The Black Hole of Calcutta
In 1756, after a skirmish between the British East India Company and the nawab of Bengal, dozens of captives were put into a holding cell intended for only a few people overnight. Most of them didn't ...
14 Sep 201529min
Asia and the 'New World': An Interview with Dennis Carr
It's easy to think of globalization as a new invention, but it really has its roots in the 16th century. Museum of Fine Arts Boston curator Dennis Carr talks to us about Asian influences on art in the...
9 Sep 201541min
Emmy Noether, Mathematics Trailblazer
In the early 20th century in Germany, Emmy Noether pursued a career in mathematics, despite many obstacles in her path. She became one of the most respected members of her field, and developed mathema...
7 Sep 201527min
The Unsinkable Violet Jessop
We love to talk about shipwrecks, but Violet Jessop was a shipwreck survivor -- several times over. She traveled the world aboard some of the most famous ocean liners of all time. Learn more about yo...
2 Sep 201528min
The Battle of Guilford Courthouse
In 1781, British forces shifted their efforts in the American Revolutionary War to the southern states. Major General Nathaniel Greene and his troops went up against Charles Cornwallis in a battle tha...
31 Aug 201524min
The Franco-Mexican Pastry War
When a French pastry chef complained to King Louis-Phillippe that his shop in Mexico was destroyed in a riot, it catalyzed a conflict between the two nations. But the military action of the Pastry War...
26 Aug 201525min
Good Humor v. Popsicle
There was a time when Popsicle and Good Humor couldn't stop suing one another about frozen treats on sticks. Many legal battles were fought over milk fat, the shapes of the desserts and the definition...
24 Aug 201528min
Joe Carstairs, Part 2
As Carstair's speedboat racing career faltered, the heiress traveled the world and found other diversions, until she decided to purchase an island in the Bahamas. Then she turned Whale Cay into a king...
19 Aug 201541min
