A Brief History of Timekeeping

A Brief History of Timekeeping

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, …

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The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

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 which any traveler should take the time to see.  Over time, one such Greek list was written down and it became known to us as …

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The History of Thanksgiving

The History of Thanksgiving

Transcript On the fourth Thursday in November every year, American’s celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. It is a holiday that originated in the Americas but has subsequently spread to many countries around the world.  It is a holiday that is actually secular, but with some religious overtones, and has a unique set of traditions that …

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All About Chess

All About Chess

Podcast Transcript It is arguably the world’s oldest game, yet it is one of the most popular cybersports.  It has been called the game of kings, and yet it can be mastered by children.  Its origins are truly global having passed through several of the world’s greatest civilizations, and it can and is played almost …

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Lyudmila Pavlichenko: The Deadliest Woman in World War II

Lyudmila Pavlichenko: The Deadliest Woman in World War II

Podcast Transcript In 1941, after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, a 24-year-old woman in Ukraine volunteered to join the Red Army.  She was initially pressured to become a nurse like most women who volunteered, however, that wasn’t what she wanted to do. She wanted to be on the front lines. Within a year, …

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The Louvre: The World’s Greatest Museum

The Louvre: The World's Greatest Museum

Podcast Transcript Located in the heart of Paris, along the banks of the River Seine, lies the Louvre.  It has over 750,000 square feet of gallery space, over 615,000 items in its collection, and in a non-pandemic year, gets over 10 million annual visitors.  Yet, it wasn’t always a museum, and the way it acquired …

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The Navajo Code Talkers

The Navajo Code Talkers

Podcast Transcript Secrecy is a huge part of military success. You want to be able to communicate with your own forces without the enemy finding out what your plans are.  As America entered World War II, they were in need of a method of communication that couldn’t be cracked by Germany or Japan. They found …

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The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge

Podcast Transcript Brooklyn wasn’t always a part of New York City. It used to be a separate city located across the East River from New York, which at the time was only on the island of Manhattan.  For decades, people talked about a bridge to connect New York and the growing city of Brooklyn to …

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Which Came First: Beer or Bread?

Which Came First: Beer or Bread?

Podcast Transcript The rise of agriculture has been pointed to as being responsible for the rise of civilization as we know it.  However, that raises the question, what was responsible for the rise of agriculture? In particular, at least in the Middle East with the cultivation of grain, the debate has always been which came …

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