Galaxies
For most of human existence, we looked up at the night sky and thought that was all there was to the universe. However, in the 20th century, as telescopes improved, we made a shocking discovery. The u...
2 Maj 202312min
Lady Jane Grey: Queen of England?
Probably the most consequential monarch in British history was Henry VIII. He upended much of English society by changing the religion in the country from the top down. He also left in his wake a cen...
1 Maj 202312min
Why The Map In Your Head Is Wrong (Encore)
All of us have some sort of mental map inside our heads for how the world is laid out. North America is north of South America. Europe is west of Asia. et Cetra. However, even the greatest geography ...
30 Apr 202310min
The Pantheon
Located in the heart of Rome is one of the oldest standing buildings in the world. Unlike other ancient structures, it isn’t a ruin. For almost 2,000 years, it has been in continuous use. When it was ...
29 Apr 202313min
Arbor Day
Every year the last Friday in April in the United States is Arbor Day. Arbor Day is not the sexiest holiday on the calendar. I don’t think anyone listening is getting the day off from work, and you d...
28 Apr 202312min
The Tyranny of the Rocket Equation
In 1897, the visionary Russian rocket scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky discovered an equation that governed how rockets worked. His equation, which was independently discovered by several other rocke...
27 Apr 202313min
Was the Holy Roman Empire, Holy, Roman, or an Empire? (Encore)
In the 18th century, the French writer and philosopher Voltaire said, ??”This body which was called, and which still calls itself, the Holy Roman Empire was in no way holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.” ...
26 Apr 202312min
The Aral Sea
At the start of the 20th century, the world’s third-largest lake was located in Central Asia. It had been known to the people of the Asian steppes for thousands of years. However, by the end of the 2...
25 Apr 202311min
