Race and Tyler Talk Wikipedia: Recent Episodes
Tyler Moore
Race and Tyler discuss topics in geography, history, law, and whatever other Wikipedia articles they’ve been clicking into lately.
We talk about Darwin’s theory of natural selection, and the challenge he was faced with in confronting the evolution of eyes.
The ERA was drafted in the 1920s, repeatedly tabled until the 70s, then, finally came tantalizingly close to passing before ultimately failing. Now it’s dead—right?
We talk about the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, the creation of the Soviet Union, the Russian Famine of 1921-1922, and the ascendancy of Joseph Stalin.
We talk about Russia's involvement in World War I, how it led to the execution of the Tsar Nicholas II and his family, and the miraculous reappearance of the Princess Anastasia years later.
We talk about three titanic personalities involved in the Russian Revolution, and the bizarre holy man and mystic, Rasputin, who lurked behind them all.
We continue our series about Russia and discuss the mini Russian Revolution that led up to the big one, and the four very different and very big reasons that the people had to revolt.
We begin a series on the Russian Revolution with a crucial event that happened 36 years prior to it, when a group of Russian nihilists assassinated the emperor Alexander II.
We discuss the historical St. Nicholas, and his journey from a Greek bishopric in Turkey to the Coca Cola cans of modern America.
It’s not the oldest surviving legal texts in the world, but the Code of Hammurabi has had a larger influence on the worlds of politics, law, and international relations than almost any other legal document.
We talk with special guest Jeremy Moore about an ill-fated couple that went river rafting a hundred years ago, and the ghosts that have haunted their stories ever since.
We discuss the concept of outsider art by looking at one of America’s finest examples: the dazzling opulence of James Hampton’s ecstatic religious sculpturework.
Our seventh salmagundi! This macédoine of an episode features eight unrelated but fascinating discussions. None of these brief topics could be an episode on their own, but they deserved to be heard so we created this omnium gatherum for your enjoyment.
We celebrate our third year of the podcast by each discussing a different year from the annals of history.
We close out our series on literary theory by looking at the movie No Country Old Men through all of the lenses we have discussed.
We discuss a series of articles published by the Sun in New York in 1835, in which the truth about the moon was revealed: it is populated by a beautiful and baroque society of unicorns, humanoid bats, and hyper-intelligent beavers.
We continue our series on literary theory by examining the 1988 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown through the lens of aesthetic criticism.
We continue our series on literary theory by discussing the 2001 film Donnie Darko through the lens of deconstructionist criticism.
We discuss the 2022 Oscar-nominated film, The Banshees of Inisherin, through the literary theory known as New Historicism.
We discuss the Good Friday agreement, the treaty that brought peace to Ireland and yet in some ways changed very little about the divided island.
We discuss Operation Banner, where the British military deployed to Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007, supposedly as a peace-keeping force. But as Dolores O’Riordan put it, “It’s the same old thing since 1916.”
We discuss the events leading up to the Partition, as well as the blowback from the decision to divide the island in two.
To begin our understanding of the Troubles we have to go back—way back. We cover the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, the creation of the Irish Plantation system, that bastard Cromwell, and end with the 1800 Acts of Union.
As a prelude to a multi-episode series, we have an overview discussion of the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted into Race and Tyler’s lifetimes.
We continue our series about literary theory by discussing the movie Spotlight through the lens of formalism.
We discuss the creation of the Dickin Medal, the UK’s highest military honor for animals, which has been awarded to brave horses, dogs, pigeons, and a single cat.
We continue our series on literary theory by discussing psychoanalytic literary criticism...through the 2010 movie Black Swan.
We talk about the composer of Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, and many other musicals...Stephen Sondheim.
We discuss the fate of a seed bank located in Leningrad—a city where millions were slowly starving to death.
Our sixth salmagundi! This macédoine of an episode features eight unrelated but fascinating discussions. None of these brief topics could be an episode on their own, but they deserved to be heard so we created this omnium gatherum for your enjoyment.
We talk about an urban legend regarding millions of video games, buried in a landfill without ever being sold or opened.
We continue our series on literary theory by taking a look at the classic sports movie Rocky through the lens of Marxist literary criticism.
We discuss the intense machine gun and artillery fire that took place during the early morning hours of February 25, 1942, as air raid sirens warned the entire Los Angeles valley of incoming Japanese bombers.
We start off our series on literary theory with special guest Tess McGeer by taking a look at the movie TÁR through the lens of feminist literary criticism.
We kick off a new series in which we discuss the various forms of literary theory and criticism by watching and discussing some excellent movies.
We discuss the 1942 Nazi invasion of Manitoba, Canada: it was massive, terrifying, effective, theatrical, hilarious, and—above all—fake.
We talk about Robert Hanssen, a man who is serving 15 life sentences without parole in the ADX Florence supermax prison, and why he is doing so.
What, exactly, is free speech and when can the government tell you to stop speaking? We discuss a teenager’s goofy prank that ended up before the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Morse v. Frederick.
We discuss the many thousands of explosive, paper balloons launched toward the United States by the Japanese military, intended to cause widespread fire and destruction in the Pacific Northwest.
We talk about a gigantic statue from Ancient Greece, and the unfortunate catastrophe that brought it crumbling down.
We are joined by special guest Matt Weiler to discuss the complicated mental malady that afflicts some of the millions who each year travel to Jerusalem, one of the oldest and most significant cities in human history.
We talk about a man who is consistently ranked as one of the worst American presidents in history, and the unfortunate scandal that gave him this reputation.
We celebrate the Chinese New Year by looking at the Chinese zodiac, what it means, and how it originated.
We celebrate our 100th episode by looking back 100 years at an event that shook Japan...literally.
We discuss the career, music and tragic life of Townes Van Zandt, the songwriter’s songwriter. He was revered by some of the world’s best lyricists, but sidestepped mainstream fame and died in relative obscurity. Songs discussed in this episode: I’ll Be Here in the MorningPancho and LeftyOur Mother the MountainIf I Needed YouFor the Sake of the SongTo Live is to Fly
We talk about a mysterious cemetery outside Sao Paolo Brazil, and the unexpected residents who are buried there.
We discuss the only legitimately elected president of Equatorial Guinea and how his reign over the former Spanish colony was so destructive that, within a decade, the nation was in abject chaos.
Omnium-gatherum the fifth! This macédoine of an episode features eight unrelated but fascinating discussions. None of these brief topics could be an episode on their own, but they deserved to be heard so we created this salmagundi for your enjoyment.
We discuss with special guest Jeremy Moore the ill-fated Everest expedition of Mallory and Irvine, and the shocking clues they left behind about their mysterious ascent.
We discuss the pandemic that not only killed a shocking percentage of Europe during just a few years in the 1300s, but also shook the human species to its core, changing the course of history. We also discuss The Seventh Seal, the 1957 classic film depicting the angst and suffering of 14th century Swedes tormented by Death.
We close out the series by returning to the story of Margaret Pole, and why Henry VIII had her executed.
We talk about Henry, who defeated Richard III, took the crown of England, married Elizabeth of York, had healthy baby boys...but who would still have to contend with the last remaining Plantagenets, one of whom had come back from the dead.
We talk about two young princes from the House of York who disappeared mysteriously in the Tower of London in 1483.
We discuss Elizabeth Woodville, the commoner who married King Edward IV, and the political fallout caused by their union—including the jaw-dropping switch made by the King’s brother and closest advisor from York loyalists to Lancaster supporters.
We talk about a medieval poem that centers on the knights of King Arthur's court, a mysterious green stranger, and a "Christmas game" which results in the losing of heads.
We talk about the many Edwards trying to get the throne, the teenage marriage of a Lancastrian princess, the capture of Henry VI, and the exile of Margaret of Anjou.
We talk about a session of Parliament led by a toddler, a contract signed by a mad king, a battle won by a messenger from Saint Michael, and the first official claim in the Wars of the Roses to get the king off the throne.
We start a series about the Wars of the Roses, and look at the dangerous position that England inhabited when Henry V suddenly died.
We discuss the calculated decision made in the early 70s by CBS to kill off any southern, rural, or cowboy programs and replace them with a slate of new, “urban” shows that would change American pop culture forever.
We discuss a “chestnut” of a legal case—an 1879 court dispute between a candymaker and a doctor—and the fascinating economic theory that says the judge’s decision was all wrong.
What happens when a modern military declares war on an entire species? Join us as we discuss a victory for the animal kingdom in the kinda sad, kinda funny story of the battle against emus in Western Australia.
We discuss the buildup, logistics, and detente of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a moment of world-wide white-knuckle tension over nuclear weapons.
We discuss the anti-government movement led by a young Fidel Castro that took on a corrupt President, fought when vastly outnumbered, and eventually came to rule Cuba—all despite having a truly terrible flag.
We talk about the environment that developed in Cuba decades before the Revolution came to a head, and the murderous government of Fulgencio Batista.
We fast-forward a discussion about the Cuban Revolution by looking at an event that happened years after the revolution was already over: the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
We talk about the third tallest mountain in the world, and the mythological mysteries hidden in its many peaks.
Omnium-gatherum the fourth! This macédoine of an episode features eight unrelated but fascinating discussions. None of these brief topics could be an episode on their own, but they deserved to be heard so we created this salmagundi for your enjoyment.
We discuss how a garbled song from an unknown band swept the nation, befuddled the FBI, and changed rock and roll forever.
We continue our roadtrip up I-15 and pass a scenic gorge, the first KFC in the world, and serial killer Ted Bundy’s old stomping grounds.
We talk with special guest Jeremy Moore about three national parks of the American Southwest, and what binds them all together.
We talk about a robbery at one of Las Vegas's casinos, and the surprise, former-NFL-playing culprit, who had already evaded justice for a crime he committed years before.
We talk about one of the oldest settlements in Indigenous America, which eventually became San Diego.
We discuss Robert Broussard’s paradoxical idea to introduce hippopotamuses to the American south as a way to manage invasive plant growth and feed a meat-deprived nation.
We talk with special guest Jeremy Moore about Ernest Shackleton, the man who explored Antarctica, and the disasters that awaited him on the southern continent.
We discuss the untimely deaths of creators and musicians at age twenty-seven. Is death at that age an inherent occupational hazard for artists?
We discuss the Supreme Court case all about a man and his wheat (we promise it is interesting!). The Court’s ruling in this case upsets loads of law students every year, and can be hard to reconcile with the simple facts. So, should we leave Mr. Filburn and his farm alone, or is he endangering America?
We talk about two cousins of Jackie Kennedy, and how their magnificent lives as American royalty crumbled along with the very walls of the house they lived in.
We discuss the Mechanical Turk, a chess-playing automaton from the 1700s whose skill at the game became famous across Europe. The mysterious clockwork machine played and defeated many notable figures, including Napoleon and Benjamin Franklin.
We wrap up our series on the French Revolution, taking a bird's-eye view at the events we have (and haven't) covered, as well as the lasting effects of the revolution, and its differences from the American and English revolutions.
We talk about four pieces of 19th century art which directly respond to the events of the French Revolution.
We talk about how the First Republic spiraled into confusion, widespread paranoia, imprisonments, and mass executions, all in the name of "liberty."
We discuss the most famous queen in the world, her young life as a bargaining chip between Austria and France, and how her reputation was destroyed by a dazzling diamond necklace in the hands of con artists. We also talk about the Kirsten Dunst movie!
We talk about the tensions building in 1789: how the French Crown found itself in inescapable debt, how the peasants and the nobles came together to overthrow the old system, and how the medieval fortress, the Bastille, was taken by revolutionaries.
We begin our discussion of the French Revolution, looking at the three estates of life in 17th century France, as well as the Age of Enlightenment philosophies that provoked change.
Salmagundi the third! We mix it up, combining eight mini topics into a gallimaufry of assorted trivia. This macédoine of an episode features seven unrelated but fascinating discussions. None of these brief topics could be an episode on their own, but they deserved to be heard so we created this farrago for your enjoyment.
Attu Island: It’s the American island that’s closer to Russia than to Juneau, so far west that it’s east, and so remote that it’s impractical to visit. Yet, for decades militaries and ornithologists have flocked there at great cost. We discuss the weird historical, geographical, and zoological attributes of the most interesting island you’ve never heard of. Quick correction: The Battle of Attu Island was the only land* battle fought in the US during WWII. Pearl Harbor took place six months earlier in Hawaii, an American territory.
We discuss the US Army’s genius plan to cross the American southwest using camels, and the reasons why this great idea failed.
We discuss the (abridged) history of the Christmas holiday. How was December 25th chosen as the day? Who was the first person to put lights on the tree? And why did opposing soldiers during WWI spontaneously put down their weapons and sing carols together in no man’s land?
We close out our series on the English Revolution by talking about Queen Anne, the "last" monarch of England, and her relationship with her Favourite, Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough.
We talk about the revolution in England, yet another fight in the saga of Catholics and Protestants, and how the monarchy was permanently changed when William of Orange showed up in London.
We talk about the last monarch of England to be executed, and why England decided he had to go.
We talk about how rogue catholics got THIS close [holds fingers real real close together] to blowing up parliament with the protestant king of England--James I--inside. Coincidentally, James' father was killed in a similar explosion/assassination just 50 years earlier.
We talk about a queen of England who sent 280 people to be burned at the stake, and how her reign was a precursor for the English Revolution to follow.
We talk about the most infamous World Series of all time, now known as the 1919 Blacksox Scandal. We discuss the unfair treatment common to turn of the century baseball, the players in on the alleged agreement to intentionally lose, and the impact it has on baseball today.
Happy first birthday to Race and Tyler Talk Wikipedia! To celebrate our first podiversary , we each select and discuss a calendar year from the twentieth century that we feel is particularly important, transformative, or interesting.
We talk about how New Hampshire white pines and black tea contributed to the American Revolution.
We talk about a war between the Wampanoag people of New England and the American colonists, and how that impacted the American Revolution 100 years later.
Race’s brother Chantz joins the podcast to discuss the greatest story you’ve never heard from the American Revolution. A small group of friends and neighbors from costal cities on Long Island become one of the most important and secret ring of spies in American history. Secrecy was so strict, one member of the ring was not identified until the 1930s, and some are still unknown to this day.
We talk about Oliver Cromwell's little decision to ban foreign trade in 1650...and how that ultimately led to the American Revolutionary War.
We discuss the gold discs on board the twin Voyager spacecrafts, and what those discs tell us about ourselves.
We talk about a surprising result of the Chicxulub Crater asteroid collision: the creation of the Amazon Rainforest.
We talk about the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, and the most famous victims of the Chicxulub Crater: the dinosaurs.
We talk about the formation of the Chicxulub Crater off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago, and how the earth was impacted by it.
Two incidents in Pepsi’s history will both fill you with 90s nostalgia and leave you scratching your head. Hear about how Pepsi botched two prize games, one ending with deadly consequences.
We take a look at some of the zaniest solutions proposed in order to warn future civilizations about nuclear waste.
We begin a two-part episode about the craziest Wikipedia article that we have ever come across for this podcast. In this first part, we begin by discussing Yucca Mountain, a desert peak of Nevada which is a proposed location for the burial of large amounts of nuclear waste.
Salmagundi the sequel! Ryder, Race’s fourth least-favorite nephew, joins us for seven unrelated mini episodes! Go back and listen to our first grab bag episode to get in the spirit of assorted trivia!
We discuss Francis Scott Key’s poem, written on the back of some scrap paper, that became the US National Anthem, but not until over 100 years after it was written.
We end the series by synthesizing the context of the previous four episodes, and by listening to La Valse by Maurice Ravel in its entirety.
We talk about the Belle Epoque, impressionism in music, and the composer of La Valse: Maurice Ravel.
We talk about the Lost Generation, who lived through World War I, and who included writers and artists like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dali.
What do World War I and Mean Girls have in common? We continue in our series about La Valse, speaking with special guest Jeremy Moore about the Austro-Hungarian Empire, its capital city of Vienna, and their involvement in World War I.
We start off our discussion of La Valse by listening to one of the most famous waltzes in concert music history. You probably already know this piece, whether you want to or not!
We introduce the next series of episodes, which will provide context to Maurice Ravel's concert masterpiece, La Valse.
We discuss Abe Fortas, the fiddle-playing, deal-making Supreme Court justice who resigned in order to avoid being impeached and removed from the Court.
We talk about the first humans on Earth, and the mountain that sat in their background.
We mix it up, combining seven mini topics into a gallimaufry—a salmagundi—an omnium-gatherum! This macédoine of an episode featured seven unrelated but fascinating discussions. None of these brief topics could be an episode on its own, but they deserved to be heard so we created this farrago for your enjoyment.
We talk about the tallest mountain outside of Asia, and the human sacrifices that have been found on its slopes.
We discuss a case that absolutely deserves a spot on the Mt. Rushmore of Unsolved Mysteries: the head-scratching 1972 highjacking of a Boeing 727 by a mystery man who gave the pseudonym Dan Cooper, took $200,000 and then parachuted into the night.
We talk about one of the most famous Supreme Court cases, that spawned some of the most famous words in American Culture, that all came because of one ultimately unfamous Arizona criminal.
We talk about K2, a mountain that kills 25% of its climbers, as well as the history of British India, and how Pakistan was divided out into a separate nation.
We discuss the mystery of the Somerton man, an unidentified body found on a beach in 1948. Was it suicide? Was it spycraft? And why was he carrying a scrap of paper with an ancient Persian inscription?
We talk with special guest Jeremy Moore about the beauty and danger of the tallest mountain on Earth.
We talk about the events leading up to the tragic deaths known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident. The inscrutable clues left behind raise as many questions as they answer in the quest to find out who or what killed these nine mountaineers
We talk about Magna Carta, the first document in England to limit the powers of the king, and whether or not its the scripture of democratic government that it's cracked up to be.
Do we remember incorrectly, or is someone messing with history? Race and Tyler talk with Matt Weiler about the Mandela Effect, and the possibility that our “false memories” are really evidence that someone is altering the past.
Race and Tyler can neither confirm nor deny that this episode discusses a CIA plot involving a billion dollar boat, Howard Hughes, and a surprisingly moving secret funeral sermon.
We talk about one of England's most famous queens, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and why she was imprisoned by her husband king for sixteen years.
We talk about the island nation of Vanuatu, and a religious cult there that revolves around an American soldier.
Does the unexplainable intrigue or infuriate you? Join us as we discuss a tiny book—written in a sophisticated, unknown language— that has kept its mystery despite 600 years of inquiry and investigation.
We talk with special guest Lindsey Toiaivao about the sinking of the White Ship, and how that single accident threw England into a period of civil war known as The Anarchy.
Chile and Argentina have a long and interesting history. Their shared border has been a point of contention for decades, and in the 1970s, things came to a head. This episode comes complete with Antarctic capers, trade route disputes, and a surprise cameo by the Pope!
We talk with Tyler's brother and special guest Jeremy Moore about whether or not the earth is flat.
We talk with special guest Dr. Zina Petersen about how the English got permanently influenced by the French when they were conquered at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
We talk about how a flood on America's longest river left a piece of one state stranded inside another.
We talk about the grand jury, why the United States is unique in having one, and why its existence in the legal system is controversial.
We talk about the first country in the world which got its independence unwillingly, and why that country is unique in more ways than one.