S8 Ep172: Establishing the Capital and the Rise of Political Division — Nathaniel Philbrick — Washington selected the Potomac River as the location for the new national capital, believing it would economically connect Western and Eastern commercial interests, despi

S8 Ep172: Echoes of Civil War and Hidden Histories in the South — Nathaniel Philbrick — Retracing Washington's Southern route reveals prophetic historical connections to the future American Civil War, as many mansions and estates Washington visited were subsequentl

S8 Ep172: The Arduous Southern Tour and Charleston's Splendor — Nathaniel Philbrick — In 1791, Washington undertook a grueling three-month, 2,000-mile tour of the American South over "impassable" roads designed to unite the fragmented southern states with the feder

S8 Ep172: Sailing to Rhode Island and the Storms of Politics — Nathaniel Philbrick — Washington sailed to Newport, Rhode Island in August 1790 to embrace the state after it finally ratified the Constitution, completing the original union of thirteen states. Philbri

S8 Ep172: The Secret Tour of Long Island's Spy Ring — Nathaniel Philbrick — Washington's tour of Long Island in April 1790 is characterized as a secretive journey implemented with a deliberate "press blackout," likely designed to quietly thank members of the Culper

S8 Ep172: Power Dynamics in Boston and the Paradox of Slavery — Nathaniel Philbrick — In Boston, Washington asserted the supreme constitutional authority of the presidency over state governors by refusing John Hancock's dinner invitation until Hancock paid his resp

S8 Ep172: The Inauguration and the New England Tour — Nathaniel Philbrick — Philbrick recounts Washington's inauguration ceremony, noting his emotional collapse immediately following the ritual, which revealed him not as an impassive "marble man" but as a human pro

S8 Ep172: Washington's Reluctant Journey to the Inauguration — Nathaniel Philbrick — Philbrick discusses the beginning of George Washington's presidency, focusing on his journey from Mount Vernon to New York in April 1789. Despite massive public adulation and cerem

S8 Ep172: Ranking Resilience and the Importance of Water: Colleague Eric Cline uses definitions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—coping, adapting, and transforming—to rank ancient civilizations, attributing the survival of Egypt and Assyria partly

S8 Ep172: Collapse and Loss of Literacy in the Aegean: Colleague Eric Cline revisits the demise of the Minoans and Mycenaeans, comparing their state to a tree that appears solid but is rotted inside, collapsing when stressed by environmental factors; the segment em

S8 Ep172: The Internal Fragility of Minoans and Mycenaeans: Colleague Eric Cline discusses the Aegean civilizations—the Minoans of Crete and Mycenaeans of Greece—as examples of societies that failed to adapt, suffering from internal "rot" and fragility possibly due

S8 Ep172: The Failure of the Hittite Empire: Colleague Eric Cline examines the Hittites, classified as the major failures of the era, explaining that this superpower controlling Anatolia and rivaling Egypt collapsed due to a "perfect storm" of drought, plague, and

S8 Ep172: The "Antifragile" Success of Phoenicians and Cypriots: Colleague Eric Cline categorizes the Phoenicians and Cypriots as the "geniuses" of the post-collapse world, applying the concept of "antifragility" to describe how the Phoenicians flourished amidst ch

S8 Ep172: Egypt's Decline and the Rise of Israel: Colleague Eric Cline explains that while Egypt survived the collapse, it merely "coped" rather than flourished, entering a chaotic era known as the Third Intermediate Period; as Egypt retreated from the internationa

S8 Ep172: Assyrian Resilience Through Leadership and War: Colleague Eric Cline focuses on the survivors of the Bronze Age collapse, identifying the Assyrians as a key example of resilience who maintained their monarchy, military, and writing systems through strong

S8 Ep172: The Uluburun Shipwreck as a Bronze Age Microcosm: Colleague Eric Cline discusses the Uluburun shipwreck, which sank around 1300 BC and serves as a time capsule for the Late Bronze Age, describing the ship as a microcosm of a globalized network carrying ca

S8 Ep171: Dallas the Spoodle Befriends Local Magpies as Cockatoos Target Neighbors: Colleague Jeremy Zakis reports that Dallas, an 11-year-old spoodle, continues to expand his "village" of avian friends, now joined by teenage magpies who actively run to greet him d

S8 Ep171: Australia Dominates England in First Ashes Test Amidst Heat and Humidity: Colleague Jeremy Zakis reports that Australia has taken a commanding lead in the Ashes, scoring 511 runs to England's opening 334, attributing the English team's struggle to the har

S8 Ep171: Miraculous Escape: Girl Survives Dry Bite from Deadly Tiger Snake in Perth: Colleague Jeremy Zakis reports that an 11-year-old girl in Perth miraculously survived a tiger snake encounter while riding her scooter; although the snake, whose venom can kill 2

S8 Ep171: Early Bushfires Destroy Homes on Central Coast Despite La Niña Forecast: Colleague Jeremy Zakis reports that despite forecasts of a wet La Niña summer, New South Wales is facing intense early bushfires driven by high winds and hot, dry conditions; a fire