The Battle of the Plains of Abraham: How Quebec Became British
In 1759, on a plateau outside Quebec City, two armies met in a battle that lasted less than an hour but changed the course of a continent. The Battle determined the fate of New France, reshaped Cana...
13 Touko 15min
Mitsubishi Zero: The Aircraft That Changed WWII Aviation
In the early months of World War II, one aircraft seemed almost unstoppable. Fast, agile, and capable of outmaneuvering almost anything in the sky, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero became the symbol of Japan...
12 Touko 14min
The Traitorous Eight and The Birth of Silicon Valley
In 1957, eight young engineers walked away from one of the most important laboratories in America and, in doing so, helped create the modern technology industry. Their break with a Nobel Prize-winni...
11 Touko 14min
Rainbows And How They Work
Few things in nature are as instantly recognizable as a rainbow. For thousands of years, rainbows have inspired myths, religion, art, and science. Yet behind those bands of color is an extraordina...
10 Touko 14min
Project Mercury: America's First Steps Into Space
In the late 1950s, the United States found itself trailing in the Space Race as the Soviet Union achieved one milestone after another. In response, NASA launched Project Mercury, an ambitious effort...
9 Touko 15min
The Indian Ocean Trade
For thousands of years, before Europeans crossed the Atlantic or steamships crossed the seas, the Indian Ocean connected the known world. Merchants riding the monsoon winds carried spices, silk, gold...
8 Touko 14min
Calendar Reform (Encore)
Our calendar and system of keeping time are rather unique. It isn’t nice and tidy like the metric system. It is a collection of odd time units, leap years, and rotating calendars. As such, many pe...
7 Touko 15min
Laos: The Forgotten Nation of Southeast Asia
Landlocked and often overlooked, Laos sits at the crossroads of Southeast Asia, shaped by empires, rivers, and war. From the rise of the Lan Xang kingdom to centuries of domination by neighboring po...
6 Touko 15min
