Wondrium Perspectives
01: Let's Talk About Planets
Planets—they’re home to superstorms, oceans of magma, and, in Earth’s case, life. Some of humanity’s greatest thinkers have dedicated their lives to learning more about these awesome places.
02: The Global Impact of The Great Depression
The Great Depression was one of the most widespread economic disasters that the world has ever seen. In its wake, it left businesses in ruin, families destroyed, and entire economies in tatters.
03: How to Negotiate With Confidence
We all want to be treated fairly—especially when it comes to something as important as a salary negotiation. But how can we get the most out of these discussions that many of us hate to even enter into?
04: King Arthur: Man or Myth?
King Arthur is one of medieval Britain’s most famous legends. Since his time, he has become a world export: depicted in movies, novels, and countless works of art. But was he real or completely made-up?
05: How to Identify and Cope With Stress
We all feel stressed at some point in our lives ... and while situations that cause us stress may not be as extreme as those of our cave-dwelling ancestors, you'll be surprised to find out that the toll they take on our minds and bodies is identical.
06: What Are Logical Falacies?
Have you ever gotten into an argument that you just couldn’t win? Did it feel like the other person was using deceptive tactics in order to persuade you? Well there’s a good chance you were struggling with someone who was using logical fallacies, whether they knew it or not.
07: The Prisoner's Dilemma
Trench warfare ... doping in sports … the Salem Witch Trials—all totally unrelated events, right? Well, it turns out that psychologists have developed a thought game that helps to explain the choices made by people in each of these situations.
08: How to Make a Great First Impression
Have you ever interviewed for a job? Or gone on a blind date? Or had to give a presentation? If so, you’re well aware of the importance of a first impression. But how do you make your first impression a great one? (Spoiler alert: don’t try too hard!)
09: Discovering the Laws of Physics
What goes up must come down, right? That’s an old adage we’ve heard many times throughout our lives. Well, the laws of physics behind this saying are a little bit more complicated to explain—and not all of them are completely understood.
10: What Happens After a Political Assassination?
Political assassinations are messy, sometimes not fully thought-out events. An assassin typically wishes to stop a prominent figure from advocating a cause that the killer disagrees with. However, these actions often lead to events that the perpetrator didn’t intend, and sometimes the exact opposite of those intentions becomes the new reality.
11: Understanding Stock Market Basics
S&P 500. NASDAQ. ETFs. If you listen to the news, these are terms you’ve heard many times. But if you are like many of us, you have no clue what the heck they mean.
12: Get to Know The Periodic Table
The periodic table is more than just a list of the elements—it’s a scientific road map. It’s also one of the most important tools for scientists in a wide range of fields, from chemistry to quantum mechanics.
13: Why Did Rome Fall?
Why did Rome fall? Historians and scholars have tried answering that question for centuries.
14: The Story of Knights
We’ve all heard legends, seen paintings, and watched movies about knights, but just how much has their story been dramatized for the sake of entertainment? What role did knights actually play in history?
15: Understanding Communism: Marx and the Soviet Union
Communism is one of the largest and most controversial political ideologies in the modern world. It has been adopted in various forms by Cuba, China, and, of course, the Soviet Union. But who developed the underlying tenets of Communism? Why has this form of government not been adopted more widely by Western nations?
16: American Civil Rights: A 100-Year Journey
Most Americans are aware of the important roles that Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., bus boycotts, and school desegregation played in the American civil rights movement. But how many of us are also familiar with the effects of the Constitution’s commerce clause, partisan politics, and even the tragic killing of President John F. Kennedy?
17: What is Gravity?
What goes up must come down, right? We’ve heard that old saying many times throughout our lives. But as it turns out, gravity isn’t quite so simple.
18: What is Skepticism?
What does it mean to be a “skeptic”? While it can sometimes mean to be critical of dubious claims, like miracle cures and fad diets, it also refers to a philosophical belief that some knowledge can’t be attained. For example, how do we know the world is real? Are my eyes showing me an accurate representation of what’s around me?
19: A History of Political Corruption in America
Political corruption exists to serve one, versus all—it subverts the very purpose of government and creates distrust of elected officials. Corrupt politicians manipulate the economy, unfairly reward those loyal to them, and even murder those who stand in their way.
20: What is Time?
eople have always kept a close eye on the time. First, we looked to the heavenly bodies, and now we look at digital displays. While our methods of timekeeping have gotten more sophisticated, the question remains: What exactly is time?
21: Charles Darwin: The Father of Evolution
Charles Darwin’s contributions to the science of evolution are impossible to overstate. His theory that all species of life on Earth descend from common ancestors is one of the most fundamental beliefs in science—and one of the most frequently misunderstood.
22: Explore Egypt’s Great Pyramid
Did you know that the Great Pyramid of Giza is the last of the Seven Wonders that still stands? Built over 4,000 years ago under the orders of the Egyptian king Khufu, it attracts tourists from all around the world and contains mysteries that scholars are still trying to solve.
23: Discovering DNA: The Blueprints of Life
DNA contains a genetic instruction manual for creating life. From eye color, to height, to the probability of getting certain diseases, it’s the reason hereditary traits are passed down through generations. Consider it the ultimate method of biological information storage.
24: Great Rebellions Around the World
We all love a good story about the underdog rising up and revolting against oppression. Well, there are a lot of those throughout history—but while some are tales of triumph, others are tales of caution and demise.
25: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence
For almost a century, we’ve been intrigued and sometimes terrified by the big questions of artificial intelligence. Will computers ever become truly intelligent? Will the time come when machines can operate without human intervention? What would happen if a machine developed a conscience?
26: Quantum Physics Explained
Light is everywhere—it allows us to interpret the world around us and is a crucial requirement for life on Earth. But what is light? This is a fundamental question of quantum physics, and even Einstein had difficulty wrapping his brain around it.
27: How to Manage Conflict Like a Pro
We all deal with conflict, whether it’s with loved ones or people who are … not so loved. Conflict is a fact of life, but that doesn’t mean you need to flail your way through it.
28: In the Ashes of Pompeii
The city of Pompeii was a prosperous hub of commerce by the time it was settled by the Romans in the year 80 B.C. Little did the Roman settlers know that their time in the city was going to be cut short by an unforeseen natural disaster.
29: Understanding the Big Bang
The Big Bang is HUGE—it’s the theory that informs the origins of the entire universe. However, there’s a lot more to this theory than just that colossal explosion—it goes on to explain how the universe continues to expand, and even addresses the birth of new stars.
30: Four Fascinating Paradoxes
Paradoxes can be mind-bending, frustrating, or enjoyable puzzles to solve. Whether they come from the realm of time travel or everyday life, paradoxes can spur some of our deepest thinking and most perplexing views of the world around us.
31: Understanding the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a pivotal period in human history. It transformed the entire world as it reshaped social and political structures in ways that hadn’t been seen since the invention of agriculture.
32: Our Incredible Sun
As if giving us life isn’t enough, the Sun also puts on incredible solar shows like eclipses and flares that can trigger geomagnetic storms. It’s home to temperatures that we can’t comprehend, and it’s the biggest nuclear engine in our corner of the universe.
