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Colorado River: The River That Built the American West
Episode 2138
Over 1,400 miles, the Colorado River has carved some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth and enabled life across the American Southwest.
It shap…
5 months, 3 weeks ago
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham: How Quebec Became British
Episode 2137
In 1759, on a plateau outside Quebec City, two armies met in a battle that lasted less than an hour but changed the course of a continent.
The Battl…
5 months, 4 weeks ago
Mitsubishi Zero: The Aircraft That Changed WWII Aviation
Episode 2136
In the early months of World War II, one aircraft seemed almost unstoppable.
Fast, agile, and capable of outmaneuvering almost anything in the sky, …
5 months, 4 weeks ago
The Traitorous Eight and The Birth of Silicon Valley
Episode 2135
In 1957, eight young engineers walked away from one of the most important laboratories in America and, in doing so, helped create the modern technolo…
5 months, 4 weeks ago
Rainbows And How They Work
Episode 2134
Few things in nature are as instantly recognizable as a rainbow.
For thousands of years, rainbows have inspired myths, religion, art, and science.
…6 months ago
Project Mercury: America's First Steps Into Space
Episode 2133
In the late 1950s, the United States found itself trailing in the Space Race as the Soviet Union achieved one milestone after another.
In response, …
6 months ago
The Indian Ocean Trade
Episode 2132
For thousands of years, before Europeans crossed the Atlantic or steamships crossed the seas, the Indian Ocean connected the known world.
Merchants r…
6 months ago
Calendar Reform (Encore)
Episode 2131
Our calendar and system of keeping time are rather unique.
It isn’t nice and tidy like the metric system. It is a collection of odd time units, leap…
6 months ago
Laos: The Forgotten Nation of Southeast Asiads
Episode 2130
Landlocked and often overlooked, Laos sits at the crossroads of Southeast Asia, shaped by empires, rivers, and war.
From the rise of the Lan Xang ki…
6 months ago
The Rise and Fall of OPEC
Episode 2129
In 1960, a handful of oil-producing nations made a decision that would reshape the global economy.
They formed a cartel to control the world’s most …
6 months ago