Survivorship Bias
During World War II, the US Army assigned statistician Abraham Wald the task of statistically figuring out where extra armor should be added to American bombers. After analyzing the evidence and shar...
27 Sep 202110min
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
When most people think of World War II, they think of the Allied power of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, versus the Axis power of Germany, Italy, and Japan. However, th...
26 Sep 202111min
Righties vs Lefties
Statistically speaking, about 90% of you listening to my words right now are right-handed. Of the rest of you, almost all of you will be left-handed. The question of why so many more people are righ...
25 Sep 202111min
Polynesian Navigators (Encore)
The ancient world had many great accomplishments. The Pyramids of Giza, The Great Wall of China, and the Colosseum are just a few of the great wonders which are still standing. However, one of early...
24 Sep 202111min
The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as the Great Pyramid of Khufu, is a structure in which superlatives don’t really do justice. It isn’t just old, it’s really old. It isn’t just big, it’s really ...
23 Sep 202111min
The War of the Currents
In the late 19th century, several of the world’s foremost investors engaged in a public battle for the future of electricity. The battle was fought in boardrooms and newspapers, and there was seemingl...
22 Sep 202112min
The 1961 US Figure Skating Team
In 1961, the United States figure skating team was one of the top programs in the world. The year before at the 1960 Olympics, they took the gold in both the men’s and women’s competitions. Then on ...
21 Sep 20219min
Alfred Wegner and Continental Drift
In 1910, a German Earth scientist noticed something about the map of the world. South America seemed to fit into Africa. North America seemed to fit into northwest Africa and Europe. He proposed tha...
20 Sep 202110min
