History
Historical events, figures, and analysis
#816: From Scrolls to SQL: The Evolution of Human Order
Explore the history of how we organize the world, from ancient library catalogs to the future of AI-driven vector databases.
#750: The Ancient Roots of Us vs. Them
Explore the ancient roots of human prejudice, from Sumerian steles to the digital echo chambers of the modern "global village."
#735: When Time Stretched: The Magic of Proportional Hours
Before atomic clocks, time was a living thing. Discover how ancient civilizations used "flexible" hours to coordinate their lives.
#576: The Sinai Years: Israel’s 15-Year Desert Experiment
From the white-stucco homes of Yamit to the Red Sea reefs, explore the 15-year history of Israeli life and settlement in the Sinai Peninsula.
#568: The Birth of the Border: How Countries Were Invented
How did we go from sprawling empires to rigid borders? Explore the history of the modern country, from Westphalia to the French Revolution.
#490: The Day the Walls Fell: Erasing Jerusalem's City Line
Explore the chaotic, high-speed demolition of the walls that divided Jerusalem for nineteen years and the "temporal vertigo" of 1967.
#489: Tears of the Tree: The Secret History of Frankincense
Explore the biology, economics, and neuroscience of frankincense, from the ancient Incense Route to its psychoactive role in Temple worship.
#487: The Biblical Pantry: Dining in 700 BCE Jerusalem
Step back 2,700 years to discover why there were no tomatoes in ancient Jerusalem and how bread became the center of the universe.
#483: The Ottoman Empire's Hidden Blueprint
Explore how 400 years of Ottoman rule and 30 years of British mandate built the physical and legal foundations of the modern State of Israel.
#482: The Sensory Overload of Daily Life in Herodian Jerusalem
Step back into Herodian Jerusalem. From "liquid bread" for breakfast to the chaos of the Temple, discover how the average person really lived.
#451: The Secret History and Scandal of the Pacifier
How did a simple rubber nipple become a "soul-destroying" moral threat? Corn and Herman dive into the pacifier's scandalous past.
#96: How a Sketch in the Sand Became the World's Supply Chain
Discover the hidden history and complex math behind barcodes, from beach-side sketches to the high-tech future of retail scanning.