The Page-turning Evolution of the Encyclopædi...

We all know pi, right? It's one of the most famous 'irrational numbers' in history, and mathematicians are still trying to figure it out in the modern day. While this may seem arcane to some of us non-mathheads, in today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn these numbers were3 once ...  Show more

As the Fox sisters became global superstars for their purported ability to speak with the dead, the Spiritualism movement became both a social phenomena and a booming business. Yet along with the rise of true believers and performing psychics, an army of skeptics and investigator ...  Show more

The 15th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, published in 1974, cost $32 million to create. The largest investment in publishing history. And yet you can now buy the complete set for pennies. Who invented encyclopedias? Who wrote for them? And why did Samuel Taylor Coleridge ...  Show more

The story of the Oxford English Dictionary is really something. From its origin to its crowd-sourced literary quotations. Dive in today to learn all about the best dictionary. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

At a young age, Alexis Soyer became a very well-known chef in both France and England, as popular for his fun personality as for his cooking. But he also left a legacy of invention and charity.

Research:

“De re Coquinaria,” also referred to as “Apicius,” is a cookbook featuring recipes that may have been collected as early as the first century. Who wrote it is a mystery, but it offers unique insight into the food culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Check out the Pinterest Page th ...  Show more