical history took place. The RMS Titanic, one of the most celebrated ships of its era, struck an iceberg and sank on its inaugural voyage. While the story of the Titanic is well known, it has often been exaggerated, and there are …