She’s got a better arm than like 10 current starting NFL quarterbacks.

“The story reads like steampunk fiction, except it was real.” The story of David Bushnell and the Turtle, the first deployed military submarine, in 1776. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_B...

Let’s talk about the image of DC that put on display an administration’s failures even as the president falsely blamed his enemies for it. On the anniversary of “Forgotten America” w/ The Great Courses & Audible let’s talk the Bonus March 🗃️ @rauchway.bsky.social ‘s work gets a shout out in this one

Also, one of the original winners of the contest became part of the DOGE initiative. I wrote about it here in ContraSTS mag. contrastsmag.net/article/the-...

Learned today that “freedom of religion” was initially sparked by a compromise by Virginia with Prince William Cty Baptists to recruit them as desperately needed soldiers in Washington’s army.

I think the next Netflix music doc should be the making of Boston’s first album and how a record company signed them/Tom Schulz. It’s such a bonkers basement-to penthouse story.

Thinking of the Declaration of Independence as a press release has completely changed how I read and understand it.

lol. So, the people on the internet discovered that (the Catholic) mapmaker Monte’s 1587 Planisphere map has an ark on Ararat—as noted in Genesis (www.davidrumsey.com/blog/2017/11...) & want to use it to prove the existence of the Ark? Mapmakers knew Asia Minor & inserted biblical refs a lot, folks.

Heard an absolutely genius lecture on my run today on how maps have long been political vehicles, and how one published in 1776 very directly affected South American history, and even the history of the American Revolution (and beyond).

So far, what I like best about our new 1776 Great Course is how readily he points out that Enlightenment philosophers had some really bad ideas, esp on things like natural law and defending or shrugging off slavery.

I’m really excited about my next read.

In an absolutely poetic final Lecture 48 on the unique beauty and marvel of Earth, Prof Wysession quotes Einstein, Sagan, Asimov, Alfred North Whitehead, Bob Dylan, and others. I’m sad it’s over.

I listened to The Great Courses for every one of my 1,900+ mi I ran last year. Not bc I work there but bc engaging my mind and body simultaneously like that is honestly a high I happily cannot get any other way. I look forward to it so much each day.

Happy Juneteenth! I wrote this 5 years ago. firstandpen.com/juneteenth-c...

Ok NBC4 I appreciate your attempt to explain ranked choice voting, but…where’d Nils Lofgren come from?

I’m actually quite sad about this news www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Holy cow—this just dropped 2 days early on The Great Courses Plus. Based on the lecture titles were in for some Real Talk about 1776 not being all sunshine and roses (and freedom and liberty). Can’t wait. shop.thegreatcourses.com/years-that-c...

As if Earth isn’t fascinating enough, the professor is quoting Thucydides, Homer, the Old Testament, Buddhist texts, Ben Franklin, Will Durant, John McPhee, and others. His intellectual range is stunning.

Getting stories of Cleopatra’s Needle in both A History of Ancient Egypt and How the Earth Works is peak Great Courses en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopat...

We just received an email from a teacher and Great Courses devotee in Iran. He has transcribed more than 400(!) courses and wanted to tell Prof Patrick Allitt how much his courses in particular have meant to him. Amazing ❤️

In The Great Courses offices yesterday and I love seeing additions to our p Dessie autograph wall. Seeing Greenberg, Allitt, Liulevicious, and so many other great names just makes me smile.

The course I’m listening to this summer. 36 lectures. And the professor has the same name as me. Great so far.

The Sumatra earthquake of 2004 was so strong that it actually measurably SHORTENED the length of a day. I love when science is stranger than science fiction.

Wow! Yes, please check out my new course about The Declaration of Independence on The Great Courses!

“As a 50-yr teacher of US history and government, I have taught the Declaration of Independence hundreds of times. I learned new ideas from this course that I wish I had taught.” High praise for @rickbell.bsky.social and his new Great Course.

An amazing story of the power of a community uniting in the face of nature’s fury and not only saving their harbor but creating generations of geothermal energy in the process. www.visiticeland.com/article/the-...

The very idea that whole continents are “buoyant” is mind-boggling to a degree I can’t even wrap my head around.

The Blues Brothers is the greatest media cleanse. Prove me wrong. Every single scene makes me smile. And the music…

Machu Picchu is calling. Will you answer with an expert by your side? 🏔️ ​Join Dr. Karen Bellinger this October on an immersive luxury journey through Peru with The Great Courses. ​🎟️ Limited spots left! Secure your itinerary: thegreatcoursesjourneys.com/peru

The combination of running under clear blue skies, in low humidity 70-deg weather while listening to a course on How the Earth Works is positively glorious.

Want to bone up on “The Odyssey” before the Christopher Nolan movie comes out? I recommend Elizabeth Vandiver’s fantastic lecture series from the Great Courses. Her passion for the Classics is infectious. www.audible.com/pd/B00DE2CLX...

On a lark, I just started a 48-lecture course on How the Earth Works, and hoo boy, I’m hooked already. Favorite thing so far: the magnetosphere and how little we appreciate its remarkable role in protecting life on earth.

My 20-yr-old UFC fan son is defending the White House event by saying, “Well, Andrew Jackson had wrestling matches there.” Andrew Jackson is not the presidential bar we’re aiming for, son 🙄

The Declaration of Independence: Printed by an Irish immigrant on Dutch paper. So much contained in all that.

Having finished my course on the Declaration of Independence I regret nothing as much as the fact that no declaration today would be read publicly with a response of resounding huzzahs.

I am absolutely locked in on @rickbell.bsky.social’s new Great course on the Declaration of Independence. Dramatic, poignant, unflinching, and playing it both backward and forward, it is nothing short of a revelation. You think you know the story until he tells it.

@profloumoore.bsky.social ‘nique’s always been one of the good guys: www.nytimes.com/athletic/729...

I’m thrilled to share the Great Courses professors who just won Telly Awards : carterhaughschool.bsky.social Gold and Bronze for Urban Legends Explained. @phdrachel.bsky.social Silver for Forgotten America @stephenressler.bsky.social Silver for Understanding the Marvels of Medieval Technology 1/2

Thanks for suggesting that‼️ 😍Don't you just love #TheGreatCourses⁉️ A lot of the classes are also "free" on #Audible‼️

The idea of Beethoven’s 5th being a battle between the brutal and dour C-minor and the hopeful, bright, butterfly-like C-major akin to Liston vs Ali is pure genius.

A 16th-Century Sketch Claims to Depict Anne Boleyn. A.I. Says It’s Her Mom. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/s...

Misquoted, but not by much: “Mozart’s piano concerti, by quantity and quality, are the greatest. That is not opinion. It is fact. Deserted island stuff. We cannot, and will not live without it.” - Robert Greenberg, How to Listen to and Appreciate Great Music, 3rd ed.

Well this is exciting! My course “Neurohack It: Using Neuroscience for Better Living” is now out on The Great Courses! 🧠 🧪 Discover how you can improve your memory, sharpen your focus, increase your mental and emotional resilience, and more! shop.thegreatcourses.com/neurohack-it...

Wait. Mozart’s famous librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte, was later a (failed) grocery store owner in Elizabeth, NJ, and professor of Italian literature at Columbia Univ.?

Mozart’s father died and the only tangible evidence of his “mourning” was an fyi in a p.s. note to an unrelated letter to a friend. His pet starling died? He penned a 24-line eulogy to its memory 🤔

Just heard a stirring live talk online by @rickbell.bsky.social on the Decl of Independence @250 and American Revolution. Love that he introduced me to this French statesman and his secret efforts to aid the Revolutionaries. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...

This is truly mind-boggling, tho i should stop underestimating Neanderthals. www.cnn.com/2026/05/13/s...

Don’t forget to register for this free live event featuring acclaimed historian of the early US Dr. Richard Bell. He’ll be speaking on the occasion of the Declaration’s 250th. 5/14 2 pm EST @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social @riverheadbooks.bsky.social www.thegreatcoursesjourneys.com/liveevents

My son just used Going to California by Led Zeppelin as the soundtrack to his MMA podcast and I’m gonna need a minute. He inherited some taste from me 😢

What’s surprising about Robert Greenberg’s iconic Great Music course is that the joy is not in hearing the music per se. Its doom-scroll-era joy of listening with intent. Of paying close attention to music made with intent and bearing historical context.