The Greek Military Owned The Ancient World. Why Did They Roll Over For the Romans?
When did the ancient Greeks stop making armies or supplying fighting men? One moment they're beating up the the Persian empire and conquering the known world, and the next, they're slave tutors for th...
28 Nov 20178min
Why Food Tells Us More About a Culture Than Anything Else—Ken Alba
You and your ancestor from 1,000 years ago have almost nothing in common. Your clothes are different. Your worship rituals are different. Your thoughts about the opposite sex are definitely different....
27 Nov 20171h 2min
The Electoral College Isn't an Outdated 18th-Century Relic; It Keeps America From Falling Apart—Tara Ross
The Electoral college is one of the most confusing—and, after the 2016 election, contentious—parts of American democracy. After losing two of the past five presidential races in the Electoral College ...
24 Nov 201738min
Arabic Numerals Took Over 600 Years To Spread Across the West
Western scholars first encountered "Arabic" numerals in the seventh century, making mathematics and accounting much easier. But Roman numerals stubbornly stuck around until the invention of the printi...
23 Nov 20178min
A Short History of the War of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of battles that were fought between the supporters of the House of Lancaster (Lancastrians) and the supporters of the House of York (Yorkists). The wars were called...
22 Nov 20177min
Richard Francis Burton—The Man Who Knew the Most Languages in History
Richard Francis Burton was an explorer, translator, and contender for the 19th-century's world's most interesting man. He was also functional in dozens of languages and translated monumental works of ...
21 Nov 20177min
The Scopes Monkey Trial, HL Mencken, and Religion in Public Life—Darryl Hart
If you’ve seen the 1960 Spencer Tracy movie Inherit the Wind, you know about the Scopes Monkey Trial. In this real-life 1925 case, John Scopes was accused of violating Tennessee’s Butler Act, which ha...
20 Nov 201755min
The Reformation Happened 500 Years Ago, But It's More Timely Than Ever—Benjamin Wiker
Secularism, radical Islam, and nationalism all sound like buzzwords pulled straight from today’s headlines. But you might be surprised to know that 500 years ago they were at the epicenter of one of t...
17 Nov 201739min
