The Rise and Fall of Vaudeville
Before radio, television, and the internet, Americans packed theaters to see comedians, singers, dancers, acrobats, magicians, animal acts, and just about anything else that could hold an audience’s a...
19 Sep 15min
The History of Whaling (Encore)
Whaling is something that humans have engaged in for thousands of years. For most of that time, indigenous groups conducted it on a small scale for subsistence purposes. Over time, whaling became co...
18 Sep 15min
A Brief History of Algeria
For thousands of years, one country has stood at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Sahara. It has been ruled by Numidian kings, Romans, Arabs, Ottomans, and European. Its modern...
17 Sep 15min
Fluorine: The Most Reactive Element
There is an element so reactive that it was one of the last to be isolated, and chemists were injured or even killed trying to obtain it. Yet once tamed, it became essential to everything from alumi...
16 Sep 16min
The Avignon Papacy
For centuries, the pope was one of Europe's most powerful figures, ruling the Church from Rome and challenging kings and emperors alike. Then, in the early 14th century, a bitter struggle with the F...
15 Sep 16min
Cod: The Fish That Shaped History
For centuries, one seemingly ordinary fish helped feed armies, sustain empires, launch fishing fleets across the Atlantic, and shape the economies of entire nations. It could be preserved for months...
14 Sep 14min
The Cheyenne Mountain Complex
Buried deep beneath thousands of feet of granite in Colorado is one of the most famous military installations ever built. Designed during the Cold War to remain operational during a nuclear attack, ...
13 Sep 16min
Ivan the Terrible
In the 16th century, one ruler transformed a growing principality into a powerful empire, crowned himself with a new title, conquered vast territories, and reshaped the political order of Eastern Euro...
12 Sep 16min
