What happened during Gilded Age America that led the Rough-Riding President Roosevelt to break up the largest corporations in history? Take a look at Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan as examples of an economy run by the billionaires. See how their mega-corporations were smashed by legislation and the public's desire for reform.

What about our climate can dictate our lives? How about the desires of European explorers? Come along with us on a journey from the Gulf of Mexico to Western Europe and the rest of the world. In this episode, we discuss the origins of the "Age of Exploration" and how climactic circumstances brought us there.

Yule Logs, Christmas trees, and December 25th. These all connect to the bright twinkle lights you see on everyone’s houses in December. What might these have to do with the ancient Roman empire? This episode connects the smell of balsam wood and holly with the Pagan roots of northern Europe. In this episode, we find the thread that brings us to the origins of Christmas customs.

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Sources:

⁠https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas⁠

⁠http://thefaithandtheweird.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-origin-of-christmas.html⁠

⁠https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-general/ancient-roots-christmas-customs-001162⁠

⁠https://www.history.com/news/christmas-traditions-history⁠

⁠https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/12/24/why-is-christmas-on-dec-25-it-wasnt-always/⁠

⁠https://www.almanac.com/content/what-yule-log-christmas-traditions⁠

⁠https://www.getty.edu/news/the-wild-holiday-that-turned-ancient-rome-upside-down/⁠