Getting Rid of the Penny

Getting Rid of the Penny

Transcript The US one-cent coin has been a part of American currency since the country started issuing money in 1793. As inflation has continued to creep up, the cost of making a one-cent coin is now more than it is worth.  Unsurprisingly, people have been starting to question if we should continue using the penny.  …

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The House of David

The House of David

Transcript What do you get when you take one part religious cult and one part Harlem Globetrotters and one part Troy Polamalu’s hair and put them all together?  You wind up with the House of David Baseball Team. One of the most popular baseball barnstorming acts of the early 20th Century. Learn more about the …

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Moving from Nikon to Sony: One Year Later

The Decision Early in 2016, I made the decision to switch from Nikon, which I had been shooting with for 9 years, to Sony. It wasn’t an easy decision. When you buy into a camera system, it isn’t just a matter of getting all your lenses and gear to be compatible. You become accustomed to …

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The Great Crash at Crush

The Great Crash at Crush

Transcript In 1896, the United States was experiencing what we now call a recession. The Panic of 1896 had made life tough on everyone, and many of the companies in the highly competitive railroad business were looking for new ways to make money.  One man, William George Crush, came up with a smashing idea.  His …

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The History of Mathematical Symbols

The History of Mathematical Symbols

Transcript One of the simplest mathematical statements possible is 2+2=4. While the concept is very easy to understand, when you write it down you have to use mathematical symbols which are, historically speaking, a relatively recent invention.  At one point, mathematicians were doing reasonably complicated work without the benefit of symbols at all. Something which …

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The Plan Dog Memorandum: How The US Planned for WWII Before It Was In It

The Plan Dog Memorandum: How The US Planned for WWII Before It Was In It

Podcast Transcript In 1940, much of the world was at war, but the United States wasn’t. A strong isolationist sentiment kept the US on the sidelines while Germany and Japan ran roughshod over their neighbors.  While the US wasn’t in the war, many people in the US military knew that it was only a matter …

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Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park, New Zealand: World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for Tongariro National Park: In 1993 Tongariro became the first property to be inscribed on the World Heritage List under the revised criteria describing cultural landscapes. The mountains at the heart of the park have cultural and religious significance for the Maori people and symbolize the spiritual links between this …

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Te Wahipounamu

Te Wahipounamu UNESCO World Heritage Site, New Zealand

From the World Heritage inscription for Te Wahipounamu: The landscape in this park, situated in southwest New Zealand, has been shaped by successive glaciations into fjords, rocky coasts, towering cliffs, lakes, and waterfalls. Two-thirds of the park is covered with southern beech and podocarps, some of which are over 800 years old. The kea, the …

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East Rennell

East Rennell, Solomon Islands - UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the East Rennell World Heritage inscription: East Rennell makes up the southern third of Rennell Island, the southernmost island in the Solomon Island group in the western Pacific. Rennell, 86 km long x 15 km wide, is the largest raised coral atoll in the world. The site includes approximately 37,000 ha and a marine …

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