Rogue Waves
For centuries, sailors told tales of gigantic waves that they encountered at sea, and for centuries, scientists didn’t believe them. However, over time, evidence began to pile up, which suggested tha...
11 Okt 202414min
The Invention of the Airplane (Encore)
Humans have probably had the desire to fly ever since they saw the first bird fly in the air. Flying, as it turned out, was a very challenging problem for creatures without wings. Throughout the 19t...
10 Okt 202414min
The Paraguayan War
In the 1860s, one of the bloodiest wars in the Western Hemisphere took place….and it wasn’t the US Civil War. It was a war between Paraguay and an alliance of Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil, and it w...
9 Okt 202415min
The Marshall Plan
At the end of the Second World War, Europe was a mess. The economies of most countries were in shambles and the threat of communism loomed over the continent. In a speech at Harvard University on Jun...
8 Okt 202415min
Bird Migrations
Every year, hundreds of millions of birds around the world migrate. Some migrate short distances, some migrate incredibly long distances, and others don’t bother to migrate at all. For centuries, peo...
7 Okt 202414min
The Origins of Playing Cards (Encore)
Sitting in most homes is a deck of playing cards. Cards and card games have become almost ubiquitous They are played by children and in retirement homes. They are played at family picnics, and there a...
6 Okt 202413min
The 1204 Crusader Sack of Constantinople
One of the defining events of the Middle Ages took place in Constantinople on April 12, 1204. Soldiers of the Fourth Crusade, under orders of the Doge of the Republic of Venice, breached the walls an...
5 Okt 202414min
The Khmer Empire
For over 600 years, the empire that dominated the region of Southeast Asia was the Khmer Empire. Built out of a collection of kingdoms, the Khmer Empire dominated its corner of Asia. It was an advanc...
4 Okt 202413min
