Tetris (with Adam Pally, Jon Gabrus and Blair Socci)

In The Silk Roads, historian Peter Frankopan identifies Central and Western Asia as the crossroads of human civilization, the birthplace of the world’s major religions, the battleground where the great empires of history rose and fell, and the garden from which today’s global economy first sprouted. He argues that understanding the East is crucial to our understanding of the world—particularly for Westerners who have lost this global perspective.

In ancient times, trade routes known as the Silk Roads first brought European merchants to the luxury markets of the East, enabling the flow of both material goods and ideas from East to West. According to Frankopan, the Silk Roads have always been history’s crucial connection point, spreading not just luxury goods like silk and spices, but also technology, religion, languages, cultures, ideologies, and even conflicts and diseases. In this guide, we explore Frankopan’s history of the Silk Roads, while also incorporating insights and feedback from other scholars to supplement his analysis.

Hostility between the US and China has been growing for over a decade, eroding the wary but pragmatic relationship of years past. Now, as tensions threaten to escalate, diplomat and politician Kevin Rudd argues that a full-blown military conflict can and should be averted.

Rudd claims that this tenuous relationship is unraveling due to a combination of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s strategies and priorities, the US’s reactions to China’s rise to global prominence, and deep mistrust and ideological differences on both sides.

In this guide, we’ll explain the complex factors contributing to hostility between the US and China and describe Rudd’s recommendation for how these two global powers can avoid full-on war—an outcome that would take a huge toll on the US and China as well as global stability. We’ll also provide updates and additional context on the historical events discussed, nuances underlying the foreign diplomacy trends, and counterarguments to some of Rudd’s points.

Conventional accounts of American history tend to focus on the people at the top—presidents, generals, CEOs, and other influential figures and their struggles, ambitions, hopes, and dreams. But what about average people? The ones who had to live with the consequences of elite decisions, and who often struggled in obscurity? In A People’s History of the United States, historian Howard Zinn aims to tell their story, providing a bottom-up view of American history focusing on Indigenous people, Black Americans, women, laborers, and activists.

Our guide outlines Zinn’s interpretation of significant events, themes, and historical trends in American history. Through our commentary, we’ll provide alternative opinions on the motivations behind and consequences of historical events. We’ll also further explain Zinn’s approach to history and provide additional context for his arguments as well as his perspective on events that happened after the book’s publication.

What’s out there in the vast reaches of space? Are we alone in the universe? Renowned astronomer Carl Sagan offers some insight into these questions and many more in his widely acclaimed book, Cosmos.

Sagan is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and perhaps the greatest astronomer of our age. In this book, he provides a comprehensive description of the science, philosophy, and history of astronomical discovery, from ancient Ionia to the time of the book’s publication in 1980.

In this guide, we’ll delve into Sagan’s theories about the possibility of interstellar travel, the search for extraterrestrial life, and man’s quest for understanding the mysteries of the universe. As we go along, we’ll update the information with the most recent scientific discoveries and provide perspectives from other experts in related fields.

Many scientists believe that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. So why do recent whistleblower claims about extraterrestrial spacecraft, alien remains, and government coverups sound so unbelievable?

Join Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant on "Stuff You Should Know" as they revisit what has been infamously dubbed the worst video game in history, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." Unraveling the negative hyperbole surrounding E.T., Josh and Chuck guide us through an examination of gaming's bygone era, contrasting the condemned game with others of its time. Highlighting the weight of expectation placed on E.T. due to its cinematic counterpart, they provide a fresh perspective on why this game received the unenviable title and how the looming holiday sales frenzy contributed to its rushed development and subsequent shortcomings.

The duo pays homage to Howard Scott Warshaw, exploring his innovative contributions to the gaming world and his dramatic shift in career post-Atari. Delving into Atari's notorious strategy of burying unsold cartridges in a New Mexico landfill, they discuss the Alamogordo excavation that debunked myths and ironically turned the supposed failure into a collector's goldmine. In a delightful detour, Josh and Chuck share chuckles over the slick situation caused by olives and Roman starlings, inviting listeners to embrace the quirks of history and humanity alike. "Stuff You Should Know" takes you on a journey of debunking myths and celebrating the peculiarities of cultural footnotes.