1961 US Figure Skating Team

1961 US Figure Skating Team

Podcast Transcript In 1961, the United States figure skating team was one of the top programs in the world. The year before at the 1960 Olympics, they took the gold in both the men’s and women’s competitions.  Then on February 15, 1961, the team suffered a terrible catastrophe. One which took the better part of …

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Righties vs Lefties

Righties vs Lefties

Podcast Transcript Statistically speaking, about 90% of you listening to my words right now are right-handed. Of the rest of you, almost all of you will be left-handed.  The question of why so many more people are right-handed as opposed to left-handed is one that people have asked for centuries. It is an imbalance that …

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Survivorship Bias

Survivorship Bias

Podcast Transcript During World War II, the US Army assigned statistician Abraham Wald the task of statistically figuring out where extra armor should be added to American bombers. After analyzing the evidence and sharing it with the Army, he recommended the exact opposite of what the Army assumed. The reason was that the Army had …

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The USS Constitution: The Oldest Ship Still Afloat

Podcast Transcript On March 27, 1794, the United States Congress passed the Naval Act. The Naval Act authorized funding for six frigates which would become the basis for the new US Navy.  One of those six ships, and the third one built, was the USS Constitution. It was launched in 1797 and saw service in …

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Stanislav Petrov: The Man Who Saved the World

Stanislav Petrov: The Man Who Saved the World

Podcast Transcript I’ve done episodes before about people who have saved a large number of human lives. Mostly, these people have done so through inventions or innovations in fields like agriculture or medicine.  What about people who prevented an impending disaster? Like when Superman stops an asteroid from hitting the Earth.  Well, there was such …

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The Great Hanoi Rat Massacre of 1902

The Great Hanoi Rat Massacre of 1902

Podcast Transcript 1902, the French governor of Indochina faced a huge problem in the city of Hanoi. They were suffering from a massive infestation of rats and the rats could carry diseases, including the plague. The governor implemented a plan to get rid of the rats. Thousands of people were recruited in the effort. However, …

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Seawater

Everything You Wanted to Know About Seawater

Podcast Transcript It covers 70% of the Earth’s surface, is one of the most common substances on Earth, and it makes up 97% of all our water. Despite being so common, it is also one of the most complex substances you’ll ever encounter.  You can swim and surf in it, but you can’t drink it.  …

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The Incredible Polgar Sisters

The Incredible Polgar Sisters

Transcript László Polgár was born just after World War II in Hungary. His field of study was the nature of human intelligence. After studying the lives of over 400 great intellectuals from throughout human history, he came to a startling conclusion: geniuses weren’t born, they were made.  So he set about conducting an experiment on …

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Károly Takács: Ambidextrous Gold Medalist

Károly Takács: Ambidextrous Gold Medalist

Transcript If you are from Hungary, you have probably heard the story of Károly Takács. If you aren’t from Hungary, you probably haven’t, but probably should.  His story is remarkable not only for what he had to overcome but how he managed to overcome it.  Learn more about this remarkable Olympic Medalist on this episode …

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