Kayfabe: The Secret Code That Built Professional Wrestling

Kayfabe

Transcript One of my dirty secrets is that I’m a fan of pro wrestling. Whenever I tell people this the first thing I inevitably hear is, “you know it’s fake right?” This idea that people think professional wrestling is real comes from the concept that wrestling insiders call kayfabe. Learn about the history of kayfabe …

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Queen Victoria: The Grandmother of Europe

Grandmother of Europe

Transcript Traditionally, the royal families of Europe would arrange marriages amongst their children to establish alliances and bonds between their houses.  While this really isn’t done that much anymore, it also wasn’t that long ago that it was done. One monarch, in particular, Queen Victoria, was really good and marrying off her children. So good …

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Drug Lord Hippopotamuses

Drug Lord Hippos

Transcript Pablo Escobar was the biggest drug lord the world has ever known. At his height, he had a monopoly on cocaine trade in the 1980s in the United States. He had a peak net worth of $60 billion in today’s inflation-adjusted dollars. He was personally responsible for thousands of murders and dozens of acts …

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Boxing’s Alphabet Soup

Boxing's Alphabet Soup

Transcript Boxing used to be one of the most popular sports in the world. A world championship bout would draw millions of people to their radios or televisions and could pack the largest stadiums.  Since then, it has waned in popularity in no small part due to the confusing array of titles and organizations which …

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The Original Dow Jones Companies

The Original Dow Jones Companies

transcript For many people, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is the measure of the health of the overall stock market. In reality, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is really just the performance of a collection of 30 blue-chip stocks. The index was created in 1896 and back then there were only 12 stocks in the …

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Lunar Orbit Rendezvous

Lunar Orbit Rendezvous

Transcript Have you ever been told to follow the chain of command or else? In most organizations with a hierarchy or with a bureaucracy, there is a set way in which things have to be done. If you have a suggestion or a complaint, you have to go to your immediate superior, and not jump …

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Lloyd Burke: American Badass

Lloyd Burke: American Badass

Transcript The highest and most prestigious award in the United States military is the Medal of Honor. It is awarded for only acts of extreme valor and bravery. Established during the Civil War in 1863, it has been awarded 3,506 times.  If you read through the list of Medal of Honor recipients, you will read …

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The Great Peshtigo Fire

The Great Peshtigo Fire

Transcript The greatest fire in American history, in terms of loss of life, occurred in the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin in 1871.  Most people haven’t heard of it, and even people who live in the region today aren’t aware of the disaster which happened in their own backyard.  150 years later, there is speculation that …

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Imperial Leftovers: The Remnants of the British Empire

Imperial Leftovers: The Remnants of the British Empire

Transcript At its peak, the British Empire covered 23% of the world’s population and 24% of the Earth’s landmass. By either measure, it was the largest empire in the history of the world. Since then…..well, let’s just say the Empire has seen better days. While the vast majority of the Empire is gone, there are …

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