The Year of The Five Emperors

The Year of The Five Emperors

Transcript Every so often, the series Dr. Who would have a special episode where multiple versions of the time-traveling Doctor would appear on the same episode.  I think they probably ripped the idea off from the Roman empire, where they had several years with multiple emperors.  So, fresh off talking about the year of four …

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The Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary

Transcript In 1844, the Philological Society of London began investigating the creation of a new English dictionary. This initial foray would lead to a dictionary that would be unlike any other dictionary ever created.  It would not just give the definition and spelling of a word, but a complete history of each word and where …

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Why is Christmas on December 25?

Why is Christmas on December 25?

Transcript Every year, people around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25. In many countries, it is the biggest single holiday of the year.  Why is it celebrated on December 25? Is there any historical basis for this date and if not, then why do we celebrate it on this date? Learn more about why …

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The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone

Transcript The ancient Egyptian civilization was one of the oldest civilizations that we know of on Earth. While there is much we know about them, knowledge of their system of writing, known as hieroglyphics had become lost by the middle ages. Where there were different theories as to what the writing meant, no one was …

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Understanding ZIP Codes

Understanding ZIP Codes

Transcript Back in the day, sending letters was slow and complicated.  Nothing could travel faster than the speed of a horse or a ship, and addressing letters could be confusing if there were multiple people in a city.  Over time, the postal system developed systematic methods to deliver the mail quickly and more efficiently. Learn …

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The Mercator Projection

The Mercator Projection

Transcript Have you ever looked at a map and said to yourself “Wow, Greenland is really big!”, only to then look at a globe and realize, that Greeland wasn’t actually that big?  If so, then you have discovered the Mercator Projection. A map that was originally created in 1569 and is still with us today.  …

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America’s First Law

America's First Law

Transcript Let’s say you have a brand new country. You want to take it out of a spin and make some new laws. What is the first thing you do? Maybe ratify a treaty? Perhaps something about the economy. Well, if you were the United States back in 1789, you didn’t do anything nearly that …

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Operation London Bridge

Operation London Bridge

Transcript At some point in the future, a phone call will be placed by the private secretary of the Queen to the British Prime Minister. In this call, he will utter the phrase “London Bridge is down”, which will set off a preplanned series of events following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. As it …

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The Pintupi Nine

The Pintupi Nine

Transcript In October 1984, nine members of the Pintupi Tribe in Western Australia met some long lost relatives they hadn’t seen in years. The relatives invited the nine people to come and live with them in their community in Kiwirrkura. The significance of this event is that those nine people, two women with four boys …

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