Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and the 1812 Overture (Encore)
In 1880, the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was commissioned to compose a work in honor of the completion of a new cathedral. What he wrote became one of the best-known, over-the-top, and ...
17 Jan 202513min
Caesar, Pompey, Crassus: The First Triumvirate (Encore)
In the year 60 BC, a very unlikely alliance was formed between three of Rome’s most powerful men. Gaius Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, and Marcus Licinius Crassus agreed to put aside their di...
16 Jan 202512min
Chasing the Impossible: The Enigma of Perpetual Motion (Encore)
Imagine a device that could supply an unlimited amount of energy. It would solve many of the world’s problems in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, such a device is impossible to build, but that hasn’t s...
15 Jan 202511min
Famine
One of the most devastating disasters that has afflicted humanity are famines. Unlike other natural disasters, famines do not have a single cause. They have happened all over the world for a wide var...
14 Jan 202515min
The Schlitz Mistake
In the early 20th century, the Schlitz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the largest brewery in the world. However, by 1980, the company had fallen on hard times and was purchased by a com...
13 Jan 202514min
The History of the Tomato (Encore)
One of the most popular foods in the world is tomatoes. Tomatoes are grown almost everywhere in the world today, and they have become the basis of several international cuisines. However, just a few...
12 Jan 202512min
Gnosticism
In the first and second centuries, a Christian sect found a wide following throughout the Roman world. They weren’t your normal run-of-the-mill Christians. They had beliefs that were nothing like tho...
11 Jan 202515min
The Ultraviolet Catastrophe and the Creation of Quantum Mechanics
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a problem that stumped even the best minds in physics. Eventually, one man, Max Planck, solved the problem, but his solution was one that was o...
10 Jan 202516min
