Snake oil (Encore)
If you were to call someone a snake oil salesman, it usually means they are trying to defraud someone, and more specifically, it often implies making false medical claims. But what exactly is snake oi...
28 Jan 20238min
Tulipmania! (Encore)
In the 17th century, the Netherlands was struck by the world’s first investment bubble. They weren’t investing in stocks or bonds, or real estate. They were investing in…..tulip bulbs. Tulip bulbs be...
27 Jan 202310min
The Purchase of Alaska (Encore)
In 1867, United States Secretary of State William Seward signed a treaty with the Empire of Russia to purchase the territory of what would be called Alaska. The United States purchased it for 2 cents ...
26 Jan 20239min
The Lykov Family (Encore)
In 1978, a Soviet helicopter pilot flying over the forests of Siberia made an incredible discovery. Not far from the border of Mongolia, up the side of a mountain, he saw a clearing and signs of human...
25 Jan 20238min
Did Ancient Rome and China Know About Each Other? (Encore)
2,000 years ago the Han Empire in China and the Roman Empire in Europe were the two greatest empires in the world. Between them, they covered an enormous amount of the Earth’s land and a large percent...
24 Jan 202311min
The Battle of Yorktown
In 1781, after six years of fighting, the American Revolution came to a dramatic conclusion. One of the two major British armies in the conflict found themselves trapped on a peninsula near Yorktown,...
23 Jan 202312min
The Speed of Light
There is nothing faster in the entire universe than the speed of light. Not only is it the fastest thing, but nothing can be faster than light. For the longest time, humans didn’t even know that ligh...
22 Jan 202312min
The Passenger Pigeon
In the early 19th century, the most abundant bird in North America, and perhaps the entire world, was the passenger pigeon. An estimated three billion of them would fly in flocks so large that they co...
21 Jan 202313min
