With Christmas just a few days away, I want to share with you a story I told on the podcast back on Christmas Eve 2022. It’s a heart-warming story and one that I hope will give us all a little perspective this Christmas season. This is “Something Appropriate”. Frank, Jim, and Bill were not goingContinue reading “Something Appropriate (replay)”
Category Archives: Historical Stories
The Year They Cancelled Christmas
It’s December 25, 1647—Christmas Day. A crowd of apprentices gather in Cornhill, London. In honor of the festive occasion, they have boughs of holly and strands of ivy ready to hang in honor of Christmas. Together, they hang the greenery in a public place for all to see. It seems like a heartwarming and harmlessContinue reading “The Year They Cancelled Christmas”
Ben Franklin’s Family Feud
It’s early 1775 and it’s a time for deciding. The American colonies are at a crossroads. Tensions are threatening to boil over. It’s becoming harder and harder to sit on the fence. Some British subjects are choosing to stay loyal to the crown, vowing to do so no matter what comes. Others are preparing toContinue reading “Ben Franklin’s Family Feud”
Leonardo da Vinci’s Giant Horse
Make a giant statue, the duke says. And Leonardo thinks, No problem. After all, Leonardo da Vinci is an artistic genius. If anyone can create a giant bronze statue, he can do it. It’s 1482, and Leonardo da Vinci is on the payroll of the powerful Sforza family. Ludovico Sforza is the Duke of MilanContinue reading “Leonardo da Vinci’s Giant Horse”
Look at Your Fish!
Samuel Hubbard Scudder loves bugs. In fact, he loves them so much that he is prepared to make entomology (that’s the study of insects) his life’s work. That’s why he’s about to embark on a degree program at Harvard’s highly respected school of science. It’s the late 1850s. By the time of his death inContinue reading “Look at Your Fish!”
There’s No Medal for Fourth Place
One afternoon during the Olympics this summer, my wife texted me. “You are missing some AMAZING races.” Amazing was in all caps. That evening, after the kids went to bed, we watched those “AMAZING” races together. Ever since, one of those races has played back in my head many times. I don’t go crazy aboutContinue reading “There’s No Medal for Fourth Place”
Master Plan (replay)
I have a really exciting announcement to share with you, but I’m going to be mean and wait until the end of the episode to tell you about it. Don’t worry though, I’ve got a great story for you to listen to while you wait. We all like to wonder about what might have beenContinue reading “Master Plan (replay)”
Not Convenient (replay)
This time, I’m sharing with you an episode from Season 1 that’s a favorite for lots of Exempla listeners. It’s a hard-to-believe story about a sailor who got stuck trying to perform surgery 120 feet below the surface of the ocean. First aired on November 18, 2021, this is “Not Convenient”. It was September ofContinue reading “Not Convenient (replay)”
Caesar and the Pirates
A young Roman nobleman named Julius Caesar is on his way to the island of Rhodes. There, he plans to study under a man named Apollonius Molon, a man renowned for his wisdom in the area of rhetoric. Caesar is not yet well-known in Rome, but he is eager to broaden his influence and heContinue reading “Caesar and the Pirates”
A Spy’s Warning for Pearl Harbor
J. Edgar Hoover’s face is grim as he braces himself for his next meeting. He knows all about the despicable man about to enter the office and he’s fully prepared to put him in his place. Dušan, or Duško as he is known, is a spy. And he’s not just any spy. Duško Popov isContinue reading “A Spy’s Warning for Pearl Harbor”
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