The First Thanksgiving
This episode explains how the 1621 harvest feast between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag became known as the first Thanksgiving. It describes the Pilgrims’ difficult first year, the crucial help they r...
26 Nov 202511min
The Lambda Cold Dark Matter Model
This episode explains how the Lambda Cold Dark Matter model expands on the Big Bang theory by adding dark energy, which accelerates the universe’s expansion, and cold dark matter, which shapes galaxie...
18 Nov 202512min
In Cold Blood
Today we look at Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, a true account of the 1959 Clutter family murders in Kansas. It explains how Capote combined fact and storytelling to create a new kind of true-crime wr...
12 Nov 202510min
The Northern Lights
Our topic this week is the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis. They are colorful lights in the sky created when solar particles collide with Earth’s atmosphere. We talk about how they ...
7 Nov 202510min
“Jenny” - A Halloween Story
Welcome to our special Halloween edition of Relaxing Facts. We are reading a short story called “Jenny” that I wrote years ago. More chilling than relaxing, we hope you like it. So leave the lights on...
29 Okt 202517min
Wuthering Heights
On this episode of Relaxing Facts, we look at Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, a dark and emotional story about love, jealousy, and revenge. It follows the stormy relationship between Catherine and H...
28 Okt 202513min
Venus
In this week’s episode, we explore Venus, our mysterious sister planet. Once thought to be similar to Earth, it’s actually a scorching world with thick clouds and intense heat. Interestingly, scientis...
20 Okt 202510min
Kublai Khan
This week we look at Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler who founded China’s Yuan Dynasty. We highlight his mix of Mongol traditions and Chinese governance, his support of Silk Road trade, and how his reign...
14 Okt 202514min
