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Citation Needed
The podcast where we choose a subject, read a single Wikipedia article about it, and pretend we’re experts. Because this is the internet, and that’s how it works now.
The podcast where we choose a subject, read a single Wikipedia article about it, and pretend we’re experts. Because this is the internet, and that’s how it works now.
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The Holy Prepuce (Foreskin) and Other Relics
The Holy Prepuce, or Holy Foreskin (<a title="Latin" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin">Latin</a> præputium or prepucium), is one of several <a class= "mw-redirect" title="Relics attributed to Jesus" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relics_attributed_to_Jesus">relics attributed to Jesus</a>, consisting of the <a title="Foreskin" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreskin">foreskin</a> removed during the <a title="Circumcision of Jesus" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumcision_of_Jesus">circumcision of Jesus</a>. At various points in history, a number of churches in Europe have claimed to possess the Prepuce, sometimes at the same time. Various <a title="Miracle" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle">miraculous</a> powers have been ascribed to it.
25 Dec 2024
32 MINS
32:26
25 Dec 2024
Pong
Pong is a <a title= "Table tennis" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_tennis">table tennis</a>–themed <a title="Twitch gameplay" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitch_gameplay">twitch</a> arcade [sports video game] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_video_game) , featuring simple <a title="2D computer graphics" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2D_computer_graphics">two-dimensional graphics</a>, manufactured by <a class="mw-redirect" title= "Atari, Inc" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari,_Inc">Atari</a> and originally released on 29 November 1972. It is one of the earliest <a title="Arcade video game" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade_video_game">arcade video games</a>; it was created by <a title="Allan Alcorn" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Alcorn">Allan Alcorn</a> as a training exercise assigned to him by Atari co-founder <a title="" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nolan_Bushnell">Nolan Bushnell</a>, but Bushnell and Atari co-founder <a title="Ted Dabney" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Dabney">Ted Dabney</a> were surprised by the quality of Alcorn's work and decided to manufacture the game. Bushnell based the game's concept on an electronic ping-pong game included in the <a title= "Magnavox Odyssey" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey">Magnavox Odyssey</a>, the first [home video game console] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_video_game_console) . In response, Magnavox later sued Atari for patent infringement.
11 Dec 2024
35 MINS
35:18
11 Dec 2024
Competitive Eating, Takeru Kobayashi, and Joey Chestnut
Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to eat large quantities of food, usually in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions can last up to thirty minutes, with the person consuming the most food being declared the winner. Competitive eating is most popular in the <a title="United States" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">United States</a>, <a title="Canada" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada">Canada</a>, and <a title="Japan" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan">Japan</a>, where organized professional eating contests often offer prizes, including cash.
04 Dec 2024
1 HR 00 MINS
1:00:39
04 Dec 2024
Sleeping Beauty
The earliest known version of the tale is found in the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">French</a> narrative <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceforest" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">Perceforest</a>, written between 1330 and 1344.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty#cite_note-8" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">[7]</a> Another was the [Catalan] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language) poem Frayre de Joy e Sor de Paser.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty#cite_note-9" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">[8]</a> <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giambattista_Basile" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">Giambattista Basile</a> wrote another, "<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun,_Moon,_and_Talia" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">Sun, Moon, and Talia</a>" for his collection [Pentamerone] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentamerone) , published posthumously in 1634–36<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty#cite_note-Folk_&_Fairy_Tales-10" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">[9]</a> and adapted by [Charles Perrault] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Perrault) in [Histoires ou contes du temps passé] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histoires_ou_contes_du_temps_pass%C3%A9) in 1697. The version collected and printed by the [Brothers Grimm] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Grimm) was one orally transmitted from the Perrault version,<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty#cite_note-11" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">[10]</a> while including own attributes like the thorny rose hedge and the curse.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty#cite_note-12" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">[11]</a>
Sun, Moon, and Talia (<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">Italian</a>: Sole, Luna, e Talia) is an Italian <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_fairy_tale" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">literary fairy tale</a> written by [Giambattista Basile] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giambattista_Basile) and published posthumously in the last volume of his 1634-36 work, the [Pentamerone] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentamerone) . <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Perrault" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">Charles Perrault</a> retold this fairy tale in 1697 as <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">Sleeping Beauty</a>, as did the [Brothers Grimm] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Grimm) in 1812 as Little Briar Rose.
27 Nov 2024
38 MINS
38:04
27 Nov 2024
The Sinking of the Whaleship Essex
Essex was an American <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaler">whaling ship</a> from [Nantucket] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nantucket) , <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts">Massachusetts</a>, which was launched in 1799. On November 20, 1820, while at sea in the southern <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean">Pacific Ocean</a> under the command of Captain <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pollard_Jr.">George Pollard Jr.</a>, the ship was attacked and sunk by a <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sperm_whale">sperm whale</a>. About 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) from the coast of South America, the 20-man crew was forced to make for land in three <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaleboat">whaleboats</a> with what food and water they could salvage from the wreck.
After a month at sea the crew landed on the uninhabited <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson_Island_(Pitcairn_Islands)"> Henderson Island</a>. Three men elected to stay on the island, from which they were rescued in April 1821, while the remaining seventeen set off again for the coast of South America. The men suffered severe <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydration">dehydration</a>, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation">starvation</a> and exposure on the open ocean, and the survivors eventually resorted to <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_cannibalism">cannibalism</a>. By the time they were rescued in February 1821, three months after the sinking of Essex, only five of the seventeen were alive.
First mate <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Chase">Owen Chase</a> and cabin boy <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Nickerson">Thomas Nickerson</a> later wrote accounts of the ordeal. The tragedy attracted international attention, and inspired <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Melville">Herman Melville</a> to write his 1851 novel, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick">Moby-Dick</a>.
20 Nov 2024
36 MINS
36:24
20 Nov 2024
Carlos Kaiser
Carlos Henrique Raposo (born 2 April 1963), commonly known as Carlos Kaiser, is a Brazilian <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Con_artist" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">con artist</a> and former [footballer] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football) who played as a <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_(association_football)" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">striker</a>.[<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">citation needed</a>] Although his abilities were far short of professional standard, he managed to sign for numerous teams during his decade-long career. He never actually played a regular game, the closest occurrence ending in a <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_card_(association_football)" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">red card</a> whilst warming up, and hid his limited ability with injuries, frequent team changes, and other ruses.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Kaiser_(footballer)#cite_note-Forrest_Gump-1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">[1]</a>
13 Nov 2024
35 MINS
35:47
13 Nov 2024
Crazy Patents
A patent is a type of <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property">intellectual property</a> that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention">invention</a> for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufficiency_of_disclosure">enabling disclosure</a> of the invention.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent#cite_note-Herman-1">[1]</a> In most countries, patent rights fall under <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_law">private law</a> and the patent holder must sue someone <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_infringement">infringing the patent</a> in order to enforce their rights.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent#cite_note-2">[2]</a>
06 Nov 2024
41 MINS
41:02
06 Nov 2024
Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins [FRS] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fellow_of_the_Royal_Society) <a class="mw-redirect" title="Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fellow_of_the_Royal_Society_of_Literature">FRSL</a> (born 26 March 1941)<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins#cite_note-deed_poll-3">[3]</a> is a British <a title="Evolutionary biology" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_biology">evolutionary biologist</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" title="Zoologist" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoologist">zoologist</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" title="Science communicator" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_communicator">science communicator</a> and author.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins#cite_note-4">[4]</a> He is an <a class="mw-redirect" title="Oxford fellow" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_fellow">emeritus fellow</a> of <a title="New College, Oxford" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_College,_Oxford">New College, Oxford</a>, and was <a title= "Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simonyi_Professor_for_the_Public_Understanding_of_Science">Professor for Public Understanding of Science</a> in the <a title= "University of Oxford" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Oxford">University of Oxford</a> from 1995 to 2008. His 1976 book <a title= "The Selfish Gene" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene">The Selfish Gene</a> popularised the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Gene-centred view of evolution" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene-centred_view_of_evolution">gene-centred view of evolution</a>, as well as coining the term <a title="Meme" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme">meme</a>. Dawkins has won several academic and writing awards.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins#cite_note-5">[5]</a>
23 Oct 2024
41 MINS
41:49
23 Oct 2024
Siege Weapons and Fortifications
A [siege engine] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_engine) is a <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapon">weapon</a> used to destroy <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortifications">fortifications</a> such as [defensive walls] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_wall) , <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castles">castles</a>, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunker">bunkers</a> and [fortified gateways] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortified_gateway) .
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military">military</a> <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Construction">construction</a> designed for the defense of territories in <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War">warfare</a>, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin">Latin</a> fortis ("strong") and facere ("to make").<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortification#cite_note-FOOTNOTEJackson1911679-1">[1]</a>
16 Oct 2024
34 MINS
34:37
16 Oct 2024
Pied Piper and the Children's Crusade
The legend dates back to the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages">Middle Ages</a>. The earliest references describe a piper, dressed in multicoloured (" [pied] (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pied) ") clothing, who was a rat catcher hired by the town to lure rats away<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_Piper_of_Hamelin#cite_note-1">[1]</a> with his magic <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipe_(instrument)">pipe</a>. When the citizens refused to pay for this service as promised, he retaliated by using his instrument's magical power on their children, leading them away as he had the rats. This version of the story spread as folklore and has appeared in the writings of <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe">Johann Wolfgang von Goethe</a>, the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Grimm">Brothers Grimm</a>, and [Robert Browning] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Browning) , among others. The phrase "pied piper" has become a metaphor for a person who attracts a following through charisma or false promises.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_Piper_of_Hamelin#cite_note-2">[2]</a>
09 Oct 2024
35 MINS
35:43
09 Oct 2024
Project 57
Project 57 was an open-air nuclear test conducted by the United States at the <a title= "Nevada Test and Training Range" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_Test_and_Training_Range">Nellis Air Force Range</a> in 1957,<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_57#cite_note-LT_1-1">[1]</a><a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_57#cite_note-NWA-2">[2]</a> following [Operation Redwing] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Redwing) , and preceding <a title="Operation Plumbbob" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plumbbob">Operation Plumbbob</a>. The test area, also known as Area 13, was a 10 miles (16 km) by 16 miles (26 km) block of land abutting the northeast boundary of the <a class="mw-redirect" title= "Nevada National Security Site" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_National_Security_Site">Nevada National Security Site</a>.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_57#cite_note-DOE/NV-1046-3">[3]</a>
02 Oct 2024
32 MINS
32:40
02 Oct 2024
Sun Wukong the Monkey King
Sun Wukong (<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_characters">Chinese</a>: 孫悟空, Mandarin pronunciation: <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Mandarin">[swə́n ûkʰʊ́ŋ]</a>), also known as the Monkey King, is a literary and religious figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West">Journey to the West</a>.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_King#cite_note-1">[1]</a> In the novel, Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism">Taoist</a> practices. After rebelling against heaven, he is imprisoned under a mountain by the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha">Buddha</a>. Five hundred years later, he accompanies the monk <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Sanzang">Tang Sanzang</a> riding on the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Dragon_Horse">White Dragon Horse</a> and two other disciples, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhu_Bajie">Zhu Bajie</a> and [Sha Wujing] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sha_Wujing) , on a journey to obtain <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism">Buddhist</a> <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutras">sutras</a> from [India] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India) , known as the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Regions">West</a> or [Western Paradise] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Paradise) , where Buddha and his followers dwell.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_King#cite_note-2">[2]</a>
25 Sep 2024
51 MINS
51:46
25 Sep 2024
Hulk Hogan, the Love Sponge, and Peter Thiel
Bollea v. Gawker was a lawsuit filed in 2013 in the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_circuit_courts">Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit</a> in <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinellas_County,_Florida">Pinellas County</a>, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida">Florida</a>, delivering a verdict on March 18, 2016. In the suit, Terry Gene Bollea, known professionally as <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulk_Hogan">Hulk Hogan</a>, sued [Gawker Media] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gawker_Media) , publisher of the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gawker">Gawker</a> website, and several Gawker employees and Gawker-affiliated entities<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollea_v._Gawker#cite_note-Youderian-2">[2]</a> for posting portions of a <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_tape">sex tape</a> of Bollea with Heather Clem, at that time the wife of radio personality <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubba_the_Love_Sponge">Bubba the Love Sponge</a>. Bollea's claims included <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_laws_of_the_United_States">invasion of privacy</a>, infringement of <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_rights">personality rights</a>, and <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intentional_infliction_of_emotional_distress"> intentional infliction of emotional distress</a>. Prior to trial, Bollea's lawyers said the privacy of many Americans was at stake while Gawker's lawyers said that the case could hurt <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_press">freedom of the press</a> in the United States.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollea_v._Gawker#cite_note-4">[4]</a> [[5]] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollea_v._Gawker#cite_note-:1-5)
Link to donation page along with the embedded youtube live link:
<a href= "https://secure.actblue.com/donate/humanists">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/humanists</a>
18 Sep 2024
32 MINS
32:05
18 Sep 2024
Human Greetings and Congratulation Rituals
<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handshake" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handshake</a>
A handshake is a globally widespread, brief [greeting] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting) or <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parting_tradition" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">parting tradition</a> in which two people grasp one of each other's hands, and in most cases, it is accompanied by a brief up-and-down movement of the grasped hands. Customs surrounding handshakes are specific to cultures. Different cultures may be more or less likely to shake hands, or there may be different customs about how or when to shake hands.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handshake#cite_note-germ-latimes-1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">[1]</a><a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handshake#cite_note-germ-abcnews-2" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">[2]</a><a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handshake#cite_note-germ-cbc-3" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">[3]</a>
<a href= "https://www.youtube.com/live/R3skyySEOuE?si=ryqPaI2LJ0Mgv4HR">https://www.youtube.com/live/R3skyySEOuE?si=ryqPaI2LJ0Mgv4HR</a>
11 Sep 2024
43 MINS
43:33
11 Sep 2024
The Ice Bowl
The 1967 NFL Championship Game was the 35th <a class="mw-redirect" title= "History of the National Football League championship" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_National_Football_League_championship">NFL championship</a>, played on December 31 at <a title= "Lambeau Field" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambeau_Field">Lambeau Field</a> in <a title="Green Bay, Wisconsin" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Bay,_Wisconsin">Green Bay, Wisconsin</a>.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_NFL_Championship_Game#cite_note-ctpwils-1">[1]</a>
Because of the adverse conditions in which the game was played, the rivalry between the two teams, and the game's dramatic climax, it has been immortalized as the Ice Bowl and is considered one of the greatest games in NFL history. NFL 100 Greatest Games ranked this game as the 3rd greatest game of all time. It is still the coldest game ever played in NFL history.
04 Sep 2024
42 MINS
42:36
04 Sep 2024
The Barefoot Bandit- Colton Harris Moore
Colton Harris Moore (born March 22, 1991)<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore#cite_note-10" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">[10]</a> is an American former [fugitive] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitive) . He was charged with the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in property, including several small aircraft, boats, and multiple cars, all committed while still a teenager.
28 Aug 2024
41 MINS
41:49
28 Aug 2024
Jeanne Calment
Jeanne Louise Calment (French: <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/French">[ʒan lwiz kalmɑ̃]</a> <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LL-Q150_(fra)-Exilexi-Jeanne_Calment.wav">ⓘ</a>; 21 February 1875 – 4 August 1997) was a French <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercentenarian">supercentenarian</a> and, with a documented lifespan of 122 years and 164 days, the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_people">oldest person ever</a> whose age has been verified.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment#cite_note-NYTimesDeath-1">[1]</a> Her <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity">longevity</a> attracted media attention and medical studies of her health and lifestyle. She is the only person verified to have reached the age of 120 and beyond.
According to census records, Calment outlived both her daughter and grandson.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment#cite_note-validation-2">[2]</a> In January 1988, she was widely reported to be the oldest living person, and in 1995, at age 120, was declared the oldest verified person to have ever lived.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment#cite_note-SunJournal-3">[3]</a>
21 Aug 2024
40 MINS
40:52
21 Aug 2024
JBS Haldane and the X-Craft
John Burdon Sanderson Haldane <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fellow_of_the_Royal_Society">FRS</a> ( [/ˈhɔːldeɪn/] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English) ; 5 November 1892 – 1 December 1964<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._S._Haldane#cite_note-:5-1">[1]</a> [[2]] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._S._Haldane#cite_note-:11-2) ), nicknamed "Jack" or "JBS",<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._S._Haldane#cite_note-Dronamraju-Recollections-3">[3]</a> was a British-Indian scientist who worked in <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiology">physiology</a>, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics">genetics</a>, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_biology">evolutionary biology</a>, and <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics">mathematics</a>. With innovative use of <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistics_in_biology">statistics in biology</a>, he was one of the founders of <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Darwinism">neo-Darwinism</a>. Despite his lack of an academic degree in the field,<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._S._Haldane#cite_note-:5-1">[1]</a> he taught biology at the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Cambridge">University of Cambridge</a>, the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Institution">Royal Institution</a>, and <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_College_London">University College London</a>.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._S._Haldane#cite_note-4">[4]</a> Renouncing his British citizenship, he became an Indian citizen in 1961 and worked at the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Statistical_Institute">Indian Statistical Institute</a> for the rest of his life.
14 Aug 2024
38 MINS
38:26
14 Aug 2024
Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English <a title="Exploration" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploration">explorer</a> and <a title="Privateer" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privateer">privateer</a> best known for <a title="Francis Drake's circumnavigation" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Drake%27s_circumnavigation">his circumnavigation of the world</a> in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580. This was the first English circumnavigation, and second circumnavigation overall. He is also known for participating in the early <a title="Slavery in Britain" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Britain#Enslaved_Africans">English slaving voyages</a> of his cousin, Sir <a title= "John Hawkins (naval commander)" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hawkins_(naval_commander)">John Hawkins</a>, and <a title="John Lovell (slave trader)" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lovell_(slave_trader)">John Lovell</a>. Having started as a simple seaman, in 1588 he was part of the fight against the <a title="Spanish Armada" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada">Spanish Armada</a> as a <a class="mw-redirect" title= "Vice-admiral" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice-admiral">vice-admiral</a>.
07 Aug 2024
36 MINS
36:04
07 Aug 2024
The Conch Rebellion
The Conch Republic (<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English">/ˈkɒŋk/</a>) is a <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronation">micronation</a> declared as a sarcastic <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secession">secession</a> of the city of <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West,_Florida">Key West, Florida</a>, from the United States on April 23, 1982. It has been maintained as a tourism booster for the city. Since then, the term "Conch Republic" has been expanded to refer to "all of the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Keys">Florida Keys</a>, or, that geographic apportionment of land that falls within the legally defined boundaries of <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County,_Florida">Monroe County, Florida</a>, northward to 'Skeeter's Last Chance Saloon' in <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_City,_Florida">Florida City</a>, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami-Dade_County,_Florida">Dade County, Florida</a>, with Key West as the micronation's capital and all territories north of Key West being referred to as 'The Northern Territories'".<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conch_Republic#cite_note-1">[1]</a>
31 Jul 2024
34 MINS
34:22
31 Jul 2024
Anthony Comstock
Anthony Comstock (March 7, 1844 – September 21, 1915) was an American anti-vice activist, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Inspection_Service"> United States Postal Inspector</a>, and secretary of the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Society_for_the_Suppression_of_Vice"> New York Society for the Suppression of Vice</a> (NYSSV), who was dedicated to upholding <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_morality">Christian morality</a>. He opposed <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obscene">obscene</a> literature, [abortion] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion) , <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_control">contraception</a>, <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masturbation">masturbation</a>, [gambling] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling) , <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_the_United_States">prostitution</a>, and [patent medicine] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_medicine) . The terms comstockery and comstockism refer to his extensive <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship">censorship</a> campaign of materials that he considered obscene, including <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_control">birth control</a> advertised or sent by mail. He used his positions in the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Postal_Service">U.S. Postal Service</a> and the NYSSV (in association with the New York police) to make numerous arrests for obscenity and gambling. Besides these pursuits, he was also involved in efforts to suppress <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraud">fraudulent</a> banking schemes, mail swindles, and <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quackery">medical quackery</a>.<a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Comstock#cite_note-2">[2]</a>
24 Jul 2024
34 MINS
34:27
24 Jul 2024
Assassination attempts on Fidel Castro
The United States' <a title="Central Intelligence Agency" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency">Central Intelligence Agency</a> (CIA) made numerous unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Cuban leader [Fidel Castro] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro) . There were also attempts by <a title="Cuban exile" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_exile">Cuban exiles</a>, sometimes in cooperation with the CIA. The 1975 <a title= "Church Committee" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Committee">Church Committee</a> claimed eight proven CIA assassination attempts between 1960 and 1965. In 1976, President <a title= "Gerald Ford" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Ford">Gerald Ford</a> issued an Executive Order banning political assassinations. In 2006, Fabián Escalante, former chief of Cuba's intelligence, stated that there had been 634 assassination schemes or attempts. The last known plot to assassinate Castro was by Cuban exiles in 2000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_assassination_attempts_on_Fidel_Castro
17 Jul 2024
46 MINS
46:27
17 Jul 2024