How the Donner Party Worked
While stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains, members of the Donner Party resorted to cannibalism in an effort to survive the harsh winter of 1846. [Read more]
Podcast
How the Merger of Sirius and XM Will Work
Satellite radio allows listeners to access radio stations without sitting through radio ads. Only two companies — Sirius and XM Radio — have attained a [Read more]
How the Facebook Redesign Works
Facebook is a social networking site. It was created for Harvard students but has expanded to an open membership. Learn about Facebook, it’s network and [Read more]
How the Berlin Wall Worked
The Berlin Wall divided a country and a city, but it had a purpose. Learn more about its history and how JFK and Barack Obama [Read more]
How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Work
On July 7, 2007, the new seven wonders of the world were chosen by more than 100 million voters. But whatever happened to the original [Read more]
How Twitter Works
In May of 2008, Twitter received another 15 million dollars in venture capital funding. This increase reflects the growing interest in micro blogging — messages [Read more]
History Extra podcast – August 2008
Professor Anne Curry tells us which year she would like to visit in our time machine, TV presenter Ruth Goodman updates us on her progress on the Victorian farm, Professor Glyn Williams offers his opinions on the life of Captain Cook.
How Mp3 Files Work
Certain parts of a song can be eliminated without significantly lowering the song’s quality. The MP3 does not sound exactly the same as the original [Read more]
What’s Mutual Assured Destruction?
During the Cold War, both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. stockpiled weapons, eventually holding enough power to destroy the world several times over. Yet neither [Read more]
How Cloud Computing Works
Cloud computing allows users to store data on other computers or servers. For example, web-based applications are a form of cloud computing. Check out this [Read more]